Atwood Furnace

[Chama]

This is ironic. I posted to this thread much earlier that I was hoping that our E21 furnace would operate for a few months after pickup because we were planning to travel with the new trailer. Sadly, it has quit operating after just one month. Tries to light then shuts off 8 or 10 seconds. Called Dometic and they gave me some repair people in Yuma, who, naturally, are booked for at least a week and we are leaving shortly after that. Can someone provide some instructions or photos on how to use canned compressed air to blow dust out of the sail switch? I read the previous thread but do not understand where the sail switch is located and how to use the compressed air to blow out the sail switch. This is on a 2019 E21 with the DFSAD12 Dometic furnace.

[cpaharley2008]

The good news is the furnace is accessible from the outside with the new style exterior access panel. There is a "video" her

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUniqYY-Ohc

[Chama]

Jim, thanks very much for posting that video of sail switch and circuit board service. Exactly what I was hoping to see. I now understand where the compressed air needs to go to see if that resolves the sail switch problem. Thanks! I will call Dometic back and see if they will send me replacements. I have left messages at Escape but I have not yet been able to speak with a human about this problem.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Chama

I have left messages at Escape but I have not yet been able to speak with a human about this problem.

Today is a provincial holiday (Family Day) in British Columbia, so the office at Escape is closed today.

[rotorbudd]

Originally Posted by Chama

This is ironic. I posted to this thread much earlier that I was hoping that our E21 furnace would operate for a few months after pickup because we were planning to travel with the new trailer. Sadly, it has quit operating after just one month. Tries to light then shuts off 8 or 10 seconds. Called Dometic and they gave me some repair people in Yuma, who, naturally, are booked for at least a week and we are leaving shortly after that. Can someone provide some instructions or photos on how to use canned compressed air to blow dust out of the sail switch? I read the previous thread but do not understand where the sail switch is located and how to use the compressed air to blow out the sail switch. This is on a 2019 E21 with the DFSAD12 Dometic furnace.

Had the same problem with my month old 21. The sail switch had a big dust bunny in it's pivot. (nothing wrong with the switch itself)
If you look back in this thread you'll see where I added an activated carbon sheet to act as a filter.
I don't have the trailer winterized so the heater has been running quite a bit. (2 20lb. bottles so far). Certainly more than before the first failure and no problems so far.

Richard

[StarvingHyena]

I have a 2015 17A and wonder if a furnace door like the trailer in the video can be retro fitted to my trailer? Any one know?

Tom

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Chama

Tries to light then shuts off 8 or 10 seconds.

Chama: If you have the exterior access panel you should be able to easily see the control board LED. It may be flashing a code that might help with your troubleshooting. See attached pic.

[sclifrickson]

A question: Does the sail switch lie in the airway of the “inside the trailer” air, or the exterior “for combustion” air?

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by StarvingHyena

I have a 2015 17A and wonder if a furnace door like the trailer in the video can be retro fitted to my trailer? Any one know?

This was debated here starting at post #5, with the best explanation as to why you can't mimic the factory functionality without replacing the whole furnace by Kent at post #20:
http://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9...tml#post270240

My suggestion still remains to leave the vent alone and cut in your own separate access door lined up right behind the control board.
https://www.etrailer.com/Enclosed-Tr...48-979009.html

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by sclifrickson

A question: Does the sail switch lie in the airway of the “inside the trailer” air, or the exterior “for combustion” air?

The combustion and blower wheels run off a single dual shaft motor. The sail switch is positioned near the interior blower which moves the air recirculated within the trailer.

[Chama]

Was not aware today was a BC holiday so I now understand why no one at ETI called back. I pulled the cover plate off the furnace again this afternoon when that side was in the shade, and there was not an indicator light illuminated, same as this morning, so no blinking error codes. Noticed an on/off switch tucked away in the wiring and turned the furnace off then back on to reset the electronics. Also, earlier today, I tapped gently on the back of the sail switch and on the blower housing with a screwdriver handle per Dometic. After the reset, the unit fired right off. Hooray! Have no idea if this reset will last or if the dust has been dislodged from the switch, but thank goodness we will have heat again, at least for now.

[John in Santa Cruz]

on my older style atwood, the error light only blinks when its in the error state.... eg, turn it on, wait for the fan to spin up, then time out without heat, then check the LED. on mine,
the LED is behind the inside panel and its *VERY* hard to see, as its mounted on the back of the board facing the rest of the heater, so I could only see its reflection off the chassis tinplate when it was quite dark in the trailer.

[Tam2004]

Originally Posted by Chama

This is ironic. I posted to this thread much earlier that I was hoping that our E21 furnace would operate for a few months after pickup because we were planning to travel with the new trailer. Sadly, it has quit operating after just one month. Tries to light then shuts off 8 or 10 seconds. Called Dometic and they gave me some repair people in Yuma, who, naturally, are booked for at least a week and we are leaving shortly after that. Can someone provide some instructions or photos on how to use canned compressed air to blow dust out of the sail switch? I read the previous thread but do not understand where the sail switch is located and how to use the compressed air to blow out the sail switch. This is on a 2019 E21 with the DFSAD12 Dometic furnace.

You might note that we were in furnace "hell" for weeks on our first trip last fall after picking up our trailer. Do not believe anyone that blowing the dust out of the sail switch will fix this problem. We actually were the first to post that a technician found "fluff" in the sail switch and blew it out. This had our furnace working for a day or two. We were told by so many people that furnaces are not rocket science and that they can be fixed. THANK GOODNESS after we got home from our first trip (many calls, many different attempts at different shops enroute) our local RV store managed to get Dometic send us a new furnace - which seems to work (though we have had the trailer parked over the winter - we are optimistic as each test seems to work.). We had new parts installed, fluff down out, etc. And that hellish furnace would work in the shop and stop outside the shop. We were told it could be altitude - and that can be true - but by careful tracking over our 5 weeks out = we proved that wasn't the consistent problem with it. We are so grateful that we have a new furnace and that during the tests it fires right up. We live at 3700 feet - but we drove it up to about 6400 to test the new one and it worked fine. GOOD LUCK. WE have now been told by our RV people that we are going to have to pay for repairs in the future (we are glad to) and attempt to get reimbursement if possible from the vendor. If we have an unlikely major structural issues - we will schedule a vacation up near Escape Industries!!

[cpaharley2008]

You are fortunate you are so close to the factory.

[Chama]

The elevation where we are camped is 141' so that is not an issue. The furnace is working at this moment but I am ordering a backup heater online in a few minutes. I have little faith that "tapping on the blower motor and the sail switch" and resetting the stupid thing will be much of a permanent solution. I am skeptical that the heater will continue to operate overnight. Unfortunately, there are freeeze alerts out for southwest AZ tonight and the rest of the week so could be in for some unpleasant nights.

[Tam2004]

After my rant above (yes it wasn't fun) I did want to add that after many conversations with Dometic and much reading -- my own unproven bias is that the Atwood in the past had had some altitude problems - and with some units - but it wasn't obvious which units would or wouldn't have that. Then when Dometic bought out Atwood and slapped their name on the outside of this furnace - we got a furnace that I think sometimes does have altitude problems, but my experience and from my reading - the older Dometic's didn't have that issue. We had really old Dometic furnaces that never faltered. But, I can't prove this. It adds one variable and we ended up testing this variable even up to over 10,000 feet (where it actually worked - but we could hear some odd sounds from the gas line - nevertheless -- it worked then. But it could have added to the issue at times. Just wasn't the only issue.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Tam2004

You might note that we were in furnace "hell" for weeks on our first trip last fall after picking up our trailer. Do not believe anyone that blowing the dust out of the sail switch will fix this problem. We actually were the first to post that a technician found "fluff" in the sail switch and blew it out. This had our furnace working for a day or two. We were told by so many people that furnaces are not rocket science and that they can be fixed. THANK GOODNESS after we got home from our first trip (many calls, many different attempts at different shops enroute) our local RV store managed to get Dometic send us a new furnace - which seems to work (though we have had the trailer parked over the winter - we are optimistic as each test seems to work.). We had new parts installed, fluff down out, etc. And that hellish furnace would work in the shop and stop outside the shop. We were told it could be altitude - and that can be true - but by careful tracking over our 5 weeks out = we proved that wasn't the consistent problem with it. We are so grateful that we have a new furnace and that during the tests it fires right up. We live at 3700 feet - but we drove it up to about 6400 to test the new one and it worked fine. GOOD LUCK. WE have now been told by our RV people that we are going to have to pay for repairs in the future (we are glad to) and attempt to get reimbursement if possible from the vendor. If we have an unlikely major structural issues - we will schedule a vacation up near Escape Industries!!

There are at least two problems. One is dust in the furnace area creating a dust string that stops the sail switch from closing. That is our problem. We're going on our 12th week in the camper and I've cleaned the sail switch twice, and the third time installed the new sail switch that Dometic provided. We were home in Minnesota only six weeks after our seven week trip picking up the 5.0 and there was no time to clean the furnace with the holiday chaos and all before we left in January.

After we get home in April I will be completely removing the furnace, cleaning/blowing out as much dust as I can. Then I will put in a activated carbon filter for the intake hot air (post 98, thanks rotorbudd!) and replacing the flexible duct with a solid duct. I believe once I've completed these changes the problems will go away. However, we have a spare sail switch and now can replace switches in well under 10 minutes if needed.

The other problem seems to be some cannot run their furnace at high altitudes. Ours runs fine so far at altitudes as high as 8,000 feet, so perhaps we don't have that problem.

We're currently in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and it's supposed to be 35 tonight and colder tomorrow night, but a far cry from the teens we camped in last November/December. So far the furnace is working perfectly on this trip (we're doomed now!).

Enjoy,

Perry

[Gasguy]

Wow ! Reading this thread got me wondering about the furnace in our new 19’ we picked up in October. I pulled the front shroud off of the front of the furnace to have a look see. Boy, saw dust, lint and other fiberglass junk was all over in the furnace framing area. I guess it’s time to get the shop vac out again. We have found a lot of construction debri thruout the interior of our trailer. We have only camped in it one night since picking it up, so it didn’t come from us.

[Kent]

Originally Posted by Gasguy

We have found a lot of construction debri throughout the interior of our trailer. We have only camped in it one night since picking it up, so it didn’t come from us.

Probably the biggest sore spot with me. Based on what I have found, they do not clean or vacuum during construction, but only after the trailer is built or only areas that are visible during construction.

Seems to me each worker could vacuum their work area after cutting or construction to minimize the construction dust and fasteners. If they do not have time to do a quick vacuum, what else do they not have time for.

ETI; I'm tired of cleaning sawdust off countertops!

[Defenestrator]

That's surprising. I found a bit of dust/sawdust in the cabinets after driving around for a while, but overall it was pretty clean.

Of course, I did find a nice pair of shears a in a drawer later that I'm 99% sure aren't mine. I think they got wedged inside the cabinet during assembly and worked their way loose over the course of several months.