I’m a newbie and recently picked up my 21ne. I’m having problems with the furnace. It sometimes produces heat and cycles. More often it may for a bit but then won’t cycle. I will restart and it will blow cold air but igniter won’t fire. I have tried turning on stove to get air out of lines. The propane tanks appear to have propane. Both gauges have green triangles. No red. This trailer is new so I’m guessing it’s a problem on my end. But maybe not? I’m going to call Escape and see what they say. I’m also going to fill up both propane tanks and try again.
The same thing happened to us. Our furnace worked for the first couple of days and then it wouldn’t light. I found David Murphy’s excellent trouble shooting guide and the symptoms matched a bad sail switch. I pulled the sail switch and it was whistle clean. Put it back in and it worked for a day then failed again. Researching the forum some more I found two suggestions. One was to round the corners of the sail as they could be sticking. So I tried that and this time I got a couple of days out of it before it failed again. Another suggestion was to slightly bend the top third of the sail so it would catch more air. I tried that and when I started the furnace the sail switch began to rapidly open and close causing the furnace to light and extinguish itself just as rapidly. It was quite amazing to watch. So once again I pulled out the switch and hammered it flat (well,as flat as I could get it). The furnace has been working ever since (knock wood). Perhaps I got a nice foil shape to the sail with my bending and flattening or maybe the rapidly moving sail event freed up whatever was causing the switch to stick. I forgot to mention that I could tap on the switch while the fan was spinning up and the furnace would light off.
We are currently at Devils Tower, WY slowly working our way home from picking up our 21c and attending the rally at Osoyoos and enjoying our working furnace. Best of luck with your efforts.
Trailer: 2013 Escape 21 Classic Number 6, pulled by 2018 Toyota Highlander
Posts: 8,259
Good Report
Quote:
Originally Posted by edlynnrich
The same thing happened to us. Our furnace worked for the first couple of days and then it wouldn’t light. I found David Murphy’s excellent trouble shooting guide and the symptoms matched a bad sail switch. I pulled the sail switch and it was whistle clean. Put it back in and it worked for a day then failed again. Researching the forum some more I found two suggestions. One was to round the corners of the sail as they could be sticking. So I tried that and this time I got a couple of days out of it before it failed again. Another suggestion was to slightly bend the top third of the sail so it would catch more air. I tried that and when I started the furnace the sail switch began to rapidly open and close causing the furnace to light and extinguish itself just as rapidly. It was quite amazing to watch. So once again I pulled out the switch and hammered it flat (well,as flat as I could get it). The furnace has been working ever since (knock wood). Perhaps I got a nice foil shape to the sail with my bending and flattening or maybe the rapidly moving sail event freed up whatever was causing the switch to stick. I forgot to mention that I could tap on the switch while the fan was spinning up and the furnace would light off.
We are currently at Devils Tower, WY slowly working our way home from picking up our 21c and attending the rally at Osoyoos and enjoying our working furnace. Best of luck with your efforts.
Ed
Nice report Ed. We’ve camped at Devils tower several times and do not tire of visiting there. Take pictures, make memories. Good luck on your journey.
Iowa Dave
__________________
Ain’t no trouble jacking a double Burma Shave
Dave
He Ed- thanks for posting your fix to OP's problem. Might very well make the difference for them.
Isn’t this just the best RV owner’s forum in the interworlds? We are SO very glad to be humble members of this community. It really is a huge part of what makes choosing an Escape trailer seem so right.
We’re picking up our 21C in Sumas next Monday, so please be on the lookout for some “SOS ASAP” posts coming soon.
So, I had read David's post about furnace fixes and got out that weird scredriver thing Escape provided and took off the panel and removed the flue thingy. The light was blinking red. No pauses. Just blinking. I poked at some wires and pushed on a little metal wire clip that did not seem loose. One of the blue wires appeared to perhaps have been closed in the frame so I pushed that wire back with the others. For whatever reason, it's been working since!! Cycled all night like a champ. I don't have any confidence in it being fixed but maybe. Keeping fingers crossed. Thank you for your responses.
Glad you got it running again, and hopefully it will be trouble-free from here on. I was only going to add that a low battery can cause similar symptoms, too.
__________________ Losing weight puts one at much greater risk of becoming thin.
Nice report Ed. We’ve camped at Devils tower several times and do not tire of visiting there. Take pictures, make memories. Good luck on your journey.
Iowa Dave
Personally I'd prefer to camp near a "Saints' Tower," if there were one.
__________________ Losing weight puts one at much greater risk of becoming thin.
Isn’t this just the best RV owner’s forum in the interworlds? We are SO very glad to be humble members of this community. It really is a huge part of what makes choosing an Escape trailer seem so right.
Right on! Couldn't agree more. So many helpful suggestions. We've been on the Forum now for 11 years.
__________________
2018 Escape 19: Last Best Escape 2015 Escape 19 (previous): Escape Goats
2011 Escape 17 (previous): SittEscape
Honda Pilot 2019
Trailer: 2013 Escape 21 Classic Number 6, pulled by 2018 Toyota Highlander
Posts: 8,259
hi Jim I refilled one tank this week. I have 6 tanks and take off with two full ones and at least 80% on my little 10 lb tank every tire I go out. I use the partials for the large barbecue, the weed burner, the 60,000 btu large pot cooker and our Rocky mountain range.
Had a good little trip to south central Illinois. Ice cream three days, strawberry pie one day and fresh strawberries one evening. Some good cold beer and good weather every day.
As far as Saints Tower, here’s a concept for a revenue stream, a church owned campground,
Never seen one but they must exist somewhere.
I have been to the very tiny church at Festina, Iowa and the Little Brown Church in the Vale at Nashua, Iowa.
Hope you’re doing well, say hello to Noelia
Iowa Dave and Rita
__________________
Ain’t no trouble jacking a double Burma Shave
Dave
The lithium batteries almost always read 100 percent. That said, I am still trying to figure the solar out. Got the two 190 watt panels and two LifeBlue 100 ah low-temp batteries. So far, it’s been great.
The same thing happened to us. Our furnace worked for the first couple of days and then it wouldn’t light. I found David Murphy’s excellent trouble shooting guide and the symptoms matched a bad sail switch. I pulled the sail switch and it was whistle clean. Put it back in and it worked for a day then failed again. Researching the forum some more I found two suggestions. One was to round the corners of the sail as they could be sticking. So I tried that and this time I got a couple of days out of it before it failed again. Another suggestion was to slightly bend the top third of the sail so it would catch more air. I tried that and when I started the furnace the sail switch began to rapidly open and close causing the furnace to light and extinguish itself just as rapidly. It was quite amazing to watch. So once again I pulled out the switch and hammered it flat (well,as flat as I could get it). The furnace has been working ever since (knock wood). Perhaps I got a nice foil shape to the sail with my bending and flattening or maybe the rapidly moving sail event freed up whatever was causing the switch to stick. I forgot to mention that I could tap on the switch while the fan was spinning up and the furnace would light off.
We are currently at Devils Tower, WY slowly working our way home from picking up our 21c and attending the rally at Osoyoos and enjoying our working furnace. Best of luck with your efforts.
Ed
After 3 and a half years of extreme furnace problems (DFSAD-12131) - we had our mobile RV man out yesterday. He was sorry that his last fixes had only worked for a few months. He called Dometic and they suggested he check the igniter to make sure the spacing was 2 quarters width - the spacing was wider- so he changed that spacing and also pulled out the sale switch and bent it slightly (others have mentioned this) to catch the wind flow. This stopped the odd fluttering noise of the sale switch and the furnace is now working again, but he also mentioned that our bearing motor is making an odd noise. He said if we need a new bearing motor at some point - the furnace has to be pulled out to access it and if it comes to that - he is just about through with working on this furnace brand. So we might have to take it into a shop. We have spent hundreds of dollars over the years across the US and where we live. We finally got a buddy - but I still feel nervous about that kind of furnace. The old timer RV guy and I agreed that there is a gremlin in the furnaces - though he said it is more likely just poorly designed and shoddily built. We would pay a lot to have a reliable furnace like we had in our older units. If anyone ever learns of an alternative to the DFSAD furnace -- let us all know! Otherwise, don't get a trailer with one unless one is really good at ongoing repairs or can live without the furnace.
Still keeping fingers crossed! Second trip out for a couple days and furnace came on at night when temps dipped into the mid-50s and cycled all night. I'm hoping my expert poking at the wires worked, or maybe just working out the kinks. It does seem the furnace design needs updating. That common sail switch issue is funky! It would seem there could be another way to light the igniter, but what do I know. All I know, is I'm leaving the temperature adjuster alone and only using the top lever to turn the furnace on, and hope it responds when it's chilly in Alaska at night.
I’m a newbie and recently picked up my 21ne. I’m having problems with the furnace. It sometimes produces heat and cycles. More often it may for a bit but then won’t cycle. I will restart and it will blow cold air but igniter won’t fire. I have tried turning on stove to get air out of lines. The propane tanks appear to have propane. Both gauges have green triangles. No red. This trailer is new so I’m guessing it’s a problem on my end. But maybe not? I’m going to call Escape and see what they say. I’m also going to fill up both propane tanks and try again.
Funny you mention it. Our 2021 5.0’s furnace went out a couple days ago on a one month cross continent trip: the fan runs for 30 seconds, furnace doesn’t ignite, the fan shuts off. The video of Reace at escape explains that if the fan runs for 30 seconds and stops it’s a sail switch most of the time. If the fan runs for a minute and a half then shuts out without ignition, it’s often the circuitboard.
Anyway I stopped at an RV place, bought a new sail switch (because the old one was completely clean) and so far, so good, it cycled fine last night. Good ol’ Dometic
but then won’t cycle. I will restart and it will blow cold air but igniter won’t fire. I have tried turning on stove to get air out of lines. The propane tanks appear to have propane. Both gauges have green triangles. No red. This trailer is new so I’m guessing it’s a problem on my end. But maybe not? I’m going to call Escape and see what they say. I’m also going to fill up both propane tanks and try again.
Linear Mode
