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Loralie · 02-08-2009, 03:07 PM

So after a year of selling the house, packing the stuff, and last week loading the 5er, we got off on our beginning as full timers...so excited! However, we immediately had two problems:
1) The furnace blows out lots of black soot about 5 minutes after being turned on. We took it in to an RV place and they cleaned it out - ugh, then replaced the regulator,adjusted the pressure, and all seemed fine. But after we got it back home it took about an hour before it started sooting up again! So as we headed out to begin our travels, we went by again and they checked it but couldn't find anything. It was Sat so they couldn't get a Tech at Atwood. We are on our way to Wilmington NC - hope to find someone there...but any ideas?
2) Did not use the water for the first day because we wanted to wait until we got where it was warmer. So we got to Wilson NC this afternoon and the temp was 73!!! Filled up the tanks and turned on the water heater. Great water to the bathroom - but nothing comes out of the kitchen faucet. Any ideas?
Thanks for any help you can give us...we are new to all this - excited but certainly nervous too!!!

Workshop · 02-08-2009, 04:47 PM

Here's a link to Atwoods Troubleshooting Guide it sounds as if the tech was on the right path. Does sound like a burner or air flow problem also. As you mentioned this is your first trip and getting on the road. Might want to check all the registers and the air return areas for the furnace and ensure nothing is blocked causing a restriction of air back to the furnace. If the gas is set up correctly, the sooting could indiate it's not getting enough air to burn correctly.

When you stated that you have great water in the bath but not the kitchen faucet, would asume it's both hot and cold? Can't think of anything that would cause the kitchen to be afected by itself other than the aireator in the faucet at the end of the spout. Might try removing it to see if something has stopped it up.

rockintom · 02-08-2009, 05:00 PM

Loralie,

Glad your finally traveling...sorry to hear of the problems. On the furnance...I assume when you talking about black soot, you're referring to soot out the port on the outside and not inside the rig. Inside you got major issue with the heat exchanger - do run - get fixed now. But I bet you have a plugged orifice from a wasp nest or the like. However you mentioned they cleaned it.

On the kitchen faucet pull out the removable handle that has the hose on it and remove the hose at the sprayer end. Check the little screen in there. It takes very little crud in the water to plug this area up. I use a toothbrush and finish it off with compressed air (not absolutely nec). If you find this area cruddy you probably have some fresh water issues. Have you left the water too long in the fresh water tank? Need to flush and refill? Do you have a whole house filter that my need changing? Mesh screen/filter at the water pump dirty/broken screen/missing. Hope this helps. Let us know what you find out. rockin'
Just some things to check...hope it helps!

BookIIRoadtrash · 02-08-2009, 09:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Loralie:
So after a year of selling the house, packing the stuff, and last week loading the 5er, we got off on our beginning as full timers...so excited!

Congratulations ,on such a big step and Good Luck on you’re new adventures!! Hope you share you’re new experiences with us . I would almost bet you’re one of them full timers that don’t have to work anymore!! That makes me envious I still have to travel around the country and work for a living…..Book2

Loralie · 02-09-2009, 03:38 AM

HI...
Thanks for reading and offering suggestions! We did look at the Atwood on-line and so did the technicians. Did what it suggested and cleaned all the spots they could....no help. However, the whole furnace itself has not been completely taken apart. We guess that is the next step. We'll certainly let you know what we find out...probably a little spider deep inside, but bet he's sorry by now!
We took the faucet screen off and cleaned it - no help. Worked the hose to make sure there wasn't a crimp in it - no help. But later in the night the drips increased to a very slow stream! Weird.
book2, we will have to find some kind of way to stretch the dollar, but for now we are lucky with my husbands pension. Just decided to go for it before they take the pension away!!
today is another sunny day...and we will get to our son's in Wilmington, NC so it will be great!
Loralie