Water pump/Heat

nonsense · 10-04-2016, 12:01 PM

Hello all, couple quick questions. I just got back from a 5k trip out west, during my trip my heat was working inconsistently, at first it worked fine then it started coming on only a couple times at random times through the night. I pulled the board quickly and found the red led light blinking (just one blink) I've not spent much time researching as we just made it home. The strange thing is I thought it had quit completely but it fired several times on our way home. I plan on pulling the entire unit this weekend and looking at everything. Are there any common or typical issues with these furnaces?

Second issue is my water pump seems to have quit, what i need to know is where is it located? I think i've read on here that the factory pumps are not very good and this seems to be common. The pump was making quite a racket the last time I used it, we are typically on city water connection so the pump does not have very many hours on it. I can say it may have frozen while in Colorado, when the heat wouldn't fire at night i put some water in the fresh tank and left my electric heaters run during the night instead of leaving the city water connection on. The next morning the pump was not working? I don't have any leaks so it didn't crack any lines and it only dropped below 30 for about two hours.

We are headed out in two weeks for a weekend trip where there is no city water connection so i have to get the water pump fixed this weekend, the heat i can work around as here in Ohio the temps will be ok

Thanks for all the help

4wlow · 10-04-2016, 12:14 PM

Sounds like your heater issue may be a loose or bad connection. Possibly a ground wire sines it works sometimes after you move and things get rattled. The outdoor temp. You described would not have been cold enough to freeze anything inside your camper. I have already opened my galley tank valve and left the sink trickle to keep the outside hose from freezing on a cold night.
I have a 3200 model and my water pump is on the wet bay side behind the pass through storage wall.

hddecker · 10-04-2016, 01:20 PM

Nonsense,

It sounds very much like a coincidence, that both happened at the same time.

I've never had an intermittent furnace problem, that resolved itself. I would lean toward 4wlow's, bad ground, given the number of crappy crimp terminals I have replaced.

Have you checked you water pump fuse? Sometimes that the last thing I check, because I've convincied myself that that can't possibly be the problem, "it would be to easy, it has to be something way more complicated.

Let us know what the outcome is.

nonsense · 10-04-2016, 01:31 PM

Guys/Gals,

I did check the fuse and all seems to be good. The water pump was working fine until it sat overnight and the furnace didn't run, I'm under the assumption (yes I know the rule on assumptions!) that something froze. Strange how it worked fine until it got cold and then it didn't.

Let me do some better explaining on the furnace, the furnace acts almost as if it's running some strange program from the thermostat. As far as I can tell I do not have the program set on the thermostat though! The furnace seemed to work fine all day while we were running around, however when we came home it seemed to quit. The middle of that night it came on around 4 a.m. and then once the rv reached temperature it kicked off then it didn't light again until 9 a.m. the next morning and ran until it reached temperature again. It seems to be the operation of the entire furnace that is on it's own schedule. It's not like the fan kicks on and the furnace doesn't light, it simply either all works or it all doesn't!

I plan on pulling out the wall to the underbelly and getting deep into it this weekend, hopefully i can find something that makes sense.

hddecker · 10-04-2016, 01:44 PM

That changes how I would approach the furnace. I would start at the furnace T-stat and do a reset to ensure that there isn't some sort of program left over in it.

Sounds like the kind of electronics gremlins, that would make me break out my sixteen pound sledge.

nonsense · 10-04-2016, 01:54 PM

HD,

You and I are in the same place with the Sledge, any idea on how to reset the thermostat? Before we went on this trip I spent two weeks adjusting and fixing gremlins, from the a/c ducting to burnt out lights. I love the thing but wouldn't mind going on a trip and not generating a punch list of things to do on our return.

hddecker · 10-04-2016, 02:11 PM

Nonsense,

Being as I hate stuff controlled by computers and our 10 year old camper has very few things, other than the control boards, totally dependant on all them control system. I expect you have one of them fancy Dometic do everything but was the dishes T-stats, the simple answer is, No.

But I've had to wipe out all the programs from the T-stat in the stick house, because it got confussed.

I'm sure on of the Voltage guy's can point you in the right track.

nonsense · 10-05-2016, 12:43 PM

Reporting for an update (I always try to close my threads so when others have problems they can find solutions)

Furnace issue: I reset the thermostat, I also looked in where my propane selector is and noticed something that may or may not have been a problem. Just below the switch to select tanks is the hose that feeds the house, there was a loop in the hose and it was almost all the way kinked! I would imagine that enough gas would flow to keep the fridge lit during transit as it doesn't take much, but could enough flowed for the furnace? Doubtful! So was it the thermostat or the line? don't know but I cycled it about 8 times on and off and it worked perfectly every time.

Water Pump: Pulled the wall off on the drivers side and located the water pump (from the noise the lines make in the bathroom I thought it was under the shower!) grabbed the ole test light and wham we have power at the leads when connect! Thought is the water pump gave up the ghost, my wife is running to get a surflow this a.m. and i'll know for sure tomorrow.

All in all, I'm about back in action! I greatly appreciate all of the ideas and help, I'll update if tonight doesn't work out.

sundancer 87 · 10-05-2016, 12:55 PM

We like to know the outcome of things, not only for someone else but those that offer suggestions.
You might want to change the LP supply line at the first chance you get. LP gas properties change when weather conditions change. You may have enough gas feeding the furnace now but maybe two months down the road when the snow comes the kink will become a problem.

nonsense · 10-05-2016, 12:59 PM

Sundancer,

I actually removed the clamps holding the line also disconnected the line so that i could re-route it. I was able to straighten the entire line and the kink was no more. I plan on doing a bit more work to the line in the next couple days. Seems to me that Dutchmen simply made the line about 8" long and instead of taking the time to route they just looped! I will keep an eye on it though as your suggestion makes sense, however I think as long as the section that was folded isn't put in a loop again it shouldn't collapse.

sundancer 87 · 10-05-2016, 01:32 PM

That's good, get rid of the ole kink and maybe a future problem.

The blind installers won't take the time to correctly fit the line or anything else for that matter. A loop takes less time and therefore becomes the owner's responsibility to make right.

I have an idea how it got there though, the manufacturer hired a former blind cable installer. Loops in cables entering a building is a must as the loop allows rain water to flow to the lowest point of the loop and not into the penetration. Your RV just ended up with a rain loop in a gas line, inside a compartment. What could be wrong with that?

hddecker · 10-05-2016, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nonsense

Sundancer,

Seems to me that Dutchmen simply made the line about 8" long and instead of taking the time to route they just looped!.

Nonsense,

That's normal, when these things go down the line, the installers have very little time to complete their part in a work station.

Glad it was something reatively simple. I suspect the furnace went into lock out mode, due to lack of gas supply.

DesertRat · 10-05-2016, 05:45 PM

Kind of had the same problem with one of my LP lines. When gas got low it would make this noise that would keep us awake at night. Replaced the line with one that was a little longer to take away the kink & all has been fine.
As far as water pumps go mine started to leak while still under warranty. Put a new shurflo in for less than it would have cost me to tow mine back to the dealer. They would have just put in a cheap replacement. Shurflo has more gpm & quieter than the OEM one anyway.

nonsense · 10-06-2016, 03:28 PM

Final report..

I put the new water pump in last night and all is good! Put a surflow 3 gpm, 55 psi in, the factory was a 3 gpm with 40 psi. Guy at the parts store told me this is the new standard I'm assuming entry level pump. There was one listed below this with 2.5gpm, since we had never had any issues with the flow on the old one i was comfortable with the 3gpm unit. The new pump is much quieter! Thanks for all the help, hopefully our trip next week results in success.

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