Furnace not staying lit.

[mistertinkle]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

So it sounds like the furnace and the wiring all the way back to the electrical panel is ok...which is good news. Something is loose between your electrical panel and your battery.

Could be. The other 12V systems (water heater, water pump, lights, ...) must be less sensitive to voltage issues.


I'll update once I can check the battery connections and trace the leads. And once I talk to Escape...


Sam

[Eggscape]

Please make sure your wife checks the trailer brakes before she travels as they are a high amp draw as well.

Get her to push the manual application button on the vehicle controller and see if she can pull the the trailer.

I say this as a bad ground could effect the brakes as well.

Pictured is the ground stud at the back of the power panel and of course the nut should be tight.

Also pictured is the circuit breaker for the trailer which some many years ago found with loose nuts caused some blackness/arking.

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by Eggscape

Please make sure your wife checks the trailer brakes before she travels as they are a high amp draw as well.

Get her to push the manual application button on the vehicle controller and see if she can pull the the trailer.

I say this as a bad ground could effect the brakes as well.

Pictured is the ground stud at the back of the power panel and of course the nut should be tight.

Also pictured is the circuit breaker for the trailer which some many years ago found with loose nuts caused some blackness/arking.

Ed: Can the grounding stud connection inside the trailer affect the trailer brakes? I thought all of the wiring was straight through from the 7 pin with seaparate grounding. The only exceptions being the charge line and emergency breakaway connection.

[Eggscape]

I know my ground stud nut was not tight and maybe a nut or two in the breakout box on the tongue.
As you say it should not be a problem if the stuff inside the trailer is not tight but still worth doing a brake check in case it was a bad day in the shop.

[Jerryteits]

I would check on what is called the "sail switch" - or something like that. The Local RV replaced the switch and it has worked well since then.

[LarryB.]

Based on my experience with a home gas power vent water heater:

With all the windows open, short out the sail switch and see if the furnace ignites and runs. If that works then the control board is ok and the exhaust fan is probably ok; the problem just might be the sail switch. One more check: insure that the furnace exhaust is not blocked; you might need to clear it including evicting any mud daubers that might have taken up residence.

[Rrgramps]

I removed my sail switch, and cleaned it; not much more than a bit of fuzz. But it still didn’t work. Fortunately, I had a strip heater, and a small space heater to get by on. When I got home, I took my trailer to a local dealer to service it. He called me back within in an hour.

All he did was straighten out my bent sail switch.

What Larry said about shorting the sail switch, is what my dealer did to trouble shoot the system. Good info, Larry.

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by Rrgramps

All he did was straighten out my bent sail switch.

That is weird!

My sail switch was bent also. I didn't realize it until I got a new one and compared it to the original. I straighten out the bent one and tried it, it worked for awhile, but I started having problems a couple days later. I gave up on the original and put in the replacement and my problems went away.

I doubt tha I could have put enough pressure the original when I put it back in the first time, but it definitely had a bend in it when I took it out upon getting the new one.

[mistertinkle]

Update: Escape is working with me, and a local Dometic service center, to fix the furnace. It is still unreliable.


Longer story...


On March 17, after the camper was brought back home, I tested the battery, battery connections, and furnace function. The battery measured 14.1v. The battery connections were tight. The furnace would not stay lit for more than 20 seconds whether on battery or 'shore power'.


I contacted Escape Trailer customer support, and they pointed me to contact Dometic since it was a warranty issue with an appliance. Dometic stated the furnace would need to be diagnosed by a local Dometic service center.


I took the camper to a local service center on March 22. They tested the furnace on March 22 and March 23, but they were unable to replicate the problem. They stated they could not contact Dometic about a warranty issue if they could not replicate the problem.


I spent a couple days communicating with Escape and Dometic. Escape restated that warranty issues with appliance had to be addressed by the appliance manufacturer. Dometic adamantly stated that the 'coach' manufacturer was responsible for covering new appliances. Dometic even suggested the furnace had been installed improperly. There was no evidence from the service center that the furnace was installed improperly. So, I had a faulty, unreliable, 2-month old furnace that nobody was willing to help diagnose or fix.


Escape has stepped up and offered to work with a local Dometic service center to repair the furnace.


I will update this thread after the schedule service appointment in early May.


Sam

[rubicon327]

Originally Posted by mistertinkle

I spent a couple days communicating with Escape and Dometic. Escape restated that warranty issues with appliance had to be addressed by the appliance manufacturer. Dometic adamantly stated that the 'coach' manufacturer was responsible for covering new appliances. Dometic even suggested the furnace had been installed improperly. There was no evidence from the service center that the furnace was installed improperly. So, I had a faulty, unreliable, 2-month old furnace that nobody was willing to help diagnose or fix.

This is why warranties are sometimes not worth the paper they are written on. Surely depends on the company. Glad ETI is stepping up to help.

[mistertinkle]

Hopefully this is the final update. The furnace was replaced a couple weeks ago. We've tested the new furnace at home, and it has worked every time. Woohoo!!! It is interesting that the new furnace seems quieter when running. That is a bonus.



We hope to have a chance very soon to take the camper out for a weekend. We are very ready to spend time in our new camper.



Sam

[NEWYORKHILLBILLY]

Originally Posted by mistertinkle

Hopefully this is the final update. The furnace was replaced a couple weeks ago. We've tested the new furnace at home, and it has worked every time. Woohoo!!! It is interesting that the new furnace seems quieter when running. That is a bonus.



We hope to have a chance very soon to take the camper out for a weekend. We are very ready to spend time in our new camper.



Sam

ENJOY . I like the sounds of quieter , hopefully this will be something that shows up in newer models.