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Old 12-18-2016, 11:29 PM   #1
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Running the furnace on 12v power? And install Bigfoot leveler system

Hey guys I've got another question for you, can you run the propane furnace in a 2017 sunseeker 2300 (Ford E450) on the 12v batteries? I tried to fire it up the other day and the only way I can get it to come on is by running the gen or hook to shore power! Is this normal or should I be able to run it off the batteries

In my lanece truck camper the furnace works on battery, you wouldn't want to run it all night especially if it was real cold otherwise I'd think you'd kill the battery's pretty quick but it would sure be nice to have the option to kick it on while running down the interstate just long enough to bring the temp up!

Has anyone installed a Bigfoot wireless or automatic system on their class c theirselves? I'm thinking of getting a basic wireless kit (2400.00) and doing the install the myself. It appears forest river has already installed the brackets for the jacks to the frame of the rv so it looks like I would just need to bolt the jacks up, run the hydralic line and mount the pump and it would be done?!?
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Old 12-19-2016, 01:04 AM   #2
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Hey guys I've got another question for you, can you run the propane furnace in a 2017 sunseeker 2300 (Ford E450) on the 12v batteries? I tried to fire it up the other day and the only way I can get it to come on is by running the gen or hook to shore power! Is this normal or should I be able to run it off the batteries?
Your furnace is totally 12v battery power and doesn't run on 110v power.
When on shore power or generator, they are providing power to the house battery to run the furnace.

Sounds like your house battery is dead or nearly dead.
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Old 12-19-2016, 04:32 AM   #3
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Yes same as the Lance, all that is needed is 12 V and propane! We discovered if you have the T Stat set to Heat and "Forget "to turn it off the next time you enter the RV ,in our case a TT ,it will be "Cozy "! Youroo! !
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Old 12-19-2016, 08:28 AM   #4
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Hmm. I'll have to check into this because I checked the battery's were fully charged reading 13.2 volts on my meter, I plugged into shore power and it kick right on so maybe I did something wrong with the thermostat or something but it's up at the dealer having a few things fixed under warranty so I'll call them and have them check it ! Thanks guys!
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Old 12-19-2016, 08:34 AM   #5
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Do you have a battery disconnect? You should be able to run on 12v and cycle all night with strong battery and not too cold.
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Old 12-19-2016, 08:43 AM   #6
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Sounds like your battery is disconnected or has a blown fuse/tripped breaker.

Do other 12v items work with genny off and no shore power?? Lights or exhaust fans for example?
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Old 12-19-2016, 08:52 AM   #7
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Hmm. I'll have to check into this because I checked the battery's were fully charged reading 13.2 volts on my meter, I plugged into shore power and it kick right on so maybe I did something wrong with the thermostat or something but it's up at the dealer having a few things fixed under warranty so I'll call them and have them check it ! Thanks guys!
Is anything else 12 volt not running while on battery only? It sounds like your furnace is running off the converter when plugged in to 120. Your battery may have a tripped breaker between the battery and the fuse box. The breakers are 1"x1" boxes in line with a mini button on the side to reset it. On my fifth wheel it is mounted close to my battery.
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Old 12-19-2016, 09:02 AM   #8
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The furnace has a safety feature that will prevent it from running of the battery voltage is too low. You indicated that you measured 13.2V on the battery, was the converter on or was is just recently turned off as a fully charged battery should read about 12.6V when not being charged. There are parasitic current drains in all RV ( unless you have a battery shut off) that will kill a full battery in a week or two so if your unit sat for a while, the battery may have been dead. Most everything in the RV will run on 12v except the AC. Microwave and tv. When you are connected to shore power or have the generator running the converter provided 12V ( along with the battery) to operate these items. To check your battery, let it sit without shore power or generator for 4-6 hrs and measure the voltage. See chart below.
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Old 12-19-2016, 01:22 PM   #9
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Big foot leveler

I installed a Big Foot system on the front of my MH last year, I had a rear stabilizer system in place from FR and wanted something more on the front to help stabilize the unit better. I had to drill the hole for the brackets so if the brackets are already there on your unit it should be pretty easy to mount the system. Good luck.
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Old 12-19-2016, 03:21 PM   #10
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[QUOTE=Beards79;1383739]Hey guys I've got another question for you, can you run the propane furnace in a 2017 sunseeker 2300 (Ford E450) on the 12v batteries? I tried to fire it up the other day and the only way I can get it to come on is by running the gen or hook to shore power! Is this normal or should I be able to run it off the batteries

Sunseekers all have a battery master switch, located just above the step well. If it is turned OFF (counter clockwise) your house batteries under the step will be disconnected from everything, as the switch is directly in the red (positive) battery lead. If you have the batteries on by the way, they will charge from the chassis alternator while driving, and from the battery eliminator/charger when plugged in or on gen power. Tis is how mine is wired, and I would think that all are the same, or it could not be called a "battery disconnect switch"
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Old 12-22-2016, 01:06 AM   #11
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Hey everyone, I'll try and answer everyone's questions in one post so here it goes... the battery disco switch was in the on position and everything else that runs on 12v seemed to be working correctly and I had just unplugged from shore power about 10-15mims before I checked the batteries with my meter to make sure they were charged so that could have been why they were reading 13.2 volts..

The RV is up at the dealer having some warranty work done and I called up there to tell them to check this problem since I forgot to tell them when I dropped it off and he did call me back and said the tech was able to duplicate the problem (thank god) lol and they are looking into it but I'm with all you guys, if it runs on 12v no mater what then it shouldn't make a difference if it is on shore or gen or on batteries... beats me! Hope they get it figured out sooner than latter as we have a trip coming up feb 3rd!

One thing I will note is that the thermostat is flashing the E4 code and it had done this once before over the summer right after we got it and the dealer sent me a new control board which I installed up in the ac unit and the code went away so I'm not sure if that could have anything to do with it or not, but even with the code flashing over the summer everything on the AC seemed to work fine. But I'm curious as to why I keep getting that code???


Hkreck thanks for letting me know about the leveling system, I'm the type that likes to do my own installs and I've read the Bigfoot install instructions and it all seams pretty straight forward and since Im opting for the basic wireless kit that doesn't have the auto level feature and only has the one hydraulic pump and four jacks I think it should be and easy driveway install especially since forest river took the liberty of pre installing the weld on jack brackets at the factory! Fingers crossed!

Thanks for all the comments guys and I'll be sure and update the thread when I find out what is going on!
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Old 12-31-2016, 11:25 PM   #12
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Talk to dealer again this past Wednesday and he said the tech noted furnace would not work without being hooked to shore power and he found a broken ground wire at the furnace control board which he fixed and that solved the problem.... why it would work on shore and not just battery is beyond me because would it still not be getting its power from the 12vlt system?? I have no clue but they say it's now working as it should..
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Old 01-12-2017, 06:13 PM   #13
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Did you install the bigfoot?
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Old 01-12-2017, 06:25 PM   #14
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Nothing in the furnace runs on 110VAC so the furnace should work on battery alone. The only possibility is that the battery is deeply discharged, as the furnace will not operate with low voltage ( safety function). It could be that the battery was discharged enough to lock it out. Other than that I can not think of a reason.


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Talk to dealer again this past Wednesday and he said the tech noted furnace would not work without being hooked to shore power and he found a broken ground wire at the furnace control board which he fixed and that solved the problem.... why it would work on shore and not just battery is beyond me because would it still not be getting its power from the 12vlt system?? I have no clue but they say it's now working as it should..
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Old 01-12-2017, 07:51 PM   #15
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Yes I installed the Bigfoot stabilizers myself.
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