How many furnaces have failed because of water?

99dart · 05-10-2018, 09:20 PM

We had our furnace checked out at the shop, but it started and ran fine. Our furnace doesn't have the louvers that allow water inside, either. I have an idea to possibly prevent the problem. Neverwet by Rustoleum. I've never used it, but it looks like a cool product. I am thinking of coating the circuit board to waterproof it. I think it should work very nicely. Has anyone else ever used this product on anything?
https://www.amazon.com/Oleum-274232-...words=neverwet

Tearstone · 05-10-2018, 09:28 PM

I ran into this issue and managed to remedy it with caulking cord material that I ran along the edges of the cover to prevent further water penetration. It has been working great!

Link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-Ki...d-B2/100152937

Otherwise, they want you to go to a service center to order a relocation kit so the motherboard sits at an angle for the water to run off. That's unacceptable to me.

JamieGeek · 05-10-2018, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99dart

We had our furnace checked out at the shop, but it started and ran fine. Our furnace doesn't have the louvers that allow water inside, either. I have an idea to possibly prevent the problem. Neverwet by Rustoleum. I've never used it, but it looks like a cool product. I am thinking of coating the circuit board to waterproof it. I think it should work very nicely. Has anyone else ever used this product on anything?
https://www.amazon.com/Oleum-274232-...words=neverwet

I've used neverwet on a pair of boots. It creates a rough texture that the water doesn't stick to. The problem is that surface wears down pretty quickly and it loses its repellent feature.

You also want to make sure it isn't conductive before applying it to a circuit board.

99dart · 05-10-2018, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tearstone

I ran into this issue and managed to remedy it with caulking cord material that I ran along the edges of the cover to prevent further water penetration. It has been working great!

Link: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-Ki...d-B2/100152937

Otherwise, they want you to go to a service center to order a relocation kit so the motherboard sits at an angle for the water to run off. That's unacceptable to me.

I've used that for a sink to drain gaskets, works great.

99dart · 05-11-2018, 12:11 AM

Very good point! I'll try emailing them about that.

DenverTransplant · 05-11-2018, 01:28 AM

I had the same problem with water getting under the circuit board and shorting out a couple of pins. Symptom was that we would come back to camp after a rain storm and find the that blower was running (no burner lit) even with the thermostat off. Sometimes we would see a short cycle with the blower running for a few seconds, shutting off and running again.

Opening up the cover (no lovers), removing the board and drying it (and the puddle under it) would cure the problem until the next rainstorm. I fixed the problem with a strip of butyl tape over the cover flanges and jamming it back in. Hope I don’t have to pull the cover again as I know its going to need some persuading to come off. There was a little bit of foam in the slot that the cover went into, but is was not what I would consider effective weatherproofing.

nosticks · 05-11-2018, 01:37 AM

Had the problem. I fixed it by sealing the body to flange area over the access panel. Not the inside, but the outside.

99dart · 05-11-2018, 05:13 AM

I checked out the FAQ's on the Rustoleum site. "3. Can NeverWet be used on electronics? No, NeverWet should not be used on electronics." I guess I'll go with the suggested fixed you guys used. Thanks for the responses.

JamieGeek · 05-11-2018, 11:06 AM

If you want to cover the circuit board I'd go with a conformal coating product like this one:
CRC Urethane Seal Coat Viscous Liquid Coating, 250 Degree F Maximum Temperature, 11 oz Aerosol Can, Clear (Amazon)

If you do go with that make sure its good and dry before putting the board back into the furnace.

99dart · 05-11-2018, 11:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamieGeek

If you want to cover the circuit board I'd go with a conformal coating product like this one:
CRC Urethane Seal Coat Viscous Liquid Coating, 250 Degree F Maximum Temperature, 11 oz Aerosol Can, Clear (Amazon)

If you do go with that make sure its good and dry before putting the board back into the furnace.

Thanks, that looks like a good product.

Edk · 05-12-2018, 12:42 PM

So if you water proof the PC board, you still haven't taken care of the original problem. The water will still be leaking into the furnace compartment than down inside your MH. Eventually causing mold or rot? Somehow got to stop it from getting in. Just my thoughts. Ejk

99dart · 05-12-2018, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edk

So if you water proof the PC board, you still haven't taken care of the original problem. The water will still be leaking into the furnace compartment than down inside your MH. Eventually causing mold or rot? Somehow got to stop it from getting in. Just my thoughts. Ejk

Very true. I was thinking of water proofing the electronics as a secondary line of defense. But, probably only need to seal the compartment as mentioned above.

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