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Old 05-09-2021, 11:57 PM   #21
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Had the same symptoms first time we used our furnace. Propane was not turned on ALL the way. Everything worked but for only seconds at a time. Opened up the valve ALL the way and life was good.
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Old 05-10-2021, 12:00 AM   #22
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Make sure your propane is turned on ALL the way. Had a similar problem first time we went to use our furnace. Cycled on and off but wouldn't stay on. Checked everything...and then noticed propane valve wasn't opened up ALL the way. That fixed it.
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Old 05-10-2021, 12:51 PM   #23
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Propane Furnace

Sounds to me like the flame sensor isn't working correctly all the time. My suggestion would be to remove the flame sensor connection at the control board and clean it. It doesn't take much corrosion to have a negative effect.
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Old 05-10-2021, 01:39 PM   #24
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Originally Posted by Hittntheroad View Post
If you had a lot of rain prior to the problem, it could be moisture on the board. After drying out the problem will go away. Sometime a hairdryer can be used to dry them out. I keep a spare board for this reason and raised my board up some to keep water from getting to it.
Got any ideas on how the water was getting to the board past the cover which is sealed on mine?
Water would be a definite item to keep off the board.
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Old 05-12-2021, 06:25 PM   #25
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The same thing happened to me and it turned out to be a mud dobber wasp nest in the burner. Took it apart and cleaned it out , then used a new cover gasket that i got from a parts distributor . When back together It worked perfect again. Last point. Get a cover so the wasps don't go in again. If happens all the time.
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Old 05-18-2021, 12:06 PM   #26
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Updating: the furnace worked great for a week or more... then out of the blue Sunday night refused to light. We are on the warm side of our trip and probably will not need it at night again this trip.

Once home I’ll dig into what’s going on.
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Old 05-18-2021, 07:43 PM   #27
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I had an issue with my furnace not lighting properly. Turns out there was a good amount of dog hair (golden retriever) gummed up around the sail switch.



This was the video I used to help me out. After cleaning it out, I took a piece of cut to fit air conditioner filter from Lowes to help filter out the dog hair from getting back through the furnace intake, which is under the fridge in my unit.

Hope this is helpful 👍
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Old 07-05-2021, 09:59 AM   #28
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Angry Same Issues For Me

2019 MM 2108 FBS, second owner.

Issue: Furnace fan turns on, but the furnace does not produce heat.

What Brimlie posted above helped me remove my Dometic Furnace. It's a great video tool. I cleaned out the mildly cob-webbed sail switch and surroundings. After putting it all back together, the furnace kicked out heat. Then, randomly days later it did not!

What I have discovered is that the sail switch is the problem, but even after cleaning it there are still consistency issues. I played around with the sail switch when it was off the unit and it seemed brand new; it moved very well.

Even today I tried turning the furnace on multiple times and nothing but the fan worked. I even took an air compressor and blew into the exhaust to try to eliminate any debris that might have built up over the last few weeks. It didn't help at all. The interior of the trailer was 85 degrees and the thermostat was set to 90, so that is not the issue.

Can anyone at all suggest a permanent solution to this problem? Would I need to get a new sail switch, a better sail switch if possible? I am beside myself with how many problems I have had with my MM and I have only owned in since May! I am now considering a whole new furnace from another manufacture.
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:06 AM   #29
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I finally took my RV in to an independent RV repair shop in San Antonio (Texas RV Supply) last Monday and had my furnace repaired.

It turned out to be a problem with the control board and it had to be replaced. Cost was $160 for the board and $150 for R&R labor.

You can buy a control board on Amazon for about $100. But I didn't want to remove and troubleshoot the heater. I figured I'd pay someone to do the repair at a marked up price.
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:19 AM   #30
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Originally Posted by creativepart View Post
I finally took my RV in to an independent RV repair shop in San Antonio (Texas RV Supply) last Monday and had my furnace repaired.

It turned out to be a problem with the control board and it had to be replaced. Cost was $160 for the board and $150 for R&R labor.

You can buy a control board on Amazon for about $100. But I didn't want to remove and troubleshoot the heater. I figured I'd pay someone to do the repair at a marked up price.
Thanks, Creative.

I am new to RVing (as an owner/operator), so could you please explain what/where a control board is?
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:23 AM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brimlie View Post
I had an issue with my furnace not lighting properly. Turns out there was a good amount of dog hair (golden retriever) gummed up around the sail switch.



This was the video I used to help me out. After cleaning it out, I took a piece of cut to fit air conditioner filter from Lowes to help filter out the dog hair from getting back through the furnace intake, which is under the fridge in my unit.

Hope this is helpful 👍
This probably a very terrible question, but what would happen if I somehow rigged the sail switch to stay open permanently (i.e., with glue or tape or ziptie)? Would there be a chance for fire or any other harm?
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:26 AM   #32
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Thanks, Creative.

I am new to RVing (as an owner/operator), so could you please explain what/where a control board is?
It's the "computer" inside the heater that operates the fan and gas valve etc. When you open up the heater you should see the control board. It looks like this:
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:33 AM   #33
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This probably a very terrible question,
YES VERY TERRIBLE!!
The sail switch is part of the system that keeps everyone in the RV from dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.

So, yeah, you want to fix that not force it open. Unless you don't mind killing everyone in the RV???

It's a safety routine. The fan starts. The sail switch sails in the wind. The gas valve opens and lets propane reach the igniter, the igniter sparks to light the gas pilot light, the flame sensor waits for heat to prove it's lit. Once the controller is satisfied that there is air and flame it opens the main gas valve to release propane and the main burners light. Viola... heat.

You can replace a sail switch if you need one... but are you sure that is your problem?
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:43 AM   #34
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YES VERY TERRIBLE!!
The sail switch is part of the system that keeps everyone in the RV from dying of carbon monoxide poisoning.

So, yeah, you want to fix that not force it open. Unless you don't mind killing everyone in the RV???

It's a safety routine. The fan starts. The sail switch sails in the wind. The gas valve opens and lets propane reach the igniter, the igniter sparks to light the gas pilot light, the flame sensor waits for heat to prove it's lit. Once the controller is satisfied that there is air and flame it opens the main gas valve to release propane and the main burners light. Viola... heat.

You can replace a sail switch if you need one... but are you sure that is your problem?

Creative,

HAHA! My ignorance here is quite laughable. I figured it was a dumb question.

I am convinced it is the sail switch, BUT I very well could be missing something. On one occasion the heat worked for about eight hours, then quit. Then later the next day it worked again for about six hours then quit. Then it didn't work until I cleaned the sail switch and reinstalled the furnace. Now it is back to being quite sporadic with functioning properly. I am just going to have to rely on a service tech to help out now. I am not well trained with electrical issues so I don't think there is anything else I can do now?
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Old 07-05-2021, 10:56 AM   #35
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My furnace became irratic - it worked for a while then suddenly stopped working. Then a day later worked for 4 days followed by not working at all.

It was a faulty circuit board on mine - not a sail switch. But really it can be any of these things I listed - the sail switch, the igniter, the sensor or the gas valve. Or it can be the circuit board that controls all of these separate parts.

I don't have any idea what the problem is on your furnace. But you can either replace parts until it works consistently or you can take it to a repair person/shop and let them figure it out and fix it.
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Old 07-05-2021, 11:46 AM   #36
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Creative,

Thanks for the help. I m going to give a service dept the chance to help here. I am afraid I may make things worse.
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Old 07-05-2021, 12:43 PM   #37
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When RV ownership is more affordable, it's also more fun!

CreativePart: If you kept your old circuit board, it would be interesting to know know if you can find a "cold solder joint" under magnification? Why?
...So you can get to the root cause.

BACKSTORY

I'm guessing you will find a "cold solder joint" where your diodes are located on your circuit board, but I don't know why diodes joints seam to "brake" more than others?

* I know these diodes are there to block (suppress) AC transients, among other things.

For reference information you can go to this website:

https://components101.com/articles/h...ge-suppression

* What I have noticed is that when you have a cold solder joint -- to a diode -- then I would say some transients get through; and the circuit is not stable. I.e., sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. And sometimes a cold solder joint may cause "open" circuit.

* The interesting part, is that these diode cold solder joints located in one part of the circuit board, can affect the function of a device on a completely different part of the circuit board, because they share the same ground!

==> And the simple fix is just reflow the solder in the joint that is already there.

HOW DO YOU SPOT A COLD SOLDER JOINT?

* Simple. Just look with a high power set of reading glasses (maybe) or use a magnifying glass.

QUESTON: Can someone explain why diode joints crack when resistor and capacitor solder joints don't?

Do diodes "vibrate" and add stress to the solder joint? IDK. I just don't buy the problem is in the wave solder pass when the board was made, because several times now, when I paid a TV repair shop to repair several circuit boards in my RV, he always finds cold solder joints where the diodes are located... and occasionally a weak capacitor.

And when you think about it, in every RV, there are these little circuit boards, that are subject to heat and vibration and time. So I hope it's comforting to know, that if you can remove the CB you can also get it repaired for $50-$100.

Further, when you own an RV that is more than 10 years old, you often have to repair your old CB, because a replacement CB is not available.

...Then you learn there is an upside: I.e., you can save a lot of money by bringing your old circuit board to a repair shop.

... And when RV ownership is more affordable, it's also more fun!

Note: It turns out a TV-Satellite-Radio repair shop does NOT need to have a circuit diagram to repair your old circuit board. In fact, they don't care how it was designed. Why? ...Because they can do a component-to-component check and find the problem areas using a bunch of tips and tricks... and in the end, the fix may just come down to reflowing a bad-cracked "cold solder" joint.

Just a simple fix! ...Your mechanic will not mention most of the time, unless there is no other choice, because he is on the other side of the trade. I.e., he may not be the most objective tool in the shed.

On the other side, where would be if there was not a resident RV repair expert where you live? And in this case, when you pay for a diagnose you also get a complete system check-up, cleaning and adjustment, so you have the assurance your heater will be there when you need it.

In fact, I have never performed any maintenance on either of my 2 Suburban heaters, and I'm not sure I want to do it myself? The question then becomes: Do do I pay to get some preventative Suburban maintenance now; or do I wait until my heater starts acting up?
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Old 07-05-2021, 01:41 PM   #38
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CreativePart: If you kept your old circuit board, it would be interesting to know know if you can find a "cold solder joint" under magnification?
Since I had a shop do the work I did not ask for nor did they offer to return to me the defective circuit board.

When they have done work for me previously on other things I requested to get the replaced parts back, but I didn't this time.
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Old 07-06-2021, 04:47 AM   #39
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Mine had the same symptoms. Bought a new board and resoldered the old one for a spare. I tested the one I soldered and it works. Water is the enemy of these boards.
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Old 07-06-2021, 06:22 AM   #40
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If you do get a new board, get the Dinosaur.
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