Forum Discussion

joe0508's avatar
joe0508
Explorer
Feb 24, 2014

rv furnace

I have a hydro flame furnace.I have been having a problem when heating my motorhome.The furnace will heat the motorhome until it reaches the temperature the thermostat is set for than the burner will kick off leaving the blower running.It gets colder and colder in the motorhome with no sign of the burner kicking in again.After playing around with my thermostat I noticed that if I take the cover off the thermostat the burner will kick on and off but the blower does too.With the cover on.The furnace will haet the motorhome one time leaving the blower running but never igniting againg.With the cover off it will cycle the blower and igniter on and off equally.
Seeking Advice
  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Feb 25, 2014
    Did you try connecting the wires together, letting the furnace to operate, separate the wires, let it shut down and then connect the wires together again.
  • joe0508's avatar
    joe0508
    Explorer
    Feb 25, 2014
    enblethen wrote:
    Remove the cover from the thermostat. Depending on the model there is two styles of anticipator. One is a bar with a small arm. The arm needs to be about .8. The other style is a small disc with a small screwdriver slot. Turn the arrow to about .8.
    I doubt this is the problem unless the coil is open.
    Did you try connecting the wires together?
    It works as it should with the cover off but with the cover on the blower will kick on as it should than after 5 to 7 sec later the burner will kick in heating the rv.Than the burner will kick off as it should but the blower never stops with no sign of the burner kicking back on.No matter how cold the rv gets.With the cover on the anticipator doesn't open but with it off it does.I think this has something to do with the blower never shutting off.
  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Feb 25, 2014
    Remove the cover from the thermostat. Depending on the model there is two styles of anticipator. One is a bar with a small arm. The arm needs to be about .8. The other style is a small disc with a small screwdriver slot. Turn the arrow to about .8.
    I doubt this is the problem unless the coil is open.
    Did you try connecting the wires together?
  • joe0508's avatar
    joe0508
    Explorer
    Feb 25, 2014
    Would it be possible that the anticipator in the thermostat needs to be adjusted.It is set to the lowest setting.I have no idea how to do this so if someone can give me some details it would be very appreciated.
  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Feb 24, 2014
    Could be a bad thermostat.
    Try removing the cover on the thermostat, locate the two wires, connect them together. The furnace should come on. In 10-15 seconds the burner should ignite. Let it run for 10 minutes or so. Separate the two wires. The burner should shut off, run for 10-20 seconds and then shut down.
    This should tell whether it is in the furnace or the thermostat.
  • steveh27's avatar
    steveh27
    Explorer
    Feb 24, 2014
    My thermostat has a blower switch with "auto" or "On". The auto has it going on & off with the furnace. Yes, the blower runs before the heat & after for a short time. The on has the blower running nonstop.
  • naturist's avatar
    naturist
    Nomad
    Feb 24, 2014
    Firstly, the furnace should run the blower for a time after the burner shuts off to extract the maximum heat possible for the living space.

    Beyond that, I'm baffled that merely taking the t-stat cover off should enable the burner to cycle on and off. Only thing I can think of is that somehow the cover interferes with the contacts. You might look to see if there's any obvious mechanical reason for this. Absent finding such a reason, I'd just replace the thermostat entirely. They are pretty cheap and the job is really simple; couple wires, couple screws, job done.

About RV Tips & Tricks

Looking for advice before your next adventure? Look no further.25,104 PostsLatest Activity: Jan 22, 2025