Montana electric fireplace failure??? - Montana Owners Club

CBTraveler · 03-12-2011, 01:52 AM

I'm hesitant to post this after enjoying the humorous comments about cleaning the fireplace chimney, but a fellow Montana owner told me that he had recently heard of a fire in a Montana caused by overheated wiring in the electric fireplace. He then took his fireplace apart and found that one of the electrical connections had been overheated to the point that he had to redo the wire connections. Has anyone experienced or heard of any fireplace wiring failures?? We use ours whenever we need heat and have been in the habit of leaving it on overnight- something I'll stop.

bncinwv · 03-12-2011, 02:35 AM

There have been a few instances reported on the forum, primarily due to faulty wiring (everyone should check) and a lack of proper airflow due to restricted vents (Dimplex usually provided a fix). For the sake of easing ones mind, all electrical connections should be inspected and tightened periodically. A search of the forum will provide more detailed info regarding the previous conditions and the associated fixes.
Bingo

Crossthread · 03-12-2011, 02:44 AM

CBTraveler,The same thing happened to our "07 3000rk. It has been reported here that it has happened to a few other Dimplex uits. I first thought that the odor was just dust on the heating coli,so I did what I could to blow the dust off the coil.About an hour later after it was turned on again,the smoke detector went off. I found the cheap connector melted that connects the power cord to the fireplace unit. We never leave it on unless we are in the trailer, and never leave it on during the night. Bill

H. John Kohl · 03-12-2011, 03:00 AM

You mean like this?

Here is my link to that same topic.

Crossthread · 03-12-2011, 03:36 AM

John,That's exactly the way it happened. Bill

CBTraveler · 03-12-2011, 04:28 AM

WOW! Thanks to all of you for the comments. I certainly will not leave the unit running when we are gone and/ or at night. When I get back home I'm going to pull the unit and check the connections. Thanks again for the help.

Art-n-Marge · 03-12-2011, 09:08 AM

We do always turn off the fireplace if we leave the rig. We figure if we are there and this problem starts to happen I have a sensitive nose and I will catch this.

I have taken my fireplace apart and looked at our connections and the are nice and clean and tight and we have used our fireplace a lot when the RV is deployed. I have seen pictures like H John Kohls, some worse than others but you can definitely tell when the connections are bad if there's any discolorations.

It's funny that they try and minimize open flames in an RV, but then when the alternative electric version is a problem whatcha gonna do? Ironic, eh?

Clemson1881 · 03-12-2011, 09:28 AM

This problem was fixed in either late 2009 or 2010. Still it would be wise to take above precautions.

Ozz · 03-12-2011, 10:53 AM

Mine was like Johns. I just cut the wires back and wire-nutted them together. I would have no problems with the way they come from the factory IF they would tighten the connections properly. Like the Transfer switch problem, it is obvious that the connections were not tight. Loose connections cause resistance heat, melts stuff...
I would have had the same problems with my breaker panel, 3 or 4 wires were loose, they were landed, but the factory guy just didn't turn the screwdriver on them.
I was wiring in some Mods when I found it.

scductman · 03-12-2011, 02:42 PM

I need to ck mine. I had planed to last yr but never got to it. so am I rite Ozz you are saying to remove the plastic pc and tie the wires together if so makes you wonder why they put them in there to begin with?
bobby

TAKPAK · 03-12-2011, 06:49 PM

After reading about the problems others were having, I pulled ours out last year and checked everything. Fan motor, heating element, and especially the connectors. I didn't find anything wrong, and no evidence of overheating, BUT I did tighten down every connection, and made sure there was nothing loose. We do run ours at night if need be, but I also make sure the smoke detector works. And, I keep a close eye on it, and "sniff" for any hot or unusual smells.

artfuldodger · 03-13-2011, 01:07 AM

In the picture it looks to me that there are copper wires hooked to an aluminum block. Is this the case because if so that is 90% of the problem. When connecting copper to aluminum, it is imperative to use a special paste and to ,above all, keep the connections tight. When temperatures vary so much in an RV the connections can loosen easily with the expansion and contraction of the metals involved in the connection, especially when 2 different metals are used.

Exnavydiver · 03-13-2011, 05:53 AM

It isn't an aluminum block, it is a plastic coated steel. The problem comes when the set screws are not tightened properly. When we got out 08 Big Sky I had read many posts on this forum and as soon as we got it home I opened up everything electrical and tightened all set screws

Breakers,buss bar, fireplace) I found that most needed some tightening. The loose set screws in the fireplace causes a loose connection thus causing arching and heat buildup. We have had no further problems with over heating connections..

norm · 03-14-2011, 06:51 AM

This is scary. I had no idea. how do you get into this to check it. and while at it how do you
get the glass off to clean it. thanks for bringing this to our attention.

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