Old Timers - First Time RVers

jimdelora · 11-30-2020, 07:44 PM

My wife and I are 70+ years old, living in AL, and maybe due to Covid 19 we want to get out of the house so we bought a 2019 Cougar RBS. Plan on going to the FL panhandle in 2 days to spend a week. As the weather has turned cold...in the 30's, I decided I better turn on the furnace. With unit on rear AC, Gas, Auto, it starts up and runs for about 30 seconds (plus the AC fan blows), it then shuts off. As we are real novices we need some info as to how to get the furnace working...don't want to carry a heater along. Excited about learning this new way of life but currently frustrated. HELP!

**sourdough** · 11-30-2020, 08:02 PM

Jim, what is your exact model? Did you fill LP tanks? Why do you have the AC on? With a newly purchased used RV you/we need to know a lot of info to run down problems.

**chuckster57** · 11-30-2020, 08:22 PM

Welcome to the forum

If you purchased it new, it may be under warranty. Did you buy from a dealer or private party?

jimdelora · 11-30-2020, 08:49 PM

Model is COUGAR 26RBS HALF-TON. Gauge on LP tanks show predominately full. Not trying to run AC but everything is automated...works off my phone. Apparently the furnace and AC works off "Rear AC" on phone as you can toggle from "Heat-Gas-Auto to "Cool-Auto". It's just when I have the setting on Heat the furnace initially starts, runs maybe 30 seconds and quits. When the furnace kicks on so does the AC fan in the rear of RV. Thanks for your quick response.

jimdelora · 11-30-2020, 08:49 PM

Private party.

LewisB · 12-01-2020, 07:29 AM

May be a silly comments on my part, but:

Do you have the "set" temperature (desired temperature) above the current temperature? Do you do that on your phone or at the thermostat? Is it possible the system kicks on, sees that the temperature is at or above the set temperature and then kicks off?
Does your system have the choice of "gas" vs "elect" for the heater? Most systems that have both a gas heater and an AC heat pump give you the choice of which (or both?) that you want to run.

Sorry if those are dumb comments...

jimdelora · 12-01-2020, 08:07 AM

There are no 'dumb' or silly comments...thanks for your response. The answers: 1) Current temp was 37 F, 'set' temp at 80 F. 2) Everything is programmed with phone or wall module with 'in-command'...only selection is gas.

LewisB · 12-01-2020, 08:33 AM

Thanks. I think the key issue, then, is why is the AC unit coming on when heat is desired - if it does not have an electric heat module (in the AC unit), it should not be coming on. So something in the operational settings or the iN.Command programming is not set correctly.

I have found the ASA iN.Command folks to be very helpful. You can find information on your system at https://in-command.net/. Check out the FAQ section and Look for the operating manual and troubleshooting guide for your specific model. The trouble shooting guide may include info on the HVAC system. Not sure of your manual, but I've attached the trouble shooting tips from a recent manual that might help. Also, at the bottom of these pages, note the good email and phone contact numbers.

Good luck
NCSP3 Troubleshooting Guide HVAC.pdf

LewisB · 12-01-2020, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimdelora

Model is COUGAR 26RBS HALF-TON. Gauge on LP tanks show predominately full. Not trying to run AC but everything is automated...works off my phone. Apparently the furnace and AC works off "Rear AC" on phone as you can toggle from "Heat-Gas-Auto to "Cool-Auto". It's just when I have the setting on Heat the furnace initially starts, runs maybe 30 seconds and quits. When the furnace kicks on so does the AC fan in the rear of RV. Thanks for your quick response.

I would also check the settings on your phone app - you may not have the appropriate HVAC settings programmed in your phone app.

To check this, ignore your phone and see if you can get the system working by using the iN.Command control module in the trailer. If you can get it working from the trailer module, you can then fiddle around with the phone app settings and get it set up properly.

Good luck!

BrooksFam · 12-01-2020, 08:56 AM

Just a thought. Doesn't the furnace shut down if ignition isn't detected? Could it be that the furnace is not lighting for some reason, therefore causing the shut down?

ewbldavis · 12-01-2020, 09:23 AM

While you troubleshoot I'll throw in a couple suggestions:

Make sure propane is full and ON. I know - but sometimes dumbest things...

Invest in a nice space heater. Of course you want furnace to work and should use it from time-to-time, but generally electric is "free" when weekend camping and way cheaper than propane. We use electric heaters even while season camping because it costs less to operate. Furnace will kick on if space heater can't keep up (strategic temp setting

)

ACJCF2 · 12-01-2020, 01:51 PM

Welcome to the site! Do read over any product literature provided. There seems to be lots of it.

spicercars · 12-02-2020, 04:52 AM

One other thing to try if the gas has been shut off for awhile is to light a burner on the stove first and let it run for 30 seconds. If there is air in the line that will help. Then try the furnace. It might just have air in the line. I now on mine that's what I have to do every spring to get the furnace to light. Sometimes it take 3 or 4 try's. Good luck.

Sarge2 · 12-02-2020, 06:25 PM

Welcome from Michigan... Wish I could help but I'm in kind of the same boat.. still trying to figure out some of the idiosyncrasies of my own.. lol.

LHaven · 12-06-2020, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimdelora

My wife and I are 70+ years old, living in AL, and maybe due to Covid 19 we want to get out of the house so we bought a 2019 Cougar RBS. Plan on going to the FL panhandle in 2 days to spend a week. As the weather has turned cold...in the 30's, I decided I better turn on the furnace. With unit on rear AC, Gas, Auto, it starts up and runs for about 30 seconds (plus the AC fan blows), it then shuts off. As we are real novices we need some info as to how to get the furnace working...don't want to carry a heater along. Excited about learning this new way of life but currently frustrated. HELP!

Have the same rig, had the same problem.

Easy problem: AC fan comes on. This is due to a ridiculous human interface on the part of Dometic:

Quote:

Dometic AC fans, when in Heat mode, turn off when set to "Auto" speed.
When the fan speed is set to “Off”, the AC fans run at low speed.

Get it? "Off" means "on low," what could be easier?

Harder problem: You say it runs for 30 seconds and shuts off. This isn't necessarily a sail switch problem (according to the experts here) but I will say that every time I have seen this behavior reported either in my own rig or on this forum, it has been a sail switch problem. Another "tell" is that you hear the heater fan running for 30 seconds before giving up, but you never hear the snap-snap-snap of the igniter trying to ignite the gas... because the sail switch is telling it the heater fan isn't running, so the igniter won't even try.

I've had the sail switch replaced (or de-fouled) twice on my rig in barely two years. The first time, it had been fouled by construction debris (sawdust and styro chips). The second time, it just went bad.

The furnace in the 26RBS is particularly nasty to access, as there is no outer skin port. It has to be extracted from underneath the fridge to be worked on, then installed into a custom bench jig to be tested before reinstallation.

The warranty on Dometic parts is two years. If you hurry, you may be able to get your sail switch fixed under warranty.

I'll also mention: given the unreliability I have encountered with this furnace, I don't leave home without a spare electric heater under the dinette, and I haven't been sorry. My small cube heater, paired with a Lux plug-in thermostat adapter, kept the entire cabin comfortable on a recent Flagstaff-area trip when our sail switch gave up the ghost most recently.

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