Atwood Furnace

[cpaharley2008]

Perhaps if the trailer was thoroughly cleaned before delivery could solve some of these issues? I would expect and hope a new unit will operate as expected in lieu of construction dust causing break downs.

[rotorbudd]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Perhaps if the trailer was thoroughly cleaned before delivery could solve some of these issues? I would expect and hope a new unit will operate as expected in lieu of construction dust causing break downs.

Jim,
I think that's where all the dust and fibers came from that got into my furnace. I know that the areas we were in (the great northwet) sure weren't dusty enough to cause the nastyness I found in the furnace.

[Tam2004]

When we received our trailer it was thoroughly clean and we didn't see any dirt inside the furnace. On technician found a small piece of "fluff" in the sail switch and blew it out, but it did not fix our first furnaces challenges for more than a day or so.

[steve dunham]

Our furnace does not work . In an attempt to find the problem I vacuumed out the furnace compartment which contained a large amount of construction dust / debris / saw dust .
We vacuumed out the entire trailer ( Inside cabinets , compartments , under bed , countertops etc) yet every trip we grow a new crop of dust , dirt , debris / road dust etc.
If the furnace sail switch is that sensitive to contaminates, I can envision a long term reoccurring problem .
In my thinking RV appliances should be designed to operate in the environment they will be subjected to . A little bit of dust shouldn’t be able to shut the furnace down .

[stephen99]

I would like to purchase a spare sail switch for our 2017 21 foot but I have no idea which furnace we have other than it's an Atwood. Could someone direct me to the proper switch to order? Thanks.

[Tam2004]

Originally Posted by stephen99

I would like to purchase a spare sail switch for our 2017 21 foot but I have no idea which furnace we have other than it's an Atwood. Could someone direct me to the proper switch to order? Thanks.

If no one answers you within a day - I will go out to our trailer (brrrr) and get it for you. On our first round last fall - Dometic sent the wrong sail switch to us and no one at that time seemed to have it in stock, so you are wise to get it. The furnace board is easily obtained almost any where - though the wise ones on this site will tell you about the quality one you can replace your current board with after the warranty expires. And, by the way, read about how to use the thermostat properly -- only tap gently on it or it will end up with the inserts squished down and not working properly (then Dometic says to pull it apart and help it be fluffier). If you have one of those old little stylus's that used to come with electronic devices - that works great. Since the furnace thermostat (by Dometic design) is no longer wired to the furnace, there can occasionally be a transmission message failure. But, so far by being gentle and just going back through the menu - all is OK on that issue. This is not Escape's fault. This is an industry that chose to go this route and it is something else that I don't like about Dometic/Atwood. But after a lot of research - there doesn't appear to be a choice - no matter how much we are willing to spend. ugh.

[Vermilye]

Originally Posted by stephen99

I would like to purchase a spare sail switch for our 2017 21 foot but I have no idea which furnace we have other than it's an Atwood. Could someone direct me to the proper switch to order? Thanks.

Check for a list of appliance models inside one of the closets - in my 21 it is in the cabinet next to the refrigerator. It lists the make, model number, etc.

[stephen99]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

Check for a list of appliance models inside one of the closets - in my 21 it is in the cabinet next to the refrigerator. It lists the make, model number, etc.

Thanks Jon. I had seen that list in the closet but never paid attention to it. Thanks for pointing it out. AFSAD12. Now to google.

[Chama]

Ordered a sail switch from Dometic yesterday for my ASFAD12131 furnace in 2019 Escape. Dometic part number was 33063.

[stephen99]

Originally Posted by Chama

Ordered a sail switch from Dometic yesterday for my ASFAD12131 furnace in 2019 Escape. Dometic part number was 33063.

Just got back from trying to negotiate the Dometic website. I can't for the life of me figure out how to order a part or even how to find a part on that website. Sure would appreciate it if you could direct me to the right page or section of the Dometic website.

[Greg A]

This parts shop has always been my go to for furnace.
https://pdxrvwholesale.com/products/...l-switch-31093
Looks like a match, but they are very responsive on the phone and can get it matched up perfectly.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by stephen99

Just got back from trying to negotiate the Dometic website. I can't for the life of me figure out how to order a part or even how to find a part on that website. Sure would appreciate it if you could direct me to the right page or section of the Dometic website.

This may help, but is a little confusing. At some point Dometic changed the design of the sail switch and the part #. My post #40 in this thread provided links to both the old and new parts, but another user was told that it depends on the serial number of the furnace. Based on this it appears that they are not completely interchangeable across all of the AFSAD furnaces depending on the vintage.
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post275911

The official website for Dometic parts is www.eDometic.com, but unfortunately all you will find is both part numbers listed with no serial number ranges.

[stephen99]

I emailed ETI and Dave Warren from Parts and Service says the correct switch is 33063 so I ordered one from pdxrvwholesale.com. Came to $27.48 with shipping.

[rotorbudd]

Just an update on the efficiency of some kind of a filter on preventing the dust accumulation around the sail switch.
I the switch out of the furnace today and there wasn't anything at all trapped in the joint. I've used a little over 2 tanks of propane on just the heater (fridge turned off) since our last trip.
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that putting a filter in front of the cabin blower will end the sail switch problems.

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by rotorbudd

Just an update on the efficiency of some kind of a filter on preventing the dust accumulation around the sail switch.
I the switch out of the furnace today and there wasn't anything at all trapped in the joint. I've used a little over 2 tanks of propane on just the heater (fridge turned off) since our last trip.
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that putting a filter in front of the cabin blower will end the sail switch problems.

In your pictures in post #98, where is the filter? Is it the black material that you just holes in and around so that it looks like you painted the vent black? In reality, you are not obstructing any air flow yet you seem to think it is working? does the filter show any evidence of dirt accumulation after your test run. I'm not being critical but just trying to understand your changes made?

[rotorbudd]

Jim,
I removed the metal screen over the heater inlet and placed the filter behind it. It's recessed from the screen. The round hole is for the heater output, No need to filter, it just the return air. Like your home HVAC works.
This gave me a much greater surface area to hopefully reduce the pressure drop across the filter.
The filter has quite a bit of very fine, short fibers on it's surface. Only thing I can think of it might be is fiberglass strands from a chopper gun?

[Chama]

Well, this was not unexpected based on the Forum posts. The furnace in our 2019 E21 has failed yet again. Same symptom, must be same problem. Stat calls for heat, fan runs for 10 or 15 seconds then gas does not ignite. Sail switch problem. Our trailer is 5 weeks old and has multiple furnace failures, all in the same fashion that I just mentioned. I am suggesting (somewhat facetiously) that when you pick up you new Escape trailer, please request a 6 pack of sail switches to go, (or maybe, just ask that your furnace be vacuumed of contstruction dirt and debris before pickup). I didn't so that's my bad.

[stephen99]

Originally Posted by Chama

Well, this was not unexpected based on the Forum posts. The furnace in our 2019 E21 has failed yet again. Same symptom, must be same problem. Stat calls for heat, fan runs for 10 or 15 seconds then gas does not ignite. Sail switch problem. Our trailer is 5 weeks old and has multiple furnace failures, all in the same fashion that I just mentioned. I am suggesting (somewhat facetiously) that when you pick up you new Escape trailer, please request a 6 pack of sail switches to go, (or maybe, just ask that your furnace be vacuumed of contstruction dirt and debris before pickup). I didn't so that's my bad.

That's lousy. Sorry to hear that.

[Gasguy]

I worked on residential natural gas furnaces for close to 15 years. The most reliable method for proving motor speed or vent proving is with either a centrifugal switch or a pressure switch. The furnace mfg went cheap with the sail switch imo, on residential furnaces a bad ground can cause lock out / flame failure & intermittent problems in the fame sensing circuit. I don’t know how this furnace circuit board is grounded however that might be something to check. Keeping my fingers crossed for our unit.

[cpaharley2008]

I'm going to ask for a thorough furnace cleaning before pick up......