Furnace Not Working - Troubleshooting Help Please

[RonaldC303]

My furnace is not working. When the thermostat is set to FURN, nothing happens; no blower, no clicking, nothing. The gas is on and the stove lights, the thermostat is set to the correct mode and the temperature is set high enough for the furnace to come on. The 12v fuse is good. I have reset the breaker on the furnace and checked for loose wires.

I am trying to determine whether the problem lies with the furnace or the thermostat. According to the wiring diagram, the blue wires are from the thermostat. How can I test to see if the start signal from the thermostat is reaching the furnace?

Ron

[lewster]

Originally Posted by RonaldC303

My furnace is not working. When the thermostat is set to FURN, nothing happens; no blower, no clicking, nothing. The gas is on and the stove lights, the thermostat is set to the correct mode and the temperature is set high enough for the furnace to come on. The 12v fuse is good. I have reset the breaker on the furnace and checked for loose wires.

I am trying to determine whether the problem lies with the furnace or the thermostat. According to the wiring diagram, the blue wires are from the thermostat. How can I test to see if the start signal from the thermostat is reaching the furnace?

Ron

Connect the blue wires together and your furnace blower should come on, with ignition in about 30 seconds. Also check to be sure that you have 12VDC AT the furnace. If you have 12VDC and you get nothing, you might need a new igniter board. In Atwood furnaces, they are in the upper left corner of the unit. For suburban furnaces, they vary with the model but are generally at the lower left.

Let us know what happens.

[jimmini]

Before buying new igniter board clean the plug to board and clean board connnecters with a eraser.
If you think you need a new board have a RV mechanic check it with his tester it will tell you what is wrong with board if it is bad.new board is about $125.

[Aage]

RonaldC303,

unless you are talking about a trailer other than the one in your profile (2015 28' International), the defect you have discovered should be covered by the Airstream warranty.

If you don't have an authorized dealer close to you, I suggest you call the plant and ask them for help.

[RonaldC303]

Thanks to all that replied to my call for help. First of all, I verified there is 12V power to the furnace. Next I verified that the thermostat is completing the circuit as I have 12V on the return blue wire.

So the blower still does not come on. As suggested I have a call into the factory since the furnace is under warranty. The "good" news is there an Atwood factory service provider about 50 miles away. I say good news because the nearest dealer is over 300 miles away from my location.

Thanks again.

[tsunami]

Having a very similar problem right now. Stopped for the evening, settled in. Turned furnace on, it fired right up and ran for about 5 minutes, then shut off. It did warm the AS, but as it cooled down, the furnace did not automatically kick on. Cranked up the AC/ heat pump and it's working well. Turned thermostat up to 75 degrees when trying to get the furnace to light. No luck. Plenty of propane (water heater works and stove heats water for a cup of tea). Tanks filled before heading out on trip. Would above trouble shooting of blue wires also apply for my 06 Safari? Thanks


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[lewster]

Originally Posted by tsunami

Having a very similar problem right now. Stopped for the evening, settled in. Turned furnace on, it fired right up and ran for about 5 minutes, then shut off. It did warm the AS, but as it cooled down, the furnace did not automatically kick on. Cranked up the AC/ heat pump and it's working well. Turned thermostat up to 75 degrees when trying to get the furnace to light. No luck. Plenty of propane (water heater works and stove heats water for a cup of tea). Tanks filled before heading out on trip. Would above trouble shooting of blue wires also apply for my 06 Safari? Thanks


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It should, but Airstream might have connected different colors to the blue wires coming from your furnace.....AT the furnace. I would look inside a cabinet to see if you can find the wires and verify their color after you locate the blue ones.

[tsunami]

Update: removed front cover on furnace and discovered a switch labeled Off / Reset. Pressed reset, switched thermostat from heat pump to furnace and it fired right up. It's been cycling on/off as it should. As of right now, it's working normally. I'm in Fort Smith AR and the temps are dropping fast and will be in the high 20's over night. Will be further south tomorrow evening and not have to worry about freezing temps. Thanks Lew.


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[PBixby]

I was having this exact problem--in VA mountains with temps dropping, and I checked everything. Didn't even think to open up the front of the thing! I did exactly what you did, and VOILA!!! This was the third thing to trouble me today, and I was at the end of my rope...thank you so much!!

[AirstreamInc]

Hi Ron,

We're sorry to learn about the issue you described with your 2017 30' Classic. Please call our customer service and technical support team at*1 (877) 596-6111, option 2 so we can learn more and help.

Thanks.

[dadzpony]

Like the other Airstreamers I'm struggling with the Furnace. I get intermittent results.
Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I was once frustrated at a campsite and finally gave up. left the thermostat on while driving home (by accident), stopped for a snack and discovered the furnace on and camper 75degrees. Today, pulled in, set up and the unit went on immediately......Got nice and warm. turned down the temperature for the evening and the darn thing completely shut down. Can't start it up again. If everyone is talking about the outside SS cover with 10 screws, I'll get the "Cover off to get to the reset button" but face it, ....THAT IS JUST A RIDICULOUS PLACE FOR A RESET BUTTON"

[KK4YZ]

Originally Posted by dadzpony

Like the other Airstreamers I'm struggling with the Furnace. I get intermittent results.
Sometimes it works, sometimes not. I was once frustrated at a campsite and finally gave up. left the thermostat on while driving home (by accident), stopped for a snack and discovered the furnace on and camper 75degrees. Today, pulled in, set up and the unit went on immediately......Got nice and warm. turned down the temperature for the evening and the darn thing completely shut down. Can't start it up again. If everyone is talking about the outside SS cover with 10 screws, I'll get the "Cover off to get to the reset button" but face it, ....THAT IS JUST A RIDICULOUS PLACE FOR A RESET BUTTON"

I have similar issues with the furnace in my brand new 28RBT. in addition to the reset switch being behind the SS cover, there are 3 lights on the control board that I think indicate error codes. I removed the cover, reattached the exhaust tube and turned the furnace on. Of course that time, as luck would have it, it worked and didn’t throw a code.

Now it’s at the nearest AS dealer, 100 MILES away. What a PIA. Warranty on something like this should cover a mobile repair guy coming to me (after spending nearly $100K on a trailer). When it’s all over I will have driven 400 miles to get the furnace fixed.

[dadzpony]

Our nearest dealer is 60mi away. No longer under warranty.
Airstream technical support were of little help.
I imagine there are others like us.......
You'd think this would be in their database of known problems.
One suggestion Airstream said that might pay off.
Even though this is an Atwood Furnace, it's all part of the Dometic System.
Checked the Dometic website and they have there own "Certified" service centers/technicians. (to which my nearest Airstream dealer IS NOT)
I'm going to search the Dometic website to see if they have any solutions.
Dometic thermostat uses an RJ11 style jack to connect to a module at AC Unit. So you can't really cross the wires to turn on the furnace.

I bought the unit in the summer. Never went over the Furnace test at delivery. Always thought is was me that was doing something wrong.
Always got through with campsite electrical running the HP....doesn't help if you're in your in-laws driveway.

One thing I will do is relocate the reset switch. There is an access panel under our salon cushions that is above the Furnace. I'll extend the wires and place the switch over there, with easy access.
Hey Airstream.....you should do the same.

[GCinSC2]

dadzpony,

Curious, can you look again at the furnace and does it have a fault code light? That might give a clue.

But i'm more curious to know if you see any Scotch Loc type "T" connections where they tapped into an existing wire run. Got any of those?

Aiken, been there one time.

Gary

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by dadzpony

...

Dometic thermostat uses an RJ11 style jack to connect to a module at AC Unit. So you can't really cross the wires to turn on the furnace.
...
One thing I will do is relocate the reset switch. There is an access panel under our salon cushions that is above the Furnace. I'll extend the wires and place the switch over there, with easy access.
Hey Airstream.....you should do the same.

You can manipulate the wires from the furnace that the AC unit uses to call for heat. I don't know offhand how your AC unit calls for heat. On my furnace it is two blue wires and the AC unit connects them to each other to call for heat.

On my furnace, a loss of power will reset it. Try putting your USE/STORE switch in STORE for 30 seconds or so and see if that works.

Al

[terricrowe26]

I have a 1998 Safari. First I was just getting the blower, no heat. Now nothing happens at all. What should I try first?

[Bubbs58]

I know this way past the date this was posted.

Same thing happened to me. No blower, no ignition. I had to change the circuit board. Worked from then on.