Help!!! Furnace?????

[sandrooney]

On my way home to Colorado and stuck in Abilene Texas with bad weather. My furnace won't stay lit. I can hear the fan start then hear the furnace light then it shuts back off then trys again but just won't stay lit. Help please we are cold.

[suenmike]

Your circuitboard is probably wet, we had a similar situation. What I did was remove the side cover where the furnace is on the outside of the camper. You have to dry the circuitboard whether it be with some sort of air blowing type compressor or towels, you must get the circuitboard dry. Now before you do this you have to turn the circuit button to the off position, it’s right in the area of the circuitboard. You can also use a hair dryer. Just be very careful as water and electric do not mix, and it would be advisable not to do this while it is raining outside. There is a recall on this, but it is not going to help you at this time obviously. One more thing, to use the hairdryer, you must have the generator running. Good luck

[sandrooney]

Thanks I will take a look when it gets light out.

[suenmike]

Just keep the hairdryer blowing on the circuit board, you will eventually clear up the water and allow full ignition of the furnace. move the dryer all around the board, especially underneath it.

[JimOIB]

And go to Walmart and get a space heater for just this situation. They are less than $50.00. I have an oil filled 1500W one and many folks like the ceramic ones - fielders choice. I use mine when ever I’m hooked to shore power to save on propane.

[paulwadley]

One last thing is to double check that you have propane in your tank.


Paul

[sandrooney]

I have propane and a small space heater. Walmart is first on my list for today for a bigger space heater. It did all of a sudden just start working again.
Maybe it dried out or had some dirt in the system some place. I love it when things fix themselves.
Thanks a lot for the help.

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by paulwadley

One last thing is to double check that you have propane in your tank.
Paul

"double check" meaning it was the first thing that was checked, right?

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by sandrooney

I have propane and a small space heater. Walmart is first on my list for today for a bigger space heater. It did all of a sudden just start working again.
Maybe it dried out or had some dirt in the system some place. I love it when things fix themselves.
Thanks a lot for the help.

https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f8...ems-10968.html
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f4...ace-17181.html
https://www.thorforums.com/forums/f8...rea-14931.html

[sandrooney]

I knew I had propane. I had just checked it.

[Bob Denman]

Glad to see that it has mysteriously started working again for you!

[vkb]

Originally Posted by jimbo12

And go to Walmart and get a space heater for just this situation. They are less than $50.00. I have an oil filled 1500W one and many folks like the ceramic ones - fielders choice. I use mine when ever I’m hooked to shore power to save on propane.

YES !! we agree with you ! We have a small ceramic space heater which we use on cold nights, when hooked up to shore power, and it has served us well....in addition...it does come in handy, when you run out of propane !
Weird happenstance...shows that can occur too !

[Pete'sMH]

Please decide to purchase a quality space heater. We used a cheap cube shaped ceramic heater for some time. It caught fire one morning sitting on our dinette table! Fortunately we were right there to deal with it but we had often left it unattended while we were outside or sometimes even while sleeping. I smashed it so that nobody would try to use it and tossed it in the dumpster. Bought a nice high quality oil filled one and feel safe now. $130 vs $35 but lesson learned!

[Lt Keefer]

I've been using those wally world cube ceramic heaters for a long time. I have 4 or 5 of them floating around the camper, workshop and bathrooms in the house. You have any idea why yours caught on fire?

[OldWEB]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

I've been using those wally world cube ceramic heaters for a long time. I have 4 or 5 of them floating around the camper, workshop and bathrooms in the house. You have any idea why yours caught on fire?

Ceramic heaters would be the safer way to go, their design would not allow them to get hot enough to burn paper. BUT the wiring or thermostat is another story... and troubles with those things can apply to high-end heaters too. Then there is the old outlet it is plugged into or the cheap "power bar" being used... with fingers always pointing to the cheap heater when things go wrong.

[Pete'sMH]

Originally Posted by Lt Keefer

I've been using those wally world cube ceramic heaters for a long time. I have 4 or 5 of them floating around the camper, workshop and bathrooms in the house. You have any idea why yours caught on fire?

My fire appears to have been in the area of the switch but I didn’t take it apart and study it. I had a different one years ago that worked perfectly for ages. No doubt that mine was a one off event but it was a very cheap Chinese model and it certainly was a failure on the part of the heater. I like my new oil filled one but stand by my caution. Whatever you buy don’t just look for the cheapest thing you can find. And maybe follow the instructions which almost certainly will say not to leave it unattended. Your results may vary, but mine scared me quite a bit!

[OldWEB]

"I smashed it" - to ME that is taking apart
I am naturally curious and would have tried to discern the reason for failure, just ME.
And the fact I am cheap and thought I may be able to fix it... always to the chagrin of the DW

[Popfla]

Originally Posted by sandrooney

It did all of a sudden just start working again.
Maybe it dried out or had some dirt in the system some place. I love it when things fix themselves.

My experience is quite different. When I have problems like that, they mysteriously solve themselves at the exact moment I try to show the service tech at the shop that "...this %$&@# thing doesn't work".