Good morning all. We are wanting to go camping the New Years weekend. Here in the midwest, it will be cold. The last camp out the furnace would not light. The bloser works, can hear the spark trying to light the gas, it goes through the 3 tries before going into default. Have plenty of propane to the furnance. When we bought the rig, the furnance didn't not work. Pulled the unit and clean the ofifice at the pilot and it worked fine all these years. Found a spider web over the top of the orifice. I usually fire up the furnance and the water heater and the propane burner on the fridge once a month to burn out any critters. For some reason I forgot to do this for a number of months durning late summer and fall. I am thinking that just maybe another web may be the problem. The question: If I remember correctly, there are a few screws that you take out and can remove the unit from the housing, leaving the cabinet in place, the cabinet has the duct work attached to it. I was wondering if anyone can tell me the general location of these screws. Or am I remembering wrong?Thank you for any info that you can share.Life is a trip, ENJOY the ride.Safe Travels.

Should be a single screw, centered at the bottom. There is actually a single screw on the inside, and a single on the outside- depending on whether you have an exterior access door. We usually remove the screw you cannot get to (if that makes sense at all).

Thanks a lot Chris. That is what I remembered. But wasn't sure, or maybe I had remembered some other rig I had. I will tackle it tomorrow, when its going to be warmer outside. Sure hope its a web, then it will be a simple fix.Thanks again.Life is a trip, ENJOY the ride.Safe Travels.

If cleaning doesn't work, you may need a circuit board. That's what our furnace did when the circuit board went bad. From reading forums, sail switch and ignitor are other items that can create problems too.

Don't start throwing parts at it....circuit boards etc.Typically it is a simple issue.DirtyDC voltagePropane pressureSpark positionClean it and try it...........the 3 attempts means it is getting DC to circuit board, circuit board is sending DC power to gas valve/ignitor....it just isn't lighting off.That could be dirty/obstructed burner......or spark positionHERE is a guide

Thanks doxiemom11, for the ideas. First thing will check to see if it needs to be cleaned then start from there.Life is a trip, ENOY the ride.Safe Travels.

SUBURBAN SF 30 FURNANCE | Good Sam Community

11 Replies

woodworker414
Explorer
Dec 16, 2014
Thanks Chris, my buddy says he did. I will have to check again, this time much closer look.
Life is a trip, ENJOY the ride.
safe Travels.
Chris_Bryant
Explorer II
Dec 16, 2014
Did you check the orifice? That nearly always is the problem when you have spark and can smell the propane- the orifice will be partially clogged.
woodworker414
Explorer
Dec 15, 2014
Look at the furnace this afternoon, with my buddy since he can see and I have serious vision issue. Pull the combustion chamber out the main burner was a little dirty so he cleaned that. Check al the electrical connections, all seemed fine. The blower runs, we can hear the ignitor working, and we can smell propane when the unit goes through its 3 attempts to ignite. But it does not ignite.
What are we missing?
the sound we hear, that we think is the ignitor, is it the ignitor or is it the coil that sends the charge to the ignitor. I presume that is a coil. We know that it works becaouse my buddy got his thumb on it and it about knock him to the other side of the driveway. Well he didn't do that a second time.
Any ideas? To us it should ignite. But we are missing something here.
Thanks in advance for any info you can share.
Life is a trip, ENJOY the ride.
Safe Travels.
woodworker414
Explorer
Dec 13, 2014
Hi N3YMY, thanks for the tips. I am waiting for my buddy to get here. He ahs the good eyes. I will relay what you said.
Life is a trip, ENJOY the ride.
Safe Travels.
N3YMY
Explorer
Dec 13, 2014
Had similar issues.

In the end it was just two things:

Poor pressure due to a bad regulator (I have two)

Oxidized contact on the over temp sensor

The sensor is right down front after you remove the access panel on the side AWAY from the circuit board and blower.

The way to test for the sensor as an issue is to short the two contacts when the thermostat calls for heat. If it ignites, the sensor is likely the problem.

For me, cycling the connector on a off a few times and then crimping it to make it tighter was all that was needed.

That was 5 years ago.

No problems since...
woodworker414
Explorer
Dec 12, 2014
Thanks oldbiscuit, I will keep the guide. I am not one of those that starts throwing parts at something that doesn't work. I want to find out what is wrong and only replace that part it that is the problem.
Life is a trip, ENJOY the ride.
Safe Travels.
woodworker414
Explorer
Dec 12, 2014
Thanks doxiemom11, for the ideas. First thing will check to see if it needs to be cleaned then start from there.
Life is a trip, ENOY the ride.
Safe Travels.
Old-Biscuit
Explorer III
Dec 12, 2014
Don't start throwing parts at it....circuit boards etc.

Typically it is a simple issue.
Dirty
DC voltage
Propane pressure
Spark position

Clean it and try it...........the 3 attempts means it is getting DC to circuit board, circuit board is sending DC power to gas valve/ignitor....it just isn't lighting off.
That could be dirty/obstructed burner......or spark position

HERE is a guide
doxiemom11
Explorer II
Dec 12, 2014
If cleaning doesn't work, you may need a circuit board. That's what our furnace did when the circuit board went bad. From reading forums, sail switch and ignitor are other items that can create problems too.
woodworker414
Explorer
Dec 12, 2014
Thanks a lot Chris. That is what I remembered. But wasn't sure, or maybe I had remembered some other rig I had. I will tackle it tomorrow, when its going to be warmer outside. Sure hope its a web, then it will be a simple fix.
Thanks again.
Life is a trip, ENJOY the ride.
Safe Travels.