I think my furnace on my Thor 331W has a disconnected duct

sduff · 02-13-2019, 04:51 AM

While driving my Thor Chateau 31W on a bumpy road I think one of my duct hoses disconnected. Now, I don't get heat to my bathroom or from one of the ducts in our bedroom.

Does anyone have any idea where I can check and see where I can access the hose?

I was going to turn it in for a warranty repair. However, the RV place said that our Good Sam Club extended warranty won't cover a disconnected hose, only a fault with the furnace.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

be happy · 02-13-2019, 10:28 AM

If that's the case most likely the hose became disconnected right at the furnace its self. If you unscrew the large grate that's in front of the furnace you will see all of the duct hoses connected or disconnected. Its a pretty straight forward system.

sduff · 02-13-2019, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by be happy

If that's the case most likely the hose became disconnected right at the furnace its self. If you unscrew the large grate that's in front of the furnace you will see all of the duct hoses connected or disconnected. Its a pretty straight forward system.

be happy,

Thanks...I will check it out! I am learning that you have to do as much work as possible on your coach. The labor rate that these RV technicians charge is ridiculous!

Sk8nmike · 02-23-2019, 12:02 PM

Along with the loose ducts I have a nice tear in mine.

Used the heater for the first time last weekend and noticed that my close in the draws above the heater were nice and warm. Knowing that Thor didn't give me a draw warmer by design I went to investigate. All the ducts were very loose on the air distributor. Used aluminum tape to seal the ducts out and to fix the tear.

BTW anyone know a source for the duct tubing? I'd like to replace the one that's torn..

Dvan · 02-23-2019, 03:12 PM

Your average Home depot/Lowe’s type store has a pretty good selection of HVAC ducting parts

lwmcguire · 02-23-2019, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sduff

be happy,

Thanks...I will check it out! I am learning that you have to do as much work as possible on your coach. The labor rate that these RV technicians charge is ridiculous!

The labor rates are truly getting out of the realm of peoples incomes

Demand apparently is letting them get by with it for the foreseeable future

Around 150 per hour in this area

lwmcguire · 02-23-2019, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8nmike

Along with the loose ducts I have a nice tear in mine.

Used the heater for the first time last weekend and noticed that my close in the draws above the heater were nice and warm. Knowing that Thor didn't give me a draw warmer by design I went to investigate. All the ducts were very loose on the air distributor. Used aluminum tape to seal the ducts out and to fix the tear.

BTW anyone know a source for the duct tubing? I'd like to replace the one that's torn..

On our Landmark I used the three inch wide foil duct tape to make repairs and make some changes. You can improvise a bit as long as it is fireproof

The bath register was so hot you could fry your eggs in there

Tupelo Kid · 02-26-2019, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sduff

While driving my Thor Chateau 31W on a bumpy road I think one of my duct hoses disconnected. Now, I don't get heat to my bathroom or from one of the ducts in our bedroom.

Does anyone have any idea where I can check and see where I can access the hose?

I was going to turn it in for a warranty repair. However, the RV place said that our Good Sam Club extended warranty won't cover a disconnected hose, only a fault with the furnace.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

As Happy said. (added his text)

If that's the case most likely the hose became disconnected right at the furnace its self. If you unscrew the large grate that's in front of the furnace you will see all of the duct hoses connected or disconnected. Its a pretty straight forward system.
__________________
2017 ACE 29.3
Retired and never looked back

This is what I discovered. However, follow the ducts under the couch etc.. and you will see most if not all need to be tightened OR reinstalled all together. Seems heater duct installations (and everything else) takes place on Monday or Friday.

vegasruv24.1 · 02-26-2019, 01:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sk8nmike

Along with the loose ducts I have a nice tear in mine.

Used the heater for the first time last weekend and noticed that my close in the draws above the heater were nice and warm. Knowing that Thor didn't give me a draw warmer by design I went to investigate. All the ducts were very loose on the air distributor. Used aluminum tape to seal the ducts out and to fix the tear.

BTW anyone know a source for the duct tubing? I'd like to replace the one that's torn..

lol.... warm drawers might be nice for winter....

The Gritz Carlton · 02-26-2019, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lwmcguire

The labor rates are truly getting out of the realm of peoples incomes

Demand apparently is letting them get by with it for the foreseeable future

Around 150 per hour in this area

$150/Hour isn't really bad these days...IF they knew what they were doing and "how things work" when it comes in the shop. So much of the bill is research trying to figure out where things are and how they work..because they don't know their products...or how to fix them. Every service type dealer network has an objective of "billed hours" per bay. If they only billed you for the hours they were actively repairing something, it wouldn't be bad.

The_Breeze · 02-26-2019, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Gritz Carlton

$150/Hour isn't really bad these days...IF they knew what they were doing and "how things work" when it comes in the shop. So much of the bill is research trying to figure out where things are and how they work..because they don't know their products...or how to fix them. Every service type dealer network has an objective of "billed hours" per bay. If they only billed you for the hours they were actively repairing something, it wouldn't be bad.

I think the service department bills $150/hr. I think you can bet your behind that's not what the techs see - not even close. And to your point, if they knew what they were doing, it would cost a lot less. 10 minutes to replace a furnace board? $325. Really?

Sk8nmike · 03-06-2019, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBreeze

I think the service department bills $150/hr. I think you can bet your behind that's not what the techs see - not even close. And to your point, if they knew what they were doing, it would cost a lot less. 10 minutes to replace a furnace board? $325. Really?

Service fees on any type of recreational vehicle are over the top, and I'd say that only 1 in 10 Techs really know what they are doing (youtube is their repair manual too). We gotten into RVing after years of Sailing and repairs for both are the same. Do what you can....Seek help from other RV'ers, been involved in more boat repairs while at anchor than at a service dock and YouTube is your friend.

The Gritz Carlton · 03-07-2019, 06:30 PM

Thor factory service is only $100 per hour and they know every every screw in the unit. Really good for those close to factory but expensive for those far away (travel expense). I'll go there anyway...I did in December. Always a good excuse for a road trip. They fixed a list over 12 items long in a day and a half...and did it right! All of mine was under warranty but I'll go there for major service issues even after warranty runs out.

Popfla · 03-07-2019, 10:36 PM

Where is the factory located ? Was it difficult to get an appointment ?

analoguy · 03-08-2019, 12:36 AM

So, when you walk into an RV dealer and say "I am interested in buying a motorhome", and the salesman says "are you good with tools"??

Wouldn't that be refreshing?

Jim

The Gritz Carlton · 03-08-2019, 11:40 AM

Wakarusa, Indiana. Twenty minutes south of Elkhart. Appointments are easy...just call Customer Service and they will forward you to the right shop. There's a waiting list a couple months or so long, but while I was there I saw a few owners drop in for small stuff and they took them in on the spot (they have what they call a "roamer" for this purpose). They provide 50A camp spots at the repair facility for your early arrival. If they say 7AM on a given date...they will knock on your door that moment. We stayed in Elkhart and there's lots of cool things to do. You can also arrange a factory tour during your stay...highly recommended. My experience was second to none.

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