Problem getting Dometic warranty service on 2022 E19

[DougO]

Has anyone had any Dometic warranty repair service done on their Escape in northern California? My Dometic furnace stopped putting out heat on a trip 3 weeks ago but had been working fine previously. The fan blows and it makes some clicking noises but never any heat. It keeps trying until I turn the thermostat off. Other propane appliances are working fine.
I have spoken with people at ETI a couple times and their advice was to call AirXcell because there is a recall on the furnace. I did that and they have no recall on furnaces, and also they do Suburban and not Dometic furnaces. So I think there is a little confusion at ETI and I am continuing to follow up with them.
Meanwhile I contacted Camping World Sacramento who is the closest authorized Dometic service center and they will not work on an Escape trailer.
So if any of you know of an RV shop that is allowed to do warranty work on an Escape trailer I would appreciate hearing about it.
Thanks.

[Doug2000]

I'm not the furnace expert but the first thing I would check is the sail switch on the back of the unit. They get lint or dog hair on there and don't function. The sail switch is looking for air flow to allow the gas valve to open.

So Camping World won't help you with service? I would give them a 1 star Google review and contact corporate. Look for a smaller RV shop that can help you out.

I always carry a small electric heater and lots of blankets just in case.

What trailer and year do you have, please update your details so others can help.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g3_Y7MqChE

[DougO]

Thanks, as mentioned in the title it is a 2022 Escape 19. I thought I had updated my profile before but I think it is updated now.
If the sail switch fails then the furnace will not continue to try to light but stop after a short time and not try to ignite the propane. Mine will continue to try for a long time until I turn the thermostat off. I took off the inside and outside covers of the furnace and the only thing accessible was a circuit board. Looks like accessing the sail switch or the over temp switch will require removal from the trailer. I'll do that if I can't manage to arrange warranty service but it is pretty annoying if the warranty is not actually worth anything.

[davidmurphy02]

With the outside cover panel removed the sail switch is easily accessible, it is attached to a small black plastic mounting block and the switch itself is inside the furnace but you can see the mounting block in this photo at the tip of the screwdriver. Just remove the two wires first, then remove the screw and wiggle the switch out.

This thread I put together a while back may be helpful to you in checking out the problem with your furnace. https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...ing-20805.html

What you are describing - repeated attempts to ignite that only stop when you turn the thermostat off - shouldn't be able to happen, normally if there is a problem with the ignition cycle after it fails to ignite three times it will normally shut down. I've never heard of it just going on and on like this, could indicate a problem with the circuit board.

I realize how frustrating it is to not be able to easily get service on a new component that is still under warranty. Sometimes it is just easier to replace a part yourself if that's what it takes to get back on the road again. The circuit board is easily replaced if it comes to that - just a matter of unplugging several wires and then plugging them into the new board. A company called Dinosaur Electronics makes circuit boards that are a direct replacement but are higher quality and more robust than the OEM boards, many Escape owners have had good luck with them: https://dinosaurelectronics.com/Fan_50_P.htm
https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Elec.../dp/B077P3PVPV

[UncleTim]

Just a note of caution about authorized service centers.

Some of the horror stories coming out of Camping World make me think you dodged a bullet with them. I would never take my Escape to them, under any conditions.

If you look close you will find threads like this one I started with an awning issue.

https://www.escapeforum.org/forums/f...-on-20342.html

Essentially a Dometic warranty is not worth the paper it is written on. And everyone but new owners seems to understand this. At least it seems that way.

I am sure there are ways around this, but I have not found any. I have an air conditioner that needs to be looked at and that needs to happen now. I am out of warranty but it happened during the warranty period. It mattered not.

I am going to look for a repair shop with a known good reputation and start a conversation. I will only drop it off if I build up some trust. And probably not overnight.

Repairing an RV is, in many cases, not for the faint of heart, hence all the do-it-yourself approaches. If I had more time I would do that too. But I don't. Nor do I want to. I admire all the people that handle this with ease.

Not to grind an axe too much, but Escape put us in a bind when they stopped working on their own products after the sale. There are a bunch of us in this same boat. Just watch out who you trust. And good luck. Do your research!

[Rockhead]

Personal opinion, the service department are set up to rip people off. The only thing they are good for is when they have items on sale then you add the good Sam discount to the sale. That is the only reason I set foot in their establishments

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by DougO

Has anyone had any Dometic warranty repair service done on their Escape in northern California? My Dometic furnace stopped putting out heat on a trip 3 weeks ago but had been working fine previously. The fan blows and it makes some clicking noises but never any heat. It keeps trying until I turn the thermostat off. Other propane appliances are working fine.
I have spoken with people at ETI a couple times and their advice was to call AirXcell because there is a recall on the furnace. I did that and they have no recall on furnaces, and also they do Suburban and not Dometic furnaces. So I think there is a little confusion at ETI and I am continuing to follow up with them.
Meanwhile I contacted Camping World Sacramento who is the closest authorized Dometic service center and they will not work on an Escape trailer.
So if any of you know of an RV shop that is allowed to do warranty work on an Escape trailer I would appreciate hearing about it.
Thanks.

Doug, on the inside of the trailer, remove the brown vent grate / grill, and the flexible metallic dryer hose. With those removed see if the furnace works. If it does work, take off the metallic dryer hose and put the brown grate / grill back on. See if it still works. If it works you can probably just leave it out and be done with it. I did for a trip. When I got home I used some aluminum roofing flashing and aluminized tape and made a straight pipe for mine. But, I probably didn't need to.

This is the tape I used: 3M Aluminum Foil Tape 3381 and this is the flashing: Union Corrugating 10-in x 10-ft Aluminum Roll Flashing.

I had both left over from other projects, but, it worked out pretty well, IMO.

The reason this works is the sail switch measures air flow. The corrugated metallic dryer hose creates resistance to the air flow, so the sail switch doesn't activate. Removing the corrugated metallic dryer hose reduces the air flow resistance and may be all that is needed for the sail switch to function.

BTW, credit for this concept belongs to someone else on this forum. I don't remember who posted it originally, but, thanks to that person, whoever they might be.

[brroberts]

Dometic and warranty don’t really go together. RV dealers are mostly going to service what they sell. If you are stuck while trying to fix a Dometic appliance, and you own an Escape, try to find a mobile RV service because they typically don’t care the make or purchase location of your trailer.

[DougO]

Thanks for all your comments and advice. I definitely get the message that the Dometic warranty is useless. Not a surprise but I try to always be hopeful. Even with my previous 2015 Scamp I was able to get warranty service to try and fix an especially noisy Suburban furnace. In the end it did not help and eventually I replaced the furnace by having Scamp send a new one (I bought) to Quartzsite and I replaced while boondocking at Dome Rock. I'll probably bring the trailer home from storage tomorrow getting ready for our next trip and take another look at the furnace. I'll let you know how things work out and what seems to be the problem.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by DougO

Thanks for all your comments and advice. I definitely get the message that the Dometic warranty is useless. Not a surprise but I try to always be hopeful. Even with my previous 2015 Scamp I was able to get warranty service to try and fix an especially noisy Suburban furnace. In the end it did not help and eventually I replaced the furnace by having Scamp send a new one (I bought) to Quartzsite and I replaced while boondocking at Dome Rock. I'll probably bring the trailer home from storage tomorrow getting ready for our next trip and take another look at the furnace. I'll let you know how things work out and what seems to be the problem.

Hi Doug - did you get the PM I sent you? I have an extra furnace circuit board that I would be happy to send to you at no charge so you could try replacing that component (an easy swap-out) to see if that is the problem.

[Jake930]

I had the same problem with with camping world and near by dealerships. Had a problem with my water heater. Would only run when the outside compartment door was open. Had a RV doctor come in Tucson, he took it apart cleaned everything and said “ if you have anymore problems give me a call”. Next day it started agin, called him back 4 times, never returned my calls. Cost me 95.00.
When I got home to New York I went to the two local dealers, they wouldn’t touch it cause they didn’t sell it to me. Got it into Camping World in Syracuse said it would take two days, had it for three weeks. Got it back 4 days before we had to leave to go back to Tucson. Said it was all fixed. It wasn’t. Took me for 300.00 . Never again at Camping World.
I’ve ridden Motorcycles for over 50 years, I’ve always told the youngsters who wanted those fancy European bikes, that your motorcycle is only as good as your nearest dealership. Sometimes I wish that I would have applied that logic when I got my Escape. Now don’t get me wrong. I love my 21. I love the workman ship, I love the quality. I haven’t had many problems with it, but finding some one to work on it if I can’t is getting to be a hassle.
The older I get the less I like hassles. Seems like things have changed over the last few years.

[cpaharley2008]

Not sure if things have changed, it is just that now our outlook on things have changed......

[DougO]

Thanks again for all the advice & suggestions. I brought the trailer home today and started looking into the furnace. Of course it is working just fine now. I did take out the sail switch and it looked fine & clean. Just one of those intermittent gremlins I guess.

[brroberts]

Originally Posted by DougO

Thanks again for all the advice & suggestions. I brought the trailer home today and started looking into the furnace. Of course it is working just fine now. I did take out the sail switch and it looked fine & clean. Just one of those intermittent gremlins I guess.

That’s been my experience also. It only acts up when I really need it.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by DougO

Thanks again for all the advice & suggestions. I brought the trailer home today and started looking into the furnace. Of course it is working just fine now. I did take out the sail switch and it looked fine & clean. Just one of those intermittent gremlins I guess.

Hi: DougO... Why is it the A/C doesn't work when its warm... and the Furnace doesn't work when its cool? Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie