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Old 09-09-2013, 05:33 AM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joemcgin View Post
That Aux heater worked a few weeks ago. Made a screeching noise when I hit the switch when I bought the Coach in April but after hitting a bump the noise went away.
OK, I expect your unit is designed like mine.

So,

1. Remove the two (2) screws that secure the floor hot air register located just behind the Drivers / Passenger Captain chairs.
2. Lift & Remove the register.
3. Lay on the floor in a position where you can reach your arm into the duct and feel for the Blend Door. This is a Hinged door and will freely move toward you and up out of the way.
4. After moving the blend door 'up' ; just 'behind' the blend door you will 'feel' the fluted Bird Cage.
5. Using your fingers, rotate the Bird Cage.
6. It should move freely w/ NO rubbing or interference of any kind.
If it is Free, you're OK.
If you feel that the Cage is rubbing on the Housing, then you will begin to have a problem.

The design flaw I was referring to.....The Bird Cage, over time and use, will "move" on the shaft and eventually begin to "Rub" on the housing.

First, some kind of rubbing noise, eventually the cage will meet enough resistance and pull more amps which results in the blade fuse blowing. (Located in the fuse panel when you lift up your dash).

Removal and replacement is not fun, but there is a well written proceedure w/photos on how to do this.
I have a saved copy if you need one.

If you are able to check this out, please let us know what you find.

Regards,
Paul
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Old 09-09-2013, 07:01 AM   #22
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Originally Posted by DAN L View Post
i installed registers with closeable dampers from home depot in the rear most areas. that helped get more air to the front registers.
I have 2 of my 5 heat registers closed, (to increase the force air flow to the other 3).

NOTE:
If the air flow is blocked/restricted to much the furnace will overheat and the high limit switch will shut the furnace off.
When it cools sufficiently it will start up again... then repeat, and repeat... (until the thermostat is satisfied).
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Old 09-26-2013, 06:23 PM   #23
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Winnie32v, any chance that the rear camera display might also be on the same circuit as the blade fan fuse? After picking my rig up from the repair shop for a fuel issue and running it back to the storage area I turned on the Coach I heard the squeaking again then the fan stopped. I noticed a few minutes later that I had no power to the display. Will have to track that fuse down and probably perform the birdcage fan repair as well. Do you have a link to the repair procedure available? Thank you - Joe

Quote:
Originally Posted by winnie32v View Post
OK, I expect your unit is designed like mine.

So,

1. Remove the two (2) screws that secure the floor hot air register located just behind the Drivers / Passenger Captain chairs.
2. Lift & Remove the register.
3. Lay on the floor in a position where you can reach your arm into the duct and feel for the Blend Door. This is a Hinged door and will freely move toward you and up out of the way.
4. After moving the blend door 'up' ; just 'behind' the blend door you will 'feel' the fluted Bird Cage.
5. Using your fingers, rotate the Bird Cage.
6. It should move freely w/ NO rubbing or interference of any kind.
If it is Free, you're OK.
If you feel that the Cage is rubbing on the Housing, then you will begin to have a problem.

The design flaw I was referring to.....The Bird Cage, over time and use, will "move" on the shaft and eventually begin to "Rub" on the housing.

First, some kind of rubbing noise, eventually the cage will meet enough resistance and pull more amps which results in the blade fuse blowing. (Located in the fuse panel when you lift up your dash).

Removal and replacement is not fun, but there is a well written proceedure w/photos on how to do this.
I have a saved copy if you need one.

If you are able to check this out, please let us know what you find.

Regards,
Paul
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Old 09-27-2013, 02:58 AM   #24
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joe,
my back up cam system is on the same fuse as my ''coach heater'' blower switch. my fuse is on the panel to the left of the steering wheel when my dash panel is lifted up.
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Old 09-27-2013, 06:26 AM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by joemcgin View Post
That Aux heater worked a few weeks ago. Made a screeching noise when I hit the switch when I bought the Coach in April but after hitting a bump the noise went away.
The LP furnace fans that move the heated air inside the coach, (and the exhaust outside), are squirrel cage fans, (like this): Heater Blower Fan Squirrel Cage, OE Style, Metal, 66-77 Ford Bronco, New - Toms Bronco Parts
If either of those fan cages become loose and slide slightly on the motor shaft they can rub on the stationary shroud and "screech" as you describe.
Hitting the bump likely caused the squirrel cage to relocate.
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Old 09-27-2013, 10:37 AM   #26
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Another area that could be decreasing your flow thru the ductwork is there are gravity doors which are located at each end of the ductwork. The front one opens when the aux coach heater is on, and the rear one opens when the LP heater is on. If they do not close properly the ductwork will not pressurize.
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Old 09-27-2013, 12:07 PM   #27
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Will check into these areas this weekend. Thanks for the tips!
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Old 10-27-2013, 02:04 PM   #28
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I have the 2000 Adventurer and there doesn't seem to be much air coming in thru the vents. However when I go outside to the exhaust it's blowing air hotter and almost better than a blow dryer!!! Is that normal? Or have I missed a switch or something somewhere? This is a borrowed RV and there's no manual present so I'm a bit apprehensive about working on it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hesitate to call a serviceman because the last one cost me $80 and all he did was reconnect a wire on the hot water heater!!! And I STILL didn't have hot water in the coach!!!!
Thanks
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Old 10-27-2013, 02:27 PM   #29
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Haven't had a chance to work on mine yet but just spent a weekend where night temps were in the 20s Saturday. The heat pump quit as expected so I manually turned on the tstat to LP. Did not automatically switch from electric heat to gas. Not even sure if this model has that option. The LP brought the coach up to temp quickly even tho there wasn't much air coming from the vents. Guess if it works don't mess with it in my case.
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Old 10-27-2013, 05:44 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by Baileypcook View Post
I have the 2000 Adventurer and there doesn't seem to be much air coming in thru the vents. However when I go outside to the exhaust it's blowing air hotter and almost better than a blow dryer!!! Is that normal? Or have I missed a switch or something somewhere? This is a borrowed RV and there's no manual present so I'm a bit apprehensive about working on it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hesitate to call a serviceman because the last one cost me $80 and all he did was reconnect a wire on the hot water heater!!! And I STILL didn't have hot water in the coach!!!!
Thanks
Have you checked the filter under the bed? I believe there is a cold air return on the side wall under the makeup desk in the bedroom. Make sure that is not blocked.
I am unsure, but does the fan select switch on the thermostat allow for high for the gas furnace. I can't check with mine as it is put away for a few months and I have sealed off the furnace intake and exhaust to prevent insects from crawling in there and causing me a problem when needed later.
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Old 10-27-2013, 07:17 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Baileypcook View Post
I have the 2000 Adventurer and there doesn't seem to be much air coming in thru the vents. However when I go outside to the exhaust it's blowing air hotter and almost better than a blow dryer!!! Is that normal? Or have I missed a switch or something somewhere? This is a borrowed RV and there's no manual present so I'm a bit apprehensive about working on it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hesitate to call a serviceman because the last one cost me $80 and all he did was reconnect a wire on the hot water heater!!! And I STILL didn't have hot water in the coach!!!!
Thanks
A little air in all vents is a lot of air when combined.

Outside air is from the burner, and the exhaust from LP combustion is vented to the outside, that is code.
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Old 10-27-2013, 07:44 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Baileypcook View Post
I have the 2000 Adventurer and there doesn't seem to be much air coming in thru the vents. However when I go outside to the exhaust it's blowing air hotter and almost better than a blow dryer!!! Is that normal? Or have I missed a switch or something somewhere? This is a borrowed RV and there's no manual present so I'm a bit apprehensive about working on it.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I hesitate to call a serviceman because the last one cost me $80 and all he did was reconnect a wire on the hot water heater!!! And I STILL didn't have hot water in the coach!!!!
Thanks
:welcome:

there is no filter for the return air when using the propane furnace.
the filter under my bed is for the ac and heat pump only. (ceiling vents)
i close the rear most floor air vents to force more air to the front as the return air inlet is in the bedroom.
re: the electric water heater element if that is what you are asking about.
there is a switch inside. my switch is on the panel above the microwave oven. there is another switch behind the water heater. i cannot even see this switch without a mirror.
here is some trouble shooting info for the propane water heater.

Water Heaters - Atwood Mobile

Service Documents and Manuals
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Old 10-28-2013, 09:03 PM   #33
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my vents don't close...am I missing something? Also, there is no filter under the bed. It looks like there COULD BE one down there but there's nothing.
It just seems like there's more heat going out of the exhaust in the back outside than there is coming in thru the vents. And the bathroom vent doesn't have a bit of air coming thru it...I guess this is just something to live with?
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Old 10-28-2013, 10:48 PM   #34
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Baileypcook View Post
my vents don't close...am I missing something? Also, there is no filter under the bed. It looks like there COULD BE one down there but there's nothing.
It just seems like there's more heat going out of the exhaust in the back outside than there is coming in thru the vents. And the bathroom vent doesn't have a bit of air coming thru it...I guess this is just something to live with?
i still cannot tell which winnebago model you have. you can update the signature info in your profile to include this info. check my sig info at the end of this post.

the info below is based on my 2001 35' 35u adventurer.

the adventurer suburban furnaces may have different model numbers but all operate similarly. my furnace is model #sf42. the ac component locations vary somewhat between models.

there is supposed to be a 14'' x 20'' x 1'' filter under a panel that is accessed by raising the bed. i use an merv 6,7, or 8 rated filter from walmart, lowes or home depot. this filter is for the ac-heat pump air from the ceiling vents. this filter does not have anything to do with the propane furnace. my heat pump works ok as long as the outside temperature is above 45 degrees. at 44-45 deg, the outside coils will freeze up.

floor registers that have closeable dampers are available from
lowes and home depot.
the furnace blower output is very small in comparison to the ac-heat pump blower (ceiling vents). if you close the 3 aft floor registers, more warm air will come out the front 2 registers. the return air intake is in the bedroom so the bedroom will still be heated with the floor register closed. if you close too many registers, the furnace flame will not light. the furnace ''sail switch'' will not make the circuit for the flame to light and the blower will run for a short time and shut off.
the furnace blower has 2 parts. the combustion process is separate from the heat exchanger process.
the heat exchanger process does not move as much air as the combustion process. heated air from the heat exchanger is what comes out of the floor registers. the hot exhaust coming out of the vent in the back of your moho is from the combustion process. you don't want any of that stuff inside your moho for sure.

please make sure that your co (carbon monoxide) and propane gas leak detector alarms are working properly. my co alarm is on the ceiling in the bedroom. it has a red blinking light when it is working properly. pushing the test button should illicit several beeps. it uses a 9v battery. so does the smoke alarm in the front of my moho.
my propane gas detector is near the floor across from the bathroom. it has a green light on it. it is hardwired 12v.
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Old 10-29-2013, 04:25 PM   #35
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my vents don't close...am I missing something? Also, there is no filter under the bed. It looks like there COULD BE one down there but there's nothing.
It just seems like there's more heat going out of the exhaust in the back outside than there is coming in thru the vents. And the bathroom vent doesn't have a bit of air coming thru it...I guess this is just something to live with?
The bathroom vent is the only one that is closeable from the factory. Many people do close it because the small space heats up quickly. Those who have other closeable floor registers have probably replaced them with ones from the home improvement stores. We replaced several of ours not to redirect the heat, but rather because the dogs were continually dropping kibble down them. When we fed them the registers got closed. After dinner they were reopened.

There's a sail switch connected to a door in the ductwork just before the bedroom register. The fan circulating air through the coach starts before the burner in the furnace. It has to blow hard enough to open the door and make the switch or the burner will not start.

As for the thermostat switching from electric to gas heat:

1. If the thermostat is set for electric heat and the heat pump does start the system will also call for the gas furnace to start when the ambient temperature is 4* or more below the set point.

1. If you have it set for electric heat and the heat pump doesn't start (because the outside temperature is too cold) the thermostat will try 3 times to start and run the heat pump before switching to gas.



There will always be more hot air going out the furnace exhaust than through the coach. As mentioned it's the combustion gas. This gas heats the air in the heat exchanger. The warm air in the heat exchanger is then circulated through the coach.

I made the mistake of storing our tow shield to close to the furnace exhaust. It took less than 5 minutes of furnace run time to melt a hole in the plastic shield. After that I made sure the tow shield wasn't directly behind the furnace exhaust port. It still got warm to the touch but not hot enough to melt.
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Old 10-29-2013, 07:26 PM   #36
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Have you found any cold air return vents in your rig. As I mentioned before, my 2000 35u has one under the make up desk in the bedroom and one on the outside of the bathroom wall in the hallway. Blocked return air vents will really make a difference in the air output of the furnace. Have a look around your rig and verify your furnace is getting the air it needs to move the heat around?
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Old 10-29-2013, 07:29 PM   #37
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What you are experiencing sounds normal to me.

Excuse this reply. When I looked at this thread and replied there were no other messages here. Not sure how that happened but it did.
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Old 10-29-2013, 07:48 PM   #38
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I replied to this post once and will copy it again here.

I recently purchased a 2000 35U Adventurer and the furnace operated as described in the original post when I took possession.

My low air volume was caused by a massive air leak at the furnace housing. I removed the outer cover and there was a one inch gap all the way around between the furnace housing and the rear cap. (My furnace is mounted in the rear) I bought a rubber garage door seal from a hardware store and fabricated a seal between the body and the furnace.

Now when the furnace runs it must draw air from inside the coach creating a negative pressure which allows heated air to enter the coach. This is the way it is designed to operate. Before the repair the furnace was drawing air from outside and trying to force it into an enclosed space, resulting in the poor performance.


I have also will post pictures of the gap I found between the heater housing and the rear cap. After I fixed the housing leak my heater performance was improved exponentially, but these buses with RV heaters connected to housing style ductwork will never work like your sticks and bricks system. It’s just too small a fan for all that ductwork.

I also wanted to add, a tell tale sign your system was installed incorrectly as mine was. Whenever I first started the furnace after driving for a while it would smell like burning rubber. The exact smell you get from the rubber road dust smell you get when you start your towed vehicle after it has been towed any distance. This was caused by road dust collecting in the heater housing, this is clearly seen when you take off the outer cover to access the heater.

I know its human nature to shy away from the hard answers but trust me this is the solution to low air volume in these rear mounted heaters and it’s really not that hard to repair.
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Old 10-29-2013, 09:00 PM   #39
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I guess an easy check for that is to see if your air flow increases with a window or door open so it is not trying to force air into a tight space?
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Old 10-30-2013, 06:34 AM   #40
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I guess an easy check for that is to see if your air flow increases with a window or door open so it is not trying to force air into a tight space?
It's only four screws to remove the outside cover and look for the gap between the furnace housing and the rear cap.
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