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Old 11-19-2008, 11:15 AM   #1
bobby A
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another furnace problem

have an 03 big sky (that we love) it seems when the weather gets cold (around 30 degrees or so) the furnace won't ignite, I hear the igniter click and try to start but won't ignite. But last week it got in the 50's hear in Michigan and the furnace ran fine. The stove seems to work fine in any temp. I called suburban and they were absolutly useless !! Anyone have any thoughts on this problem.
Thanks,
 
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Old 11-19-2008, 12:49 PM   #2
racerjoe
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A low propane tank will cause a non start situation, It is not low enough to switch over but furnace is not sensing enough gas pressure to light. In cold weather tank pressure drops even more. Switch to full tank and try out.We also have had this problem and the cure is switching tanks.
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Old 11-19-2008, 03:41 PM   #3
jackel1959
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Also check for any kinked supply lines.
r,
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Old 11-20-2008, 01:43 AM   #4
bobby A
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O.k. thanks for the info Racer Joe & Jackel, you are more helpful than Suburban was. I'll let you know my findings.
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Old 11-20-2008, 11:06 AM   #5
bobby A
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I went to my local Cummins dealer today, they work on big rigs and RV's. I got better info from them in 5 minutes than anywhere else. I described the simptoms as I stated in my posting and they told me it sounds like a battery problem. I brought the battery in for them to test and sure enough it was only getting 7.9 volts under a load. So I replaced the battery and now I'll wait to cold weather hits to see if that was the problem. The guys was quite confident that it was. So we will see.
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Old 11-20-2008, 03:38 PM   #6
racerjoe
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You would not think the battery could be the problem when you are hooked to shore power. But he does have a good point.
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Old 11-20-2008, 05:00 PM   #7
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We had a problem with our water heater on our SOB and the tech increased the pressure a little as the regulator was set too low. Not something just anyone should tamper with.
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Old 11-21-2008, 01:15 PM   #8
bobby A
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Followup regarding the new battery install.
That must of NOT been the problem because I went to fire up the furnace today ( it was only 20 degrees hear in Michigan) and the furnace did not light. At least I found one problem though ( the battery). I talked to my local Montana service guys and he seems to think it might be the gas valve. At this point I'm back to square one. Any input anyone ???
Thanks
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Old 11-22-2008, 07:19 AM   #9
Ontheroad
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Intermitant failures usually means a bad control board. I own a tester, which doesn't help you much, but a local shop might.
However, before replacing i would check the propane delivery pressure(as mentioned earlier) with a manometer and test the voltage at the board. If they test OK, then it's time to take the furnace out and check the ignitor for dirt or carbon, also the gap, and the propane valves. I have had electromagnets go bad on water heater valves.
If you do remove the burner assembly from the furnace, have a gasket handy as you should not re-use an old gasket.
Hope this helps.
steve
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Old 11-22-2008, 02:50 PM   #10
kmh3212
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When it gets very cold outside the propane has a hard time turning from LP (liquefied petroleum) to a gas inside the tank and the pressure will drop in the gas lines. As the LP turns to a gas the liquid in the tank will get colder. During the right conditions ice will form on the outside of the tank. Without gas no flame. Try switching tanks the next time it fails to light and see what happens.
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Old 11-22-2008, 05:08 PM   #11
rogue
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Next time it won't light, try turning on the gas range burner. Do you get the same large flame there as normal, or a low weak flame. If low and weak, its the propane pressure. Either a low tank, or ice as stated above, or a bad regulator.
Bob
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Old 11-24-2008, 02:44 AM   #12
bobby A
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Another update.
Thanks to all who responded to my delima. All things tested out fine as you all memtioned above. So we took the furnace out, it was a cumbersome job, once we started disecting the furnace we discovered the igniter was missing a 1 inch peace. So I went to my local rv dealership and without any runaround they had the exact igniter. Took it back and installed it and everything seems back to normal (nock on wood). We figured that the reason it would light in warm weather is like kmh3212 explaned in his comment above. I have noticed a difference between the two igniters. The bad one would click 3 times then ignite the burner, the new one only clicks once. Thanks again to all who have offered advice in regards to this issue. I'll keep you all posted, but I think we should be good to go now. Hope you all have a Wonderful Holiday Season
Bobby A
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