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Why Won't Our RV Furnace Light?

by Jason Brush
(Quilcene, WA)

The blower kicks on but pilot won't light. what can I do besides replacing the furnace it self? The furnace was replaced by previouse owner in 97 for the same problem.Can I replace the ignitor it self?

ANSWER: Greetings Jason thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

Sorry to hear that you are going through this, but the problem may not be as serious as you think.

Please read the answers I gave to the questions below:

Why Does My RV Furnace Keep Cycling On And Off Every 5 Minutes?

How Do We Fix Our RV Furnace? It Won't Turn On

Leave your RV repair bills to us—Good Sam Extended Service Plan

Hope this helps.

Do you have any suggestions or comments on this topic? You can add them to this page by clicking on the "Click Here To Post Comments" link located near the bottom of this page.

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Happy RVing

RVing Al

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Comments for Why Won't Our RV Furnace Light?

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Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Wasps here
by: RussellEdge

This site is great! I bought a used Winnebago and everything worked but the furnace. After reading this page I went outside and sure enough, a wasp nest was in the exhaust vent. Works like a champ now!
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Mud Daubers, etc.
by: Anonymous

TimG hit the nail right on the head. As I read the initial question, mud daubers came to mind.

It should be an annual ritual, before the camping season starts - if you are up north - for every RVer to either clean the gas igniter tube on the water heater or pay an RV technician to do so.

At the same time you should check (or have checked) the furnace, the gas igniter of your refrigerator and even the burners on your stove.

The cleaning process includes adjusting the flame for maximum efficiency.

I bought "mud dauber screens" to cover my furnace and water heater exhaust ports. They are easily installed and over the long term can save you the cost of service calls.

Just about every RV parts department should have these screens in stock. They come in avariety of sizes and configurations. So, make sure you purchase the correct size.

This doesn't totally replace the annual service for cleaning and adjustments. It means that, unlike the customer we had last spring, your furnace won't become a squirel's repository for acorns! That's a true story. I watched our technician clean out the acorns and nesting material!

Lew Mann
Webmaster & "Doer of Many Things"
J.D. Sanders RV Center
Alachua, Florida
www.sandersrvs.com
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Furnace problems
by: TimG

We purchased our 2002 Damon Intruder in Sept.'09. Initially the furnace worked fine. But after about 2 weeks the burner wouldn't kick on. The blower worked so the power obviously was working on it. We took our rig in to have the furnace checked out. The technician noticed that it was damp inside the exterior of the furnace. He concluded that the circuit board had been damaged due to getting wet. They proceeded to check their inventory and found that there weren't any in stock. They said they would gladly order a new board and it would be over 300 bucks for parts and labor. I said thank you, but we'll call back. That night I wanted to check it out myself once again and I had a couple ideas I wanted to try. I checked all the connectors that led to the circuit board and cleaned the area of dust and debris. I then took a hair dryer and dried the board and the entire access area. I then inspected the tube that leads to the igniter (the one that blows hot air to the outside and has the opening on the access cover.) I then discovered that there was a 'dirt dauber's nest (type of wasp that makes its nest from packed mud) in the back of the tube that I assumed was interfering and wouldn't allow the furnace to ignite. I took a long piece of heavy wire and broke the nest away from the side of the tube. I scraped out as much as I could with the wire and blew the smaller pieces with the hair dryer. I then replaced the cover, fired up the furnace and it's work like a charm every time we've needed it since. WARNING: Always make sure the furnace thermostat is in the off position before ever attempting to do ANYTHING!! If you smell gas, STOP IMMEDIATELY and seek professional assistance!!!!

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