RV furnace is a good stuff to get when you are in doubts between furnaces’ brands. Anyway, it can’t mean that you won’t face any problems in its functioning. If you have to deal with it, don’t think it’s an insurmountable problem. Clearly learn the issue and find the problem in the guide given here. Then start the repair as the instruction goes.
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Battery power is not enough | A electric RV furnace can operate on 12 V DC and any problem with this power supply wont open the valve of the furnace. Check the battery output using multimeter to verify this scenario. RV furnace operates with a 10.5 V supply and at times if the battery is not able provide above 10.5V then the furnace wont ignite. A good way to test this out is to run the blower, (blower is apt to operate fine under 10.5 V) if the blower runs then that means the battery supply may be under 10.5 V and thus its not able to open the furnace valve |
| Best way will be to use multimeter and clear the doubts, it would show you exact output voltage. If the battery is good then there could be an issue with the thermostat. Slide anticipator for adjustments. Try setting the temperature to maximum and give some time for it to start, it may take around 30-40 seconds to start the fan | |
| The fuse in the furnace is blown | A fuse is used between the DC supply and the RV furnace electric board. A blown fuse will cut the of the battery supply and thus furnace wont ignite. A black or smokey fuse would typically mean it has blown |
| You may not have enough supply of propane or your supply valve for gas is not opening | To verify that you are really not out of propane turn on the furnace and wait for some time. Later go near your exhaust outside of your RV and try to smell near exhaust (be careful while doing this as this can cause injury or burn). If you are not able to smell propane at the exhaust then that means you are out of propane. |
| To further verify if the gas supply is real short, turn on the gas stove and observe the flame if it isn’t very meager then your gas supply is okay but your furnace is not receiving the gas supply probably due to gas valve failure to open. | |
| The valve on the furnace could be clogged thus not able to supply the propane to furnace. A bad or damaged valve has to replaced for proper functioning. Some propane supplies have manual turn off valves, you may check on that too. Make sure valve is entirely turned on for proper supply of gas | |
| Problem with rv furnace ignitor | Once you start the furnace and smell propane at the exhaust of the camper or RV then that means you have propane supply and the problem could be with the furnace ignitor. In such a scenario you may have to show the circuit board to a rv repair professional. A bad wiring between the igniter and the circuit board can also mean the furnace wont ignite. Another reason could be a dirty spark ignitor. It will not allow the spark to reach the burner and the fuel |
| RV furnace fan runs but there is not heat | Another common problem where in the fan runs but there is no heat or very less heat in the furnace. This could be because of insufficient air flow in the furnace. An internal sail switch senses low air flow and which cause the furnace not to ignite. This means the fan will run but no heat will be produced. |
| A low air flow may be due to problems in ventilation. A blocked heat register can cause the ventilation issues. Even lesser blockages in heat register could cause ventilation issue and less or no heat production | |
| RV furnace making loud noise | A noise in the running furnace could be because of dirt in the furnace air registers. You can clean the debris and keep it dirt free for less noise. If its not the dirt then the issue could be with exhaust vent debris. Another reason could pilot light, its a noise for some time when the air is being pushed through pipes to ignite the pilot. Such noise should however go away in some time and shouldn’t last long after your turn on the furnace |
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| The pilot light will not light | If the pilot light on your RV furnace will not light, check that the thermocouple is correctly positioned in the pilot flame. The problem could also be that the propane tank has a bad regulator. You can test for a bad regulator by lighting all the stove burners and examining the color of the flames. They should be a bluish color and contain little or no yellow. If the flames change colors, the regulator is most likely bad. The regulator will need to be repaired because a bad regulator will also affect the hot water heater. |
| The fan runs but there is heat | If the fan on your RV furnace runs but there is heat, the problem could be that the furnace has an insufficient air flow. The propane tank could also have a bad regulator or there might be a bad propane valve. Furnaces have internal switches that can detect air flow. If there is insufficient air flow, the switch will not let the furnace ignite, and the fan runs but there is no heat. There could also be a low battery, a bad wiring connection, or a restricted ventilation system. Examine the heat registers to see if they are blocked or closed. Some RV furnaces will not operate if the heat registers are even partially closed. |
| The fan does not run and there is no heat | If the fan on your RV furnace does not run and there is no heat, check the battery with a battery tester. If the battery is putting out at least 12 volts, then the battery is fine. You might have just tripped the circuit breaker, so try resetting the circuit. The problem could also be a blown fuse on the fan. Replacing the fuse should get the fan running again. |
chicagoheating-repair.com