Furnace stopped working

Columbo 5 · 12-04-2018, 01:14 PM

Howdy y'all! I just signed up because we have just had our first issue with our camper. We were in Flagstaff AZ for thanksgiving and our last night there our gas furnace stopped coming on. We have a 2018 Columbus. We still have propane, and the one fuse that I found was not blown. Do any of you have any suggestion on were to look?

On a side note the electric furnace just blows cold air through the AC ducts. Thanks for the help!

koller1509 · 12-04-2018, 01:19 PM

Try shutting the thermostat off for 30 seconds then back on. The other often overlooked thing is the high temp limit switch might be stuck open. it should be on the end where the ducts hook to furnace. Try jumpering it out or smack it hard in the center.

**bikendan** · 12-04-2018, 02:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Columbo 5

On a side note the electric furnace just blows cold air through the AC ducts. Thanks for the help!

Are you talking about the heat pump because RVs don't have electric furnaces.
The furnace uses only propane for heat but it needs 12v battery power to ignite and to run the fan.
The heat pump requires shore power to run.

Columbo 5 · 12-05-2018, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by koller1509

Try shutting the thermostat off for 30 seconds then back on. The other often overlooked thing is the high temp limit switch might be stuck open. it should be on the end where the ducts hook to furnace. Try jumpering it out or smack it hard in the center.

I have turned it off and turned it back on and that did not fix it. That should be on the back of the furnace correct? So I will have to go through the wall in the basement (as my wife and I call it)?

Columbo 5 · 12-05-2018, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bikendan

Are you talking about the heat pump because RVs don't have electric furnaces.
The furnace uses only propane for heat but it needs 12v battery power to ignite and to run the fan.
The heat pump requires shore power to run.

I guess that is is a heat pump then. The units that the company that I work for our heaters are in the AC unit but all it is, is an electric strip that heats up. So that it warms the air up as it passes by.

koller1509 · 12-05-2018, 11:09 AM

Yes

**bikendan** · 12-05-2018, 12:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Columbo 5

I guess that is is a heat pump then. The units that the company that I work for our heaters are in the AC unit but all it is, is an electric strip that heats up. So that it warms the air up as it passes by.

Yep, that's the only electric heat source unless you have a fireplace or you buy a separate heater, like a ceramic or oil-filled heater.

**Flybob** · 12-05-2018, 01:34 PM

Most heat strips in AC units are really not heaters, but rather chill chasers. They will help take the chill off on a cool morning, but usually not do much to heat an RV in cold weather.

Did one tank run out of propane and the furnace stopped and then you switched it tanks? If that is the case, you may have tripped the fail-safe mechanism. If so you have to remove the 12V to the control board wait a minute then reapply. On some units, this can be accomplished via the thermostat on others you may have to remove the furnace fuse.

Columbo 5 · 12-06-2018, 09:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

Most heat strips in AC units are really not heaters, but rather chill chasers. They will help take the chill off on a cool morning, but usually not do much to heat an RV in cold weather.

Did one tank run out of propane and the furnace stopped and then you switched it tanks? If that is the case, you may have tripped the fail-safe mechanism. If so you have to remove the 12V to the control board wait a minute then reapply. On some units, this can be accomplished via the thermostat on others you may have to remove the furnace fuse.

I did remove the fuse to check it when we got back I didn't think about it while we were gone. I have not tried it since I removed the fuse. I don't think that I ran out of propane but a few day prior I did and had to switch the bottles. I will try that because that is easy to try then the first suggestion.

On the heat strip in the AC. When you say take the chill out of the air what do you mean. The last time I tried to use the electric heat it was 58 in the camper and with in a minutes or 2 it dropped it to 56 so I turned it off and the fireplace warmed it back up.

waybeck2018 · 12-06-2018, 10:11 AM

Due to theft of my propane cylinder I now plan to remove them at trip end and store in my shed. Question: Best way to purge air from the system once I re-install the tank and use the stove, furnace, etc? Thanks for hints/advice in advance.

cavie · 12-06-2018, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by waybeck2018

Due to theft of my propane cylinder I now plan to remove them at trip end and store in my shed. Question: Best way to purge air from the system once I re-install the tank and use the stove, furnace, etc? Thanks for hints/advice in advance.

Use then stove top to purg. Get the burners to light (all three) and the air will be removed from the lines. Don't forget to relight the over pilot.

Columbo 5 · 12-09-2018, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flybob

Most heat strips in AC units are really not heaters, but rather chill chasers. They will help take the chill off on a cool morning, but usually not do much to heat an RV in cold weather.

Did one tank run out of propane and the furnace stopped and then you switched it tanks? If that is the case, you may have tripped the fail-safe mechanism. If so you have to remove the 12V to the control board wait a minute then reapply. On some units, this can be accomplished via the thermostat on others you may have to remove the furnace fuse.

I have to say Thank you for your help! I pulled the fuse out for a few minutes and then plugged it back in and now the heater is working great. I noticed this time though when I pulled the fuse that the labels that they use are wider than the fuse locations so the first time I pulled the fuse I pulled the one for the radio and not the one for the furnace. So now it is working and right before the cold weather got here too. So again thank you so much.

**Flybob** · 12-09-2018, 10:56 AM

Glad it helped. Any time the propane pressure in the lines goes down ( changing tanks or running out) you should open the valve on the new tank very very slowly at first to allow the pressure to build. If not the safety valve in the tank thinks there is a free flow and shuts off the flow of propane.

You may also like: