Help with my new (to me) Caribou

[jriggs10]

Hey there helpful camper crew! We went on our first camping trip last weekend and I had a couple of questions about our '98 Caribou camper.

Hot water heater- The pilot light fires up but no hot water, not sure if there is a valve that I didn't turn on to get hot water to the tank maybe?

Refrigerator- I had it on gas, and when we were travelling, it turned off, is there a different way to travel and keep it on? It looks like it runs on gas or 12v (I am assuming that means the electricity when it is plugged in?)

Gas forced air heater- When I got the camper, the fuse for the heater was blown, I replaced it and turned on the thermostat and nothing happened... I thought there would be a place to light the pilot light, but there is nothing on the outside of the camper or where the grate comes off.

Storage- There are four storage compartments that go into the bed of the truck. Best idea of things to store in there? Also, Not sure where to store fishing poles/shovels/etc.

Thanks again all for your help!!

Jeff and family

[Dewclaw]

I tried running the fridge on 12V once and arrived in camp with a very low battery. I don't think that I ever tried it again. As best I remember, the fridge is electronic ignition rather than a pilot and lights as needed, but I'm not sure. You can pull the outside cover off the fridge and watch the flame to see what is happening.

Try removing the plastic drain plug from the water heater and having someone watch for water coming out while you try the various valves. That will be a faster way of finding the right combination. Don't over tighten it when you replace it. 🙂

[jriggs10]

Thanks Dewclaw! Very helpful, did you ever try and run the fridge on electric while you traveled or just restarted it? I just don't know if it is bad for the pilot light to continue to try and light. I am sure I just haven't turned on the right valves for the hot water heater, seems like there are a ton of valves! Thanks again

Jeff

[Dewclaw]

We had a 98 Caribou that we bought new and loved until the Oregon rain got the best of it.

First trip out the furnace did not work, at all. It was the circuit board, which was replaced under warranty. That could be the problem with yours, especially if it does not even "click" to indicate that it's trying to function.

Also had to replace the circuit board for the hot water heater, but that is not your problem since it fires up. Turn on the hot water tap in the sink and see if water comes out. If not, there is no water in the hot water tank.

The fridge would blow out while traveling, especially if the wind was blowing. I just hopped into the camper and checked it whenever we stopped, and turned it back on if needed.

If you do need a new circuit board, I had good luck with those made by Dinosaur Electronics.

[jriggs10]

Thanks all, I will dust off the voltmeter and see what it says!

[thetroutman4]

x2 on what Steve said. Check out your thermostat first. My mechanical thermostat contacts were not making good connection and resulted in same symptoms you have. Check both the temp setting contacts as well as the on/off switch contacts if applicable. You could jumper around the switches to check them. Since there is no apparent reaction from the heater, I would first blame the easiest thing: Thermostat.

[805gregg]

If your heater is an Attwood Everest, there is a shut off switch under the front cover, a piece of aluminum with a bend to attach it to the bottom and covering the burner will stop the burner blow outs.

[PRodacy]

Most likely problem with the heater is a bad thermocouple. They tend to corrode, and then they won't let the gas valve open. Replacing one is very easy and inexpensive. If you want to check to see if yours is good, take it out and connect a voltmeter to the leads. Heat the end and see if you get any voltage. Depending on the type of thermocouple, you should get a few millivolts. The color of the leads will tell you the type of thermocouple you have ( probably a type K). Omega and other manufacturers have charts showing this info as well as telling you how much voltage you should get as a function of temperature. Now that it's out, I'd replace it even if it looked good.

[billyray50]

Hi Jeff,

Regarding the fridge my 98 Lance was blowing out too on the road. Did some research and found out for me the wind was blowing it out on the highway. I simply gorilla duct taped two of the 3 vents while on the road and fridge stays lit and runs great after 8000 miles. I take off the tape when parked or camping though. Problem solved for me.

[sabconsulting]

Maybe you have a problem with the thermostat or some component in the heater. It may be time to get out the volt meter and check if power is getting to the various components when that thermostat is set to 90 and the switch is on.

I haven't looked at the wiring on those heaters, but there is a delay before the fan comes on and then a delay before the ignitor, then on switch off there is a delay before the fan switches off (undoubtedly to cool the unit down). I don't know if this is all controlled electronically, but the start-up delay on the fan makes me think it might be just via electrolytic capacitors charged / discharged through a resistor providing the time delay (i.e. the start-up delay might be a side-effect of the required shut-down delay). So it could be a capacitor blown on the circuit board.

Steve.

[mike_mck]

I've got a 96 caribou. Fridge is a 3 way. 120, 12volt or gas.
If set on auto it will switch to 12V when your on the road. Not really the best as house battery won't get a good charge while traveling. I set to just gas and let the LP do its job.

Heater well couple questions. Is the thermostat digital?
I've had both digital and mechanical. If digital make sure display is working. If not replace the AAA battery in the thermostat. If mechanical be patient it will come on. If the fan isn't working make sure the house battery has a charge. If fridge is running off 12V house battery is probably not getting a charge while you are driving. Fridge taking way too much juice.
Just my 2 cents

[jriggs10]

Thanks Steve,

I left it on for a long time, but nothing is happening, not clicking, no fan, no blown fuse, it almost feels like there is some switch I am not turning on so gas is getting there. There is an on/off switch to the thermostat and it is on, and turn the lever up over 90 (inside temp is around 70) and still nothing! Any more ideas?

Also found out it is a hydro flame model #7920

[sabconsulting]

Fridge - I used to run my old absorption fridge on 12v when driving, but it draws a lot of current. However, you wouldn't want to accidentally leave it on 12v when you get to camp. My absorption fridge was an old style one with no electronics - if you left the fridge on 12v it would empty your battery until not a drop of electricity was left in it and you would be in the market for a new battery the next day.

Heater - Did you leave it more than a few seconds? On my heater I switch it on with the little switch on the bottom of the thermostat, then set the thermostat (hot enough to turn on), but it takes maybe 20 seconds before the unit responds and the fan starts up. Then it is a number of seconds before the ignitor fires up, and finally it is 30 seconds or more before you notice the air coming out noticeably warm.

Steve.

[jriggs10]

JumboJet wrote:

jriggs10 wrote:
Gas forced air heater- When I got the camper, the fuse for the heater was blown, I replaced it and turned on the thermostat and nothing happened... I thought there would be a place to light the pilot light, but there is nothing on the outside of the camper or where the grate comes off.

First thing that comes to mind - Blower Motor not turning. I have the same situation on a motor home. When I switch the thermostat to heat, it immediately blows a fuse. I have to remove it to check it out.

There are not very many components to the heater. Blower motor, gas valve, ignition device, control board, and sail switch. If the blower motor is not turning, I would check that first. The thermocouple tells the control board that the burner is ignited. The sail switch tells the control board that air is moving through the heater.

When all these are working correctly you have heat.



Thanks again all for your help!!

Jeff and family

I switched it to heat but nothing happened, no blown fuse, no click to indicate that it would turn on the heater, nothing...How would I know if the blower motor is bad? Also, you are saying it doesn't need to be lit? Thanks!

[jriggs10]

~DJ~ wrote:

jriggs10 wrote:
Hey there helpful camper crew! We went on our first camping trip last weekend and I had a couple of questions about our '98 Caribou camper.

I'll give this a shot but it's worth as much as you paid!!

Hot water heater- The pilot light fires up but no hot water, not sure if there is a valve that I didn't turn on to get hot water to the tank maybe?

You may have a water heater bypass for winterization. It is a hose that usually runs along side the tank with 3 valves. One at the top, middle and bottom. Try reversing each valve from it's present position. The top and bottom valve should both be in the same position opposite the middle. If your tank is empty the WH will not heat. Hope this makes sense!!

Refrigerator- I had it on gas, and when we were travelling, it turned off, is there a different way to travel and keep it on? It looks like it runs on gas or 12v (I am assuming that means the electricity when it is plugged in?)

I also had one that the wind, while travelling, would blow out. I just left if off until I reached my destination for the night and re lit. If you run it for a couple days before you leave and get things good and cold should be no problem. The 12 volt is for running it off your camper battery which is a bad idea. Takes more juice than is put in and runs battery dead in an hour.

Gas forced air heater- When I got the camper, the fuse for the heater was blown, I replaced it and turned on the thermostat and nothing happened... I thought there would be a place to light the pilot light, but there is nothing on the outside of the camper or where the grate comes off.

Can't help on this one.


Storage- There are four storage compartments that go into the bed of the truck. Best idea of things to store in there? Also, Not sure where to store fishing poles/shovels/etc.

Pretty much anything that will fit. Good place for small gas cans or the little bottles of propane. I carry a short shovel in there.

Thanks again all for your help!!

Jeff and family

So if I want to keep the fridge going is it ok to switch it to electric while I am traveling because the truck motor is charging the battery?