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Old 10-19-2022, 09:29 AM   #1
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2020 Vista 31B Suburban Heater not blowing through Vents

The heater is warming but warm air is not blowing through the vents. We just had repair guys here that said this was as good as it gets...and charged us $500! The RV was 57 degrees inside last night and the outside temp was 33. That's cold...but not that cold.

Warm air is blowing through the exhaust in the rear. The vents are warm, but the warm air is not blowing. Seems like a blower problem?
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Old 10-19-2022, 09:57 AM   #2
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There is only 1 blower motor that drives one shaft there are two squirrel cage blowers in different furnace sections driven by that shaft. One section moves outside air in one outside vent and out the other outside vent This forces the air heated by the furnace blower over the heat exchanger inside the furnace that transfer the heat into the inside heated air section of the furnace. The other inside air section moves inside air from basement and forces it out the heated air outlets of the furnace. The outlets tie to a long duct that runs under the floor.

There are two sensors, one is a "sail switch" that confirms that the blower is rotating, the other is a flame sensor that confirms that the burner lighted. It may be that your burner is not generating the proper flame due to a partially blocked inlet air tube or the propane orfice partially blocked. This would allow the furnace to run but not produce the normal amount of heat.

Good luck.
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Old 10-19-2022, 11:48 AM   #3
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This is why I try not to get a pro to repair things!

The fire will not light if the airflow is not goodenough tomake the "sailswitch close acircuit,sothat is notlikley the cause.
If the blower is running like you say, the fan that moves air into and out of the furnace is attached on the same shaft and it will be turning unless something has broken loose between that fan and shaft. IT "might/could" be loose but they tend to squall when turning on the shaft, so I'm guessing not that!
The most likely cause is simply the ductwork has come loose from the furnace or that ductwork is very stopped up in some way.

It looks like most of your ductwork is in the basement, so a check for hot air coming out there may be a quick check?

But a second item to check is that the air has to not only go through the furnace and out into the RV, but it also has to have a way to return to the furnace!
So take a look at the return path for anything that might be blocking it.
Any chance of a filter that needs cleaned or maybe something got stored in the wrong place to block the return air vent? Simple idea is that the furnace can't blow air in, if there is no way for the air to go out to the furnace!

There are three builds of your year and model of RV, so this may not be the correct one,depending on serial number.
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This is the parts catalog where I got this drawing, so it may not match what you have exactly as I used the first serial number???
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm


But if we assume it is correct for this area of the RV, this shows the parts and airflow.

Cool blue in, warm red out?
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Check a few of those and see if it shows anything?
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Old 10-19-2022, 12:49 PM   #4
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On my Vista 27N there are several ways for cabin air to get into the basement and then on to the return air inlets on the furnace that are open to the basement. The large return air vent in the hall, a small return air vent in the bedroom, and plumbing / wiring holes in floors of cabinets and under the shower.

On the Vista 27N the heated air outlets of the furnace are connected to the in-floor duct that runs from front to back of the RV with 3 floor ducts that blow air into the cabin, and two small 3" ducts one that goes to a duct in the bathroom vanity wall and finally one that blows into the basement.

There's no access to work on the furnace other than remove the outside wall panel, there are a few things you can check and do without disconnecting the gas and wiring and pulling out the whole furnace.

If you have RV tech skills you can google search and download Atwood Mobile Service Training Manuals and get some instant knowledge about how they are put together and worked on.

Good luck.
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Old 10-20-2022, 09:14 AM   #5
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Thank you both for your thorough responses. We are on the road but this definitely gives us a starting point. Any other thoughts are welcome!
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Old 10-23-2022, 04:10 PM   #6
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I would check the ductwork. I had to purchase a small camera that attaches to my cell phone to check down inside mine. I have seen ductwork crushed, or run in a way that has a lot of bends in it and really reduces the air flow.
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