Furnace not working

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by cavie

Most furnaces are not a DIY project. Most furnaces require complete removal from the RV and benched tested and worked on. If you do not have a removable outside access door then you need a mobile RV Tech. And If you don't have and know how to use a voltmeter you need a Mobile RV tech. Do not take it to a dealer.

I think a mobile tech comes in handy and sometimes expediency is worth some tradeoffs but there are some negative caveats;

The mobile tech will try to fix whatever is wrong with whatever he has. A "make it work" kind of thing. You might get the issue resolved quicker but with who knows what. Watched several examples of that over the years in parks. Don't have the correct saw? A hammer will work. Needed a Dometic 320? All I've got is a Thetford Aqua Magic - that'll work.

On top of the above, as I just inquired, a mobile tech to come to my site to repair the electric side of my water heater (could not find a switch) was $125 trip charge and minimum of 1 hour at $100+ per hr. to replace a $5 switch. I never intended to have them do the work but was curious what it would cost if I did do it....and, they don't carry the switches or sell them....they would order it and come install it on the SECOND trip. Sort of like waiting for a dealer.

Just know what you are dealing with, the scope of the work and the costs associated or you could be throwing money away with a mobile tech (or dealership for that matter). I did find a switch 1 1/2hrs away and replaced it.

[purebred]

I'll stick with fixing it myself or finding a competent person other than a dealer any day of the week. Like many have said on here it's hard to find dealerships that will look at your problem if you didn't buy from them. My experience has been the dealership i did buy from treated me like " who cares about you type attitude. I'll skip the dealerships and figure out something else. To each their own.

[Catsailor]

Purchased Fall of 2019 did an Ontario to Alberta for Xmas and down the West Coast, Cal and east to Florida until Mid March shutdown. Parked trailer at our cottage, furnace was working great until the day I was closing up, no heat. Changed over to other tank, fan comes on but doesn't fire.

Only access is under the fridge, no outside access hatch and nothing to see on the inside. Dumb setup.
I suspect the sail switch but I'll try the other ideas maybe after Xmas when we go up to check the cottage. Hard to get mobile service there and I hate to move it due to how hard it is to park on the site.

[purebred]

Originally Posted by Catsailor

Purchased Fall of 2019 did an Ontario to Alberta for Xmas and down the West Coast, Cal and east to Florida until Mid March shutdown. Parked trailer at our cottage, furnace was working great until the day I was closing up, no heat. Changed over to other tank, fan comes on but doesn't fire.

Only access is under the fridge, no outside access hatch and nothing to see on the inside. Dumb setup.
I suspect the sail switch but I'll try the other ideas maybe after Xmas when we go up to check the cottage. Hard to get mobile service there and I hate to move it due to how hard it is to park on the site.

Sure sounds like a faulty or sticking sail switch. Exactly what mine would do when it was in fact the sail switch. But I'm not an expert so take it for what it's worth. I lucked out with a mobile tech who was pretty agile and fixed it in the trailer court i was in. Had the part on his truck also. Charged me 25.00 for labor and sent the old sail switch in for warranty. I just asked the manager of the park who they recommended and called him. The trailer was 2 weeks old at the time. The dealer said I had to bring in the unit for them to look at, HA. But they would send out someone to check my lousy KEY tv? Go figure. Good ole Crestview strikes again. If it happens again I will lay on the floor and troubleshoot it myself. Good luck with yours.

[Catsailor]

Originally Posted by purebred

Sure sounds like a faulty or sticking sail switch. Exactly what mine would do when it was in fact the sail switch. But I'm not an expert so take it for what it's worth. I lucked out with a mobile tech who was pretty agile and fixed it in the trailer court i was in. Had the part on his truck also. Charged me 25.00 for labor and sent the old sail switch in for warranty. I just asked the manager of the park who they recommended and called him. The trailer was 2 weeks old at the time. The dealer said I had to bring in the unit for them to look at, HA. But they would send out someone to check my lousy KEY tv? Go figure. Good ole Crestview strikes again. If it happens again I will lay on the floor and troubleshoot it myself. Good luck with yours.

Thanks, been thinking the temp did drop below freezing that night and it wouldn't fire in the morning, I stayed in the cottage with a big fire.

[LHaven]

Originally Posted by cavie

Most furnaces are not a DIY project. Most furnaces require complete removal from the RV and benched tested and worked on. If you do not have a removable outside access door then you need a mobile RV Tech. And If you don't have and know how to use a voltmeter you need a Mobile RV tech. Do not take it to a dealer.

I'll second that. I've had three furnace failures in two years. The only reason I took it back to the dealer was that they were all warranty issues (and still I ended up paying for them). Here's my post about the last time (and I mean the last time) I did this.

I'm awesomely not a fan of this hatch-less furnace installation trend that forces you to take the whole furnace out every time you have to change a component.

[jasin1]

If my furnace wasn’t working and I suspected the sail switch, IF I wasn’t mechanically inclined I would hook back up to TV and go around the block. It may work the sail switch around a little and get it going. I read that years ago television repair guys would pick a television up at customers house and throw it in the truck and by the time they got to the shop it would be working again because of the bumpy trip to the shop. I am a heating and ac contractor and have seen more sail switches and klixon style temp switches reset themselves after removing them then I can count. They just get stuck in one extreme position or another either by design or by action

Also residential furnaces will lock themselves out after several attempts to start and failing. Not sure if rv furnaces are the same but I would shut off power specifically to furnace and turn back on if it wouldn’t start. And purge the propane out of the line going to furnace of changing bottles. Easier to just cycle it until starts with shutting power off in between if it locks out. Or if mechanically inclined then purge at gas line. And I see it’s an old post just offering my opinion if anyone still looking

I’m sure the rv techs on the site have many instances where furnace wasn’t working for customer but showed “no problem found” by the time it arrived at dealer for service

As a final note (I promise) I would turn on the furnace right before I moved the trailer around the block so the combustion fan was active when I try and jostle it with the drive around the block. Or even just put truck in gear forward and reverse right at campsite to move things around internally

[Catsailor]

Originally Posted by LHaven

I'll second that. I've had three furnace failures in two years. The only reason I took it back to the dealer was that they were all warranty issues (and still I ended up paying for them). Here's my post about the last time (and I mean the last time) I did this.

I'm awesomely not a fan of this hatch-less furnace installation trend that forces you to take the whole furnace out every time you have to change a component.

Actually if I had noticed the lack of access I would have kept shopping. For a $15.00 access hatch this is pure cheap BS.