RV Furnace Troubleshooting & Sail Switch Replacement
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video, I'll talk about my recent challenging experience with my Keystone Bullet's Dometic furnace, the troubleshooting process we went through, and the step-by-step process we took to fix this issue. Losing a furnace while camping in the winter is no laughing matter and can have serious consequences.
Process Documents Link: johnmarucci.com/docs-downloads
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First my clogged water pump, then my stinky toilet, now my furnace. You sir, have saved me a ton of frustration and money. Thank you!
Great to hear that the videos have been helpful. All the best!
Sir, you are an excellent teacher. I am a 75 year old female working on my furnace. I am very critical and detail oriented. Thanks for your video.
Great Job John ! Got up one morning and needed to take the chill out of the air in Our Bullet Crossfire. Worked Fine The Frist day, Next Day Got up and Furace would not stay on and No Clicking and Shut off !
So Thanks for the Video, Assume Sail Switch Because of No Clicking Sound, Just Blowing Cold Air for 15 seconds.
Well Done !
Great to hear that the video was helpful. All the best!
Honestly The way you broke it down I made it really easy and I can tell just by looking at where the little wires plug in that it's corroded and dirty so thank you
Glad the video was helpful!
A big thanks for posting this video. I, too have a Bullet without an access panel to the furnace. I just followed your easy steps and now our furnace is back up and running.
It is great to hear that the video was helpful. Thank you for sharing!
John, thanks for the video and the pdf file. Your precise instruction safely helped me through the steps and gave me the confidence to do it myself.
Glad it helped! Great to hear!
Thank you John! You saved our trip. We’re in Marfa TX, wind blowing 30+, dropping to and below freezing at night. We have the same Keystone Bullet, same furnace. Your vid was so detailed it gave me the confidence to dive in. Found the EXACT same lint buildup on the sail switch, cleaned it with a tweezer and viola! Back to proper working order! A million times thank you!!!
Great to hear, thanks for letting me know! All the best!
Best video for this issue on TH-cam.
I also have a Springdale with no outside access. I’ve been looking for step by step for over two years now. Thanks, yours is the best idea found.
Glad I could help!
Very good video John!! Thanks for the step by step instruction!
Glad the video was helpful!
You are a very excellent educator. Thank you
Really appreciated the video and I tackled this project myself, unfortunately after cleaning the sail switch and not having a new one in hand I will have to wait to replace, until it comes, but this video totally gave me everything I needed to do this thank you!
Great to hear!
Great and thorough video. You’ve given me a lengthy task now because I don’t have access to the front of my unit.
Glad it was helpful!
Nice job John, great instructions
Glad the video was helpful!
Thank you John. Outstanding tutorial!
Glad it was helpful!
Jesus C John what a freaking project but great step by step! Really an important video!
Yep, nothing like finding out your furnace doesn't work a few days before it is going into the 20's overnight! Pretty much everyone with an RV should be aware of this one. Not a difficult fix.
@@JohnMarucci def have seen a lot of posts on Airstream forums with it - and like you happens when the Temps are on the way below 0 and want the tanks to stay heated with the underbelly. Usually the same issue!
Amazing thorough step by step instructions. I have the same issue. It I’m lucky to have an access panel but I don’t know if the sail switch is accessible yet. I believe I have the same issue. Thank you so much!
Glad it helped. All the best in your situation!
Thanks John. Will be tackling the same project in a couple of months. Hope it goes as smoothly with my Jayco.
It isn't too difficult job but you do need to be careful. All the best!
Incredible video, thank you.
Glad the video was helpful!
Great video! Thankyou
Glad the video was helpful!
My opinion is that Dometic furnaces have a number of things that can go wrong and they are not particularly reliable. The metal fan came apart on mine. And when my 12V system is low, it doesn't work at all. I'm just waiting for my next problem with it. Consider buying a Mr. Heater Buddy. A good backup when you don't have AC.
I have had every Dometic appliance in my RV fail besides the water heater at this point. It may be the quality control of the company in general and not just the furnace. Thanks!
Very good instructional video!
Glad it was helpful!
thank you for the great video
Glad it helped!
Great video, thanks!
Glad the video was helpful!
Awesome video!!!!
Thanks!!
Thanks, John. I have a 2021 Bullet, have not run into this issue, but more prepared now thanks to you should this come up in the future.
Great, glad it was helpful!
Thanks!
Thank you for your videos. You are a blessing to RV owners.
Glad the videos a helpful. All the best!
Great info!
Glad it was helpful!
Thank you
Good job.
Thanks!
Great video. Not sure what kind mine is. Mine is fine. But great info if I need it. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
Had a similar issue. Replacing the sail switch was one thing I did. I also noticed some wires were loose. Always check the connections also. Seems to have fixed the problem.
It would be nice if the manufacturer would install a filter holder like the ones in home furnaces. Thanks, John.
Good tips, thanks for sharing!
Thank you for making this video! I am also upset that Keystone did not install an access panel to allow the sail switch to be properly maintained without having to completely remove the furnace. I have a 2018 Keystone Passport Elite and it will be the last Keystone I own. Way too many quality issues encountered. I will install lightweight filter material on the back of the louvered access panel to catch some of the lint that makes its way into the unit.
Glad the video was helpful. I also considered adding some filter material to prevent lint from getting near the sail switch. May concern was if the material came loose into the furnace in some way. How do you plan to secure any filter material?
Great video! I am looking for a diagram of my furnace to know all the components and figure out why my blower doesn’t shut off. The thermostat is set to off; but the blower doesn’t turn off and it drained the battery. Luckily I opened the outside furnace cover and there is an off/reset switch. I turned it off for now. I think there might be a sensor to the blower motor from the thermostat and that might be bad. Thanks to your video I will also check the sail switch. New subscriber. Cheers.
If you have a Dometic thermostat there is a way to reset it. That could possibly be an issue. My video on the Dometic thermostat is on TH-cam.
When turning on the propane tanks make sure you open the valve “slowly “. Opening too fast may cause the safety valve to jam.
Good idea, thanks for sharing!
mtae! useful -all the best,
Glad it helped
Thanks John. Excellent. Is there no seal on the exhaust port where it enters the furnace? No exhaust leak into the coach?
The metal exhaust pipe from the furnace slips into the metal outer housing fairly tightly, so I think fumes couldn't get back into the cabin. It is a good question and reminds me to always have a working carbon monoxide alarm in the RV. Thanks!
My only problem with our old RPod propane heater was a faulty circuit board. I had to take it to a dealer to run down this problem.
Thanks Tim for sharing your experience!
First of all, John, this is a fantastic video. This is the first video I have seen that shows in detail how to remove the furnace. I have a Passport 239ml withe the same setup. I followed the instructions step by step and, sure enough, I had a wad of dust on the sail switch. I replaced it with a new one and while I had it out, I replaced the control board to be on the safe side. When I reassembled it, it still does the same thing it did when it went out. Blower comes on for about 20 seconds then cuts off. I think I’m going to order a new limit switch and electrode. Any other ideas what it might be? Thanks!
Not sure what else it might be. Usually if the blower is running and it fails to ignite, it is the sail switch not closing. Hopefully changing out the other parts you mentioned will do the trick.
Forgive me for using this video for asking this question but I looked through your list and I didn't see one pertaining to caulking and sealing. Could you make a video of the products used for sealing seams and roof penetrations? I can assume there is not 1 used for all. I would appreciate it.. thanks
Unfortunately, I don't have such a video. I may try to tackle this type of video at some point. I have found a few videos on TH-cam that demo RV caulking technique. I would also look at Ray from his Love Your RV TH-cam channel to see what/if he has such content. Thanks!
John, did you carry a ladder or some other way to access the top of your Rpod when you had it. We just bought a 171 and trying to access the Keder rail or inspect the top is impossible. Thanjs
I use a 10' ladder at home to inspect the roof. I do carry an expandable folding ladder when I travel. Got mine at Home Depot.
Were you unable to remove and or clean the blower fan where you found the debris?
I didn't want to disassemble any more than I did given the risks while on the road. I do think you have good idea to clean out the inside of the blower fan if you can get to it. I may have done this were the RV at home not needing to be used. All the best!
Thank you thank you thank you. I guess I am hoping that when the technician removed the furnace it dislodged the debris, that was causing the problem. If it was a debris problem. If not I will probably attempt a DIY repair. Wonder if anyone ever thought about putting in an access panel on the outside of the trailer.
Glad the video was helpful. I think they try to keep costs down is why no external access to the furnace. Too bad, because the sail switch is a very easy replacement task. All the best!
Hey John, I have a 97’ itasca spirit. I have an outdoor access panel.
Before I dig into this project I’d like to get your suggestions.
I’ve been using the heater just fine until this morning and after looking at a bunch of stuff up and finding you. I have a couple questions you might be able to help with. But we’ll start with the first one.
1. How do I know if the sail switch is out or if my electrode igniter isn’t sparking?
Because my blower motor doesn’t shut off. It just keeps trying to blow to no end.
If you do have an external access panel to the sail switch, I’d start there and check that the sail switch doesn’t have lint or gunk keeping it from closing.
I was able to check the sail switch, and it seems pretty clean. It closes when I turn the blower on, and I can hear it try igniting but it doesn’t get lit.
Gotta wait till Friday to replace. I also have an igniter en route.
John,
I have a 2021 22 foot Bullet. It has a Dometic DFMD 20 furnace which looks exactly like yours. It may be less BTUs though.
At any rate when I turn on the thermostat and turn up the temperature nothing happens at all. The blower does not come on nor does the furnace try to light.
I know abut the 15A fuse in the fuse box (which is good) but are there any other fuses or anything like that that you found on your furnace?
Is there a control board anywhere?
I did have trouble getting the fridge to run on propane this year I think because there was air in the line. So now I am wondering if the furnace is locked out some way from having air in the line.
Any guidance you could give would be appreciated.
Thank you for your videos they are very helpful.
First thing I would do is to light the stove to ensure propane is flowing properly. This should bleed the line. Next, if you have a Dometic CT thermostat, pull the faceplate, wait 15-20 seconds and put the faceplate back on. This will reset the thermostat. Here is a link to the CT Thermostat video if you are not sure if you have the same thermostat: th-cam.com/video/HhT5v0i2vVo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=H13NIdGyjsNG9QW_
Is it possible to have installed the sail switch incorrectly? I have a new sail switch I installed but it still didn’t fix the problem and it won’t ignite still but not sure if there was a way I possibly did it wrong?
If it is easy to access, I would pull it and take a look. I had a large piece of fuzz stuck in mine keeping it from closing. Worth inspecting. Not sure why there is no filter on the furnace intake to stop this, so if the compartment where the furnace sits has any debris, it could get pulled into the furnace and clog the sail switch.
Totally off topic but we have a new Rpod 179 and don’t know how to work the TV..how do I connect it to my phone or be able to watch downloaded movies. Any help would be greatly apprecia
I always travel with an Apple TV and hook it up to my Starlink router to stream content. Before Starlink I would use a Verizon 8800L Cellular MiFi or my iPhone’s hotspot. Hope this helps!
John I don’t understand why the outside housing plate had to be removed?
I didn’t see anything from your heater extending to the plate and attached to it? Doesn’t it just slip in and out of the hole?
I pulled the external exhaust plate as this is what I saw on the videos that I researched. It may be worth avoiding this, as it would save considerable time (and caulk). However, I can't promise it won't cause some issue that I avoided by pulling the plate. All the best!
John, my Dad's thermostat cycles through the ac part fine,but it doesn't show him anything concerning the furnace. I am quite a distant from him,so hard for me to be of much help from here. Any thoughts?
If it is a dometic thermostat, have him try a reset by carefully pulling the faceplate, waiting 15-20 seconds, then reseating the faceplate on the thermostat. This should reset the unit.
So this just happened to me last night and my 243 bullet. I'm curious why you had to take off the exhaust plate on the outside? It seems to me that if it's just a slip joint, couldn't you just pull the furnace out and put it back in exactly where it goes? Mine is a 2021 and the only difference is that they have raised the furnace so that you would just pull it straight out instead of out and up like yours. Thanks for any feedback you can give me
I tried to not take mine off and because of the angle of my unit I couldn't get it seated back properly. If you don't have to remove the exhaust and can reseat the furnace, I'd leave it. Great question. Thanks!
@@JohnMarucci Got it. saved the day. still getting pretty cool at night in Oregon. Thanks
I have a crossroads sunset... Same issue... I'm furious I need to remove this furnace.. on a 2019 model- easy access should have been a must have.. dometic hot water heaters with crappy circuit boards and now a crappy dometic furnace.. I wonder if dometic has had any lawsuits from people almost freezing to death in the winter due to their negligence in manufacturing crappy products that are designed to fail when you need them most.
It is a very frustrating issue to have besides being dangerous. I changed my sail switch right before a big cold spell. It would have been rough without the furnace. Lack of easy access speaks volumes to how cheap the manufacturers can be. It is a very easy fix if access is easy. All the best!
Great tutorial, but to me that didn’t look like too bad do a job and I personally would rather not have an access panel on the outside. More of a chance for leaks or entry for pests.
Good point, fewer holes in the outside the better. The job wasn't too difficult, just a bit of awkward lifting of the unit.
Seems like the sail switch is the number one problem for RV Furnaces. Dometic had a whole slew of them with this issue, and as a result some $1,200 furnaces are selling for $400--pretty sad for a reputable company like Dometic. Seems like it's well worth the time to install the access door. On My old Atwood everything was right up front, but seems like so many of the Dometics that is reversed and you get access to everything from the outside. Admittedly it's a pretty large hole to cut into your RV. It does seem like the area where the sail switch is is pretty small, and just wondering if there's some type of rubber grommet or small access door that could be used instead of the monster hole you typically have to cut?
The fact that manufacturers don't add an access door to change this part is problematic. It is very easy to do.
Electric tower heaters are the way to go.
I do have an electric foot heater I use during the day but not at night. If it gets down to high 20's it means pretty cold temps in the trailer with no propane furnace. All the best!
huh didnt know there was an on off switch on top only accessible from under fridge
Glad the video showed this. It is way in the back and you need to be careful to remember to switch it back on when reinstalling the unit.
@@JohnMarucci im wondering if mine is off replaced the board and the control relay and nada
It could be.
@@JohnMarucci ended up looking where the switch is there is just a hole .. no switch on top