2014 Rockwood Furnace Loud Vibrating Sound

[woodrockin]

Good morning,

I have a 2014 Rockwood 8325SS and last month when I turned the furnace on it was making a loud vibrating sound. it was so bad I could feel it in the floor all across the camper. I'm thinking it's the fan (squirrel cage) or the blower motor. I was going to purchase replacement parts and try to repair this, but I don't know my model number and my camper is 300 miles away.

Does anyone know what model furnace a 2014 Rockwood Signature Ultra Light 8325ss would have? Does anyone have any other ideas on what could be causing the vibration? I'd like to buy the parts and take them with me since any local RV store near the camper is 1 hour or more away.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,

 

[RangeMaggotBob]

We have a similar model/year, and the parts should be readily available. Loud vibrating noise means simply something is loose. Like you said, probably the squirrel cage. Or maybe the vents could be loose somewhere. The worse part is having your RV 300 miles away. Good luck. Hopefully an easy fix. Not much help here, but you'll get it.

 

[woodrockin]

We have a similar model/year, and the parts should be readily available. Loud vibrating noise means simply something is loose. Like you said, probably the squirrel cage. Or maybe the vents could be loose somewhere. The worse part is having your RV 300 miles away. Good luck. Hopefully an easy fix. Not much help here, but you'll get it.

Something is loose or something is living in there.

The camper doesn't move, and it worked fine last fall when I ran it, so I don't understand what happened between then and now.

 

[KKonyha]

Not exactly the same but my parents live back in the woods during the summer. There are oak trees all around their place. Chipmunks have dropped them in their Honday van in the squirrel cage. Causes quite a racket. Do you have anything over your exhaust that wouldn't allow critters access?

 

[woodrockin]

Not exactly the same but my parents live back in the woods during the summer. There are oak trees all around their place. Chipmunks have dropped them in their Honday van in the squirrel cage. Causes quite a racket. Do you have anything over your exhaust that wouldn't allow critters access?

My exhaust has a cage over it, so nothing can get in from the outside.

I called a mobile RV technician on my lunch break. his thought is a mouse crawled up the heated underbelly hose and got in there.

I need to know what model furnace I have to purchase parts. I wish someone on here knew what it was so I could get them today and take them with me in the morning when I head up there.

 

[5picker]

My exhaust has a cage over it, so nothing can get in from the outside.

I called a mobile RV technician on my lunch break. his thought is a mouse crawled up the heated underbelly hose and got in there.

I need to know what model furnace I have to purchase parts. I wish someone on here knew what it was so I could get them today and take them with me in the morning when I head up there.

Therein lies the problem.
Forest River uses whatever appliances they can get their hands on at the time of build.
50 R/Vs of the same make/model could have the same furnace and the next batch may not.

I realize your R/V is 300 miles away and parts stores another hour away but we could tell you a model number for reference and you go buy parts and then get there and it is not the correct stuff.
You are either going to need to get someone to look on your behalf, or wait until you get there to get that information yourself.

Since no part of the country is in the dead of winter, a couple electric heaters or the fireplace (if equipped) would take the chill off until you get the furnace fixed.

 

[woodrockin]

Therein lies the problem.
Forest River uses whatever appliances they can get their hands on at the time of build.
50 R/Vs of the same make/model could have the same furnace and the next batch may not.

I realize your R/V is 300 miles away and parts stores another hour away but we could tell you a model number for reference and you go buy parts and then get there and it is not the correct stuff.
You are either going to need to get someone to look on your behalf, or wait until you get there to get that information yourself.

Since no part of the country is in the dead of winter, a couple electric heaters or the fireplace (if equipped) would take the chill off until you get the furnace fixed.

Understood. I was actually told this by the mobile repair man.... As someone who works in the automotive industry, it blows my mind that they don't have standard parts for every make / model of RV that they manufacture. I could see changes components from one model year to the next, but to use multiple different brands / styles of parts from literally one to the next is pretty shocking IMHO.

it's still in the 30s at night in Northern Michigan. So, it might take a few space heaters. haha

 

[5picker]

Understood. I was actually told this by the mobile repair man.... As someone who works in the automotive industry, it blows my mind that they don't have standard parts for every make / model of RV that they manufacture. I could see changes components from one model year to the next, but to use multiple different brands / styles of parts from literally one to the next is pretty shocking IMHO.

it's still in the 30s at night in Northern Michigan. So, it might take a few space heaters. haha

And therein is the difference... the R/V industry is NOTHING like the automotive industry.

While the R/V manufacturers, manufacture something with wheels and sell via dealers, it pretty much ends there.
There is no standardization of parts, no quality control, they use the most inexpensive components available, there's almost no factory training for service techs, there's little to no dealer accountability and almost zero factory support.

Having worked in the automotive industry for better than 35 years myself, the differences are appalling.

 

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the Tech and Repair section to the TT/5th Wheel section's Rockwood sub-forum since the OP is asking for model-specific information(furnace make and model number)for a Rockwood product.

OP, the chances that someone answers, that has the same exact year, make and model number of trailer, are pretty slim. Especially for an 11 year old RV.

And the only thing that the RV Industry and the Automobile Industry have in common are, they both make things with wheels that are sold at dealerships. Other than that, they couldn't be more different.
Other than the box, everything else is made by other manufacturers that the RV Industry has little control over. Many of those suppliers go in and out of business.

 

[Larry-NC]

A couple of possibilities:

1. Loose impeller (blower) wheel
2. Broken impeller wheel (for a few years plastic wheels were used. We have seen reports here of wheels which have spontaneously cracked.
3. Foreign objects (acorns) on/in impeller wheel

Might as well take it apart and see which it is. For items 1 and 3, you won't need any spare parts to fix it.

Take off the return air grille from inside the RV.
Read the furnace model from the label. It is likely a Suburban SF-series furnace. If so, continue
Shut off propane at tanks
Shut off propane at tanks
Undo the propane flare nut fitting near the furnace. It might be at an elbow. Sometimes it is easy to reach. Sometimes you might only be able to get it with a crowfoot socket.
At the top front of the furnace, remove the two screws that hold the front cover on.
Remove the front cover.
At the bottom of the front is an anchor screw which holds the furnace plenum (housing) to the plywood decking. Remove the screw.
Look for where the 4-conductor cable enters the furnace.
As you grasp the furnace assembly (by the firebox), and pull it forward, feed the four-conductor cable into the plenum.
Once you have pulled it sufficiently forward to expose the blower assembly, stop pulling and determine which of the two impellers is loose.
Disassemble that end of the blower and determine whether the impeller can be tightened or needs replacement.
Resolve the problem and reassemble by following the above steps in reverse.