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10-14-2013, 12:57 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 4
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Furnace Issue
Hi All,
I have a 2005 Jayflight 29fbs. I have the trailer plugged in (to house electric) and just parked in the driveway unoccuppied. Last night I heard puffing sound coming from the exhaust outlet for the furnace, like it was going on and off. I opened the door the the trailer and heard a clicking sound coming from return vent cover under the fridge. The thermostat was off, and the propane was off. I removed the vent cover and did a once over look at the furnance and didn't see anything out of sorts...(i'm no mechanic and only been camping for 6 months, don't even know what i'd be looking for!!!!). The furnance kept making this clicking sound and revving constantly like it was starting up, shutting down...etc and air was puffing out of the vents throughout trailer. We were out all day, so i'm not sure how long it was doing this. I tried shutting off breaker but it kept doing it i guess because it was running off the battery. So I turned breakers back on, opened propane tanks and turned on thermostat and the furnace came on and ran normal. Then I shut off thermostat, then fan kicked off a short time later and the clicking started again. So I unplugged the battery and came in and turned off all the breakers and everything stopped. Any thoughts on what thats all about?? Odd that it started to do that when no one was in there and thermostat was off. Thanks
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10-14-2013, 02:20 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: NC
Posts: 974
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Did you try setting the temp down to where it would not be calling for heat? The reason I ask is to help isolate the issue. If it quits doing it by setting it all the way down then it's most likely a bad thermostat in the slide switch area. What this would tell you is that you have control of the furnace temp but not control of the off setting.
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2016 36FBTS Pinnacle
2016 F350, 6.7, 4x4, DRW, long bed
B & W Companion 5th wheel Hitch
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10-14-2013, 03:22 PM
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#3
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Cape Coral, Florida
Posts: 4,793
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eldermike
Did you try setting the temp down to where it would not be calling for heat? The reason I ask is to help isolate the issue. If it quits doing it by setting it all the way down then it's most likely a bad thermostat in the slide switch area. What this would tell you is that you have control of the furnace temp but not control of the off setting.
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X2, good advice
Doug
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Cape Coral, Florida
2021 Toyota Tundra SR5, 5.7 V8
2022 Jayco 240RBS
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10-14-2013, 05:13 PM
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#4
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 4
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I'll check that out and get back. Thanks
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10-14-2013, 06:06 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 6,818
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Another thought based on your symptoms....
Is it possible you are not flipping the switch far enough to turn off the furnace? My thermostat switch is VERY hard to slide from off / on. So difficult, it feels like I'm about to wring the thermostat off the wall or snap the on / off lever. My Dealer told me they are all that way for safety so they don't accidentally get jarred to the on position during travel.
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10-14-2013, 08:22 PM
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#6
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: North Idaho/Arizona
Posts: 5,446
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It sounds like it was trying to start with no propane available.
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2011 Eagle 330RLTS with just about every option.
2017 Silverado 1500 4x4 5.3 with tow package. (no, we don't tow the Jayco with it.)
2018 Surveyor 265RLDS well equipped.
Life in the slow lane is still life.
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10-15-2013, 03:00 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Planet Earth
Posts: 6,818
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clutch
It sounds like it was trying to start with no propane available.
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X2.....that's why I'm thinking the propane is being shut off....but the thermostat on / off switch isn't getting flipped over all the way
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10-27-2013, 08:43 PM
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#8
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 4
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so far so good, turned the thermostat all the way down so it wouldn't be calling for any heat and made sure the switch was all the way off. Just took our last trip this weekend and furnace worked great, no repeat issues. Time to winterize. Thanks again.
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10-29-2013, 09:54 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Orange County, N.Y.
Posts: 675
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Quote:
Originally Posted by clutch
It sounds like it was trying to start with no propane available.
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That is exactly what I was thinking.
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Joe, Joyce , 4 Kids and 5 Crazy Dogs.
2017 Chevy 3500 HD Silverado LT Dually 4x4 .
2010 Jayco Jay Flight G-2 32 BHDS[IMG]https://www.jaycoowners.com/forums/imagesng
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10-29-2013, 09:54 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Renton
Posts: 517
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Ok, a bit of information on how RV propane furnaces work. RV propane furnaces operate differently than residential furnaces or small propane heaters work. Because RVs are small and are usually insulated well they have very limited air for combustion. So under code regulations air for combustion must be drawn in from outside the RV and then exhaust must exit to the outside. If you look closely at the exhaust tube on the outside you will see a center hole and then a hollow outer section. The hollow outer section draws in combustion air while at the same time insulating the hot exhaust allowing tighter clearance to combustible materials. Also per code RV Furnaces use forced draft (induction) to prevent inadvertent backflow. So, given this information the furnaces does the following to start up:
Thermostat calls for heat
Induction fan turns on to draw in combustion air from outside and exhaust burned gases
Propane valve opens to allow the flow of propane to the furnace burner
DSI (Direct Spark Ignition) fires to provide spark to ignite the propane (This is the crackling or clicking sound you heard.)
A thermocouple determines if the burner has lit
After x seconds if the ignition has failed then the gas valve will close
Assuming the burner is lit then the furnace blower automatically starts to blow air throughout the RV. (Note: some furnaces are configured to automatically turn on the blower as soon as the induction fan turns on. It sounds like your furnace is configured this way.)
As soon as the heat set point is reached the propane valve closes.
The forced induction fan runs for several minutes to allow cool off
The blower fan runs to allow cool down of the heat exchanger
After cool down the induction fan and blower shut off
the benefit of this setup is you get dry warm air in your RV with no carbon monoxide or water vapor inside our RV. The drawback is it uses more electricity than ceramic heaters etc. If the propane is shut off or runs out depending on the setup of the propane heater. Some heater will try x times to start and then give up until you power them off at the thermostat (there is a small switch that turns the heater on and off) others may continue to attempt to start every so often.
I hope this helps you understand the operation of your RV furnace.
__________________
Michael
Old setup:
2004 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 LT with a 2004 Jayco JayFlight 29BHS
2014 Greyhawk 31FS with a 2007 Tahoe toad
New setup:
2014 Thor Palazzo 33.3 with a 2017 Ford Explorer toad
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10-30-2013, 08:31 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Greater Detroit area
Posts: 146
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Thanks that was informative I had the basic but that help to put it in the correct order
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