2020 Riverstone Legacy 38RE A/C & Heat Question

supercharged347 · 10-12-2019, 07:26 PM

Just picked it up 2 months ago and I could not figure out why the bedroom which is zone 2 worked great and zones 1 & 3 Kitchen & Living room did not Cool off at all until now, I turned the furnace on this weekend which goes to zone 1 and it would not turn off on its own and ran me out of the camper it got so hot.I had to turn the system off at the thermostat. I checked the inside temp from the thermostat and it reads 32 degrees at all times in zone 1 & 3 so that is why the A/C and heat does not work properly and I can not find the temp sensor on the wall in the kitchen or the living room. I have one in the bedroom but none out in the coach. Does anyone know where it is located in the kitchen or living room? Pretty bad to pay 100k for a coach and them to forget that important part.It Has 3 A/c Units,so has 3 zones.Thanks
Bob

lcv800 · 10-13-2019, 04:49 AM

Not sure, but isn't the thermostat itself the temperature sensor?

JGalovic · 10-13-2019, 11:35 AM

Welcome to the party. I bought a Riverstone 39RKFB last February and posted about the same problem. Zone 1 and 3 use the Thermostat Control on the wall for their Inside temperature readings. The tech changed out the thermostat control. That did not help. He then put Zone 3 on a remote sensor and laid it on the roof. It overruled the 32 degree reading and started using that. While playing with the zone 3 a/c, he took the remote sensor off again and put his bare arm on the unit and it started working correctly. Removed his arm, it went back to 32 degrees as an internal temp. Long story short, we figured it is some sort of noise on the ground. At that time, we ran out of time to be in Florida and went back north for the Spring. Am back down now with the RV and will try putting the remote sensor back on and snaking it down through the a/c unit return duct which was recommended to me by an HVAC guy here at the campground. If that works well, I’ll do it with Zone 1.

supercharged347 · 10-13-2019, 10:08 PM

Thank you for the info. Let me know if their idea works and how they did it.It don't make sense to me that the thermostat is the sensor and is in the hallway by the bathroom and not out in the living area but I don't build them.

Boostable · 10-14-2019, 09:31 AM

If your having an issue with your two zones reading 32, check and see if your inverter is on. Mine has done this with the inverter on. Once I turn it off it works fine. I am assuming there is a grounding issue and I will be investigating. Might not be the issue but worth checking.

Jim1521 · 10-14-2019, 05:03 PM

Hey guys, new to the party. What "thermostat" are you referring to? I remember when we looked at the 2018 models, there was a thermostat on the wall in the hallway, next to the bathroom. In the 2020 that thermostat is gone, apparently replaced by the InControl system. Do you have a separate thermostat in your unit? If so, where?

Boostable · 10-15-2019, 11:17 AM

Yes, referring to the thermostat in the hall by the door.

JGalovic · 10-20-2019, 02:03 PM

Okay. Bought two Dometic remote sensors from amazon. Each came with a white plastic dome to cover the sensor part on the wall with screws. The tech took the zone 1 heat pump and zone 3 a/c covers off and plugged in the plug side of the remote sensors. Snaked the temp sensor end into one of the two return ducts for each unit with a unwound coat hanger. Inside, took off the return duct cover, pulled the cable in, drilled a hole next to the return duct (about a half inch away but within the duct itself), pulled the temp sensor into the hole and mounted the plastic cover with 2 provided screws. Replaced the 2 covers. All 3 units now on separate remote sensors and working. Still believe there is a noisy ground either in the chassis or provided campground power.

supercharged347 · 10-20-2019, 05:06 PM

Thank you for the info, I will relay the info to my repair shop.
Bob

Cypressloser · 10-21-2019, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supercharged347

Just picked it up 2 months ago and I could not figure out why the bedroom which is zone 2 worked great and zones 1 & 3 Kitchen & Living room did not Cool off at all until now, I turned the furnace on this weekend which goes to zone 1 and it would not turn off on its own and ran me out of the camper it got so hot.I had to turn the system off at the thermostat. I checked the inside temp from the thermostat and it reads 32 degrees at all times in zone 1 & 3 so that is why the A/C and heat does not work properly and I can not find the temp sensor on the wall in the kitchen or the living room. I have one in the bedroom but none out in the coach. Does anyone know where it is located in the kitchen or living room? Pretty bad to pay 100k for a coach and them to forget that important part.It Has 3 A/c Units,so has 3 zones.Thanks
Bob

Your thermostat controls the furnace for all 3 zones, the other sensors only control the ACs and heatpumps if applicable. Bedroom and bathroom get super hot while the livingroom is freezing cold. I ran 2 4" flex ducts (metal) from the back of the furnace to a new register under the stairs to bedroom and under the cabinet that holds the garbage bins. Problem solved. We now get the right amount of heat upstairs and downstairs. This is by far the best upgrade ever.

Jim1521 · 10-21-2019, 03:23 PM

I had a loud noise coming from inside the ducting of the rear AC/heat pump unit. Had a mobile tech come out today and he found the problem. Inside the base of the ducting was a very "flimsy" (his word) base for the ducting that began flapping around as a result of the supply air pressure. It created a "reed" - much like a woodwind instrument - that was causing a harmonic whistle. He secured it with a piece of cardboard and duct tape, and the problem is solved. He then went around and checked the other two AC units to make sure they didn't have the same problem. He also vacuumed out all of the ducting and ACs, and got all of the construction dust out. Labor covered under warranty, but not the service call.

B and B · 10-21-2019, 03:55 PM

Interesting Heartland took a different approach with the Landmark I have. 3 Thermostats and 3 AC units. Bedroom is one AC with a Heatpump, both controlled there. Middle AC mounted midship all by itself. Rear AC mounted just below the Middle AC control both Rear AC and Furnace. Works great! No problems at all.

Cypressloser · 10-21-2019, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by supercharged347

Just picked it up 2 months ago and I could not figure out why the bedroom which is zone 2 worked great and zones 1 & 3 Kitchen & Living room did not Cool off at all until now, I turned the furnace on this weekend which goes to zone 1 and it would not turn off on its own and ran me out of the camper it got so hot.I had to turn the system off at the thermostat. I checked the inside temp from the thermostat and it reads 32 degrees at all times in zone 1 & 3 so that is why the A/C and heat does not work properly and I can not find the temp sensor on the wall in the kitchen or the living room. I have one in the bedroom but none out in the coach. Does anyone know where it is located in the kitchen or living room? Pretty bad to pay 100k for a coach and them to forget that important part.It Has 3 A/c Units,so has 3 zones.Thanks
Bob

I might have misunderstood the issue you're having with the furnace. We had the very same problem once, it turned out that the data cable for the furnace control goes to the rear AC and then back to the main thermostat. When you pull the cover off of the AC and carefully remove the styrofoam package you should see the cable plugged in the control board (I think), the connector is either a data or telephone style. Remove the plug and clean/spray it carefully with electrical cleaner, let dry and reconnect. That should solve the issue, unless the cable or something else is physically damaged.

Jim1521 · 10-21-2019, 04:39 PM

The 2020 39FK has 3 separate thermostats and 3 AC units as well. The bedroom is an AC with a heat pump. All are controlled by the OneControl LED panel.

Cypressloser · 10-21-2019, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim1521

The 2020 39FK has 3 separate thermostats and 3 AC units as well. The bedroom is an AC with a heat pump. All are controlled by the OneControl LED panel.

It is highly unlikely that the propane furnace is on separate zones as this would require a space robbing expensive damper system, 2 or 3 separate furnaces are much cheaper and this is what some high end manufacturers are installing in their 5th wheel trailers and motorhomes.

Jim1521 · 10-21-2019, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cypressloser

It is highly unlikely that the propane furnace is on separate zones as this would require a space robbing expensive damper system, 2 or 3 separate furnaces are much cheaper and this is what some high end manufacturers are installing in their 5th wheel trailers and motorhomes.

Correct. The propane furnace is a single unit that is ducted through the floor to all three rooms. I was referring to the 3 AC units. it is however controlled by the thermostat that controls the bedroom AC/heat pump unit.

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