Suburban Furnace

M

max e. rockafellow

New member
Nov 29, 1998
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Has anyone experienced their Suburban furnace not lighting sometimes?
Problem first surfaced in March when leaving for GMC Motorhome
International convention in Myrtle Beach. It was -17 F here in WI and
no matter how many times I recycled unit it would not light. Fan came
on but no heat (flame). When farther south on the second day of travel
it lit. After that I've been experiencing that same condition from time
to time. Replaced sensor and thought I had problem fixed, however, it's
doing it again. Furnace is only three years old.

Max
76 Palm Beach

Mailto:maxrock

GMC Motorhomes International WebSite
http://www.gmcmi.com
 
>Has anyone experienced their Suburban furnace not lighting sometimes?
>Problem first surfaced in March when leaving for GMC Motorhome
>International convention in Myrtle Beach. It was -17 F here in WI and
>no matter how many times I recycled unit it would not light. Fan came
>on but no heat (flame). When farther south on the second day of travel
>it lit. After that I've been experiencing that same condition from time
>to time. Replaced sensor and thought I had problem fixed, however, it's
>doing it again. Furnace is only three years old.
>
>Max
>76 Palm Beach
>

IIRC: there was discussion on that topic several months ago,
and it boiled down to low battery voltage, the circuit card sensor determines
that the voltage is low and does not allow a flame...
I,m sure someone will correct me, if I blew the call...

John Szalay
73 GMC PD
 
Max Rockafellow......John Szalay is correct . Your Suburban furnace is
probably not lighting because of low battery voltage. Stick a battery
charger on the battery and try it again.......Jim Davis on the cool Oregon
Coast ( 65 to 70 degrees)
 
Thanks John: I'll check for low battery voltage. However, I had the
unit plugged into shore power charging the battery just before we left.
Monitor indicates it's taking the charge.

Thanks again, Max
Eagle River 76 Palm Beach

Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 01:55:23 +0000
From: John Szalay
Subject: Re: GMC: Suburban Furnace

>Has anyone experienced their Suburban furnace not lighting sometimes?
>Problem first surfaced in March when leaving for GMC Motorhome
>International convention in Myrtle Beach. It was -17 F here in WI and
>no matter how many times I recycled unit it would not light. Fan came
>on but no heat (flame). When farther south on the second day of
travel
>it lit. After that I've been experiencing that same condition from
time
>to time. Replaced sensor and thought I had problem fixed, however,
it's
>doing it again. Furnace is only three years old.
>
>Max
>76 Palm Beach
>

IIRC: there was discussion on that topic several months ago,
and it boiled down to low battery voltage, the circuit card sensor
determines
that the voltage is low and does not allow a flame...
I,m sure someone will correct me, if I blew the call...

John Szalay
73 GMC PD
 
>Thanks John: I'll check for low battery voltage. However, I had the
>unit plugged into shore power charging the battery just before we left.
>Monitor indicates it's taking the charge.
>
Max,

I've found a number of high resistance ground connections (and +12V) in our
coach. Try checking the voltage at the furnace when you try to start it.

Henry

Henry Davis Consulting, Inc / new product consulting
PO Box 1270 / product readiness reviews
Soquel, Ca 95073 / IP reviews
ph: (831) 462-5199 / full service marketing
fax: (831) 462-5198
http://www.henry-davis.com/ http://www.henry-davis.com
 
Max

I sold motorhomes from 73 - 78. Back then, I remember a lot of discussion
about LP sometimes being the probllem - especially when it was real cold
(when you need it the most). You might ask an LP TECH if that might be the
case. My dim memory seems to recall that moisture in the system might
have been part of the problem. Good luck...

Wayne Newland F9300 75 Plam Beach

> Thanks John: I'll check for low battery voltage. However, I had the
> unit plugged into shore power charging the battery just before we left.
> Monitor indicates it's taking the charge.
>
> Thanks again, Max
> Eagle River 76 Palm Beach
>
> Date: Sun, 18 Jul 1999 01:55:23 +0000
> From: John Szalay
> Subject: Re: GMC: Suburban Furnace
>

> >Has anyone experienced their Suburban furnace not lighting sometimes?
> >Problem first surfaced in March when leaving for GMC Motorhome
> >International convention in Myrtle Beach. It was -17 F here in WI and
> >no matter how many times I recycled unit it would not light. Fan came
> >on but no heat (flame). When farther south on the second day of
> travel
> >it lit. After that I've been experiencing that same condition from
> time
> >to time. Replaced sensor and thought I had problem fixed, however,
> it's
> >doing it again. Furnace is only three years old.
> >
> >Max
> >76 Palm Beach
> >
>
> IIRC: there was discussion on that topic several months ago,
> and it boiled down to low battery voltage, the circuit card sensor
> determines
> that the voltage is low and does not allow a flame...
> I,m sure someone will correct me, if I blew the call...
>
> John Szalay
> 73 GMC PD
 
Ours did that same before the $100 IC card petered completely out. Local
RV shop had a tester for it that confirmed it was the problem.

bdub

>Has anyone experienced their Suburban furnace not lighting sometimes?
>Problem first surfaced in March when leaving for GMC Motorhome
>International convention in Myrtle Beach. It was -17 F here in WI and
>no matter how many times I recycled unit it would not light. Fan came
>on but no heat (flame). When farther south on the second day of travel
>it lit. After that I've been experiencing that same condition from time
>to time. Replaced sensor and thought I had problem fixed, however, it's
>doing it again. Furnace is only three years old.
>
>Max
>76 Palm Beach
>
>Mailto:maxrock
>
>GMC Motorhomes International WebSite
>http://www.gmcmi.com
>
>
 
LP, Propane & Butane: isn't my expertise but, respectively can go into
colder country with LP having the best characteristics in cold climate. If
you're doing the zero thing butane won't work -- it'll just lay there if
you will.

With best regards; I'm
Sincerely,
Sam Pickens
picksam
 
Arch

Thanks for filling in some of the gaps...Often we fill in the summer and don't use
a lot of LP (and we have to rely on others that what they put in our tanks is the
right stuff) and then the weather changes or we don't use the coach for a while
and wind up with the wrong mixture for the season.

Wayne Newland F9300 75 Plam Beach

> In a message dated 7/18/99 1:15:34 PM Central Daylight Time, wayne

>
> >
> > I sold motorhomes from 73 - 78. Back then, I remember a lot of discussion
> > about LP sometimes being the probllem - especially when it was real cold
> > (when you need it the most). You might ask an LP TECH if that might be the
> > case. My dim memory seems to recall that moisture in the system might
> > have been part of the problem. Good luck...
> >
> Wayne and Sam
>
> You are both sorta right. Having lived on a farm for 30 years I have used a
> lot
> of propane. There are several problems that can arise. First Butane which is
> used in many warmer climates will not vaporize much below 30 degrees. If
> you get a mix you will have problems. The propane we get here has heated
> my house when it was 20 below zero with no problems. The next problem
> is moisture can collect over the years in a tank. When I redid my propane
> tank it was not only to make it look better but also had my dealer flush
> the tank with methanol to remove any moisture. Finally there is a problem
> your dealer may not even tell you about. The propane people add a
> chemical to make it stink so you know when you have a leak. They add
> more than necessary so that you never run out. Over the years this stuff
> builds up in the tank. In other words the gas becomes very smelly. If the
> tank is not flushed out even the pilot light will cause a smell. If you have
> checked out everything and still have propane smell you might have the
> tank flushed out. Thats what I know.
>
> Take Care
> Arch 76 GB IL
 
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