Heater Operation

erod

erod

Senior Member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
664
hey all, well i feel pretty silly asking this one but what better place...tried to fire up the heater last night and couldn't get any heat. it was just blowing cold air? i have used it before in may but couldn't remember the steps we took to get it running...my manuals are all deep in storage...what are the steps you guys take, in order, when you fire that up? turn gas on outside, turn gas on inside, flip breaker, turn on switch on thermostat...silly question but i need to get it figured out by tonight...the snow is on the way :D !

also, drained the battery last night when i left it running...not all night but for like an hour thinking it would eventually "warm up". bummer...need to get dual batts asap! thanks in advance...oh yea, it a 92-93' ranger II. cheers
 
erod,

The heater should fire with the thermostat, electric, and gas turned on. The fan comes on first and the unit fires as soon as it gets gas, usually 20 to 30 seconds. I usually fire the heater to draw gas to the refrigerator before lighting it because the heater draws gas much faster and is behind the fridge in the gas piping. I'd try pulling the outside cover and checking out the combustion area for dirt, bugs, etc. around the burner area. I know this really isn't much help but I'm sure Ben, Stan, or other members can add more.
Good Luck.
 
erod,
What I do is pretty much the same as DLN. Do you hear the igniter ticking when you turn on the heater? You will hear the fan running first then there should be a ticking sound from the igniter when it tries to get the furnace start.

Alex
 
thanks guys! didn't here the igniter, maybe i should check that area for obstruction (will do)...i have an ice box so no interference from the fridge propane. one thing i forgot to ask is, does the gas valve on the inside need to be open? its the valve i turn on to use the stove...thanks again, stoked to get this figured out! cheers!
 
On my ATC Bobcat, there is only 1 valve, the one on the propane tank, to control the propane. The igniter should still try to ignite the furnace even there is no propane. Oh, just something obvious, use soapy water to check if there is propane flowing/leak. I use 409 cause I'm lazy. :D
 
What model furnace? Depending on the model...

Check battery voltage...if the voltage is low, the fan does not turn fast enough to generate enough airflow to tell the circuit board to open the gas valve and try to light.

Insect infestation (wasp nest, etc. in the combustion chamber or intake and exhaust tubes) will generate the same symptom.
 
What model furnace? Depending on the model...

Check battery voltage...if the voltage is low, the fan does not turn fast enough to generate enough airflow to tell the circuit board to open the gas valve and try to light.

Insect infestation (wasp nest, etc. in the combustion chamber or intake and exhaust tubes) will generate the same symptom.

good stuff njtaco, thanks...
 
My heater didn't kick on the last time I tried it. My aux battery was also low on charge. I didn't put 2 & 2 together then, but that makes sense. I had plenty of propane, enough to make coffee on the stove, but I was not able to get warm air to generate from the vent.

I open the propane bottle 1/4 of a turn and then open the red valve inside before turning on the thermostat. I just assumed that was how it worked. When the heat didn't come on I figured I needed the heater serviced, now I'm thinking it may have been the low battery.

FWIW, I picked up a small trickle charger at NAPA and I use that for a day or two before heading out to charge my battery. I don't know if you have anywhere you can plug in a trickle charger during the day right now, but that's an option.

We got snow today too. Thanks for sending it my way!
 
Well, is yours electronic ignition? Not sure when they started using those. If its not you'll have to manually light the pilot light. I usually light the stove first just to help get a little gas going through the lines.
 
one thing i forgot to ask is, does the gas valve on the inside need to be open? its the valve i turn on to use the stove...

Yes....
 
Heater

Sounds like everyone covered everything for you. The valve on the inside of the camper does have to be turned on. If you ran the battery down that low, it probably will not ignite the heater.

Last but not least, you may have a line plugged by a wasp or spider who crawled in while it was not in use.

Really sounds like one of the first two is your problem though.
 
Hey Erod

the low battery could be part of the problem.

when the camper battery power is too low, the ignitor will usually not light.

I have not seen that very often on the older Atwood furnaces, but seems pretty common on the newer Suburban furnaces (your furnace should be an Atwood, or similar brand).

YES, make sure your propane lines are on. Turn the tank on outside, and open the "in-line" valve in your cabinets.

If you can light your stove using propane, the furnace should be getting propane too.

Another trick to try -- just to see if it might be low battery power, go out and start your truck and leave the truck running. Hop back in the camper and then try and start the furnace. If it was low battery power, in theory it should start right up.

hope this helps ...



hey all, well i feel pretty silly asking this one but what better place...tried to fire up the heater last night and couldn't get any heat. it was just blowing cold air? i have used it before in may but couldn't remember the steps we took to get it running...my manuals are all deep in storage...what are the steps you guys take, in order, when you fire that up? turn gas on outside, turn gas on inside, flip breaker, turn on switch on thermostat...silly question but i need to get it figured out by tonight...the snow is on the way :D !

also, drained the battery last night when i left it running...not all night but for like an hour thinking it would eventually "warm up". bummer...need to get dual batts asap! thanks in advance...oh yea, it a 92-93' ranger II. cheers



.
 

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Something that's come up recently on other RV groups is that with the new OPD valves on the LP tanks, if some are turned on too rapidly, the valve thinks it has a open, overflow, condition and shuts itself off (a friend of mine has exactly this problem on a BBQ grill). If all else fails, try turning it off and then slowly turning it back on again.

Here's that link again for building your own gas pressure tester:

http://www.rverscorner.com/articles/manometer.html
 
My heater didn't kick on the last time I tried it. My aux battery was also low on charge. I didn't put 2 & 2 together then, but that makes sense. I had plenty of propane, enough to make coffee on the stove, but I was not able to get warm air to generate from the vent.

I open the propane bottle 1/4 of a turn and then open the red valve inside before turning on the thermostat. I just assumed that was how it worked. When the heat didn't come on I figured I needed the heater serviced, now I'm thinking it may have been the low battery.

FWIW, I picked up a small trickle charger at NAPA and I use that for a day or two before heading out to charge my battery. I don't know if you have anywhere you can plug in a trickle charger during the day right now, but that's an option.

We got snow today too. Thanks for sending it my way!

kc, pretty much the same issue i am having...fired up mr buddy last night...he always come through :D ! i'll let you know, what, if anything, i find out. i am thinking its the battery, great trouble shooting ideas...thanks again everyone!
 
I have had some experience with this style heater in a friends fish house. When the battery would get low the furnace would not light. Made for a few long and cold nights until he found the problem. It had enough power to run the fan but in the end it would not fire the furnace. It actually would shut the furnace off like the thermostat had been met. After the fan quit it apparently had enough time to get a residual charge to try again. Make sure the voltage is up. The same goes for the fridges also.
 
Hey Guys,

I'm having the exact same problem w/ my furnace. I have a '93 Ranger II that I recently bought. It had the main external wire set that goes from the axillary battery to the house electrical bank cut so I did a test w/ my fully charged new AGM battery. Both sets of ceiling lights work, the water pump works, the fridge works off of propane and so does the stove. The thermostat works (I can hear it click when I move the lever over as it passes the ambient temperature) and the blower comes on and shuts off w/ the proper 30-60 second time delay when the thermostat is set. BUT NO HEAT!!!!!:mad: I tried three different times in close succession like it describes in the Atwood manual and everything worked as it should but NO HEAT!

So I know it is not b/c of a low battery and based on previous posts in this thread it could be due to wasp/spider in the gas line? How do you check that out? Is my only option to take it in to be serviced somewhere? Any help would be great!
 
Hey Guys,

I'm having the exact same problem w/ my furnace. I have a '93 Ranger II that I recently bought. It had the main external wire set that goes from the axillary battery to the house electrical bank cut so I did a test w/ my fully charged new AGM battery. Both sets of ceiling lights work, the water pump works, the fridge works off of propane and so does the stove. The thermostat works (I can hear it click when I move the lever over as it passes the ambient temperature) and the blower comes on and shuts off w/ the proper 30-60 second time delay when the thermostat is set. BUT NO HEAT!!!!!:mad: I tried three different times in close succession like it describes in the Atwood manual and everything worked as it should but NO HEAT!

So I know it is not b/c of a low battery and based on previous posts in this thread it could be due to wasp/spider in the gas line? How do you check that out? Is my only option to take it in to be serviced somewhere? Any help would be great!


Something worth mentioning...there is a 4-prong connector to the circuit board. You need to make sure there is 12V to the board when the fan is running. Also, clean the copper connections on the board with a pencil eraser and put it back together and try it. The connections are usually: 12V +, 12V -, 12V to gas valve, and on some, a "sense" wire to tell the board the furnace is lit.

If the ignitor is trying to light (hear it clicking?) then check the voltage at the gas valve (should be 12V.)

It is not uncommon for the boards to go bad. Price around for the "Dinosaur" brand replacements. Good warranty, and generally a quality product.

Above all, every thing above (except the Dinosaur part) is in the service manual. Try to find one online, or call the manufacturer for every appliance in the camper. They come in handy...

Bob
 
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