More Furnace woes

[Northofu1]

its a labour of love

[B-O-B'03]

Originally Posted by Wileec

Brian,

Thanks. I am upset because part of why I bought a new camper was so that things could get fixed for me or so they would not need fixin. If I wanted to do lots of work I would have bought a well used one for a lot less money.

I understand the upset bit, my control board needed replacement because the person that roto-zipped the hole in the sidewall for the outside electrical outlet roto-zipped right into the main drain line for the kitchen and the resultant leak ruined the circuit board.

My trailer was less than a week old and we had not camped in it yet, I found the leak doing system checks in the parking space for the camper.

We were set to leave in a few days, for our inaugural camping trip, so the dealer sent me a new board, with over night delivery (they are ~400 miles away) and I fixed the plumbing and installed the board myself.

They filed a claim with keystone and sent me a check for $150 to cover my labor for the repairs.

Things are likely to go awry in any camper, I just fix them and move on and have never taken mine back to anyone for warranty work.

-Brian

[travelin texans]

New or used, with RVs there will ALWAYS be something to fix, that's just fact!
If not wanting to do repairs buy a Prius to travel & stay in hotels! Not trying to be a smart a##, I think anyone on here that has rv'd for any length of time will tell you the same thing.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Wileec

Brian,

Thanks. I am upset because part of why I bought a new camper was so that things could get fixed for me or so they would not need fixin. If I wanted to do lots of work I would have bought a well used one for a lot less money.

The trick when buying a brand new camper is to get it out and put it through ALL of its paces in every way you possibly can to make everything functions in all kinds of situations. Because...something will fail. Sometimes its a simple "tighten a connection", fix the anti siphon fitting etc. Sometimes it's more complex and requires a dealer to remedy. The trick is to do it quickly - that 12mo. window goes by very fast.

Now, does that 12mo warranty mean you found everything, "they" had to fix it all and you won't have to fix anything anymore because you bought it new? Far from it. I only buy new and I am always fixing/replacing something. I can get in one of my new cars and drive for years and just do the scheduled maintenance. That does not happen in an RV, it's just the nature of the beast. Think of it in a positive way....instead of sitting and watching TV an owner can be out under the trailer, dropping coroplast/tanks/plumbing; redoing electrical; learning new woodworking skills; learning everything there is to know about an rv suspension, bearings and tires. Wow, almost sounds like we should be PAYING for gaining all that newfound knowledge!!! Just being facetious but owning these things really does require shifting into what I call "the RV owner mindset". When the next thing fails, just smile and think...."well, I was wondering what it would be today" then grab up some tools, hustle out there and begin learning yet another new skill!!

Not trying to make light of your situation, just making an observation on how to keep smiling. And by the way, as far as the dealership not checking out the sail switch etc. just to be sure....Keystone does not pay for time spent "analyzing or chasing down a problem", only the time required to repair the faulty part after it is found. That means any time the tech spends just "looking" for a possible cause is coming out of the dealership's pocket. That's why they want a hard fault. Not good for the owner but not the dealership's fault either.

[Benbill]

100% ... replace the Sail Switch. Cheap part. Easy to replace. DIY

[dgl1948]

Have them check to ensure the propane regulator is putting out the proper pressure. Mine was just as you described. Stove and fridge would work fine. Furnace worked when it was warm out and you did not need it. When it was cold out fan would run to purge it, igniter would try a few times and then it would shut down without working. Dealer checked pressure and it was low. Adjuster to proper pressure and it has worked fine.

[Willie & Bev]

I had a similar problem with my Suburban water heater. It had always worked fine. I went boondocking with my son in Colorado and we were at 9300 ft. according to my GPS. The water heater would light and then go off. It did work enough that we had enough hot water for showers for the three days we camped. I got my manual out and discovered that the water is designed for operation of 4500 ft. and below. If you go above 4500 ft. it needs to be Changed for the higher altitude. I'm guessing that a smaller orifice is required.

So the high altitude may be the problem.

Willie

[2015 Outback 323BH]

Hey guys I had the same problem. I could pull the unit out of the camper and it would work on the bench. I would but it back in the camper and it might work or not. After 4 trips to the dealer. I replaced the contorl board that runs the furnace. It was about 80 bucks. Problem solved.

[WJQ]

My empathy for Wiltec. I sold my 18 year old Bounder because everything worked. I assumed that things like the frig, furnace, water heater might start failing and I no longer needed a large RV. Thus, my decision was to sell the Bounder before big expenses or major work was required. Buy a "trouble-free" new RV.

So, we bought our Keystone. I am also a long distance from my dealer (60 miles) so most small issues I repair myself. I did take it back once after about 20 months of ownership for replacement of the water heater contrl board and fixing the stove gas leak (bad valve). Both were covered under the 2 year warranty in late spring this year.

For your issue, I would call the "Marcus Line" 866-232-8990. This is special line for dealer issues that goes to the Camping World President. I was frustrated with my dealership for several reasons and I called. I had a call back from the my Camping World Dealer General Manager in Dreaper, Ut, within a few hours. His response was sincere and my issues were resolved.

I hope I don't have to use this option again but all owners should be aware that if your issue is not your lack of knowledge but a local dealer's staff with poor customer service attitude, call Marcus! This path can help.

Lastly, I camp at 7800 ft much of the time. All systems worked the last time we were out -- about 1 month ago. On cold mornings, the trailer was down to about 50 F so we used the heater. It worked as it should. Good Luck.

[Stan1966]

Originally Posted by Wileec

I have read multiple threads about the furnace fan running for 30-45 seconds and stopping. No ignition sounds at all. This is what I get but not all the time, only when I need it. It seems to work ok when it is warm out and I am testing.

I took my 2020 Bullet to the dealer a couple of weeks before the factory warranty expired in Aug. and guess what it worked. They told me that they could not fix something that worked. The next time we went out we needed the heat and nope no ignition. I have a quick weekend trip planned this weekend and we will see what happens.

How can I deal with an intermittent problem especially now that I no longer have the Keystone warranty? The dealer was useless back in August and Keystone was no better when I contacted them. From what I have read this is not an uncommon issue with new campers from Keystone.

I had the exact same issue with my 2018 Laredo. I called a mobile tech and he knew exactly what was wrong. He said there is a piece of plastic that gets hung up and will not let the ignition switch reset. He trimmed the plastic, took him 40 minutes and he charged me $140 which I was happy to pay. My furnace has worked like a champ since. Hope this helps.