Furnace not working first time out.

[mrbreeze_az]

Furnace not working first time out. It was a hundred degrees when I did the walkthrough.I dont remember if the guy showed me the operation. I have a suburban furnace. Not sure if I need to do anything at the furnace before I try to use it. I turned the thermostat to high heat but nothing. No blower or anything. What Am I missing? Something simple I hope.

[hohenwald48]

mrbreeze az wrote:


My original post stated the blower did not come on. Maybe if you read it carefully my information wouldn't seem so "vague".

Sorry I missed that. Good luck with your troubleshooting.

[mrbreeze_az]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
OK.....

It works as explained in prior post
RV Furnace (Suburban/Atwood) basically work the same....same type of components, same safety features, same circuit paths. Not much difference regardless of WHAT trailer they are installed in.



Turn it ON
Highest setting on t-stat (warmer)

DC goes from DC Dist Panel where the fuses are to furnace and to t-stat

When t-stat Clicks DC goes from t-stat to furnace circuit board and allows the DC from fuse to go to fan motor.

Until fan comes on NOTHING else will happen

Furnace is directly opposite the furnace vents on drivers side of trailer.

You need DC to furnace.....simple as that

What is inside that panel below fridge?
Is it the AC Circuit breakers/DC fuse Panel or is it the furnace access?
What Suburban Furnace MODEL??????

Answer question and help can be provided.

Otherwise.take it to dealer for warranty work

The trailer is in storage but I am pretty sure the furnace is behind one of two service panels below fridge and stove. I checked the fuse for the furnace at the power center and it is good. I will try your suggestions this weekend and see if I can save a warranty trip. Thanks for your help.

[Old-Biscuit]

OK.....

It works as explained in prior post
RV Furnace (Suburban/Atwood) basically work the same....same type of components, same safety features, same circuit paths. Not much difference regardless of WHAT trailer they are installed in.



Turn it ON
Highest setting on t-stat (warmer)

DC goes from DC Dist Panel where the fuses are to furnace and to t-stat

When t-stat Clicks DC goes from t-stat to furnace circuit board and allows the DC from fuse to go to fan motor.

Until fan comes on NOTHING else will happen

Furnace is directly opposite the furnace vents on drivers side of trailer.

You need DC to furnace.....simple as that

What is inside that panel below fridge?
Is it the AC Circuit breakers/DC fuse Panel or is it the furnace access?
What Suburban Furnace MODEL??????

Answer question and help can be provided.

Otherwise.take it to dealer for warranty work

[mrbreeze_az]

Sorry...It's been a long day.

I am not really asking for a diagnosis. I asked if I was missing something. Maybe a simple solution because I did not get the operation explained on the walk through. I don't want to haul it back to the dealer if I missed something simple. This is the first unit I have owned that did not have the heat blow right from the furnace cover. Maybe another owner of the Salem 261BHXL (or similar)could let me know how theirs works? Thanks again!

[pira114]

There's too many variables to diagnose it over the internet. And we'd need you to actually try some of the suggestions and report back what happened.

Or.....you could just take it back since it's brand new and have it repaired/replaced under warranty.

If you don't want to do that, fine. But lose the attitude. Yes, people often miss things while reading through posts. But you're the one asking for help. A little patience would be appropriate on your part. Especially if you have an easy option you refuse to take

[mrbreeze_az]

hohenwald48 wrote:
In order to get assistance you are going to have to try things and report back. Your description of the problem is a little vague. When you turn the thermostat to heat does the fan come on?

Normal operation is turn thermostat to "ON", turn thermostat to "HEAT" set fan to "AUTO". Adjust temperature to a point where it should call for heat. After a few seconds the fan should come on but no heat will be produced. After about 30 seconds of just fan operation the furnace will ignite. It will still take several seconds before you will actually feel heat being produced as the interior of the furnace and the duct work will have to come up to temperature before warm air will come out of the ducts.

You really need to give us some clues if you want help. I don't even know what "high heat" means. Most thermostats have a numerical setting that approximates the desired temperature. Perhaps you mean you have the fan speed set to high??

My original post stated the blower did not come on. Maybe if you read it carefully my information wouldn't seem so "vague". Here is what the thermostat looks like.


There are no other visible furnace controls. The furnace is not even visible.
When I slide the lever from the off position it clicks. This does not seem to be anything but the switch clicking to the "on position". High heat meant the warmer position of the switch.

[hohenwald48]

In order to get assistance you are going to have to try things and report back. Your description of the problem is a little vague. When you turn the thermostat to heat does the fan come on?

Normal operation is turn thermostat to "ON", turn thermostat to "HEAT" set fan to "AUTO". Adjust temperature to a point where it should call for heat. After a few seconds the fan should come on but no heat will be produced. After about 30 seconds of just fan operation the furnace will ignite. It will still take several seconds before you will actually feel heat being produced as the interior of the furnace and the duct work will have to come up to temperature before warm air will come out of the ducts.

You really need to give us some clues if you want help. I don't even know what "high heat" means. Most thermostats have a numerical setting that approximates the desired temperature. Perhaps you mean you have the fan speed set to high??

[mrbreeze_az]

Thanks for the responses.
The click at the thermostat is the switch clicking from the off position. I always open valves slowly. The furnace is not exposed. It is ducted heat. There are a couple of panels below the fridge and stove. I'm guessing it is accessed behind one of them. The trailer is back in storage now. Still looking for answers. I hate the idea of taking it back to the dealer. Heard too many horror stories

[Old-Biscuit]

OK .....click at t-stat (has DC power) but no fan/no nothing at furnace

Then you need to check at furnace for an 'on/off---circuit breaker switch'
It has a manual reset.

(Should be 12V DC at switch....check with meter)

From that switch DC goes to circuit board to a 'blower control circuit' and from there to fan motor.

Pull connectors on circuit board....check for any bent pins and then reconnect making sure connectors go on tight.

Try to fire off furnace again.
No go.

Then WARRANTY

[turbojimmy]

I completely missed the fact that this is a brand new rig. Take it back! It should just fire right up. My advice about the thermostat assumed an older unit.

[bob213]

If this is the first time you are going to use it and you do manage to get it to run, keep in mind that it is going to stink. You will be burning off the oils from production and you will probably set off your smoke alarms. Open some windows just in case. Best place for first run is in your driveway.
Good luck getting it going.

[fairfaxjim]

If the fan doesn't come on shortly after the thermostat "clicks", it is not a propane problem, but could be:


1. No 12 VDC to the furnace. Check for blown 12 VDC fuse in converter. Use multi-meter to check for 12VDC at furnace terminal block. (Yep, they miss a wire connection now and then.)If connection ok but no 12 VDC could be blown/missing fuse or bad/missing connection at converter fuse panel.
2. Thermostat not "ON", not connected or defective. Make sure thermostat is "ON" if there is an ON/OFF switch. Check connection of the wires going into the thermostat from the furnace and operate the thermostat to highest heat. You may or may not hear a very faint "click" when it closes the contacts. If fan doesn't come on shortly, jumper/short the two wires coming from the furnace. Fan should come on shortly and after the pre-purge period, the burner should light.
3. Bad control board in furnace. If 12 VDC at furnace and blower doesn't start after shorting two thermostat wires together, control board may be defective. Warranty time.

Actually the fact that it doesn't work in a new rig means it's a warranty item, but getting dealers these days to do warranty work can be a major problem, not to mention getting the trailer to/from the dealer.

[Dr_Quick]

Generally when you set furnace to call for heat, there is a delay for several seconds before the blower will start running, and if everything is OK burner should come on.
On my most recent trip I learned the hard way about propane flow. There is a special flow valve in the pigtail where it connects to the tank, and if you turn gas on too fast it restricts the flow of gas. System "thinks" that there is a major leak. If this happens stove will work, as it does not need a large flow to work. My stove worked, but he furnace would not.
To correct the problem turn off both tanks, light stove until it goes out. Now turn on gas valves SLOWLY to reset valve, and see if furnace will work.

[turbojimmy]

When you say "nothing" do you really mean nothing or no heat?

If there's no fan despite a "click" from the thermostat then there's a good chance it's the thermostat itself (assuming the furnace fuse is good). That's how mine failed. It would intermittently not call for heat despite the "click" until one day it stopped working completely.

Depending on the type of thermostat, you may be able to jump across the terminals to see if the furnace runs.

If other things are happening, like flame but no fan or fan but no flame then further diagnosis is required.

[pira114]

Forgot to add:

Read your user manual for the furnace. It may actually say to wait several seconds between each try. And if you start smelling propane, stop and let the rig air out. That smell means it's not a new thermocouple issue.