Carbon Monoxide/Furnace 2018 Jay Flight 28bhs

brburcham06 · 11-21-2018, 11:07 PM

Hello,
My wife and I just purchased a new 2018 jay flight 28 bhs a few weeks ago. We are dying to take our family out and trying to find a warm weekend. I have ran the heat a few times and had no problems besides it seems like there is a lot of soot and very strong exhaust smell. More so than I remember from my other campers. Long story short, its now in the low 30's at night and the furnace is running more often and there is a slight wind. It is sitting in my driveway btw. We had planned to take the kids out to sleep in it, but two different times when the wind kicks up a bit and the furnace runs often, the carbon monoxide/propane detector goes off, but blinks that it is carbon monoxide. I thought it might be bad so I bought a separate one from wal mart and put it in a different location than the factory gas/carbon monoxide det. Tonight, they both went off. What I have noticed is the exhaust from the furnace (exits on the right side/passenger side wall, close to the bottom of the camper, right below the fridge) will travel under the camper due to the wind. I have also noticed that it will go into the vent for the fridge which is directly above the furnace exhaust. My feel is that the exhaust is making its way into the camper from below, or through the fridge vent somehow. I didn't know if anyone has encountered this? I have a time scheduled to take it back to the dealer, but I fear it is going to continue to happen. I didn't know if I could simply add/make a pipe that I could slide over the exhaust for the furnace and vent it higher up on the camper. I would make it easy to remove so I would only use it when we would be using the furnace. My feel is that this would vent the gas high enough to keep if from under the camper and out of the fridge vent??
Thoughts???

Thank you very much!

Duke4857 · 11-22-2018, 12:01 AM

It is not worth your or your kids your wife lives to take a chance. Take it back to the dealer and have them check it out. Tell them what the issue is. There may be a exhaust pipe leaking into the cabin area. Stay out with the furnace running. If you feel the extreme need to use the camper get a Big Buddy heater to heat with. We use a Buddy to heat the camper to conserve the battery, but never when we are sleeping.

ryounglewis · 11-22-2018, 08:52 AM

Something sounds very wrong. We live in the eastern mountains and we run our furnace often and have no problems in our Jayflight 27RLS

Screwby · 11-22-2018, 09:04 AM

There should be no soot and no exhaust smell. It’s very very windy where we are and there is no furnace exhaust coming back into the camper. That shouldn’t be possible. You have an issue and it’s going to cost lives if you ignore it.

brburcham06 · 11-22-2018, 09:04 AM

Very true! I will definitely be taking it to the dealer. Thanks for the reply.

klpoppe · 11-22-2018, 09:35 AM

When we ran our furnace for the first time it had to burn off the oils (and i am sure contruction debris) in the furnace. It created a smoky haze in the camper and it stank for a quite a while. It also set off smoke and CO alarms. I let it run with the windows open for a few hours to burn everything off. That COULD be the source of your alarms. If it is still doing it after the initial burn off then I would definitely get it checked before using it again. You could always go camping and use electric heater(s) until it gets fixed.

brburcham06 · 11-22-2018, 10:19 AM

I also wondered that. It seems the soot is not doing it anymore, but I wondered if it’s possibke to have dirty propane from the factory fill?? Not sure if that’s a thing. Seems to set the alarm off when wind blows exhaust under the camper. But it’s a sealed underbelly that’s heated so my only thought is it’s finding a way in through the bottom of the slide?

Thanks to all for the advice. I just joined this last night and so pleased to be getting advice already!

Thinking an electric backup heater might be a good idea anyway.

Thanks again.

2edgesword · 11-22-2018, 12:02 PM

I won't do anything until I had an opportunity to take the camper to a different location and see if the same issue occurs. It very well may be the unique dynamics that occur where the camper is currently parked. I would test the situation at another location and if it still occurs take it to the dealer to diagnose the problem otherwise it may be a "we couldn't duplicate the problem" answer from the dealer. And if you really, really want to spend some cold nights in the trailer at home an good electric heater may be all you need.

ALJO · 11-22-2018, 03:04 PM

Just check if the exhaust tube is installed correctly in the fire chamber. You can check from the outside.

**norty1** · 11-22-2018, 07:43 PM

I would not get to upset with the alarms until you have run the furnace for a few hours with the windows open to allow the heater to burn off any debris or oils that it may have been coated with.

But I would not be sleeping in it until that initial burn off is done and then check the co/lp alarm again. If it's still alarming then a trip to the dealer is next.

brburcham06 · 11-22-2018, 08:55 PM

The strange thing is I have ran it for a solid week or so before I had it winterized and when we thought we could do a weekend trip. I kept it at 50 and had it at 70 for a few days when we first bought it to load it and all that. No problems at all with alarms then. But of course right before we try to go use it at a campground it goes off. I waited for the next weekend to try again and same thing. Both days/nights it was lower 30’s so it ran frequent and the wind was stronger and blowing the exhaust under the camper and also into the fridge vent. I actually went through one 30lb tank of lp. So it’s strange it only seems to happen with the right wind, but still unusable. Very frustrated, but such is life. Headed to the dealer as soon as the hitch I ordered is in in a few weeks.

Anybody know if the air/fuel mixture can be adjusted on the furnace? That was my other thought is it’s not right with having that soot and smell?

oldmanAZ · 11-22-2018, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brburcham06

The strange thing is I have ran it for a solid week or so before I had it winterized and when we thought we could do a weekend trip. I kept it at 50 and had it at 70 for a few days when we first bought it to load it and all that. No problems at all with alarms then. But of course right before we try to go use it at a campground it goes off. I waited for the next weekend to try again and same thing. Both days/nights it was lower 30’s so it ran frequent and the wind was stronger and blowing the exhaust under the camper and also into the fridge vent. I actually went through one 30lb tank of lp. So it’s strange it only seems to happen with the right wind, but still unusable. Very frustrated, but such is life. Headed to the dealer as soon as the hitch I ordered is in in a few weeks.

Anybody know if the air/fuel mixture can be adjusted on the furnace? That was my other thought is it’s not right with having that soot and smell?

From your statements, initially the furnace seemed OK but something seems to have changed.

The furnace should not vent combustion gasses back into the trailer NO MATTER WHAT THE MIXTURE IS!

IMO, you said it...until your dealer checks it out, the furnace is unusable!! It's not worth the risk.

**norty1** · 11-23-2018, 05:40 AM

Yep, You have done all you can do. Just face it, there is a problem and someone needs to fix it before it's used.

klpoppe · 11-23-2018, 10:34 AM

Either way it sounds like it is not burning cleanly. There should be little to no exhaust smell from these as long as it is burning correctly. I don't know if there could be a bad batch of gas. You could try a different bottle of propane from a different source and see. Is the exhaust port possibly partially blocked by something?? (Could be debris or maybe one of the kids stuffed something in it?!?) Even though campers are not necessarily "air tight", I dont think your source of the CO is the outside exhaust coming back in. Like mentiioned before, be sure the exhaust pipe is propery connected to the unit if you can get to it.

Just out of curiosity, do you have any exhaust fans running in the unit while the furnace is on (Bathroom or kitchen fan)?

brburcham06 · 11-23-2018, 11:32 AM

I will definitely look at the pipe to make sure nothings in there. I will also try a different supply bottle with local lp.

We did not have any vents windows or doors open when running.

brburcham06 · 11-24-2018, 10:01 AM

Great advice. I looked inside exhaust and saw a blockage. I ran a flexible wire in it and found a wasp nest. Seems to blow exhaust much harder now but still taking it in to have dealer clean it as I am positive they did not build a nest in Illinois in November....

Thanks again to everyone. FYI I already ordered the wasp screen cover to put over the exhaust.

**norty1** · 11-24-2018, 10:04 AM

Sounds like you found it. A good cleaning and hopefully you will be back in business.

I hope all the wasps were fried from the exhaust heat.

Screwby · 11-24-2018, 10:10 AM

Nice! Kind of crazy it was still running. Most furnaces sense the blockage/air flow restriction and the sail switch or temp sensor kicks the furnace off. Hopefully this was it and your back in business!

Tommyjay · 11-28-2018, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brburcham06

Great advice. I looked inside exhaust and saw a blockage. I ran a flexible wire in it and found a wasp nest. Seems to blow exhaust much harder now but still taking it in to have dealer clean it as I am positive they did not build a nest in Illinois in November....

Thanks again to everyone. FYI I already ordered the wasp screen cover to put over the exhaust.

Glad you solved the problem! As I was reading the thread that was running through my mind. Even observant dealerships wont catch the vermin unless its bad. Im surprised that they didnt catch it though when they ran the systems before the walk through.

Thanks for mentioning the screen. Its another item I forgot on my new trailer check list.

tbillet · 11-28-2018, 07:47 PM

That’s a good testament for the flying insect screens, and a great testament to the value of this forum.

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