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Old 10-05-2014, 02:03 PM   #41
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I checked all the propane lines first thing when it didn't work. They are all run and tight. The ducting is all there and the vent is on the outside. I can pull the plate and double check that it looks good.

What about the possibility of hooking up the power directly to a spare battery with a cheap t stat?
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Old 10-05-2014, 02:18 PM   #42
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Yes, that could work but if the battery is not being charged it might not last the night. If you have a working electric heater I'd stay with that and become an absolute nuisance with the dealer. Call 10 times a day and speak with the owner explaining that you were lied to by his staff ("everything is checked out and working") and let him know you're on this forum. We'd all like to know the name of the dealer so we can spread it around with negative comments. Get him to send out a tech or make arrangements for one to be sent locally to you at YOUR convenience. They owe you a working coach. Be aggressive and don't back down.
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Old 10-05-2014, 03:03 PM   #43
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I just saw this thread. I have a 2100 Rubicon and just opened up my access panel like yours. Here is what I see.

The white/green wire is a splice point on mine.

The black -12 VDC wire splices into the white wire with a wirenut.

The red THERMO +12 VDC wire splices into the green wire along with the red thermostat wire. The thermstat wire has a brown jacket on it with a white and red wire.

The blue wire connects to the white wire from the thermostat.
I hope this helps and is clear if not I will try to explain better. I had to take the electical tape off to see the connections. There are three wire nuts wrapped in the electical tape.
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Old 10-05-2014, 03:47 PM   #44
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Originally Posted by okiejim View Post
I just saw this thread. I have a 2100 Rubicon and just opened up my access panel like yours. Here is what I see.

The white/green wire is a splice point on mine.

The black -12 VDC wire splices into the white wire with a wirenut.

The red THERMO +12 VDC wire splices into the green wire along with the red thermostat wire. The thermstat wire has a brown jacket on it with a white and red wire.

The blue wire connects to the white wire from the thermostat.
I hope this helps and is clear if not I will try to explain better. I had to take the electical tape off to see the connections. There are three wire nuts wrapped in the electical tape.
OkieJim, your post confirms exactly what we thought. Green is 12V+, white is 12V-. You found the thermostat wire, Fittergirl look for a brown-jacketed wire pair. I agree with Sawpilot, a stand-alone battery would run the circuit and even the sparker, but the fan motor would run it down quickly. Fittergirl, as you can see in Okiejim's picture, the factory isn't real persnickety when it comes to 12volt wiring. They just hook it up, and wrap it all in electrical tape! Jeepers!
One more thing, Fittergirl! Even though this is only 12Volt, you some how have to deaden that green/white pair before working it. Either figure out which fuse to pull, or unplug the camper from the campsite to kill the converter, then disconnect the battery at it's terminals. If you don't pull the fuse, you'll have to kill both the battery and the converter. Now you know the 12V is the green/white pair, then either find the brown thermostat wire, or buy a simple one as described earlier. Keep us posted!
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Old 10-05-2014, 04:52 PM   #45
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Thanks so much okiejim! My t stat wires are MIA. I got in there with an inspection mirror and flashlight and they are nowhere to be found. I am off to pick up a cheapo and some wire nuts.
I would like to wait until I talk to the dealer tomorrow before hooking anything up since I don't want to do anything that could void warranty. Plus I want this fixed right when I get home in 5-6 weeks. They said they would try to talk me through hookup once they had the factory diagrams so I don't see it being an issue.
As far as de-energizing the wire I will probably unhook the battery and shore power just to be safe. Good thing I brought a decent amount of tools with me. I never figured I would be working on the camper instead of my truck.
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Old 10-05-2014, 05:37 PM   #46
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Glad I could help. But now I have some work to do. I totally hate wire nuts. Gotta get out my soldering iron and solder these. I just don't trust wire nut in a trailer with all the movement going on. Good luck with the dealer show them my picture and let them know you would like a better solution than wire nuts. Let us know how it goes. Happy Trails.
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Old 10-05-2014, 06:45 PM   #47
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One more thing, Fittergirl. The thermostat the Dutchmen use has an on/off switch. It is actually just a mechanical click to keep the thermostat open, and not make contact. The house type you buy at Lowes won't have that. That is the only way of turning off the 12V furnace, i.e. by not letting it make contact. So in your temporary situation, say when you are at work, or traveling, and you don't want it to kick on, even if it gets cold in there, then just open the wire nut connection between the thermostat return and the blue thermostat wire. Does that make sense?
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Old 10-06-2014, 12:37 AM   #48
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I see while I was out goofing around in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, today you hit upon a superb idea, one I was hashing over last night but held on to. I was thinking an extra battery and just running a jumper wire from the T stat wire on the furnance to the T stat proper.

OkieJim supplied the answer to the gn/wht wire so the remaining thing is finding the T stat bell wire that is MIA.

Good job all around guys!
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Old 10-07-2014, 09:33 PM   #49
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Thanks again to everyone for their help.

With the dealers blessing I wired this up today using a temporary thermostat. Of course since it obviously has never been ran it is smoking slightly and setting off my smoke detector. I will keep and eye on it and only use it while I am here for a few to make sure all is well.
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Old 10-07-2014, 11:39 PM   #50
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Way to go Kim!!
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Old 10-08-2014, 12:06 AM   #51
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Originally Posted by fittergirl View Post
Thanks again to everyone for their help.

With the dealers blessing I wired this up today using a temporary thermostat. Of course since it obviously has never been ran it is smoking slightly and setting off my smoke detector. I will keep and eye on it and only use it while I am here for a few to make sure all is well.
Smoking is normal... well for new furnaces, should go away after a couple of hours of burn. On my new furnaces/RV's I always open all the windows and doors and run it wide open for an hour or so until the oil and paints burn off.

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Old 10-08-2014, 01:06 AM   #52
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One last question. A regular low voltage t stat uses 24v and i have 12v. Is this something i need to worry about?
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:16 AM   #53
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Not if you got the super-simple kind which is just a coiled, temperature-sensitive spring and a single place for an electrical contact to be made. No "guts," no electronics. That simple type is no more than just a switch, which opens and closes depending on the need for heat. If it can handle 24v, it will handle 12v. Remember, it takes the 12v+ from your red wire/green wire splice, and then either opens or closes the contacts. When closed, that voltage is allowed to continue back to your blue wire. Now, on the other hand, if you came home with a digital model, with more than two connections, then all bets are off.
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:20 AM   #54
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It is a $12 basic stat. It was turning furnace on and off. It's mild tonight so the electric heater will be enough. I will be testing this on and off for a bit before i leave it running anyway.
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:26 AM   #55
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Sounds like you're "golden!" Don't forget the stat will start the furnace if it gets colder than the setting, and you can probably only slide it down to about 50 degrees or so. Don't know what the weather's like up there now, and you may want to allow it to go on, even while at work, depending on the chance of freezing temps. But if you want to make sure it won't come on, disconnect the wire going to the blue furnace wire. Enjoy!
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:31 AM   #56
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There is and off/reset switch on the furnace. I was planning to use that to turn it off
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Old 10-08-2014, 01:35 AM   #57
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There is and off/reset switch on the furnace. I was planning to use that to turn it off
Even better! You are all set! It was fun working with you!
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Old 10-08-2014, 04:18 PM   #58
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Glad you got it fixed. This was an example of like minded RVers helping each other out.
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Old 10-08-2014, 04:38 PM   #59
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Just came across this thread. Excellent job - kudos to all involved in helping out fittergirl. fittergirl, don't let your dealer off the hook on this one! Shame on them!!
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