Gas Heater Damper noise

[pilot81]

Each time the gas furnace starts there it a loud metalic clang. Sounds like a damper door moving and hitting the stop. When the furnace stops I hear the noise again. Has anyone had this problem and did it get fixed?

Reinhard

2002 Adventurer 32'

[pilot81]

Each time the gas furnace starts there it a loud metalic clang. Sounds like a damper door moving and hitting the stop. When the furnace stops I hear the noise again. Has anyone had this problem and did it get fixed?

Reinhard

2002 Adventurer 32'

[peter griffin]

i have the same problem only hearing when im in the back near it....bago looked at it while at forest city and said it checked ok

[NeilV]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by pilot81:
Each time the gas furnace starts there it a loud metalic clang. Sounds like a damper door moving and hitting the stop. When the furnace stops I hear the noise again. Has anyone had this problem and did it get fixed?

Reinhard

2002 Adventurer 32' </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I believe that is the damper for the air intake to switch the filter between the heat and basement air.

[DancinCampers]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by DancinCampers:
I decided to add to this thread vice a new one because my project today dealt with the damper.

My understanding of the floor ductwork is there are 2 dampers, one at each end. The one near the LP furnace keeps the air in the ductwork when the Coach Aux Heater is on, and the one up front near the Coach Aux Heater keeps the air in the ductwork when the LP Furnace is on.

When we first purchased our MH I heard the same noise on the LP damper. After awhile though it went away. I did not think much of it because we did not use the furnace much. This past summer in the Pacific NW we did. I thought the airflow was low, so using a mirror and long rod I poked the damper while the furnace was on & the air flow increased. For some reason the damper was not opening all the way.

Soooooo, having a few weeks til the next trip I decided to remove the furnace today & investigate.

Removing the furnace is not hard, but a little tricky. Remove the outer cover (4 screws), then remove the heater rear cover (4 screws), disconecting the electrical and LP connections, then 2 screws which hold in the heater.

Here is a pic after removal:



Notice the damper in the back. Also notice the 4 standoffs which the heater rests on. The ones near the damper make is hard to remove/install the heater. More later.

I noticed that the frame which the heater fits in was not square. The right hand side was solid, but the left hand side was not.

Here is a pic of the upper left corner:



I could press this corner and it would go up and down. My thought is that the weight of the heater when installed made this corner go down, which in turn caused the damper to bind. There is not much space between the sides of the damper & the ductwork.

So I shimmed up underneath the corner & drilled a hole into the corner & the frame member next to it and installed a screw.

Here is the pic:



It is hard to see, but the screw is in the upper left corner.

No deflection now.

Back to the standoffs. I cut 2 pieces of 1/2 inch board, 1 inch wide.

Here is the pic of the wood inplace to help install the heater:



These help because when you install the heater without them, the back tilts down & it is hard to get the heater back up onto the standoffs. The wood provides a level track & heater went in real easy. To remove the wood I turned them sideways & pulled them out.

I put all back together, checked for leaks & fired it up. Much better now.

Time will tell if it works good on our upcoming trip to the desert.

Next project is to pull out the HWH & fix the Coach Aux Heater Fan.

Fun, Fun, Fun </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[peter griffin]

awesome photos and job! so are you saying that one cant run the lp and the coach heater while traveling at the same time? what would happen?

also.. how do these dampers move? air or electric? thanks

[Dave from MN]

I had the same trouble with my 2001 Adventurer! The damper would sometimes wait about 5 minutes later to close, it would sound like a steel door closing! if you were sleeping, that would have you grabbing for handles when it happen ! I took out the furnance & put some tape on the sides of damper so there would be less metal on metal. Also more weight to bring down the damper. I also lubricated the hinges. It worked good after that!

[DancinCampers]

Peter

They open on the air pressure created when the blower comes on. They have a pin on each side just below the top of the damper. The pin extends thru the ductwork.

Not sure what would happen with both blowers going. My guess is you would have a lot stronger airflow thru the vents.

[N8XV]

Our 2000 35U had the same noise with the damper door along with a squeak. I removed the furnace, greased the pivot points on the damper plate and installed 3 small pieces of 1/8" thick rubber tape so the bottom edge of the damper would hit on it as it closes. I only used small pieces of the tape as I wasn't sure if the high heat in that area would burn the tape and create a stink. It's been in there 3 years and is still quiet, only a dull thud when it closes. The damper is some what hard to work on, but if you have 4' arms it would be easy.

[pilot81]

Thanks for all the info. I'll take out the heater and see what I find. I now have enough info to know what I'm looking for.

Thank you
Reinhard