Community Forums

mmbrevo · 11-07-2019, 12:40 PM

Hi all,

Year #3 with my RV, year #3 with furnace issues. I'm in Connecticut for another week and was hoping to make it out of here before it got too cold but it's not looking good. My furnace is not working, not turning on, nothing. Also, 2 of 3 burners on the stove won't light. Does this sound like a clog? Any other suggestions? You folks are always so helpful. As always, I am EXTREMELY grateful for your input.

Solo_RV_Guy · 11-07-2019, 12:54 PM

Basics (yeah, you probably checked, but....) Propane tank(s) have propane in them? Valves fully open?

Turn off your propane tank valves, wait a couple of minutes. Slowly open them. Go to your stove and attempt to light each burner. It may take a couple of minutes to establish gas flow.

If that doesn't improve your results... modern propane regulators have been known to fail. Sometimes tapping it with a screwdriver handle will "help" temporarily. Some systems have a "failed hose" system that shuts off the gas if it senses unusually rapid gas delivery. These can fail, too.

If you don't feel confident with LP systems I suggest you have a propane service company pay a visit.

Good luck and safe travels.

cavie · 11-07-2019, 12:57 PM

google Mobil RV tech in your area.

jmatteis · 11-09-2019, 07:09 AM

Not sure if this would help or if it made a difference...
Went out to my TT this week and tried to fire the furnace, wouldn't heat up, and remembered I hadn't turned on the tanks. Did that and still wouldn't light, and my stove burners would light but slowly burn out, like the gas was slow coming...
so turned everything off, turned off tanks, unhooked connections, fiddled with the regulator, and hooked it all back up and turned the tanks on, and then everything was fine.
Not sure if I created some sort of air pocket or air lock by the furnace trying to light with no propane flow.

Old-Biscuit · 11-09-2019, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmatteis

Not sure if this would help or if it made a difference...
Went out to my TT this week and tried to fire the furnace, wouldn't heat up, and remembered I hadn't turned on the tanks. Did that and still wouldn't light, and my stove burners would light but slowly burn out, like the gas was slow coming...
so turned everything off, turned off tanks, unhooked connections, fiddled with the regulator, and hooked it all back up and turned the tanks on, and then everything was fine.
Not sure if I created some sort of air pocket or air lock by the furnace trying to light with no propane flow.

Tripped the EXCESS FLOW DEVICE
It is a spring loaded ball vlave that TRIPS when an imbalance occurs -----broken line, fitting leak etc'
Opening the LP Service Valve too quickly can trip it.
Close Service Valve, wait 30 seconds then SLOWLY open Service Valve to reset the Excess Flow Device

MHs (tank)..fitting at Reg is typically the Excess FLow Device
TT/FW etc (cylinders)...device is inside the ACME Green Nut

jmatteis · 11-10-2019, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Old-Biscuit

Tripped the EXCESS FLOW DEVICE
It is a spring loaded ball vlave that TRIPS when an imbalance occurs -----broken line, fitting leak etc'
Opening the LP Service Valve too quickly can trip it.
Close Service Valve, wait 30 seconds then SLOWLY open Service Valve to reset the Excess Flow Device

MHs (tank)..fitting at Reg is typically the Excess FLow Device
TT/FW etc (cylinders)...device is inside the ACME Green Nut

Thanks
Had read that somewhere else just after as well.
My valve has an arrow type lever, there is a site glass there too but nothing showing, does it only show when the tank is empty?
And do I put it to one side when using that tank, or in the middle to draw from both? Our dealer really didn't show us much when we picked it up.

Old-Biscuit · 11-10-2019, 08:56 AM

Service Valve.........OPD Valve

Valve ON the cylinder that you open to place cylinder in service

Lever on the Regulator
Point it towards the 1st cylinder that you open Service Valve on.
Then you can Open the other cylinder Service Valve as 'secondary' supply

When 1st cylinder goes empty.....
Green Indicator will turn RED
Auto changeover reg will have swapped to the 'secondary' cylinder.
Turn lever to the secondary cylunder
RED indicator turns Green.

Close 1st cylinder Service Valve

Disconnect Pigtail ACME Green Nut from 1st cylinder and get it refilled

Connect pigtail...open Service Valve.

Refilled cylinder is now 'secondary' supply

mmbrevo · 11-12-2019, 04:31 PM

Thanks for your responses, they may be helpful next time. Turned out to be a bad circuit board. I would only add to stick with the service tech referred by the campground office. When he didn't call me back right away, I called someone else and was ripped off. The second guy didn't fix it, I'm out an expensive service call and I ended up having to call the first guy back to fix it.
They appear to be a national chain, Open Road RV Repair, LLC. The trifecta of bad business, expensive, incompetent and rude/dishonest. Yes, I know that's 4.

steve52 · 11-12-2019, 04:56 PM

The Open Road RV Repair site says their techs are insured and certified. I would give them a call and see what they have to say about your poor experience with their company.

mmbrevo · 11-12-2019, 06:18 PM

I did that. His response was "we diagnosed the problem." I could have done that myself, it doesn't exactly require a genius to see a corroded circuit board and I didn't call him out to diagnose a problem, I called him out to fix it. Honestly one of the nastiest people I have ever met.

Old-Biscuit · 11-12-2019, 08:56 PM

Corroded circuit board for furnace...I get that
Rain/water leaked ---board got wet

BUT how does a furnace circuit board fix 2 out 3 stove top burners not lighting???

Remeber those were to two issues you stated in 1st post.

BurienTimmer · 11-13-2019, 12:20 AM

FYI, I recommend that you keep your propane tank selector only pointed to the tank that you are using. When it runs out or you know it to be low, then move the lever to point to the other tank and turn that tank's valve on. If you leave the selector in the center or joint position with both tanks on, both will run out at the same time.

mmbrevo · 11-13-2019, 08:06 AM

Apparently the burners not working are a separate issue. They are getting propane, but the sparks aren't working. It really had me puzzled because the burners and the furnace both stopped working at about the same time. But the propane management issue seems a bit tricky to me. It makes sense to leave only one valve open, but then if you run out in the middle of the night you wake up cold. I'm really feeling a bit in over my head with all of this right now. The challenges never stop coming.

jmatteis · 11-13-2019, 10:02 AM

Also thanks to the posters who helped me as well, I had no idea how that regulator worked. My glass is clear, no green, will have to see if it goes red, but wasn't sure if I should leave it in the center. I understand now how the regulator works...