High Altitude Kit Dometic Furnace

[Starbrightsteve]

What do you expect will be done when someone “services the furnace” ? It’s possible the burner and heat exchanger may be slightly fouled with soot. I doubt pulling the burner and cleaning the heat exchanger surfaces is included in any technicians “to do list for furnace service”.

[lloydjdorsey@gmail.com]

We camp in snow, cold, heat, all 12 months of the year from Yellowstone Park to AZ-Mexico border. re the furnace not working: We gave up on the furnace in our 2017 17B. It would do the annoying click, click, click and not light. Then repeat ad infinitum. Turns out the furnace is known to be undependable. Previous owners of ETI did a youtube video about replacing the circuit board (and sail switch?) which, unfortunately, cannot be done in pre-2018 trailers without dismantling the kitchen cabinets and removing the furnace. In newer trailers there's an outside access hatch for this very problem. We now depend on a Little Buddy propane heater with its own 1 lb propane canister.

[Seneca]

This is an update.

Following David Murphy's advice, I bought a manometer and measured the pressure at the regulator, expecting it to read 13 column inches, in which case I was going to adjust it down to about 11 (the low end of normal). Well, it read 8 column inches and the screw felt sort of loose, so instead of adjusting down, I tightened the screw and bought it up to 11.

Then I went on a 3 day camping trip, boondocking between Wolf Creek Pass and South Fork, Colorado (call it 9000 plus feet). The first night the furnace worked like a charm. I was happy. The second night it did not. And we got a hard freeze that night. I was not happy. So, I got back into the regulator, and noticed that the lever indicator indicating which propane tank was in use was hung up between the two tanks (not pointing to either). I flipped it over to the full tank, and had heat on night 3. And the first tank was empty--for some reason the regulator didn't switch over.

I came home and discussed this with my guru (a guy who retired from a trailer repair business). He told me I should be happy all my appliances were okay, since those are expensive to deal with, and to replace the regulator if it gives me any more trouble, assuming the problem wasn't user error. Said he's show me how to do the replacement, and that I ought to buy whatever OEM regulator was installed by Escape so that the hoses would match up with the fittings, etc.

Bottom line, for the time being my regulator is on probation. Here in the shoulder season, heat from the furnace at night is a bit more important than it is in high summer.

[rog mich]

This is a great thread for us. We camp at altitude and have had problems with both furnace and water heater. We are headed out next week and are hoping adjusting the regulator will solve all problems.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Seneca

This is an update.

Following David Murphy's advice, I bought a manometer and measured the pressure at the regulator, expecting it to read 13 column inches, in which case I was going to adjust it down to about 11 (the low end of normal). Well, it read 8 column inches and the screw felt sort of loose, so instead of adjusting down, I tightened the screw and bought it up to 11.

Then I went on a 3 day camping trip, boondocking between Wolf Creek Pass and South Fork, Colorado (call it 9000 plus feet). The first night the furnace worked like a charm. I was happy. The second night it did not. And we got a hard freeze that night. I was not happy. So, I got back into the regulator, and noticed that the lever indicator indicating which propane tank was in use was hung up between the two tanks (not pointing to either). I flipped it over to the full tank, and had heat on night 3. And the first tank was empty--for some reason the regulator didn't switch over.

I came home and discussed this with my guru (a guy who retired from a trailer repair business). He told me I should be happy all my appliances were okay, since those are expensive to deal with, and to replace the regulator if it gives me any more trouble, assuming the problem wasn't user error. Said he's show me how to do the replacement, and that I ought to buy whatever OEM regulator was installed by Escape so that the hoses would match up with the fittings, etc.

Bottom line, for the time being my regulator is on probation. Here in the shoulder season, heat from the furnace at night is a bit more important than it is in high summer.

Interesting my regulator has had that in between syndrome before, while in Florida Jan 19, it did not flip over automatically and I thought I was out of propane in both tanks. I now just manually flip it as I bought a propane monitor system. I have never adjusted mine and in Colorado up pretty high in the mountains near Golden State Park all systems worked perfectly including the furnace. Always more to learn, thanks for your post.

[Vermilye]

The handle on my regulator does not "flip" when the tanks switch. I need to do it manually, usually when I detach the empty tank for filling. Been that way with 3 different regulators on 2 trailers. If the lever is between tanks, I suspect that can cause a problem at change over time...

[cpaharley2008]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

The handle on my regulator does not "flip" when the tanks switch. I need to do it manually, usually when I detach the empty tank for filling. Been that way with 3 different regulators on 2 trailers. If the lever is between tanks, I suspect that can cause a problem at change over time...

Other than the heater/water heater not turning on. how do you know what tank is in use if it does not flip "auto". I always thought it was auto "flip"?

[Vermilye]

If the red band is showing I know the tank it is aimed at is empty.

[Shiny]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

The handle on my regulator does not "flip" when the tanks switch. I need to do it manually, usually when I detach the empty tank for filling. Been that way with 3 different regulators on 2 trailers. If the lever is between tanks, I suspect that can cause a problem at change over time...

As a newbie, this was also my understanding from reading the manuals... point the lever to the "first tank" and the indicator would be green. When empty, the color would go red, the valve would automatically switch to the other tank, but the LEVER would NOT move. I understood the concept as "red" means time to replace the empty tank and as Vermilye says, I have to move the handle to now have the indicator work on the other tank.

If I misunderstand, please correct me!

If the lever is set to the "middle", I have no idea how the indicator nor valve would work...

[rotorbudd]

Just got through with a major job on my fridge and one of the last things I did was check the propane pressure out of the regulator because the A/C cooling was much better than gas.
Well it turns out the regulator output pressure was 8.5. I've never checked or adjusted it before so I'm assuming it was that pressure since new.
BTW when I get the time I'll post a long story on what to do when you've (or your son in law) left the fridge on while parked on a steep hill.