Furnace only works when plugged in

[Wfreimund]

Hi,

I have a 2020 Escape 21. I have a bit of a unique problem from what I can tell. When I am hooked up to AC, my furnace works perfectly. When I am running off of my batteries, the gas ignition cuts out, starts and cuts out ... repeat ... repeat.

It never stays ignited long enough to heat the trailer. I contacted the folks at Escape but this was a new one for them. They recommend I take it to a certified Dometic service center, but the closest one is about five hours away. Does anyone have an idea of what this could be caused by?

Thanks in advance,

Wayne

[padlin]

Welcome Wayne
What's the voltage? can you get a reading across the batteries when NOT plugged into city power? Sounds like they may be low or there could be a bad connection somewhere. Do you have a multimeter?

[CharlesPou]

sorry you're having trouble with your furnace. unfortunately, IMO it's a common issue. you can take it to a service center, or if you like to tinker do some research on the forum, there is a lot of info about possible fixes. probably 1st check sail switch, then propane regulator, then board. there is an excellent Escape vid about trouble shooting the furnace, I think available on Escapetrailer.com. after messing with mine for 2 years a new board finally seems to have fixed it. good luck.

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

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by padlin

Welcome Wayne
What's the voltage? can you get a reading across the batteries when NOT plugged into city power? Sounds like they may be low or there could be a bad connection somewhere. Do you have a multimeter?

I agree, seems like the best starting point.

Ron

[TTMartin]

Originally Posted by Wfreimund

Hi,

I have a 2020 Escape 21. I have a bit of a unique problem from what I can tell. When I am hooked up to AC, my furnace works perfectly. When I am running off of my batteries, the gas ignition cuts out, starts and cuts out ... repeat ... repeat.

It never stays ignited long enough to heat the trailer. I contacted the folks at Escape but this was a new one for them. They recommend I take it to a certified Dometic service center, but the closest one is about five hours away. Does anyone have an idea of what this could be caused by?

Thanks in advance,

Wayne

Sounds like you are not getting enough voltage from your batteries.

First be sure all the connections on the battery terminals are clean and tight. Then check and make sure the cables on the battery disconnect switch are clean and tight.

Second; have you checked the water level in your batteries? They are NOT maintenance free. They need to have distilled water added to them periodically.

[Wfreimund]

Hi,

I will try to track down a meter to figure out what the voltage is. The battery meter in the camper says it is full and the blower continues working just fine. It is the ignition that cuts in and out.

I will see if I can figure out how to upload a little video.

best,

Wayne

[Vermilye]

As far as I can judge, there are only two things that can differ between running the furnace on batteries vs the converter. First, and most likely, low battery voltage. Easy to check with a volt meter. Check batteries alone (with converter switched off or trailer unplugged, and, if you have solar, at night so there is no output from the controller). Should be between 12.5V & 12.7V. Check the battery voltage when the furnace is trying to start. If it drops at the battery, I'd suspect a battery problem.

If the battery voltage is OK and stays OK when the furnace is trying to start, it is likely that there is something between the batteries & the converter connection to the furnace that is limiting current / dropping voltage. A bad connection or loose fuse is a possibility. I'd reseat the 40 - 60 amp in line fuse at the battery & check the connections at the thermal circuit breaker & converter. The furnace is usually the heaviest current draw device (other than an inverter) in the trailer, so other things such as lights, etc may not draw enough current to cause the voltage drop that the furnace causes.

Escape has used different wiring/fusing methods over the years, so you may or may not have various devices between the battery & converter, but a bad device or connection between the batteries & the converter could cause the problem you described. Low voltage at the furnace can cause the fan motor to run slow enough the the sail switch doesn't close. This will keep the furnace from igniting.

[Wfreimund]

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zfe9psbp4g...00.30.mov?dl=0

Here is a link to a short video that shows what the furnace is doing. Hopefully it will work and you all may find it interesting. This is when it is running off of propane and the batteries.

[Wfreimund]

Originally Posted by Wfreimund

Hi,

I have a 2020 Escape 21. I have a bit of a unique problem from what I can tell. When I am hooked up to AC, my furnace works perfectly. When I am running off of my batteries, the gas ignition cuts out, starts and cuts out ... repeat ... repeat.

It never stays ignited long enough to heat the trailer. I contacted the folks at Escape but this was a new one for them. They recommend I take it to a certified Dometic service center, but the closest one is about five hours away. Does anyone have an idea of what this could be caused by?

Thanks in advance,

Wayne

Originally Posted by Vermilye

As far as I can judge, there are only two things that can differ between running the furnace on batteries vs the converter. First, and most likely, low battery voltage. Easy to check with a volt meter. Check batteries alone (with converter switched off or trailer unplugged, and, if you have solar, at night so there is no output from the controller). Should be between 12.5V & 12.7V. Check the battery voltage when the furnace is trying to start. If it drops at the battery, I'd suspect a battery problem.

If the battery voltage is OK and stays OK when the furnace is trying to start, it is likely that there is something between the batteries & the converter connection to the furnace that is limiting current / dropping voltage. A bad connection or loose fuse is a possibility. I'd reseat the 40 - 60 amp in line fuse at the battery & check the connections at the thermal circuit breaker & converter. The furnace is usually the heaviest current draw device (other than an inverter) in the trailer, so other things such as lights, etc may no draw enough current to cause the voltage drop that the furnace causes.

Escape has used different wiring/fusing methods over the years, so you may or may not have various devices between the battery & converter, but a bad device or connection between the batteries & the converter could cause the problem you described.

Thanks a lot Jon! Here is a link to a video of what it does. HOpefully it will work.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/zfe9psbp4g...00.30.mov?dl=0

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by Wfreimund

Hi,

I will try to track down a meter to figure out what the voltage is.

Wayne

At the risk of sounding like a nag but I've got to say that I keep seeing this comment over and over again. My view is that next to a wheel wrench the next important item to have in the trailer is a multimeter. Without one you're almost helpless to isolate a problem.

They're dirt cheap, about 10 bucks. They're like an American Express card, don't leave home without one.

Ron

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

At the risk of sounding like a nag but I've got to say that I keep seeing this comment over and over again. My view is that next to a wheel wrench the next important item to have in the trailer is a multimeter. Without one you're almost helpless to isolate a problem.

They're dirt cheap, about 10 bucks. They're like an American Express card, don't leave home without one.

Ron

Ron, will you stop all that nagging!

[CharlesPou]

hopefully, OP just has low battery, would be easy fix IMO. cheers

[Eggscape]

Can’t agree more.
Since you are in the US...here is one at Harbour Freight. I have one just like it but in grey. I keep the good ones in the shop but this does just as well. Over a 4 star review and at 7$ US no one should travel without one.

[Eggscape]

Here is the Canadian version on sale now at Princes Auto.

[gbaglo]

Save the instructions.
I use mine so infrequently that I have to re-read them each time I use it.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Save the instructions.
I use mine so infrequently that I have to re-read them each time I use it.

Ah, come on. You don't need a manual to connect red to positive, black to negative and set the DC voltage to 20.

Being able to do that would save the day for a lot of folks. Depending on posting a problem online and waiting for someone to diagnose the problem is hit and miss and time consuming.

Inexpensive ones may have a .1 volt inaccuracy but that in way way affects their usefulness.

Ron

[Wfreimund]

Thanks - I'll get one. I'm the one asking for help here so nag away!

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Ah, come on. You don't need a manual to connect red to positive, black to negative and set the DC voltage to 20.

Ron

Where did you find that information?
And what are all those switches and scales for?
Don't forget to remove the batteries if you're not using for some time.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

Where did you find that information?

I think my teacher said it in a grade 8 electricity class

And what are all those switches and scales for?

Beats me, who cares. I have two lab quality meters that do things I don't even begin to understand but they still do the basic things whether I understand the advanced features or not.

Just being able to read the voltage at different points in the trailer will help pinpoint most problems.

Ron

[gbaglo]

I took typing.