🔔 Subscribe 🔔 for more RV how-tos, boondocking, camping, and adventure videos: bit.ly/homearoam And check out the step-by-step PDF here: homearoam.com/how-to/rv-furnace-troubleshooting Thanks for your support!
Great video. I've done much of this before finding thus video. Wished I've seen this before tackling on my iwn. I have the Suburban furnace and have to pull it out from under the oven to access these components. That means disconnecting the propane line as my camper doesn't have a access door outside like yours. Fun! After reconnecting (tip), I re-blead the gas by getting the stove to burn full flames (as my fuel line splits going to the stove & furnace). Mine started intermittent and became worse. I've now replaced the sail & gas switches, the control board, and gasket that allows access to the igniter. Cleaned everything (tip #2 not mentioned here), vacuum all pipes and around the entire unit. Them bugs (Chinese Beatles are the worst) get in during winter storage and cloge up tiny spots. I even had them by the ignitor, re-gaped the ignitor after cleaning, check gas regulator to flow control and ranthe unit inside the RV not installed. Had to reconnect propane line outside the installed location. Watched the ignitor work through the sight glass (not accessible when installed) for a go spark & flame (tip #3), do this in a well ventilated camper and for a shirt time as the exhaust is not properly routed outside. Also checked voltage and signals from the wall mounted controler to the control board (turning on/off and temperture sensor) to make sure that isn't telling the furnace it is to hot inside and don't run. Could have a bad wall unit, but much more rare and not in my case. (Tip #4) If no VOM meter, slide the temp way up to run and once running, slide it way down to stop a heat cycle as a test. Re-installed once repaired and re-beaded the fuel line again. Good to go.
Wow, that sounds like quite the overhaul! Very good tips all around, thanks for posting them here! I guess we're really fortunate we can do most common maintenance without having to disconnect everything. Those RV furnaces, I tell you, they are delicate and flakey sometimes!
OMG, I just got off work from a night shift starting antiarythmics to keep a man from dying and giving blood to another one who was bleeding. My heater in my camper is not working in the 6 degree weather that Heather decided to curse Arkansas with. I will gladly admit my limitations and call the expert to fix this problem. Staying in my lane thank you😂!
Yikes, sorry to hear that! Yeah, if it's not something simple then an RV technician is your best bet. They'll have access to parts and should hopefully be able to fix it quickly for you! Hope you're warm again soon.
I came across your video about trouble shooting the RV heater when mine quit working on a trip. My problem was fixed by removing the sail switch and cleaning it. After I cleaned it, I turned on the switch with the sail switch still wired to the system, but not installed. I held the switch in the activated position, and the furnace worked! I reinstalled the sail switch and now I am enjoying the heat! Great video and very easy to understand. Thanks.. and Yes I subscribed.
Hi David! We are so glad to hear that you got your heat working again and that our video was helpful. Thanks for subscribing and hope you find other videos you like on our channel. Cheers, Mel & Jay
WE TOTALLY HAD THIS PROBLEM. The quick reference guide is GENIUS. Brilliant brilliant. Absolutely love that you got right to the point with this video. Really well done, you two. (And we wish you had made this in December so that we could have used it when ours was konked out! 😂) 🧡, Keith and Raini
Hi friends, thanks for your kind words. Nobody likes furnace issues, right? Who knows, maybe our quick reference guide will come in handy one day (in the distant future).
yall seem like a nice couple so ill leave a comment, havent tested it yet but just bought a 91 Gulfstream Sun Clipper 27' mobile home, it has a heater, but im just doing research on what to do so when i look at it, i know exactly what to do instead of wasting time, ect, i hope to come back after this weekend with a success story thanks to this video, stay safe and warm this winter!
Before replacing the board this worked for me it comes off easily with the wing nut it's attached to a plastic vent take the computer board off and clean it with a soft toothbrush both sides do not add any water. It worked for me the dust causes static electricity on the board. Good luck thank you guys you made me pinpoint exactly where my problem was
Seems like solid advice, thanks! My fan was working but now it won't. Might be the thermostat... previously, the fan would come on, it would click like it was trying to light, but no fire. I checked the stove burners and they work, so i know I'm getting fuel, but the fridge is having issues as well. Might have something wrong with my regulator board. In sure I'll get it sorted this weekend. Thanks again!
Yeah, I would definitely check and/or replace your propane regulator. Especially if your burners are more yellow-ish or flickering. That could indicate a low propane flow. Here's hoping for a quick resolution!
This is the greatest video of all time. Been having troubles for months with my dometic 30,000 btu furnace staying lit and messing with it and there it is a dirty sail switch. Thanks for the video this saved us.
You're very welcome, and we're really glad to hear that! We had a heck of a time getting our furnace working reliably again, so I was hoping all our hours spent troubleshooting could help others. 😀 Thank-you for your support!
Thank you for making such a reasonable direction based video. I'm hoping the issue we are suddenly dealing with is too low battery voltage vs something more aggressive. I'm also happy to hear you were able to resolve your situation.
Thank you so much for this video. I have cold weather on the way and am trying to figure out why the ignitor is not turning on. This will be a huge help.
Hope it helped! Yeah, if it's lighting ok, but not staying lit, the gas pressure or the flame sensor are the things to check out. If you haven't already, be sure to download our troubleshooting PDF for when you're offline. 😀 homearoam.com/how-to/rv-furnace-troubleshooting/
Wow, it sounds like we have the same luck. I had a intermittent problem and like you, became very handy working on RV furnaces over the last few months because of it. Turns out my control board was bad and had visible charring underneath. After 3-4 weeks of it running flawlessly, it started turning off again, but would fire back up after cycling the thermostat to “off” and then “on”. I have had an unrelated, or so I thought, propane issue lately. Thinking we got a bad regulator! Thanks guys, very helpful video.
Visible charring?!? Wow, that's a bit scary. Nothing scares me more than the potential for a fire in the RV. Yeah, it's amazing how complicated those little RV furnaces are, and how many things have to come together perfectly for them to work. Glad you were able to get it going again!
good video there you two! I am in the middle of doing the same thing here in MT. My furnace gave out few days ago & currently on 2 small heaters (Which I am not a fan of doing here) too keep some heat in here until I can get out and trouble shoot the issue. I assumed it was the sail switch the board itself - one day intermittent, other days flawlessly, any yet other days I would have to reset it 4 - 5 times on the thermostat to keep it running right. I will be trying this hopefully this week once it gets warmer. You have given a sense of direction as to gettin' this done.... so thanks. Keep them videos comin' Jeff
Thanks Jeff, that to me sounds like the control board -- probably the most common issue. Considering they are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace, I would try that first.
Great video. After watching, I determined i also had water intrusion. Drying out the water solved the problem. I located the source of the intrusion, which was rain water getting past a bad seal in the fridge compartment cover above the furnace. Thanks for your help!
What a great video, I’m currently chasing the TH-cam rabbit hole trying to fix an Atwood that only stays lit for a few seconds at a time. This is the most informative video I’ve found yet, thank you guys!!
My camper is 3 months old and doing that just when I need the heat the most! My brother came and did everything we could check. He opened the compartment and it was full of water inside. So guessing the board must have gotten wet! Thanks for the video. Guess I'll have to call a camper technician to come out and check that!
Yeah moisture on the board really causes them to flake out. It's usually not a difficult DIY job, but a tech should be able to swap it out quickly for you as well.
I’m having issues currently while in the middle of our two week trip. Your video was very informative. I checked the sail switch and It did have some stuff obstructing it. I cleaned it replaced it. It worked for a about a day and now having the issue again of course in the middle of the night so tomorrow plan to check the sail switch again.
Good to hear that helped, at least temporarily. It could be that it's slightly bent. They're very finicky. I would try to get order a new one as soon as you can, and then even carry a spare if you use your heater a lot.
Thanks for the informative video. We will be warm this fall.😁My burner was corroded so it wouldnt light. Once the burner was cleaned up and replaced, it lit first try and stayed lit till it warmed up. Funny design on my Tracer. The furnace is installed vertically, which allows moisture to collect in the burner when its not in use. Easy fix. Thanks again and safe travels.
I just picked up my RV from a repair shop to re wire my furnace and today with 1degree weather and a blizzard the furnace will not light. Your video alerted me to check my propane connection…. I had taken them off to refill them 😮😂 Thanks for your video.
THANK YOU!!! Rather than calling out a mobile tech from 2+ hours away ($$$$!!) we were able to diagnose our issue on our permanently parked RV and buy a new control board. The fix-it-flow-chart is PERFECT!!
You guys nailed it with this video. Very well done. I will go through the troubleshooting step by step as soon as we get back home from our vacation. Our Sierra Sprinter (2017) furnace started acting up recently by miss-igniting dozen times when cold but running normal the rest of the day. I hope to find the problem(s) by following your instructions. I’ll let you know if I find something (new) interesting. Thank you both (from Whitecourt, Ab) 😎
The flame sensor/electrode was the problem. The ignition was happening just fine but it wouldn’t run more than 2 seconds. I wouldn’t have got it done alone without your help. Thanks to you both. Cheers…
Hi, thanks for watching and hope everything goes well at the RV shop. Yeah, sounds like moisture is getting in there somehow and that a new board will be good. Good luck with the repair 🍀
This has happened twice this season during driving rain. First time I took everything apart and thought nothing of the water in there. Put everything back and it worked. Happened again last night, found your video, sure enough, a little water in there.
Well done video. Our furnace is acting the same way. Fortunately, I bought a spare board along with two sail switches last winter. Originally, just the sail switch was bad, but now the flame keeps dropping out when below freezing. I'll now try replacing the board. Thanks.
Thanks for the video. I’ve never had a problem with my furnace kicking on, until tonight. I’ve got enough bedding to stay warm, but, frustrating! I just spent $50 on propane yesterday, so I troubleshooted the tanks and attachments on the lines. They appear to be in the same old working order. I wondered if it was bad trailer leveling, but I believe I’ve heard that contributes to a water heater malfunction, so I’m ruling that out. I may go find the tool I need to pull the furnace compartment cover and look around in there.
Hi Paul, thanks for sharing what you've found out so far. Hope you can get it up and working again soon! Something we've also learned since making this video is that if temperatures dip well below freezing it can affect the flow of propane through the system and it will appear like it's not working. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Hello! Mine was a low house battery. The fan would run, the burner would light and shut down at random intervals. Anywhere from 1 to 6 seconds. The fan would run and it would attempt to relight the burner. The burner would light every time, but, would shut off every time. I checked the battery level display and had 1 LED out of 4 that came on. I powered up my generator and the problem was solved. It's odd that my refrigerator would indicate low DC Voltage well before the heater acted up. It didn't this time??? It's winter here and we have lows in the mid teens at night. The 12 volt batteries are in the front compartment. They're subjected to the cold climate. I plan to use a LifePo4 battery in the front closet to keep it within the conditioned space. I also plan to add another solar panel to the charge controller. Thanks for posting your video. It helped me stay warm tonight!
Great to hear you got things running again! We had a similar problem on one of our first boondocking trips in sub-freezing weather. We do have lithium batteries now mounted inside the trailer, and they are well worth the investment for many reasons, including keeping the heater running! :)
THANK YOU JESUS!! WE FROZE LAST NIGHT THINKING OUR TANKS WERE LOW AND AFTER (NOT) FILLING UP THIS MORNING BC THEY WERE FULL... WE FIND THIS VID... THAT STUPID SWITCH WAS THE CULPRIT... SO THANK YOU!!!!
Hey great video is there one with you disassembling the gas regulator and igniter?? I’m kinda confused how to do that also can I get where you called about the circuit board?? Thanks you guys!!
Thanks! And sorry, no I don't have anything in-depth for the inner guts where the burner is. For the circuit board, you'll want to contact the manufacturer. In our case that was Atwood, which is now Dometic: www.dometic.com/en-us/outdoor/lp/rebranded-atwood
Great overview. Thank you. I figured out that my problem was the sail on the sail switch needed to be slightly bent to put more pressure on the switch itself. I have no idea why this would work for 3 months and then suddenly stop but... 😃
That's great news that you were able to fix it! Thanks for taking time to tell us about your success and sharing it with others to learn from, too 😃 Let the camping season begin! 🏕
One thing you didnt mention is replacing the high voltage or ignition cable to the burner. I did this as a last ditch effort after replacing Everything wlse and the cable was the problem. I have spres of everything on hand now including new blower motor!!! Cheers
Wow, great to hear you figured that one out. Yeah, it sounds like that's not a common problem, but good to know! Yet one more thing on those complicated furnaces that can go wrong!
Hi we've been living in our Fleetwood Bounder for the last 10 years end the last few years we've had this weird issue where the heater does everything right it lights up but after a few seconds you can hear the propane valve shut off and when you wait a few seconds it relates the fan never stops what we found out is you turn the stove gas or any other Gas Propane on and then the heater furnace runs just fine you can turn off the stove and the the heater works just fine thanks
Great video. I heard the clicking then did the stove test. With all 3 going, there was barely a visible flame. I played with the regulator and it now works. I guess I'm up for a new one. Thanks
I was having some issues and was told when the propane is filled out here in California they use oil to lubricate. This causes the regulators to go out. You can take them off and literally pour oil out of them causes all kinds of problems.
Think god for TH-cam and you for making the video lol. We were camping and furnace wouldn’t cut on. First check blower motor not running , change fuse and bam good to go. Lol thanks
That's so great to hear that our video helped you in the moment and got things working again. We love hearing these kinds of stories ❤️ Thanks for sharing and happy camping!
We are having issues with our Dometic Atwood 30,000 BTU furnace in our (new to us) 2018 Heartland Trail Runner 29MSB. The blower comes on, then after 15 seconds or so we hear the gas ignite then after 2-3 seconds it goes out and repeats the cycle every 30 seconds. In our camper we have to access the heater from the access panel under the fridge. I hoped that it was the outside panel but alas. One nice thing by not having an external panel the control board should be free from sitting in water. But I fear that I will have to remove the entire unit to properly troubleshoot it. I printed the PDF and will give the steps a go the next time I am at the camper. Thank you for making the .PDF. I am sure it will come in handy.
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing your comment and we hope the pdf will help. Could you please let us know how it goes? Either by replying to this comment or sending us a quick email to contact@homearoam.com Goodluck!
@@HomeARoam Well, as it turned out our LP tank was not open fully. When camping last weekend we made sure to open the tank valve fully. Low and behold the furnace worked very well this last weekend when the temps dropped to 47F in Western NY. Thank you so much for the .PDF it really did help to narrow down the issue.
We have inline 10A fuse near the batteries on the tongue. The fuse is outside and gone bad corroded. Heather wasn't lighting up. After replacing the fuse everything worked.
Interesting! We had a fuse like that for our tongue jack but it didn't affect our furnace. I guess all trailers are wired up differently, but that's a good reminder that step one is to check all fuses and make sure the furnace is actually getting 12v power. Thanks for sharing!
Hi there Raul, yeah that actually depends on the brand and model of the furnace. Look in your manual and try to find the exact name and model number, then search for that + "sail switch" and you'll likely find a video that's specific to your model and shows you exactly how to access it. But do be careful! Ours is in a really tricky spot to remove and I actually damaged one when removing it the first time.
Thank you so much for the video. I was wondering if the outside tank's regulator has anything to do with it since the actual furnace regulates its own via the gas valve? I believe it brings the W.C. down to like 3 or 4. The water column for the outside regulator is usually set between 11 and 14.
From what I've read, the main regulator can definitely have an effect. For instance, if you turn your propane on too quickly, it can "lock" and either give no pressure or low pressure. Also, when they get older, they can start restricting the pressure as well, which I believe means that your pressure down the line will be reduced too low. A good indication seems to be the color of your burners on your stove. We've noticed any time we have trouble with propane, our stove burners are yellowish and larger flames instead of the usual small blue flames that are much hotter.
@@HomeARoam Thank you for the reply. I was referring to the fact that the main regulator's water column is way higher than that of the gas valve that regulates the gas going into the chamber (coming out of ventury). If that's the case, nothing will affect it unless it gets as low as the lowest wc being called by the internal gas valve in the furnace. I think my theory is wrong, but I just need someone to be able to make sense out of this for me. Have a nice day!
Well a great video on the trouble shooting 👍🏾 My 1st issue was a squeaky motor immediately replaced it and now I am having the issue. Where she will ignite blow hot air for a few minutes give or take and then shut off fan blows cold igniter is clicking, but not igniting again how am I able to check the circuit board without a other board is that possible? Thank you.
Unfortunately, the only way to rule out a bad circuit board is to replace it. If you camp in cold weather a lot, it's worth carrying a spare anyhow. They cost about $100.
@@HomeARoam I figured that. Hope it work. Everything was fine before I replaced it. But was a little bit wet that day. Thanks for the video hope it works
This is why I installed a second vent free heater in my rv. Don't want to trust a single source of heat that is notoriously unreliable when temps get below freezing. While the vent free produces copious amounts of humidity, it sure beats waking up freezing.
I used a M18 Milwaukee blower and blew through the 2 exterior holes for the heater and blew out what looked to be a mouse nest and debris. Tried the heater again and it fired up and is still working. Thanks
Cold mornings I turn on my heater it won't ignite. So I turn off my thermostat for 5 min. Turn on my stove for a min or so to get the air out of the lines and it works every time
Interesting. You may want to take a look at your propane regulator. It's possible that it might be miscalibrated. Might be good to have a professional have a look!
Thanks guys this was huge my furnace I’ve only had my camper for a year and a few months and I’ve barely used the heat it’s been out for a couple of days and it got really cold luckily I love sleeping with the AC on all the time so it wasn’t that big a deal but when you’re up and about and it’s really cold in there it can be miserable but luckily I watch some of your videos and I was able to figure out it was the sail fin switch I pulled it apart and kept messing with it and right now it seems to be working OK but any tips or tricks that you know as well would be helpful and appreciated I think I’m going to get some of those switches to have extra in the camper and the temp over temp switch it’s better to have a few extra than not enough
Hey, thanks for letting us know, that's great to hear! The sail switches are super finicky and delicate, so you have to be really careful handling them. We keep a spare sail switch, and a spare control board in the trailer because they do have a tendency to fail at the most inconvenient times! I agree it's a really good idea to have spares handy.
I'm pretty convinced my issue is the sail switch, but it only happens at night, which is a bit confusing. Also my furnace is not accessible from the side of the trailer, so I can only guess that I will have to get to it from underneath. Ugh.
It only happens at night eh? That's weird. Never encountered anything like that. But it is possible that the metal contracts slightly when it's colder and gets stuck. Worth trying that first and if it's not that, I'd try the control board.
@@HomeARoam Good point. If I address all the issues in the checklist and the problem still isn't resolved, I think I'm just going to get an arduino and program it to reset the thermostat after every heating cycle.
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And check out the step-by-step PDF here:
homearoam.com/how-to/rv-furnace-troubleshooting
Thanks for your support!
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Great video. U gave me some direction. Thanks
Thank you!
Hey, that was awesome. Thank you for not rambling on and on, a common mistake youtubers do.
Thanks 😁 Glad you found it useful
Great video. I've done much of this before finding thus video. Wished I've seen this before tackling on my iwn. I have the Suburban furnace and have to pull it out from under the oven to access these components. That means disconnecting the propane line as my camper doesn't have a access door outside like yours. Fun! After reconnecting (tip), I re-blead the gas by getting the stove to burn full flames (as my fuel line splits going to the stove & furnace). Mine started intermittent and became worse. I've now replaced the sail & gas switches, the control board, and gasket that allows access to the igniter. Cleaned everything (tip #2 not mentioned here), vacuum all pipes and around the entire unit. Them bugs (Chinese Beatles are the worst) get in during winter storage and cloge up tiny spots. I even had them by the ignitor, re-gaped the ignitor after cleaning, check gas regulator to flow control and ranthe unit inside the RV not installed. Had to reconnect propane line outside the installed location. Watched the ignitor work through the sight glass (not accessible when installed) for a go spark & flame (tip #3), do this in a well ventilated camper and for a shirt time as the exhaust is not properly routed outside. Also checked voltage and signals from the wall mounted controler to the control board (turning on/off and temperture sensor) to make sure that isn't telling the furnace it is to hot inside and don't run. Could have a bad wall unit, but much more rare and not in my case. (Tip #4) If no VOM meter, slide the temp way up to run and once running, slide it way down to stop a heat cycle as a test. Re-installed once repaired and re-beaded the fuel line again. Good to go.
Wow, that sounds like quite the overhaul! Very good tips all around, thanks for posting them here! I guess we're really fortunate we can do most common maintenance without having to disconnect everything. Those RV furnaces, I tell you, they are delicate and flakey sometimes!
OMG, I just got off work from a night shift starting antiarythmics to keep a man from dying and giving blood to another one who was bleeding. My heater in my camper is not working in the 6 degree weather that Heather decided to curse Arkansas with. I will gladly admit my limitations and call the expert to fix this problem. Staying in my lane thank you😂!
Yikes, sorry to hear that! Yeah, if it's not something simple then an RV technician is your best bet. They'll have access to parts and should hopefully be able to fix it quickly for you! Hope you're warm again soon.
I came across your video about trouble shooting the RV heater when mine quit working on a trip. My problem was fixed by removing the sail switch and cleaning it. After I cleaned it, I turned on the switch with the sail switch still wired to the system, but not installed. I held the switch in the activated position, and the furnace worked! I reinstalled the sail switch and now I am enjoying the heat! Great video and very easy to understand. Thanks.. and Yes I subscribed.
Hi David! We are so glad to hear that you got your heat working again and that our video was helpful. Thanks for subscribing and hope you find other videos you like on our channel. Cheers, Mel & Jay
WE TOTALLY HAD THIS PROBLEM. The quick reference guide is GENIUS. Brilliant brilliant. Absolutely love that you got right to the point with this video. Really well done, you two. (And we wish you had made this in December so that we could have used it when ours was konked out! 😂)
🧡, Keith and Raini
Hi friends, thanks for your kind words. Nobody likes furnace issues, right? Who knows, maybe our quick reference guide will come in handy one day (in the distant future).
Thank you but he got it it's all set going to our family camp going to be cold need to the motor hooked up carefully of course but quit lol
yall seem like a nice couple so ill leave a comment, havent tested it yet but just bought a 91 Gulfstream Sun Clipper 27' mobile home, it has a heater, but im just doing research on what to do so when i look at it, i know exactly what to do instead of wasting time, ect, i hope to come back after this weekend with a success story thanks to this video, stay safe and warm this winter!
Thank-you. Good luck with the troubleshooting and look forward to hearing how it goes!
Before replacing the board this worked for me it comes off easily with the wing nut it's attached to a plastic vent take the computer board off and clean it with a soft toothbrush both sides do not add any water. It worked for me the dust causes static electricity on the board. Good luck thank you guys you made me pinpoint exactly where my problem was
Glad to hear our video was helpful 😃 Happy dusting!
Huge thanks, I followed along with your instructions, cleaned my curcuit board and everything works again. I can't thank you enough.
Cheers!
Hey Derek, that's great to hear! Glad it helped 😁
Seems like solid advice, thanks!
My fan was working but now it won't. Might be the thermostat... previously, the fan would come on, it would click like it was trying to light, but no fire. I checked the stove burners and they work, so i know I'm getting fuel, but the fridge is having issues as well. Might have something wrong with my regulator board. In sure I'll get it sorted this weekend. Thanks again!
Yeah, I would definitely check and/or replace your propane regulator. Especially if your burners are more yellow-ish or flickering. That could indicate a low propane flow. Here's hoping for a quick resolution!
This is the greatest video of all time. Been having troubles for months with my dometic 30,000 btu furnace staying lit and messing with it and there it is a dirty sail switch. Thanks for the video this saved us.
You're very welcome, and we're really glad to hear that! We had a heck of a time getting our furnace working reliably again, so I was hoping all our hours spent troubleshooting could help others. 😀 Thank-you for your support!
Thank you for making such a reasonable direction based video. I'm hoping the issue we are suddenly dealing with is too low battery voltage vs something more aggressive. I'm also happy to hear you were able to resolve your situation.
Thanks! We hope you're able to troubleshoot your furnace fast and back to roasty toasty happiness soon.
Thank you so much for this video. I have cold weather on the way and am trying to figure out why the ignitor is not turning on. This will be a huge help.
Great to hear! Best of luck with your troubleshooting, and don't forget to check the PDF at homearoam.com/how-to/rv-furnace-troubleshooting/
Had trouble with my new unit staying lit. I will keep an eye out for more issues. Thanks for the video
Hope it helped! Yeah, if it's lighting ok, but not staying lit, the gas pressure or the flame sensor are the things to check out. If you haven't already, be sure to download our troubleshooting PDF for when you're offline. 😀 homearoam.com/how-to/rv-furnace-troubleshooting/
Wow, it sounds like we have the same luck. I had a intermittent problem and like you, became very handy working on RV furnaces over the last few months because of it. Turns out my control board was bad and had visible charring underneath. After 3-4 weeks of it running flawlessly, it started turning off again, but would fire back up after cycling the thermostat to “off” and then “on”. I have had an unrelated, or so I thought, propane issue lately. Thinking we got a bad regulator! Thanks guys, very helpful video.
Visible charring?!? Wow, that's a bit scary. Nothing scares me more than the potential for a fire in the RV. Yeah, it's amazing how complicated those little RV furnaces are, and how many things have to come together perfectly for them to work. Glad you were able to get it going again!
good video there you two! I am in the middle of doing the same thing here in MT. My furnace gave out few days ago & currently on 2 small heaters (Which I am not a fan of doing here) too keep some heat in here until I can get out and trouble shoot the issue. I assumed it was the sail switch the board itself - one day intermittent, other days flawlessly, any yet other days I would have to reset it 4 - 5 times on the thermostat to keep it running right. I will be trying this hopefully this week once it gets warmer. You have given a sense of direction as to gettin' this done.... so thanks. Keep them videos comin' Jeff
Thanks Jeff, that to me sounds like the control board -- probably the most common issue. Considering they are fairly inexpensive and easy to replace, I would try that first.
Great video. After watching, I determined i also had water intrusion. Drying out the water solved the problem. I located the source of the intrusion, which was rain water getting past a bad seal in the fridge compartment cover above the furnace. Thanks for your help!
So glad to hear that our video was useful to you. Thanks for sharing your success with us 😃
What a great video, I’m currently chasing the TH-cam rabbit hole trying to fix an Atwood that only stays lit for a few seconds at a time. This is the most informative video I’ve found yet, thank you guys!!
We're glad to hear you found it helpful! Good luck on your repair.
Currently in same rabbit hole 🥴
@@heatherbrewer2144 I fixed mine finally by replacing the igniter which also serves as the flame sensor. Best of luck to you!
My camper is 3 months old and doing that just when I need the heat the most! My brother came and did everything we could check. He opened the compartment and it was full of water inside. So guessing the board must have gotten wet! Thanks for the video. Guess I'll have to call a camper technician to come out and check that!
Yeah moisture on the board really causes them to flake out. It's usually not a difficult DIY job, but a tech should be able to swap it out quickly for you as well.
Excellent. Stepwise approach from simple to complex, likely to less likely, is perfect.
Thanks, glad you found it helpful! I spent a lot of hours troubleshooting our furnace and hope this saves others some time! 😁
I’m having issues currently while in the middle of our two week trip. Your video was very informative. I checked the sail switch and It did have some stuff obstructing it. I cleaned it replaced it. It worked for a about a day and now having the issue again of course in the middle of the night so tomorrow plan to check the sail switch again.
Good to hear that helped, at least temporarily. It could be that it's slightly bent. They're very finicky. I would try to get order a new one as soon as you can, and then even carry a spare if you use your heater a lot.
Thanks for the informative video. We will be warm this fall.😁My burner was corroded so it wouldnt light. Once the burner was cleaned up and replaced, it lit first try and stayed lit till it warmed up. Funny design on my Tracer. The furnace is installed vertically, which allows moisture to collect in the burner when its not in use. Easy fix. Thanks again and safe travels.
So glad we could help keep you warm this fall! 👍
I just picked up my RV from a repair shop to re wire my furnace and today with 1degree weather and a blizzard the furnace will not light. Your video alerted me to check my propane connection…. I had taken them off to refill them 😮😂
Thanks for your video.
It happens to the best of us 😅 Glad it was an easy fix, and thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks. Not only informative but inspirational. I'm heading out now to give my old furnace another try.
Good luck with your repairs!
Thank you! We tried all kinds of things, but then followed your guide and we figured it out!
That's so great to hear! Glad we were able to help 🙂
THANK YOU!!! Rather than calling out a mobile tech from 2+ hours away ($$$$!!) we were able to diagnose our issue on our permanently parked RV and buy a new control board. The fix-it-flow-chart is PERFECT!!
That's so awesome to hear! Thanks for letting us know it worked for you 😀
You got a subscriber, me! The issue for me was the sail switch, needed a bit of dust blown off and we are warming up again. THANKS
Glad we were able to help and that the fix was relatively simple. Stay warm!
Thank you for this! By far the best video I’ve seen yet on this issue! I’m about to start troubleshooting mine now!
Thank-you! Hope you can get it sorted quickly!
You guys nailed it with this video. Very well done. I will go through the troubleshooting step by step as soon as we get back home from our vacation. Our Sierra Sprinter (2017) furnace started acting up recently by miss-igniting dozen times when cold but running normal the rest of the day. I hope to find the problem(s) by following your instructions. I’ll let you know if I find something (new) interesting. Thank you both (from Whitecourt, Ab) 😎
Thank-you, and good luck with your troubleshooting! Let us know what it turns out to be.
The flame sensor/electrode was the problem. The ignition was happening just fine but it wouldn’t run more than 2 seconds. I wouldn’t have got it done alone without your help. Thanks to you both. Cheers…
So glad to hear! Great that you got it working again.
Great reference video and yay for the awesome handy dandy cheat sheet. Your detective work will for sure help others 👍🏼
Thanks ☺️ Hope it saves people a bit of time
Thank you for this awesome compilation. Great reference, and timely too! Our furnace just crapped out again🤬.
Oh no! Well, hope our video was helpful to get it running again and keep you warm!
Thank you for the detailed process! I will try out these steps and see if I can get my heater working again. Again Thank You!
Goodluck! Hope you get it working again soon. Let us know how it turns out.
Thank you I will be at the RV place tomorrow getting a new board . Seems like mine only happens when its raining.
Hi, thanks for watching and hope everything goes well at the RV shop. Yeah, sounds like moisture is getting in there somehow and that a new board will be good. Good luck with the repair 🍀
Nice job on your repair and awesome video. Thank you so much!
Thank-you. We're glad you found the video useful!
This has happened twice this season during driving rain. First time I took everything apart and thought nothing of the water in there. Put everything back and it worked. Happened again last night, found your video, sure enough, a little water in there.
Not the best design, right? Glad you've been able to pinpoint the problem and that our video helped 😀
Thanks your video just saved me in the cold Colorado winter . Thank you the regulator was bad
Great to hear that we could help! Stay warm and cozy! 😀
Good video, well done and it helped me as my furnace fan starts, heats, reaches set point temp, shuts down and won't restart.
Thanks and glad it helped!
That was the best RV furnace troubleshooting video EVER! Great job and thank you so much!
Thank you so much for your kind words! Hope you will be toasty warm again in no time 🌡️
Thank you so much!! You saved us from a cold night in the trailer
So glad to hear you'll be sleeping warm and cozy!
Great 👍🏾 Video, I had the same issue. Furnace would not stay lit 🔥
Thanks for watching. Did it turn out to need a board replacement, like ours?
not sure what it was you said but you got me checking and we now have heat :) broken thermostat wire
Oh, that's an uncommon one, but great to hear you tracked it down and got it working again!
Well done video. Our furnace is acting the same way. Fortunately, I bought a spare board along with two sail switches last winter. Originally, just the sail switch was bad, but now the flame keeps dropping out when below freezing. I'll now try replacing the board. Thanks.
Goodluck with your repairs, and hope our video was useful. Our sail switch is on the fritz again this season and might need replacing soon.
@@HomeARoam sail switches can go bad from just lack of use. Remove the switch and actuate it about 20 times and it should work again for a long time.
thanks for the tip!
for me it was the sail switch. even though it looked clean, cleaning it again and making sure the switch clicked fixed it. thanks
Great to hear that helped! We had the same problem down in Arizona. May have been dust.
Great video! Isn’t it funny, we both had furnace problems and repair videos?! Lol we are meant to be friends! 🚌
We can be furnace buddies ☺️
@@HomeARoam working furnace buddies!! Yay!!! 😁
Thank you so much for this video. I haven’t tried it on my 5th wheel but I’m sure going to.
Glad we could help!
Thanks for the video. I’ve never had a problem with my furnace kicking on, until tonight. I’ve got enough bedding to stay warm, but, frustrating! I just spent $50 on propane yesterday, so I troubleshooted the tanks and attachments on the lines. They appear to be in the same old working order. I wondered if it was bad trailer leveling, but I believe I’ve heard that contributes to a water heater malfunction, so I’m ruling that out. I may go find the tool I need to pull the furnace compartment cover and look around in there.
Hi Paul, thanks for sharing what you've found out so far. Hope you can get it up and working again soon! Something we've also learned since making this video is that if temperatures dip well below freezing it can affect the flow of propane through the system and it will appear like it's not working. Hope this helps. Good luck!
Thank you guys, i was able to fix my furnace thanks to this video! Cheers!!
That's great to hear, Enrico! Happy 🏕️
Thank you! Had us up and running with in 5 minutes of finding this video.
Glad glad to hear it! Stay warm!
I have this exact same problem. Thanks for a great instructional video : ) Hopefully I can get mine going.
Good luck! A new control board is often a quick way to get things working again.
Thank you for your video I helped big time maybe we will survive this winter!!!
Glad it helped! Stay warm 🧣
Hello! Mine was a low house battery. The fan would run, the burner would light and shut down at random intervals. Anywhere from 1 to 6 seconds. The fan would run and it would attempt to relight the burner. The burner would light every time, but, would shut off every time.
I checked the battery level display and had 1 LED out of 4 that came on. I powered up my generator and the problem was solved. It's odd that my refrigerator would indicate low DC Voltage well before the heater acted up. It didn't this time??? It's winter here and we have lows in the mid teens at night. The 12 volt batteries are in the front compartment.
They're subjected to the cold climate. I plan to use a LifePo4 battery in the front closet to keep it within the conditioned space. I also plan to add another solar panel to the charge controller. Thanks for posting your video. It helped me stay warm tonight!
Great to hear you got things running again! We had a similar problem on one of our first boondocking trips in sub-freezing weather. We do have lithium batteries now mounted inside the trailer, and they are well worth the investment for many reasons, including keeping the heater running! :)
This is awesome. My blower starts but won’t lite (light?).
Anyway thank you for a great starting point.
Hope you're able to get it fixed up and running again soon!
THANK YOU JESUS!! WE FROZE LAST NIGHT THINKING OUR TANKS WERE LOW AND AFTER (NOT) FILLING UP THIS MORNING BC THEY WERE FULL... WE FIND THIS VID... THAT STUPID SWITCH WAS THE CULPRIT... SO THANK YOU!!!!
Sorry you froze last night, but so glad to hear you won't be freezing tonight!
@Home A Roam we definitely won't! Can't thank you guys enough!
Wow..thanks for the tips, fuse needed a little jiggle and furnance came on. 19° here in MO..easy fix for a new full timer
That's so great to hear that our video helped you out and that it was an easy fix 🙂 stay warm!
Your information helped me to troubleshoot and fix my problem. Thank you
Glad to hear it! Now you'll be warm again 😀
Nice informative video! Mine is blowing but won't light and I've got good pressure. I will check the igniter.
Thanks! Might be worth checking the sail switch first since it's a bit easier to access.
Hey great video is there one with you disassembling the gas regulator and igniter?? I’m kinda confused how to do that also can I get where you called about the circuit board?? Thanks you guys!!
Thanks! And sorry, no I don't have anything in-depth for the inner guts where the burner is. For the circuit board, you'll want to contact the manufacturer. In our case that was Atwood, which is now Dometic: www.dometic.com/en-us/outdoor/lp/rebranded-atwood
This video helped me out fast! Thank you guys! It was the sail switch for me.
So glad to hear you were able to get to the bottom of the problem quickly! Those sail switches seem to be a problem for a lot of us!
Great overview. Thank you. I figured out that my problem was the sail on the sail switch needed to be slightly bent to put more pressure on the switch itself. I have no idea why this would work for 3 months and then suddenly stop but... 😃
That's great news that you were able to fix it! Thanks for taking time to tell us about your success and sharing it with others to learn from, too 😃 Let the camping season begin! 🏕
Could have just been some dust dirt or hair. I clean mine seasonly
Didn't know there was a flow switch will have to check mine out.
Glad to hear we could help!
Thanks for such clear description and imagery - truly exceptional and helpful production!
Thank you for the nice comment. We hope it was useful. Stay warm 🧣
Very helpful - even if I haven't figured out what is wrong with my unit. Thanks.
Sorry to hear! Have you tried a new control board? That seems to be a really common fix for all sorts of different symptoms.
@@HomeARoam No but that is my next step. Thanks!!
One thing you didnt mention is replacing the high voltage or ignition cable to the burner. I did this as a last ditch effort after replacing Everything wlse and the cable was the problem. I have spres of everything on hand now including new blower motor!!! Cheers
Wow, great to hear you figured that one out. Yeah, it sounds like that's not a common problem, but good to know! Yet one more thing on those complicated furnaces that can go wrong!
Hi we've been living in our Fleetwood Bounder for the last 10 years end the last few years we've had this weird issue where the heater does everything right it lights up but after a few seconds you can hear the propane valve shut off and when you wait a few seconds it relates the fan never stops what we found out is you turn the stove gas or any other Gas Propane on and then the heater furnace runs just fine you can turn off the stove and the the heater works just fine thanks
Great video. I heard the clicking then did the stove test. With all 3 going, there was barely a visible flame. I played with the regulator and it now works. I guess I'm up for a new one. Thanks
Great to hear that solved the problem! Yeah, there are so many different things that can affect those finicky RV furnaces :)
Excellent content and I really like your Troubleshooting Flowchart
That's great to hear 😃 We keep the flowchart handy on our phones so that we can refer back to it in case we have anymore issues.
Thank you for your video. I’m a newbie and this helps a bunch!
You're welcome. Glad it helped!
I was having some issues and was told when the propane is filled out here in California they use oil to lubricate. This causes the regulators to go out. You can take them off and literally pour oil out of them causes all kinds of problems.
Wow, I'd never heard of that! Thanks for sharing!
Think god for TH-cam and you for making the video lol. We were camping and furnace wouldn’t cut on. First check blower motor not running , change fuse and bam good to go. Lol thanks
That's so great to hear that our video helped you in the moment and got things working again. We love hearing these kinds of stories ❤️ Thanks for sharing and happy camping!
Great video! I am now going to go tackle my furnace problem!
You can do it! Glad our video was useful, and don't forget about the printable pdf for future reference.😀
what great job with this vid, thank you.
also liked the little bloopers at the end.
Thanks Steve! We worked hard on it and am glad you found it helpful 😀
Great Video! Very detailed and helpful! I should be able to get it dialed in now!
Love the outtakes! (The struggle is real 😂🤙)
Glad to hear our vid was useful. How did your repairs go?
Thank you it went down to 19 tonight and coz of you I now have heat
That's so nice to hear 😊 We're so glad you're having a warm and cozy night!
Great way to start diagnosis nice job
Thanks, glad you found it helpful!
We are having issues with our Dometic Atwood 30,000 BTU furnace in our (new to us) 2018 Heartland Trail Runner 29MSB. The blower comes on, then after 15 seconds or so we hear the gas ignite then after 2-3 seconds it goes out and repeats the cycle every 30 seconds. In our camper we have to access the heater from the access panel under the fridge. I hoped that it was the outside panel but alas. One nice thing by not having an external panel the control board should be free from sitting in water. But I fear that I will have to remove the entire unit to properly troubleshoot it. I printed the PDF and will give the steps a go the next time I am at the camper. Thank you for making the .PDF. I am sure it will come in handy.
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing your comment and we hope the pdf will help. Could you please let us know how it goes? Either by replying to this comment or sending us a quick email to contact@homearoam.com Goodluck!
@@HomeARoam Well, as it turned out our LP tank was not open fully. When camping last weekend we made sure to open the tank valve fully. Low and behold the furnace worked very well this last weekend when the temps dropped to 47F in Western NY. Thank you so much for the .PDF it really did help to narrow down the issue.
Excellent troubleshooting video guys! Thank you for making a great resource
Thanks! It means a lot to us that we can be helpful to the community 🙏
We have inline 10A fuse near the batteries on the tongue. The fuse is outside and gone bad corroded. Heather wasn't lighting up.
After replacing the fuse everything worked.
Interesting! We had a fuse like that for our tongue jack but it didn't affect our furnace. I guess all trailers are wired up differently, but that's a good reminder that step one is to check all fuses and make sure the furnace is actually getting 12v power. Thanks for sharing!
You guys are awesome! Thanks so much for the very informative video. 😄👍🏻
Thank-you! Glad you found it useful!
>>> Watch this video FIRST!!!
Thank-you, so glad to hear we were able to help! 😁
Great video, but you didn’t touch on where to find the sail switch. Is that at the furnace itself? Thank you for all the great information.
The sail switch is inside the plastic blower motor cover. You have to take it apart a little to get to it.
Hi there Raul, yeah that actually depends on the brand and model of the furnace. Look in your manual and try to find the exact name and model number, then search for that + "sail switch" and you'll likely find a video that's specific to your model and shows you exactly how to access it. But do be careful! Ours is in a really tricky spot to remove and I actually damaged one when removing it the first time.
Thank you so much for the video. I was wondering if the outside tank's regulator has anything to do with it since the actual furnace regulates its own via the gas valve? I believe it brings the W.C. down to like 3 or 4. The water column for the outside regulator is usually set between 11 and 14.
From what I've read, the main regulator can definitely have an effect. For instance, if you turn your propane on too quickly, it can "lock" and either give no pressure or low pressure. Also, when they get older, they can start restricting the pressure as well, which I believe means that your pressure down the line will be reduced too low. A good indication seems to be the color of your burners on your stove. We've noticed any time we have trouble with propane, our stove burners are yellowish and larger flames instead of the usual small blue flames that are much hotter.
@@HomeARoam Thank you for the reply. I was referring to the fact that the main regulator's water column is way higher than that of the gas valve that regulates the gas going into the chamber (coming out of ventury). If that's the case, nothing will affect it unless it gets as low as the lowest wc being called by the internal gas valve in the furnace. I think my theory is wrong, but I just need someone to be able to make sense out of this for me. Have a nice day!
It gave ideas to check and thank you
Great! Glad we were able to help out.
Well a great video on the trouble shooting 👍🏾
My 1st issue was a squeaky motor immediately replaced it and now I am having the issue. Where she will ignite blow hot air for a few minutes give or take and then shut off fan blows cold igniter is clicking, but not igniting again how am I able to check the circuit board without a other board is that possible? Thank you.
Unfortunately, the only way to rule out a bad circuit board is to replace it. If you camp in cold weather a lot, it's worth carrying a spare anyhow. They cost about $100.
@@HomeARoam I figured that. Hope it work. Everything was fine before I replaced it. But was a little bit wet that day. Thanks for the video hope it works
Thank you. I have the water problem. I am going to contact Dometic to see if they will help me out like they did you.
Good idea. They were very helpful for us.
This is why I installed a second vent free heater in my rv. Don't want to trust a single source of heat that is notoriously unreliable when temps get below freezing. While the vent free produces copious amounts of humidity, it sure beats waking up freezing.
Yeah having a backup heater is definitely a good idea given how finicky RV furnaces can be!
Your trouble shooting tips helped me thank you
Great to hear! Our pleasure. 😁
Straight to the point, good job.
Thanks, glad it was helpful 🙂
Thanks, this gets me started.
Good to the point video.
Hope you're able to fix it fast!
I used a M18 Milwaukee blower and blew through the 2 exterior holes for the heater and blew out what looked to be a mouse nest and debris.
Tried the heater again and it fired up and is still working.
Thanks
Great job guys hank! Thank you for a quick troubleshooting video. One of the best I've seen! :)
Glad it was helpful for you 😃
Cold mornings I turn on my heater it won't ignite. So I turn off my thermostat for 5 min. Turn on my stove for a min or so to get the air out of the lines and it works every time
Interesting. You may want to take a look at your propane regulator. It's possible that it might be miscalibrated. Might be good to have a professional have a look!
I think its the sail switch on mine. Thanks for the further info.
Glad you were able to troubleshoot the problem 😀
Great video. Thanks for taking the time to share.
Thanks, I appreciate you taking the time to let us know! 😁
@@HomeARoam Found a "dust bunny" holding the sail switch.
Thanks for the help. I think mine is fixed now..
Awesome, great to hear!
This is awesome by the way. Excellent presentation, to the point. Great job!
Thanks :-) Hope it comes in handy for you.
This video was so well done I just had to subscribe!
Thanks so much for your kind comment 🙂 Hope the info is helpful to you.
Thanks guys this was huge my furnace I’ve only had my camper for a year and a few months and I’ve barely used the heat it’s been out for a couple of days and it got really cold luckily I love sleeping with the AC on all the time so it wasn’t that big a deal but when you’re up and about and it’s really cold in there it can be miserable but luckily I watch some of your videos and I was able to figure out it was the sail fin switch I pulled it apart and kept messing with it and right now it seems to be working OK but any tips or tricks that you know as well would be helpful and appreciated I think I’m going to get some of those switches to have extra in the camper and the temp over temp switch it’s better to have a few extra than not enough
Hey, thanks for letting us know, that's great to hear! The sail switches are super finicky and delicate, so you have to be really careful handling them. We keep a spare sail switch, and a spare control board in the trailer because they do have a tendency to fail at the most inconvenient times! I agree it's a really good idea to have spares handy.
Thank you so much! Your video was very helpful 🎉
Awesome! Glad we were able to help.
I'm pretty convinced my issue is the sail switch, but it only happens at night, which is a bit confusing. Also my furnace is not accessible from the side of the trailer, so I can only guess that I will have to get to it from underneath. Ugh.
It only happens at night eh? That's weird. Never encountered anything like that. But it is possible that the metal contracts slightly when it's colder and gets stuck. Worth trying that first and if it's not that, I'd try the control board.
@@HomeARoam Good point. If I address all the issues in the checklist and the problem still isn't resolved, I think I'm just going to get an arduino and program it to reset the thermostat after every heating cycle.
Thanks, I have intermittent problems.
Sorry to hear that! Hopefully it's an easy fix for you. The control board is a common suspect.
@@HomeARoam 😊 thanks
my unit look like yours,what the part numbers for circiut board and sail switch and limit switch
I would get the exact model number off your tag. A lot of them look very similar but you want to be sure to get the right parts! 😁