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Old 11-05-2021, 12:35 PM   #1
matt.gurksnis
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Furnace Issue

Hi,
I am new to the forum and new to RVing(travel trailer).

I have a 2003 Keystone Cougar (bobcat model, I am told). The last 8 digits of vin....32034805.

My travel trailer has a thermostat switch to turn on AC and furnace and put fan on auto or not, with a up and down thermostat regulator to increase/decrease temperature of unit.

My issue is lighting the furnace. My furnace runs on the propane. Sorry much of this may be obvious im just am new.

I turn the thermostat switch to furnace and turn fan to on/auto and move the temperature gauge to well above outside temperature. I do hear fan come on but dont feel heat. I assume it is not igniting. I looked all over and do not see any pilot light ignition. I am told this trailer has a DSI (direct spark ignition).

1) Is there a button for the DSI, if so where? I have looked all over the trailer and it isn't obvious? Unless I have to put the slide out to see it.
2) Is my trailer truly use a DSI? If not where and how does the furnace ignite?
3) I looked at the breaker/fuse box and the fuse is good and the breaker is on.
4) what am i missing on the ignition?

I appreciate your input.

Matt
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Old 11-05-2021, 01:07 PM   #2
snoobler
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If you can get the make/model # of the furnace, that would help.
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Old 11-05-2021, 01:14 PM   #3
matt.gurksnis
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Where would i find that out? Do i need to take the screen off underneath the refridgerator or is it located in another location?
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Old 11-05-2021, 01:29 PM   #4
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Before you get too far, make sure the propane cylinder valves are turned on, and hopefully when you turned them on you did so slowly so the excess flow valves in the big green nuts didn't close. If you did set the excess flow valves, turn off the valves on the propane cylinders, remove the connections to the cylinders and then reattach the connections and then very slowly open the valves. Then, turn on burners on the cook top to make sure there is propane gas in the lines. Once that is done, try again to turn on the furnace. It may take a couple cycles to get the furnace to light because there may still be air in the line, but try a couple times or more.
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Old 11-05-2021, 01:37 PM   #5
matt.gurksnis
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Yes, I do have propane flow. I did turn on the stove burners and let the propane flow through with flame for about 5 minutes prior to trying to start furnace.

So are you saying all that needs to be done is turn the furnace to "ON" from the thermostat? No DSI switch/button I should be trying to find?
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Old 11-05-2021, 01:53 PM   #6
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I'm not familiar with your particular unit. Their location can vary. Not useful to the model number issue, but if you don't have an owner's manual, here's a generic one for an '02:

https://keystone-rv-dealer-app.cdn.p...al-revised.pdf

Most trailers come with a large binder with manuals for the various appliances and systems made by other manufacturer's. You might be able to find your specific furnace model if you have that binder.

A walk-around of the trailer should reveal two places that exhaust hot gas. One for the water heater and one for the furnace. You might find a model number behind the outside cover, or on the inside. Some manufacturers place the intake under the oven - just depends.
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Old 11-05-2021, 01:53 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by matt.gurksnis View Post
Yes, I do have propane flow. I did turn on the stove burners and let the propane flow through with flame for about 5 minutes prior to trying to start furnace.

So are you saying all that needs to be done is turn the furnace to "ON" from the thermostat? No DSI switch/button I should be trying to find?
Your furnace should light on its own, if all the conditions are right. If you take the return screen off underneath the fridge, you’ll see the back cover of the furnace. Two screws hold that on, take them off and there should be a tag with brand/size.

Try turning on the furnace with the thermostat, then go outside to the exhaust ports. Listen for any “clicking” (ignitor) and smell for propane. Report your findings. DO NOT put your face near the openings.
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Old 11-05-2021, 02:08 PM   #8
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Matt with a 18 yr old furnance the issue fould be any number of things. The DSI does not have a seperate switch. When the t'stat is set for heat and calles for the furnace the furnace fan shoild first start to purge any gas from the burner. A sail switch should mzke connection to indicate sufficiant airflow, Then the spark ignightor should start firing (sounds like a clicking sound) abd the gas valve should open. The gas ignights and a device detects the ignition of the flame. After a certian amount of time after either the gas does not ignite or the temperature rises and the t'stat is satisfied the fan will continue to run a few seconds to cool down the heat exchanger and purge the gases from the ignition side.

So first question now that you've established fuel, what condition is the battery in? If the battery is weak it will not spin the fan fast enough for the sail switch to make contact. Do you hear a clicking sound from the ignightor fireing?
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Old 11-05-2021, 02:18 PM   #9
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Thank you for the response. All of it makes sense. The battery is brand new so I don't think its that. I don't think I am hearing any clicking sound, if there is it must be very faint.
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Old 11-05-2021, 02:23 PM   #10
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If your not smelling any propane either, then it could be the sail switch or even the limit switch. Have you determined the make/model yet?
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Old 11-05-2021, 05:34 PM   #11
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Also, on a trailer that old, a previous owner could (probably did) replace components through the years... Your comment about the thermostat fan switch caused me to suspect that the thermostat is not the OEM or even an RV thermostat.... You said that the fan switch has off/auto. RV thermostat fan switches in that era had 3 position fan switches. HI/LO/AUTO.

I'd suspect that your thermostat may be at least a part of the problem. I'd start there, make sure the thermostat is working properly before you start tearing the trailer apart to get to the furnace, which is probably "buried in the bowels of the trailer, under the refrigerator"....
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Old 11-05-2021, 07:01 PM   #12
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My son took the trailer to a campsite with power and he said the furnace started right up with the heat. I assume now without power there isn't enough juice from the battery to ignite the furnace. It kind of stumps me because the battery is a brand new deep cycle battery.
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Old 11-05-2021, 07:06 PM   #13
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My son took the trailer to a campsite with power and he said the furnace started right up with the heat. I assume now without power there isn't enough juice from the battery to ignite the furnace. It kind of stumps me because the battery is a brand new deep cycle battery.
How long in between use? A trailer battery will only last a week or so unattended as the parasitic loads will run the battery down. You need to either disconnect the battery cables or install a disconnect switch on the negative battery cable.
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Old 11-05-2021, 07:30 PM   #14
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I have had the battery connected for about 5 days. It had limited use.
My son plans to leave the camper at his deer lease, can he just unhook the negative cable and leave it or should he unhook both positive and negative and put battery inside trailer?
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Old 11-05-2021, 07:36 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by matt.gurksnis View Post
I have had the battery connected for about 5 days. It had limited use.
My son plans to leave the camper at his deer lease, can he just unhook the negative cable and leave it or should he unhook both positive and negative and put battery inside trailer?
As long as you remove the negative cable. Make sure the battery is fully charged first. How will he charge it while at the deer lease and how long inbetween visits?
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Old 11-05-2021, 07:44 PM   #16
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A GP 24 or a GP 27 hybrid battery (marine/RV battery from WalMart and similar) will only last "overnight in cold weather" with the furnace fan running. It's near impossible to leave a trailer at "deer camp" and use it for more than one use without recharging the battery.

I'd recommend that if he's planning to leave the trailer on site, it would be best to bring the battery home with him, put it on a charger and take it back, "fully charged" for the next use... Otherwise, he's going to leave after the first use with a disconnected, barely charged battery and return to the same. It won't make it through the second camping weekend without being fully discharged.....

Hybrid batteries should not be discharged below 70%. That means only 30% of the battery power is available to be used before the battery begins to damage itself by discharging further. He needs to bring the battery home with him and fully charge it so he has reliable power for the next trip.
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Old 11-05-2021, 10:56 PM   #17
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Could be as simple as a dirty sail switch. With the older furnace it could also be poor connections between the connectors and the main board. Sometimes just jiggling the various connections on the main board will get it to work again. I've had that work on 3 different furnaces. The older boards don't have pin connectors and the main plug just slides on to the contacts on the board. Those connections can fail so try the jiggling. It might be a simple as that.
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Old 11-06-2021, 06:57 PM   #18
matt.gurksnis
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There is 30 amp set up. While on the 30 amp does it charge the battery?
Does it also charge if the trailer is hooked up to the truck hitch plug? ( does truck need to be running?)
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Old 11-06-2021, 07:59 PM   #19
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There is 30 amp set up. While on the 30 amp does it charge the battery?
Does it also charge if the trailer is hooked up to the truck hitch plug? ( does truck need to be running?)
Matt if you go to the top of the page and click on "UserCP" and creat a signature with yhe make, model number and year of your trailer and tow vehichle it will help you get better answers without people asking for the info every time. Cougar is a model line, like Buick or Pontiac. The model number will reveal more info.

If the trailer is plugged into shore power then the battery should charge. The battery should charge while plugged into the tow vehichle; However, it will depend on the tv weather or not the engine needs to be runnjng. I beleive on some trucks it requires the transmission to be in drive as well. Check your vehichle owner's manual. In any case, the truck's wireing to charge the trailer battery is typically a small guage wire and it will take a long time gor the battery to charge.
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Old 11-11-2021, 02:30 PM   #20
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With regard to the battery being new, keep in mind that batteries can come defective from the factory and even a good battery can be ruined in a day with miss-use. So really, "new" means next to nothing.

If you intend to use the battery without shore power, you really need a true "deep cycle" battery. The most common batteries installed in trailers are Marine/Starting (aka combo) batteries. You can tell it's not a true deep cycle if it includes Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) on the label.

If you plugged into shore power, the converter in the trailer should be charging the battery, but this assumes the converter is working. With the trailer plugged into shore power, check the voltage across the battery posts. If it is 13v+, then the converter is working and the battery should be charging.

If you want to use the battery at times when shore power is not available, there is a large learning curve to the care and feeding of coach batteries. If this is you intent, start asking questions There's a lot to learn.
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