First Trip in our A-Frame this Weekend! Propane furnace Q.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by nautipelican

We are planning our first camping trip to the rockies this Sept. Staying on the north rim of the Gr Canyon two nights in Demotte Camground with NO hookups. Being from Florida we need heat!! Can we just run a generator to supply us with all the elect we need???

First, your RV should have a propane furnace, that runs on 12v battery power.
Since you don't have your RV info listed in your profile and this thread is in the A-frame sub-forum, I can only assume that you also have an A-frame. So they all have propane furnaces.
So your furnace doesn't need a generator to run BUT you will need one to recharge your battery.
Sorry but it sounds like you've never dry camped or boondocked before. That requires some education and proper preparation.

[gbaldwin]

Originally Posted by nautipelican

We are planning our first camping trip to the rockies this Sept. Staying on the north rim of the Gr Canyon two nights in Demotte Camground with NO hookups. Being from Florida we need heat!! Can we just run a generator to supply us with all the elect we need???

Run your generator for a couple of hours 2x per day to keep batteries charged. Run heat off propane conservative temp setting.... Extra blanket and snuggle partner.

[rockdog97]

We just bought a 2019 A213HW and took it on its maiden voyage last week but we could not get our Dometic furnace/heat pump to run w/o having to run our generator. This didn't seem normal. I did notice today when looking at the dual batteries that one white wire on one of the negative terminals was not connected.. Could this cause the furnace/heat pump to not run off battery power? Have yet to hook the wire back upto check though..

[pgandw]

You have 2 heat systems, and 1 thermostat.

The thermostat runs off 12V, which is supplied by the batteries, or by the converter when the camper is plugged in to 120V power. Without the thermostat, you cannot operate the heater or the Cool Cat. FWIW, always check and leave the fan in "auto". Neither the Cool Cat nor the propane heater work correctly (if at all) with the fan in other positions. I have proven this to myself.

The propane heater runs off 12V and propane. The heater fan, and heater ignition are 12V controlled.

The Cool Cat air conditioner can be used as a heat pump. The Cool Cat needs a good amount of 120V power. As a heat pump, the Cool Cat is non-functional below about 45 degrees outside temp (produces very little to no heat - don't ask me how I know). It's not even supposed to be turned on below 40 degrees.

Without 12V power, only the microwave works (and stuff plugged into the 120V outlets).

Other critical things that operate off 12V - but may have a separate wire at the battery

• electric roof lift
• trailer brakes when actuated by the emergency break-away cable.

Get your batteries connect properly. If you have 2 6V batteries, they are connected in series. If you have 2 12V batteries, they are connected in parallel.

hope this helps
Fred W
2019 Flagstaff T21TBHW (same as A213) A-frame
2008 Hyundai Entourage minivan
camping Colorado and adjacent states one weekend at a time

[rockdog97]

I fixed the frayed wire and reconnected the cables to my dual 12v batteries. Lights etc work

Tried to just turn on the Dometic thermostat fan and nothing. Tried turning on the furnace and can hear the dometic unit “click” but nothing else happens. Tried turning on the heat pump to 80o and nothing.

Any other suggestions besides take it in for warranty work?

Unit seems to operated fine on shore power and generator, just not on batteries alone.

[Ortep]

The air conditioner and heat pump don't work on DC, only AC. So by your last comment your system is working correctly.

[rockdog97]

I realize the AC only works on shore power or generator, but not even the fan kicks on with just battery. The furnace won’t kick on either with just the battery.

So if the fan won’t go on and the furnace won’t turn on either using battery power, something seems to be malfunctioning. No?

[JArry]

Originally Posted by rockdog97

I realize the AC only works on shore power or generator, but not even the fan kicks on with just battery. The furnace won’t kick on either with just the battery.

So if the fan won’t go on and the furnace won’t turn on either using battery power, something seems to be malfunctioning. No?

The Fan setting operates the fan in the AC/heat pump (not the furnace), so it also runs on 120 only. Not sure why the furnace isn't running, though. You have the propane turned on, right? (Just one of those things so obvious I could see myself forgetting it!)

[ppine]

If you were a tent camper, there is no need for a furnace in California on the coast even in winter. Close up your trailer in the evening and it will retain heat and be much warmer than being outside. For little kids I like to use a jacket zipped for a sleeping bag. You can close the bottom with safety pins. A down jacket works even in cold weather.

[TrailerTexan]

This may be obvious but you are aware that the Dometic Control panel that runs the CoolCat also runs the Furnace but on different settings? The panel operates on 12 Vdc just for this reason. If you step through the menus you will see a setting for HEAT (which is the CoolCat) and a different one for FURNACE. The temperature setting is for both. Make sure you are on FURNACE.

So, if you turn on the Furnace at the control panel (while the propane is ON) you will probably hear the pilot kick on and nothing else. Change the temp to something higher than ambient and the furnace should start burning soon after that. The fan in the furnace will turn on AFTER that, sometimes several minutes later based on the burner temperature because the fans will not blow through the heat exchanger until warm air is available.

[rockdog97]

Originally Posted by TrailerTexan

This may be obvious but you are aware that the Dometic Control panel that runs the CoolCat also runs the Furnace but on different settings? The panel operates on 12 Vdc just for this reason. If you step through the menus you will see a setting for HEAT (which is the CoolCat) and a different one for FURNACE. The temperature setting is for both. Make sure you are on FURNACE.

So, if you turn on the Furnace at the control panel (while the propane is ON) you will probably hear the pilot kick on and nothing else. Change the temp to something higher than ambient and the furnace should start burning soon after that. The fan in the furnace will turn on AFTER that, sometimes several minutes later based on the burner temperature because the fans will not blow through the heat exchanger until warm air is available.

Yes. After noting that there are three settings; cool, furnace and heat pump, the cool and heat pump only function on shore/ generator power. The furnace is supposed to operate off 12v/propane.

We tried turning on the furnace during the trailer’s maiden voyage when temps were in the low 40s, but it would not turn on. Even tried when we got home, but temps were in the high 80s. But even so, I don’t recall hearing the pilot but do recall just hearing a “click.” Was this the pilot kicking on?

I guess I just don’t understand these heat pump systems. I’m used to my 5th wheel and turning on a switch and setting the temp and having the heater go on. Heat pumps obviously depend on the ambient temp?

What ambient temp would it need to be to turn on the furnace?

Just trying to figure out if this is a warranty issue or not.

[Ortep]

The furnace will usually kick on when the inside temp is about 3* below the thermostat setting (same for the heat pump).

[OYO]

"I don’t recall hearing the pilot but do recall just hearing a “click.” Was this the pilot kicking on?"

Yes. It could take a while to fire due to air in the propane line. Does the gas cooktop fire?

[TrailerTexan]

I learned a long time ago with previous RVs that the easiest way to remove air from the lines is to turn on all the burners on the stove. The reason is that the stove is usually higher than the furnace/fridge gas connections. I had trouble getting my fridge to light the first time until I figured it out.

Turning on and starting the burners allows the air in the lines to travel up and escape as the propane is pushed through the lines so this removes all (or at least most) of the air. Once the burners are all working you can turn them off and start the fridge/furnace. They will then start on the first try. At least that has been my experience over the last 29 years.

That should help you diagnose they furnace issue you are having.

[JArry]

If the furnace is the same Suburban I have (NT-16SEQ or NT-20SEQ) it has automatic spark ignition - not a pilot light - as confirmed by user's manual.