Rockwood 1640: furnace won't start

[onehorse]

I'm a newbie at this. Bought a 2009 Rockwood 1640 Ltd that looks like it just came out of the showroom - kept in a garage and is immaculate. But I can't start the furnace. Have checked fuses, LP, and everything looks in order. One of the wires, a thin red one, in the battery box was disconnected, and I connected it to one of the silver little joined boxes that are on the positive terminal. Still no furnace. When I turn on the thermostat, there is no sound whatsoever, nothing happens. I know LP is working because the refrigerator and grill start. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

[Happy Vibe]

there is a breaker under the front cover of the furnace have you checked it to see if it is on? I would turn that off on mine to make sure it would not start by accident.

[onehorse]

Originally Posted by Happy Vibe

there is a breaker under the front cover of the furnace have you checked it to see if it is on? I would turn that off on mine to make sure it would not start by accident.

Thanks for the idea, but there is no breaker where you indicated and non listed on the parts page of the manual. All breakers and fuses in the converter are good.
The furnace in made by the Suburban Manufacturing Co.; it is model NT-16SE

[TURBS]

Do you have power to it?

TURBS
08 duramax tuned n modded
2011 32bhok Sabre
2015 camping "24 nights"

[onehorse]

Not AC, as I thought it should work with the deep cycle battery for power.

[Happy Vibe]

I found this statement in the owners manual
"Turn shut-off valve to “OFF”. This furnace is equipped with a valve shut-off switch. With switch in “OFF” position, gas will not flow to burner nor will the furnace operate."
But I could not see where it is , they don't show it in there diagram.

[onehorse]

I have read the manual several times and checked the part schematic. The manual does say there is a valve and an on/off switch; the schematic shows the switch and valve, but they are sealed behind the cabinet with no way to access them. I can see through a tiny space that the switch is ON. When it gets light (and before I go to work) I'll check again for the thermostat on/off switch that, as yet, I have not been able to find. Thanks for your help - I really appreciate your time and effort.

[Happy Vibe]

If it is not that switch I think you will need to start trouble shooting with a multi-meter and try to find out where you are not getting voltage that you should be. Is the power getting to the furnace. If you turn the thermostat on do you get the signal at the furnace etc.

[TimVWulp]

has the thermostat been switched to the heating mode? Not sure if you have an electronic T stat or the older one with slide bar to adjust the temp set point. There should be a manual switch on the older style T stat. The newer electronic ones have to be switched over to heating on the digital interface before the furnace fan will start this will start the ignition process. If the gas has been off for a month or more make sure to purge the air out of the gas line by starting a burner on the stove before trying to start the furnace.

Good luck hope this helps Tim

[TimVWulp]

If tt is not plugged in to 110 volts house power the battery may not have enough power to run the furnace. furnace needs a good full charged battery to operate. The furnace is a 12 volt power hog and will drain a battery very fast. if battery is weak or old you may want to replace it.

[TimVWulp]

the library on the top light green bar on the top of this page has a lot of information on how to maintain you tt or repair it.

Hope this helps Tim

[oldtool2]

Originally Posted by onehorse

Not AC, as I thought it should work with the deep cycle battery for power.

Yes, it should if the battery has a good charge. There is a gas shut off valve where the gas goes into the furnace, make sure it is open. Assuming you checked the fuse in the converter? Thermostat is set to heat, set temp up high and fan is in auto position and high speed if you have speed settings. Still nothing? Flip switches back and forth a few times. Sometimes they get corroded because they are not used.

Jim

[oldtool2]

Originally Posted by Happy Vibe

I found this statement in the owners manual
"Turn shut-off valve to “OFF”. This furnace is equipped with a valve shut-off switch. With switch in “OFF” position, gas will not flow to burner nor will the furnace operate."
But I could not see where it is , they don't show it in there diagram.

Not a switch, it is a shut off valve.

Jim

[zalewskim]

I have a 2004 Rockwood fifth wheel trailer. It has a Suburban 6 gallon hot water heater. When the hot water switch failed to cause ignition, I checked the outside of the heater. Behind the cover are two reset buttons. I pressed these and the ignition switch fired. They are hard to recognize; the word "reset" is embossed into blank plastic and there are two rubber "buttons".

[YoungKopernik]

Sounds like its time for a multi meter.

Also, If your thermostat is not digital, you should hear a click from it when initiated.

When using the multi meter, I would start at the thermostat, should have one wire a constant 12v and when the temp is pushed up it should contact to another wire too be 12v.

If the furnace board recognizes a 12v signal it should start the fan for 20-60sec before trying to light.

If you have signal coming out of thermostat, check to see if it getting to the board.

Then it gets a little complicate but it sounds like you’re not even getting to this point.
John

[onehorse]

Here is a pic of what I found when I opened my pop-up battery box. The thinner red wire was not attached to anything, so I connected it to one of the small silver boxes (the one on the right) that are attached to the positive post. Still no furnace. Should this wire be attached someplace else? This could have nothing to do with the furnace, but I believe this thin red wire needs to be connected someplace (the correct place).

[oldtool2]

Originally Posted by onehorse

Attachment 87844
Here is a pic of what I found when I opened my pop-up battery box. The thinner red wire was not attached to anything, so I connected it to one of the small silver boxes (the one on the right) that are attached to the positive post. Still no furnace. Should this wire be attached someplace else? This could have nothing to do with the furnace, but I believe this thin red wire needs to be connected someplace (the correct place).

That wire probably has nothing to do with the furnace. The furnace would be wired thru the converter box, one of the 12 volt fuses. It should be marked or labeled so you know which one.

It is hard to tell what that wire is for. You will have to trace it back to see where it is connected. It probably won't hurt to hook it up but I would try to trace it to find out what it feeds.


You have gotten some good suggestions. Check them and let us know what is going on.

Jim

[Rockwoodjoe]

We went to the FROG rally and found a hot loose wire under the sink on our Rockwood 2703ws. The tech asked if we never tried to use the furnace? We live in Florida and use a portable elec fireplace on cool nights. I guess the amish electrician did not know what the wire was for.

[onehorse]

To Happy Vibe, Turbs, and TimVWulp, a BIG THANK YOU! Furnace is running. What it needed was a good charge on the battery. So, we are off next weekend on our maiden voyage. If you folks ever get around to camping in or near Yellowstone National Park, give a holler, and maybe we could meet. We live less than a hundred miles from there. Anyway, I feel glad that my pop-up is fully functional, but even more important to me is that I feel like I have some new friends! Thanks again for your interest and offers of help.