Furnace not working. Possible vent issue?

[mkbix]

So far since we we’ve been in this 5th wheel 15 days on the road it’s been nothing but issues. We’re about to throw in the towel. Warranties do not help when you’re full timing and also working full time.

Anyways. The latest is our furnace stopped igniting. I have plenty of propane flow. I replaced a faulty regulator before we started our trip. Blower runs for 20 seconds then stops. Thermostat is fine. I also tried the reset switch.

I opened up the vent on our stairs and saw a piece of aluminum foil tape fell off one of the open holes that you would connect the vent hose.

I can’t fully reach to fix it. I’m debating ripping out the darn basement wall to get to the furnace, but curious if anyone thinks that could be the issue of the igniter not firing before I go sawing and breaking wood on our new coach?

[Grumpy]

Are you on shore power? If not it could be a low voltage issue and the fan is not running fast enough to get the sail switch to close. Yes, blocked air flow can cause it not to ignite.

[Joan617]

Hang in there.

What kind of rig do you have? It would help if you posted that so folks with similar equipment would know to respond.

We too are about two weeks in to FT and we fully expected for stuff to happen where we would have to take the lead and likely fix ourselves just out of expediency.

So far the two warranty claims we’ve managed were from third party equipment providers and did not involve Jayco.

First was the water heater and when we called Dometic and explained full time living away from dealers they quickly agreed to send the necessary part direct to us for a ten minute repair.

Second was just this week when the washing machine went dead. We called the vendor direct (not Jayco) and they could not have been nicer. They recommended a local appliance repair shop who came out to us, diagnosed the problem, ordered the part (3 days) and fixed us up directly with no out of pocket expense to us besides the few days of quarters at the laundromat.

Call your furnace manufacturer. They should fix you up.

Good luck and hang in there.

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by Joan617

Hang in there.

What kind of rig do you have? It would help if you posted that so folks with similar equipment would know to respond.

We too are about two weeks in to FT and we fully expected for stuff to happen where we would have to take the lead and likely fix ourselves just out of expediency.

So far the two warranty claims we’ve managed were from third party equipment providers and did not involve Jayco.

First was the water heater and when we called Dometic and explained full time living away from dealers they quickly agreed to send the necessary part direct to us for a ten minute repair.

Second was just this week when the washing machine went dead. We called the vendor direct (not Jayco) and they could not have been nicer. They recommended a local appliance repair shop who came out to us, diagnosed the problem, ordered the part (3 days) and fixed us up directly with no out of pocket expense to us besides the few days of quarters at the laundromat.

Call your furnace manufacturer. They should fix you up.

Good luck and hang in there.

Extremely good advice Angus..............I will definitely remember that when we hit the FT mode!!

[mkbix]

Thanks for the replies!

We have a 2019 Eagle 336 FBOK with Atwood furnace.

Thing is nearly impossible to reach.

I will call Atwood and see what they say tomorrow.

[pconroy]

One last tidbit - we're out of warranty so it's a bit different for us. But I've been using a Mobile RV Tech that had a good reputation.

This guy is worth his weight in gold.
So far he's come to me, and fixed everything we've thrown at him for a reasonable price and within an hour.

[JKnox8688]

Make sure the outside vent is clear, no spider webs or such, just like a new house furnace, if the pipe is plugged with snow, it’s a no go.

[mkbix]

Outside vent is clear. When blower kicks on, cool air blows out exhaust.

Taping back up the hole didn’t fix anything



I guess it’s phone calls to Jayco / Atwood tomorrow.

Jayco denied our warranty claim (submitted through our dealer) for a spontaneous shattered window while driving through Arizona, so I have to fight that as well.

Extended warranty through “us warranty” ( our secondary provider) I learned does not cover glass

[Ralph0808]

Just had the sail switch replaced in my 2019 Pinnacle. The system worked good for 3 months but this morning it would not allow the system to ignite. I had to go to work so the DW called a Mobile Technician with Jayco’s ok, to repair the system. He came prepared with a new switch and had the system going in a short time. Hopefully Jayco will reimburse part of the expenses under warranty.

[mkbix]

I called Jayco on Monday. They approved sending out a mobile Tech. He was here today.

Learning the best way to get at the furnace was the hardest thing. Ended up being fairly easy using the wall panel underneath that was part of our "docking station" compartment.

He took it out, cleaned out all the debris (to which there was a ton) and bench tested it and it worked!

I felt like a fool that it worked for him. Best guess is that all the dirt and debris from factory with the hole opened up when the tape gave out, caused the circuit board to malfunction.

I recommend Denny's Mobile RV repair in the Sacramento area!

Also, Jayco redeemed themselves by approving this claim and also reversing their decision on our broken window. Hopefully there are sunny days and smooth roads ahead!

[ALJO]

In many cases Jayco will step up when kindness and kindness meet. Many furnace don't have the exterior access door, which means for services the furnace has to be removed and bench tested. The manufacturer saves a few peanuts by not installing this door.

[mkbix]

Furnace stopped working again.

I think I may have determined the real problem, but looking for some advice here to see if my idea's are way off in left field.

I'm putting the culprit as my propane regulator. It seems that it's creating back-pressure and propane isn't flowing like it should. When I take off the pigtails to my tanks, the regulator still shows that I have full tanks!

I'm guess when he removed it last week, that cleared the system and allowed for proper flow again.

Although the one thing that confuses me is that I still have propane to my stove and outdoor grill. hrmm.

[mkbix]

Furnace keeps failing. I've now become a master at crawling underneath and removing it. Each time I do and put it back it works...for maybe a day or 2.

I'm going to replace the sail switch, now just need to find the right one.

[ALJO]

For testing you can bridge the Sail switch temporally to see if that is the culprit.
I would recommend to any RVer who doesn't have an outside access door to install one, it is so much easier to service the furnace. In the 50 years of camping I had very little trouble with Atwood Hydro Flame furnaces.

[Jim Smyth]

I had the same problem. Halfway down on page 3 is my response. Towards the end at page 5 is another that had the same thing as me. Have you had the electronic board out yet to look over? May be the same water type intrusion with associated green corrosion.



https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/f...t-64033-3.html

[Hog3loves]

Three issues we've experienced with our furnace:

1. Water intrusion on the circuit board
2. Faulty sail switch (known bad actor as reported by Dometic/Atwood and Jayco)
3. Furnace is very sensitive to propane pressure drop.

There is a reset switch on the furnace...if you can reach/find it. It will give you a functioning furnace until it senses another occurrence of the fault.

[mkbix]

Reset switch hasn’t done anything for me so far except turn the thermostat off

I though about just banging on the the thing to reset it!

We’ve just been running our “fireplace” space heater for a bit at night instead.

[Poppyof5]

The sail switch is the problem. The bracket that it sits in is poorly designed. Rumor is they are redesigning it. I found Martin from horizon rv repair in Bakersfield. He came out and made a couple of bends in the flap at the end of the switch. What do know runs great now.

[AKRUEBBE]

Originally Posted by Poppyof5

The sail switch is the problem. The bracket that it sits in is poorly designed. Rumor is they are redesigning it. I found Martin from horizon rv repair in Bakersfield. He came out and made a couple of bends in the flap at the end of the switch. What do know runs great now.

Great! Did you take any pics of the switch and what he did?

[Poppyof5]

Unfortunately I did not. He removed the furnace and made a slight bend to clear the bracket so the switch could freely move all the way up and down and make a solid contact.