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Old 10-13-2018, 09:20 PM   #1
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Furnace and water heater

Hi, just need some direction here. I have a FR WOLFPUP 16BHS 2018. Bought it about 2 months ago but haven’t had a chance to get it out. Currently in Utah so it’s starting to get cold. As it’s parked in my driveway I thought I’d test out all the systems. The water heater was already full and everything was ready to go from the dealer. On the furnace there is a on/off switch, I suppose this is electrical on, otherwise you’d use gas. Since I’m plugged in at my house I thought I would flip the switch on, then it started to make hot water. Then I wanted to crank up the furnace, thinking it was electric that didn’t work so I opened the gas tank valve, then it took a few time to light as air was purged. It started to get warm, then I noticed a slight haze in the air. I open the hot water heater panel on the outside and the gas is now heating the water, even though the switch is on, and I’m plugged into power at my house. (30Amp to 15amp conversion cable)

So then the smoke alarm is going off, I shut the heater off and clear out the smoke. Then I turn it back on, with the gas still running and the heater gets nice and warm, but here comes the smoke!!

I thought initially it might be burn off from the appliance being new, it did have a slight smell to it, then it seemed to go away.

Why is there smoke? Not sure where it’s coming from. I took off the panel under the sink and I was disgusted at the craftsmanship of these trailers. I mean who the hell builds these things? Metal shavings, saw dust, crappy cut outs, hack job repair. They don’t even vacuum these after production. I’m certainly going to complain to FR.
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Old 10-13-2018, 09:35 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by WolfPup2018 View Post
Hi, just need some direction here. I have a FR WOLFPUP 16BHS 2018. Bought it about 2 months ago but haven’t had a chance to get it out. Currently in Utah so it’s starting to get cold. As it’s parked in my driveway I thought I’d test out all the systems. The water heater was already full and everything was ready to go from the dealer. On the furnace there is a on/off switch, I suppose this is electrical on, otherwise you’d use gas. Since I’m plugged in at my house I thought I would flip the switch on, then it started to make hot water. Then I wanted to crank up the furnace, thinking it was electric that didn’t work so I opened the gas tank valve, then it took a few time to light as air was purged. It started to get warm, then I noticed a slight haze in the air. I open the hot water heater panel on the outside and the gas is now heating the water, even though the switch is on, and I’m plugged into power at my house. (30Amp to 15amp conversion cable)

So then the smoke alarm is going off, I shut the heater off and clear out the smoke. Then I turn it back on, with the gas still running and the heater gets nice and warm, but here comes the smoke!!

I thought initially it might be burn off from the appliance being new, it did have a slight smell to it, then it seemed to go away.

Why is there smoke? Not sure where it’s coming from. I took off the panel under the sink and I was disgusted at the craftsmanship of these trailers. I mean who the hell builds these things? Metal shavings, saw dust, crappy cut outs, hack job repair. They don’t even vacuum these after production. I’m certainly going to complain to FR.
First, apparently you got a lousy PDI/walkthrough from your dealer.
They should have burn off the furnace oils BEFORE you picked it up or told you to do it before using it.
Second, the furnace heats by propane ONLY. The fan and ignition operates on 12v battery power.
The WH might work on electric if it's a 110v and propane WH. Entry level trailers sometimes are propane only
The sawdust/shavings are often found in $200,000 RVs.
You must be new to RV ownership.
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Old 10-13-2018, 09:40 PM   #3
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Update- I ran the furnace again and it didn’t smoke, I’m thinking it’s just burn off. I’ll keep watch. I just emailed FR Corporate and sent them pictures.


I need to know why the water heater used gas when I’m plugged in
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Old 10-13-2018, 09:42 PM   #4
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Yes first trailer. It was a pretty crummy walk through. They took a week or more to “get it ready” then seemed to run through the walk through fast. I’m sure they didn’t burn off the heater and run the water heater. Clowns!! For sure.

Seems to be a fire hazard having combustables like that right below the heater.
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Old 10-13-2018, 11:11 PM   #5
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I need to know why the water heater used gas when I’m plugged in
I tried to explain that WH may be propane ONLY. You need to post the make and model number or look on the WH from the outside hatch, for a rocker switch.
If it's a Suburban, inside switch is for propane and outside switch is for electric.
All depends on make and model number.
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Old 10-14-2018, 01:28 AM   #6
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It has the rocker switch outside. It’s electric as it heats water without the gas, for whatever reason the gas was firing while plugged in. It didn’t do it a second time as I heard it working w/out the gas being on
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Old 10-14-2018, 03:29 AM   #7
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It has the rocker switch outside. It’s electric as it heats water without the gas, for whatever reason the gas was firing while plugged in. It didn’t do it a second time as I heard it working w/out the gas being on
Yes. It is gas and electric operation. BUT you can run both as you seem to be doing. Using both will seed recovery time. I have never used both with no problems. I leave mine on gas as I am seasonal and pay for very expensive electricity.
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Old 10-14-2018, 03:53 AM   #8
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Congratulations on your new rig! One thing to be VERY careful of is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER start up your water heater on electric without first making sure your tank is full. It takes a very short time for the electric element to burn out if it isn’t surrounded by water.

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Old 10-14-2018, 05:26 AM   #9
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The water heater switch that is INSIDE the trailer is for the gas heating function. It does not have to be turned on for the electric heating function to work. In your first picture you can see the electric power cord - it plugs into a wall outlet. Do be aware it uses a lot of power and could overload your 15 amp home circuit if you turn on other appliances such as microwave, A/C, hair dryer, etc.
Unfortunately the hasty behind-the-scene workmanship is common, as is the construction debris.
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Old 10-14-2018, 05:42 AM   #10
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Howdy and welcome aboard. This thread link below has lots of useful links for new RV owners like yourself, that helps explains the systems of your RV.


I would suggest reading the electric links, and the Suburban water heater (which you have as seen in your pics) threads first.


Hope it helps:


http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ts-157524.html
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Old 10-14-2018, 12:27 PM   #11
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For future reference: The two valves in the top picture are set for normal operation when pointing to the heater as they are in the pic. When both are turned to point to the in and out hoses, they are in the bypass mode and would be ready for winterizing. When you drain your system for storage, it would be best to turn off the rocker switch on the heater and the breaker in your main panel.
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Old 10-14-2018, 01:02 PM   #12
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On the furnace there is a on/off switch, I suppose this is electrical on, otherwise you’d use gas. Since I’m plugged in at my house I thought I would flip the switch on, then it started to make hot water.

The switch you turned on was the gas water heater. On the furnace thermostat, there is a slider that switches the furnace power on/off when you slide it fully to the left. (Be sure to slide it fully to the left until it clicks when you're not using it.) The furnace is gas only. There is no electric option.



Then I wanted to crank up the furnace, thinking it was electric that didn’t work so I opened the gas tank valve, then it took a few time to light as air was purged. It started to get warm, then I noticed a slight haze in the air.

That's just oil burning off the new furnace. All furnaces do that when new. Run it for half an hour with the door and windows open for it to all burn off.


I open the hot water heater panel on the outside and the gas is now heating the water, even though the switch is on, and I’m plugged into power at my house. (30Amp to 15amp conversion cable)

That's because the switch you turned on (that you thought was the furnace) was for the gas water heater. You switched the furnace on when you moved the thermostat slider to the right. You may or may not have a gas/electric water heater. Look in the corner of the water heater for a rocker switch. If you have one, that is the switch for the electric water heater element. If you don't have one, your heater is gas only. The switches for gas or electric are entirely separate. To heat with gas, turn the indoors switch on. To heat with electricity, leave the indoors switch OFF and turn the switch on the heater on. To heat with both (for fast heating), turn both switches on.


So then the smoke alarm is going off, I shut the heater off and clear out the smoke. Then I turn it back on, with the gas still running and the heater gets nice and warm, but here comes the smoke!!

Run it for half an hour to clear the oil off the new furnace.
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Old 10-14-2018, 01:55 PM   #13
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Congratulations on your new rig! One thing to be VERY careful of is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER start up your water heater on electric without first making sure your tank is full. It takes a very short time for the electric element to burn out if it isn’t surrounded by water.

Thanks. I presume it’s always full until you run out of water? If your trailer sits for a few weeks/ months, I’d it nessecary to run the hot water side before clicking on the heat button?
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Old 10-14-2018, 02:02 PM   #14
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Yes. It is gas and electric operation. BUT you can run both as you seem to be doing. Using both will seed recovery time. I have never used both with no problems. I leave mine on gas as I am seasonal and pay for very expensive electricity.

Thanks, I’m not sure if it was a fluke, but the gas didn’t come back on for the water heater. Maybe because it was already hot.

I’ll monitor it. The rocker switch outside in the water heater is electric on/off, right?
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Old 10-14-2018, 02:11 PM   #15
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WolfPup....

Yes. The rocker switch in the lower left corner of the outside cabinet for the water heater controls the electric heater only. It is controlled by its own breaker in the electric panel inside. REMEMBER.....never turn on your electric heating element IF THERE’S NO WATER IN THE TANK!!!!!!

The gas heating circuit is usually controlled by a switch inside your rig.

You can use both, at the same time if you are trying to reheat water as quickly as possible.
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Old 10-14-2018, 02:42 PM   #16
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WolfPup....

Yes. The rocker switch in the lower left corner of the outside cabinet for the water heater controls the electric heater only. It is controlled by its own breaker in the electric panel inside. REMEMBER.....never turn on your electric heating element IF THERE’S NO WATER IN THE TANK!!!!!!

The gas heating circuit is usually controlled by a switch inside your rig.

You can use both, at the same time if you are trying to reheat water as quickly as possible.
Oh i see . So your saying if I use the switch outside in the water heater to on, that would run electrical heat and the rocker switch inside the trailer doesn’t need to be on? You are saying that’s gas only?

So if the switch outside in the water heater is off, then if the gas was on I simply switch the rocker switch inside to on and that will heat with gas?

Maybe that’s why they were both running because I had that switch on inside, plus the electrical on.

The only way the water heater would be empty if I pulled the rod out from outside right? Otherwise it’s alwasy full I take it?
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Old 10-14-2018, 02:57 PM   #17
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Yes, it will hold water if not drained. But why risk it? Turn on faucet to be sure.
Yes, you can run on gas, run on electric, or both at the same time.
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Old 10-14-2018, 03:27 PM   #18
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Welcome to the world of camping, WolfPup2018.

Don't take this as being rude, but the best thing you can do is read the manuals that came with your TT. Even looking at the pictures and reading the directions while you examine the appliance can be very helpful. Will doing this answer all the questions you may have?

In one word, No, but it will give you a better understanding how things work and may help you ask the right questions.

wmtire's link in post #10 is the most comprehensive and informative list I've ever seen.
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Old 10-14-2018, 03:35 PM   #19
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Welcome to the world of camping, WolfPup2018.

Don't take this as being rude, but the best thing you can do is read the manuals that came with your TT. Even looking at the pictures and reading the directions while you examine the appliance can be very helpful. Will doing this answer all the questions you may have?

In one word, No, but it will give you a better understanding how things work and may help you ask the right questions.

wmtire's link in post #10 is the most comprehensive and informative list I've ever seen.
Thanks. Sadly the manual was junk and didn’t really specify the 2 buttons and what they did in a dual mode. But yea I read all the manuals, that’s why I’m posting because it wasn’t clear.

Sorry to bother anyone !!
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Old 10-14-2018, 06:31 PM   #20
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The first thing I do when I get a new trailer home is I go through ALL the crawl spaces. I remove panels... and I VACUUM !!! I vacuum EVERYTHING including sticking tubes down the vents to pull out the wood, metal and Styrofoam shavings. I do NOT EVER expect anyone to do this for me!!!! While doing the vacuuming, I check electrical connections, plumbing fittings and wiring. I like finding all those "hidden" storage areas too!!!
After I am done with that, I plug in the trailer. I will crank up the ventilation fan, check all the window cranks and hinges, then turn on the furnace. I will set it as high as it goes and let it run. Then I will light the oven.... and continue with everything else that makes good common sense to inspect. I do not expect any of this to be done for me in advance. I never have... I guess I just do not understand....
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