Results for "furnace-wont-heat"

Between my toolbox and the YouTube tutorials I've watched, I'm ready to tackle the LPG tank refill setup on my permanently parked 2000 Safari Sahar 32-footer. Since my wife and I live in California and visit several times per year to help her aging parents, the RV serves as a stationary dwelling with full hookups for shore power and water.

The challenge is that the coach won't be moved to drive to propane filling stations, so I'm exploring on-site refill options. I'm specifically interested in potentially transferring propane from a standard 40lb grill tank to our RV's fixed tank. I want to understand what type of fitting our Safari Sahar has and what safety considerations or special equipment might be required for liquid-to-liquid propane transfer.

Since we'll need heating during colder months and my wife will sometimes be at the RV without me, I want to ensure a reliable and safe refill method. What are my options for refilling the LPG tank without moving the motorcoach? …more

Already tried everything but my RV's LP gas detector has false alarms in the garage, keeps beeping at random times, AND won't reset properly. Even with the LP tank completely shut off, the alarm still goes off within hours. It's located in the bottom of the fridge cabinet.

I've checked everywhere for actual leaks - can't smell anything, and all my appliances still light immediately when I take the RV out. The detector seems fine outside but becomes a nightmare indoors. I'm wondering if it's the sensor going bad, poor placement, or if there are other things that can trigger these detectors besides actual propane leaks?

I really need a complete breakdown of what causes these false alarms and how to fix this issue once and for all. Should I be looking at replacing the detector entirely, or are there troubleshooting steps I'm missing? …more

The YouTube tutorials I followed to fix my Dometic DFMD35111 furnace that runs 10 seconds then dies actually made it worse—now it won't even start! Every time I try to run it, the same thing happens - it fires up, runs for exactly 10 seconds, then just shuts off completely. This has been going on for weeks now and I'm getting desperate since the weather is getting colder.

I've been trying to troubleshoot this myself but honestly don't know where to start. I can hear the blower running and the unit seems to ignite initially, but then it just dies. Is this a common problem with these Dometic units? I'm really hoping this is something I can fix myself rather than having to call out an expensive repair tech.

What are the most likely culprits when a furnace runs for just 10 seconds then shuts down? I need to know what components to check first before I start taking things apart. …more

During my pre-trip inspection on my Thor ACE F53 chassis, discovered grinding wheel bearings and a dead propane detector that needs immediate replacement.

First, I desperately need to get my wheel bearings serviced/greased, but I'm having trouble finding someone who will work on them. Camping World told me they only service trailers, not motorhome chassis. I'm worried about driving much further without proper maintenance - where should I be looking for this type of service?

Second issue has me even more concerned: my propane detector started beeping constantly and wouldn't stop, so I had to pull the fuse. Now I discovered that with the fuse pulled, my slides won't operate at all! This seems like a safety feature, but I'm not sure if the detector just needs replacement or if there's a bigger problem. Are these systems really connected, and is it safe to replace the detector myself? …more

Opened up my RV this morning to prep for our two-week cross-country trip tomorrow and the electrical system keeps tripping the breaker every time I run basic appliances! My RV's entire 12V system just died completely - no lights, no water pump, nothing. I've checked everything I can think of and I'm pretty sure it's the auto reset breaker that's failed.

I have a WFCO converter/charger setup with dual 6V batteries, but I can't get underneath right now to read what's stamped on the current breaker. I need to order a replacement but I'm not sure what amperage to get. I keep seeing 30A, 40A, and 50A options online but I don't want to guess wrong and either undersize it or waste money.

What's the typical auto reset breaker size for this type of setup? Is there a standard that WFCO usually pairs with dual 6V battery systems? …more

Despite watching countless YouTube videos on RV lithium batteries, I'm now more confused than when I started about dual purpose versus deep cycle for my motorhome's house bank. I understand that dual purpose batteries are designed to handle both starting and deep cycling applications, which sounds convenient for an RV setup. However, I'm wondering if there are performance trade-offs when using dual purpose lithium batteries specifically for coach/house battery applications where they'll primarily be doing deep cycling to power lights, water pump, refrigerator, and other 12V systems. Would I be better off with dedicated deep cycle LiFePO4 batteries for my house bank, or do dual purpose lithium batteries offer sufficient performance for typical RV boondocking and daily use? I want to make sure I'm getting the best cycle life and value for my investment in a house battery system. …more

Woke up to my Aliner classic's power system working perfectly in 60°F weather, but now that it's 85°F outside I'm drowning in solar versus gas generator confusion. Coming from a Rialta with a built-in generator where I just added some solar panels, I'm now starting from scratch with just one 88Ah lead acid battery and need to figure out the most practical setup for my boondocking needs.

My power requirements are pretty straightforward - laptop, house lights, furnace for overnight heating, and the occasional use of my 1800-watt toaster oven which is really the main power challenge. In my previous RV, I had 160Ah of lead acid batteries with a 100W solar panel that handled everything except the toaster oven, which required firing up the generator. I'm considering adding 200W of solar panels to this setup.

Here's where I'm getting confused: I've been looking at 2000-2500 watt generators with minimum 1900 running watts, but I heard you shouldn't run more than 80% of the running watts capacity, which would mean I need about 2300 running watts just to safely operate my 1800W toaster oven. Is that calculation correct? Alternatively, I'm wondering if I could skip the generator entirely and run the toaster oven off a large battery bank with a proper inverter - but I have no idea how much battery capacity that would require or if it's even practical. What's the most cost-effective approach for someone who primarily needs reliable power for essential loads but occasionally wants to use higher-wattage cooking appliances? …more

Three days after hitting that brutal stretch of pothole-riddled interstate, I've been getting a strong propane smell coming from behind my RV refrigerator, specifically a Norcold model. While parked at my brother's place in North Dakota, I discovered a leak in the fridge's gas valve - specifically around the manual shutoff area.

What's the safest way to locate the exact source of this propane leak? I've already used a sniffer and bubble test, and replaced the original valve, but still hear a slight 'pfft' sound when reopening the propane tank after 15+ minutes.

I noticed something interesting: when actually using propane for cooking or driving, the leak smell seems to disappear. Could this indicate a very minor leak that gets redirected when gas is flowing?

What are the recommended steps for thoroughly diagnosing and fixing such a small but persistent propane leak? …more

Thermostat screen is completely dead — no display, no backlight, nothing. Furnace won't kick on and it's getting down to freezing tonight. Checked the fuse panel and everything looks good. Starting to think the thermostat wiring itself has a break somewhere in the wall. …more

My Dometic DFMD35111 furnace does the same infuriating thing every fall — lights perfectly on startup then immediately dies out. The flame lights up no problem, but then it just dies out randomly - sometimes after like 3 seconds, other times it'll run for several minutes before cutting out. It's totally unpredictable.

I've already cleaned out some bugs from the burner area and messed with the sail switch, but it's still doing this intermittent thing. The flame sensor looks pretty gunky though. Could that cause these random flame failures? And what else should I be checking when the burn time is all over the place like this? …more

Around the third day into our trip, my Micro-Air 355 thermostat has zones not responding, temperature readings jumping randomly, AND the whole system cycling on and off every few minutes all at once. I replaced my old RV Comfort.ZC thermostat with a Micro-Air 355 and nothing is working right. The old thermostat controlled both zones perfectly, but now I've got a complete mess.

My current wire connections include:
- Red 12v in *
- White 12v out *
- White B-
- Green SIG 1 *
- Brown SIG 2 *
- Red R+
- Blue B-
- Yellow R+ (not used on old thermostat)

Zone 1 cool doesn't work AT ALL, but the furnace works fine. Zone 2 is backwards - cool works but furnace won't kick on. Even worse, once I switch from zone 1 to zone 2, I can't get back to zone 1! I have to reset the whole thing.

I've got these extra yellow and orange wires that were showing voltage when zone 2 furnace should be running. My Coleman Mach units are fine - this has to be a wiring difference between the thermostats. I really thought this would be plug-and-play! Is there something specific about how the Micro-Air 355 handles SIG1 and SIG2 wires differently than the RV Comfort.ZC? I'm starting to think I need professional help with this multi-zone setup. …more