LPG gas issue

[Ken35216]

Any help would be great appreciated!

Gas is showing 3/4 full, gas range works, but water heater and furnace is not.

I turn on the gas water heater switch and it tries 3 times but then the "pilot light out" light comes on. And furnace runs but no heat.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Ken

[creativepart]

Humm, Since we don't know your experience with this RV I'd like to ask a few other questions.

You say the Gas stove burners light. Do they light and run for minutes, not just a second and then you turn it off? Can you light all three burners at once and let them run? I ask because there can be residual LP in the line that will allow a burner to light for a short while.

Do you have an RV fridge that can also run on Propane? If so, does it light and stay lit?

Finally, you say the gas furnace runs but is not hot. The way the gas furnace is designed, it will start the fan and that will run for up to a full minute. Then, the gas burner will attempt to light. Generally, it will make a clicking noise as the gas is turned on and the igniter starts sparking to ignite the gas. It will try to light the burner 3-times. All this time the fan will be running and blowing cold air. So, you might find the furnace fan blowing cold air for what seems like a long time.

If the furnace doesn't light on the 3rd try then the fan will turn off. It's possible you could smell some LP gas during this process, too.

Here's what I'm getting at... perhaps the LP tank is closed and a little residual gas in the line is being used up by a stove burner when you test it.

It's a guess and nothing more. We don't have much to go on with your description.

[Morich]

When dealing with a new Rv, I like to do it in this order, first make sure the stove works right as it is simple, second the water heater as less complex and finally the furnace as it has more involved that the others.
The stove first will act as a way to clear any air bubbles, etc. in the lines as it uses a fair amount of gas quickly.

[Ken35216]

I lit all 3 burners and ran them for 5 minutes and I also turned on the fridge and the gas lit and ran the fridge.

The valve is open on the tank.

[creativepart]

Then it's likely a coincidence that the other appliances don't light at the same time... or something is blocking your gas supply down the line from the fridge.

Sorry, I don't have any easy answers like, "Oh, your whosits is stuck in the whatsit."

[Ken35216]

Originally Posted by creativepart

Then it's likely a coincidence that the other appliances don't light at the same time... or something is blocking your gas supply down the line from the fridge.

Sorry, I don't have any easy answers like, "Oh, your whosits is stuck in the whatsit."

Thanks!

[TravatoJohn]

My thoughts on this brings back memories of my heater trying to light but couldn’t fire. Fan was on. Stove top would light. (Not much demand). You should have your pressure checked. You may not be at 11 inches of water. A gauge will tell you if your pressure is low. You should have three devices running when you ultimately set the pressure. There is an adjustment screw under the large black cap on the regulator. Sometimes it can adjusted to the right setting. These regulators are made in China and can fail. Don’ t attempt to do this unless you have experience. It is best to leave to a person who knows what they are doing.
Travato John

[Morich]

I looked at the gas lines here:
https://catalog3d.winnebagoind.com/menu/Parts.htm

It appears that it is a fairly simple layout with the furnace being one of the closest items to the tank and the water heater being way back in the far corner, so that leaves me thinking it is NOT a gas flow problem but I would "guess" it to be two spearate problems with each of the items not working.
Maybe an actual fault or maybe something not quite right with lighting them off?

I might suggest going at it as two items and looking at the water heater first as the less complex for lighting off.
One first clue is if you hear the igniter in the water heater clicking, that tells you it is likely getting power for the signal to light, the board says to click the ingniter but there is not gas at the right point for ignition to happen.
Maybe a first step would be to open the water heater cover and look as the igniter clicks by having a second helper turn it on while you watch?
While there look that area over and see if there are spider webs, bugs, etc. keeping gas from getting through the tube about an inch thick that leads the gas to the spark. Maybe good to stand back just a bit so that oif the gas is not getting there, you don't get caught too close when it might light off with a whoose! Just better to be careful!

If you smell gas, wait before trying again and make sure it has cleared and make sure the tubeis not full of something like a wasp or mud dauber nest so that the gas is collecting in one end instead of moving to be lit as it should.
You may be able to spot a solenoid as an small bulge in the gas line with wires to it?
If it is stuck for some reason a good tap with a screwdriver, etc may jar it loose? Also try wiggleing any push on connections that might look corroded as a simploe shotgun approach that might help?

[Morich]

Another small point to addd might be that you can find more exact troubleshooting ideas online or sometimes even in the big folder of info we get with RV. Looking over the info that you may have in the big folder may turn up some good troubleshooting charts but if that is lacking, going to the item and finding the truly correct model on labels and then doing a serach for that exact brand and model can often turn up a really thorough guide for looking in an organized way, rather than the hunt and peck we often do when not having the better info!

A small hint to consider when looking for good info?
Try to get as close to the real info from the manufacturer, rather than the often glossy, easy to find stuff from guys like you and I who use the little info they know to sell their website, whether they actually know more than us or not!
This is a case where brass should not be allowed to replace brains!

[Upinsmoke]

Try this guy's videos. http://myrvworks.com/

He has so many of them and on all variety of problems. He generally walks the viewer through a step by step diagnosis of the problem and then shows how to fix it. I do agree that I would tackle one problem at a time, the water heater, and proceed from there.

Good luck and please post the outcome as it's how we all learn so we can help others.

[LizandBruce]

We have had the same issue several times. On our RV the vents on the pressure regulator get some dust in them which limits the amount of propane flowing through. I just remove the plastic vent covers and spray them out with a small can of compressed air.