Heater Issues

[Keystoned]

Not me...yes I have 2 vents that are visible but I can't get to my heater from outside...

[Jfreek65]

Originally Posted by sonofcy

Both the furnace and water heater have hot exhausts that must be vented to the outside or you die of CO poisoning. One of us is confused.

I know on my 27RES the only visible thing outside for the furnace is the vent. To actually get to the body of the furnace the access panel is inside.

[sonofcy]

Originally Posted by Jfreek65

I know on my 27RES the only visible thing outside for the furnace is the vent. To actually get to the body of the furnace the access panel is inside.

I just looked at a picture of your model and see that indeed as you say there is no access from outside. That's different! Still, it is a field serviceable item although not as convenient perhaps. If it's that difficult to check the sail switch (I used a 12v tester to test mine) and the led isn't helping I would just find out what board you need and order a dinosaur brand board. If that fixes the problem discard the old board otherwise keep as a spare.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by sonofcy

Both the furnace and water heater have hot exhausts that must be vented to the outside or you die of CO poisoning. One of us is confused.

He's commenting on the location of his sail switch, high temp cutout switch and control board on the furnace. He'll have to remove the furnace from its location to access those components as they "aren't on the outside and accessible" the way his furnace is installed.

[sonofcy]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

He's commenting on the location of his sail switch, high temp cutout switch and control board on the furnace. He'll have to remove the furnace from its location to access those components as they "aren't on the outside and accessible" the way his furnace is installed.

I stand corrected. I have never seen that before until I looked up his model at Keystone.

[66joej]

Originally Posted by Jfreek65

I know on my 27RES the only visible thing outside for the furnace is the vent. To actually get to the body of the furnace the access panel is inside.

And the furnace must be completely removed from beneath the fridge to do any type of repair. Also the wiring harness had to be cut as there was no connector or slack in order to remove.

[sonofcy]

Originally Posted by 66joej

And the furnace must be completely removed from beneath the fridge to do any type of repair. Also the wiring harness had to be cut as there was no connector or slack in order to remove.

No connector is ridiculous. Do they think those things last forever?

[Keystoned]

I think they hire magical elves to put these trailers together. God help the guy who has to fix them...

[flybouy]

Have you ever seen a bank being built? They pour the foundation/slab first, then install the vault. Everything else follows. Sort of the same principal .

[Keystoned]

Well my heater must be made of gold because nobody is taking it for sure, lol

[chuckster57]

Originally Posted by Keystoned

I think they hire magical elves to put these trailers together. God help the guy who has to fix them...

And he has..lots of times!!

[Keystoned]

Amen brother...

[Keystoned]

So I think I figured out my latest heater issue...too much blowing down below. There are 3 outlets being used and the top level gets hardly any air. So as an experiment I placed duct tape across the outlet port going to the bottom and now the top gets more. We don't usually camp way below freezing so it's not likely the water will freeze. Two questions;
1. is there a part available that allows one to vary the opening area at the port?
2. if not, what is the correct material to use to block the port as I assume duct tape is not it
Thanks in advance.

[JRTJH]

I would "proceed with caution" in blocking any air discharge port on the furnace or in the supply ducting. In your furnace owner's manual/installation manual, the FURNACE manufacturer clearly outlines the minimum area "air in/heated air out" requirements. Keystone is notorious for doing things "at the minimum acceptable level"… I'd suspect that there is very little "excess ducting area" installed at the factory.

So, if you start blocking off duct runs, or even partially blocking off one area to increase flow in another area, you stand a very good chance of decreasing the overall airflow out of the heat exchanger, increasing the heat exchanger internal temperature, decreasing the "burner box life span", causing the high temperature sensor to go into lockout and reducing the "fire safety factors" for which Keystone doesn't provide an ample excess.....

There's a reason the furnace manufacturer put the warning: "Do not install any filter or air restrictions on this furnace"... They know that RV manufacturers, typically don't install any excess "air flow capacity"... Putting duct restrictions on the output is essentially the same as installing a filter on the input side. Both are "no-no's".... Do some calculations on your system before you start blocking off ducts, you might be creating a significant fire hazard.

[sourdough]

The furnace limit switch senses internal temps dependent on amount of air coming in, amount the furnace discharges and what that does to the internal temps; basically trying to reduce the risks of a fire. As an example; just this winter I had issues with my furnace coming on running for a bit then stopping, refusing to reignite. After quite a while it would fire back up and repeat the process. The problem? As miniscule as it sounds I had installed an insect guard over the exhaust consisting of a very coarse wire mesh. That simple, minor little obstruction was causing the furnace to get too hot and shut down as a safety measure. Removed it and no more problems, so, be VERY careful about obstructing inflow or outflow. As John mentioned, and most have found, RV manufacturers aren't known for "overbuilding" anything; they will be the barest minimum to meet the minimum of safety standards.

[Keystoned]

Thanks for the warnings but the first time, and last time out, we needed heat, the heater ran excessively and we remained cold. What is the point of heater that leaves us cold?
I traced the ducts and figured which port feeds the basement, which was nice and toasty. Should we sleep there instead? lol
If not blocking then maybe combining or swapping?

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Keystoned

Thanks for the warnings but the first time, and last time out, we needed heat, the heater ran excessively and we remained cold. What is the point of heater that leaves us cold?
I traced the ducts and figured which port feeds the basement, which was nice and toasty. Should we sleep there instead? lol
If not blocking then maybe combining or swapping?

Like the "silicone vs DICOR" use, not knowing and making a problem greater can happen. Sleeping in the basement might be more comfortable than sleeping on most fifth wheel "luxury mattresses"...

As long as you're aware of the requirements for airflow, making "educated and calculated changes" can be done safely. Blocking a duct to increase airflow somewhere else, without knowing the "system impact" can make things worse or even unsafe... As long as you're aware and make safe changes, you'll likely be improving rather than changing for the sake of change.... Good Luck.

[Keystoned]

The old mattress was trashed and replaced, but the fold out couch ain't bad if you lay on it backwards. Head at foot of bed is much comfortable than the head of the bed which is just under a cold window this time of year.
BTW, I have never used silicone on an RV roof...but I've removed it, lol

[Keystoned]

Figured out and fixed...swapped outlets with compatible parts from home depot. Nothing blocked, just rerouted high and low flow ports.

[GlenY]

i had this problem was a bad thermostat