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01-21-2021, 04:39 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: punxsutawney
Posts: 5
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Dometic DFMD35121
Anyone know where to order a sail switch for this furnace? Seems like it would be a good idea to have one on hand. Thx!
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01-21-2021, 04:50 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Modesto
Posts: 20,351
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Welcome to the forum
Contrary to what you may have read, sail switch failure is rare. It’s most often foreign debris that makes it stick. At any rate :
https://rvpartsexpress.com/product/d...-with-bracket/
https://parts.unitedrv.com/products/...nt=Catch%20All
I’m sure there are more places, google is your friend.
__________________
2012 Copper Canyon 273FWRET being towed by a 1994 Ford F350 CC,LB,Dually diesel.
Airlift 5000 bags, Prodigy brake control, 5 gauges on the pillar.Used to tow a '97 Jayco 323RKS.
Now an RVIA registered tech. Retired from Law enforcement in 2008 after 25+ yrs.
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01-21-2021, 06:37 PM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: punxsutawney
Posts: 5
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Thx, we've had to pull the furnace out and clean the switch twice in the last 3 months...figured it might be handy to have one on hand. Thank you!
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01-21-2021, 07:22 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Gaylord
Posts: 26,997
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If you've had to pull the sail switch and clean it that much, I'd first look at the cutout in the metal wall where the switch is mounted to see if there may be a bend or a shard of metal that catches dirt/dust causing the switch to bind. Possibly file the edges of the cutout opening just to make sure it's smooth.
Then, if the switch is binding that often from foreign "stuff" on the switch, I'd look at the return air pathway. I'd suspect that there is a "pocket of construction debris or other debris" that is "fueling the issue"....
As a comparison, we have/had until recently a GWP, who sheds terribly, sleeps directly in front of the furnace return air intake and in 6+ years of owning this trailer, we've never had a "fouled sail switch".....
__________________
John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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01-22-2021, 07:22 AM
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#5
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: punxsutawney
Posts: 5
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Thx, we'll take a look. We pulled it again this morning...didn't see any kind of dust or debris....pug it back in...hit the heat ...worked once....now just kicks on and turns back off? Like a sail switch issue???
Anything u can think of?
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01-21-2021, 08:52 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Central FL
Posts: 1,090
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[QUOTE=chuckster57;430495]Welcome to the forum
Contrary to what you may have read, sail switch failure is rare. It’s most often foreign debris that makes it stick. At any rate :
https://rvpartsexpress.com/product/d...-with-bracket/
Thanks for this -I'm adding a small heat vent to the bathroom to push some warm air in there, it's an icebox in the winter. I was about to make one myself now I don't need to... thanks again. Couldn't find one elsewhere.
https://rvpartsexpress.com/product/a...adapter-36688/
__________________
2023 Cougar HT 23MLE
2020 F250 XLT CC 6.2 4WD
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01-22-2021, 06:43 AM
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#7
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Site Team
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: W. Texas
Posts: 17,695
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OP I would concur with the statements above. I've never had a sail switch failure - maybe I'm lucky. Had the last trailer 6 years and this one almost 1 and it has never been an issue (knock on wood). We also have a puppy that sheds and although we don't fulltime we did spend 7 months in it last year so we use it quite a bit.
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Danny and Susan, wife of 56 years
2019 Ram 3500 Laramie CC SWB SB 6.4 4x4 4.10
2020 Montana High Country 331RL
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01-22-2021, 07:37 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Lisbon
Posts: 551
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Check out this video about the switch that I made. They have redesigned the bracket because there have been many many problems with the old style. That's why you can't find them anywhere as they are on backorder.
Like others have said. It's not a problem with the actual switch, they rarely fail. It's a problem with the bracket design.
https://youtu.be/_Go-GZG_U_0
__________________
2018 Keystone Cougar 22RBS
2020 Ford F-350 XLT SC SRW 6.7l Powerstroke.
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01-22-2021, 08:52 AM
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#9
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: punxsutawney
Posts: 5
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Thx, going to give it a try!
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01-22-2021, 11:48 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mountain Home, Idaho
Posts: 3,015
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From the hundreds of posts I've read over the last six months or so the Dometic/Atwood furnace got a bunch of sail switches that just isn't cutting it..
A potential issue with these switches is.. once fur, lint, wood particles, etc interfere with the switch contacts being able to mate with good surface contact they begin to build up a film on the contact surfaces
Once this occurs the resistance of the circuit inline with the switch increases to the point that even if the paddle arm moves fully over to allow the contact surfaces to mate there is such a high resistance that the circuit "sees" an open and the igniter wont fire and gas valves won't open
Then you go in and remove the fur, etc and switch works for a few cycles and then it doesn't work or works intermittently
When you blow out the sail switch paddle arm area you aren't doing anything to to contact surfaces inside the switch because you cant get access without trying to take the switch body apart.
In the pic I habe added this is a small contact relay.. very much like the contacts inside your sail switch.. In the case of this relay the relay works and the contacts mate but the surface of the contacts is dirty and degrades the signal (low current 12 volts) that can pass across the contacts therefore making the switch unreliable
YMMV
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2007 GMC Classic club cab 4x4 Duramax LBZ
2014 Alpine 3010 RE. 34 foot fifth wheel
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01-22-2021, 07:29 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Central FL
Posts: 1,090
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChuckS
From the hundreds of posts I've read over the last six months or so the Dometic/Atwood furnace got a bunch of sail switches that just isn't cutting it..
A potential issue with these switches is.. once fur, lint, wood particles, etc interfere with the switch contacts being able to mate with good surface contact they begin to build up a film on the contact surfaces
Once this occurs the resistance of the circuit inline with the switch increases to the point that even if the paddle arm moves fully over to allow the contact surfaces to mate there is such a high resistance that the circuit "sees" an open and the igniter wont fire and gas valves won't open
Then you go in and remove the fur, etc and switch works for a few cycles and then it doesn't work or works intermittently
When you blow out the sail switch paddle arm area you aren't doing anything to to contact surfaces inside the switch because you cant get access without trying to take the switch body apart.
In the pic I habe added this is a small contact relay.. very much like the contacts inside your sail switch.. In the case of this relay the relay works and the contacts mate but the surface of the contacts is dirty and degrades the signal (low current 12 volts) that can pass across the contacts therefore making the switch unreliable
YMMV
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Excellent info, thanks for the insight. I'm keeping this in the back of my mind for future reference. I figure it's when, not if, this happens to us.
__________________
2023 Cougar HT 23MLE
2020 F250 XLT CC 6.2 4WD
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01-23-2021, 07:10 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Mountain Home, Idaho
Posts: 3,015
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Jus this morning I read another 15 posts on various groups (not Keystone RVs) with same issue with Dometic Atwood furnace on late model units failing to work..
Symptoms.. blower comes on, no ignition sound and no light..
5 were on brand new RVs 2021 units... Jayco, Grand Design...
__________________
2007 GMC Classic club cab 4x4 Duramax LBZ
2014 Alpine 3010 RE. 34 foot fifth wheel
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01-30-2021, 08:12 AM
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#13
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2021
Location: punxsutawney
Posts: 5
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We did this and it worked for about 5 days...just enough time to get the new switch! Thank you!
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