Rv heater no power

[Guardian 2020]

2000 thor 23' glide lite.
Heater is a Surburban NT 16SE.
No power to heater. All fuses good. Stove and oven, refer work perfectly.
Tried all I know to remedy this, and still no power.
Can someone help?

 

[DonTom]

Tried all I know to remedy this, and still no power.
Can someone help?

Welcome!

Furnace, you must mean. Did you check the thermostat?

When you say "no power" do you mean it is not getting voltage to the unit or just isn't turning on?

Can you tell if the pilot lights? If it does, thermocouple issue, perhaps? Those are the common furnace issues.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Guardian 2020]

Sorry, yes furnace.
Changed the thermostat with new.
No difference.
No power to the furnace or thermostat.
Acting like fuse is blown, but I changed all of them just in case.
There is an on/off switch on the side of the furnace, it is on.
Have not removed the furnace to bench test, that's next.
Is there something I am not aware of?
New to rving.
Loving it and love to tinker so they kind of go together

 

[DonTom]

Have not removed the furnace to bench test, that's next.

If no power to it, why bother to remove the furnace? That cannot be your problem.

You mentioned fuses. Could you have a hidden circuit breaker somewhere?

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[John From Detroit]

What make and model furnace (Specifics help us to find terminals)
Where are you measuring for power
Atwood furnaces. there is a switch above the blower housing. it's a circuit breaker, this is where you measure for power TO the furnace. Then you go to the control board.

 

[DonTom]

What make and model furnace (Specifics help us to find terminals)

In the OP, he says it is a "Surburban NT 16SE".

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[Guardian 2020]

Good morning,
My plan today is to start at the converter and fish for power from there to the unit.
In my gut it just feels like it is something stupid that I'm just missing. There is an on/off switch on the furnace but to test it I have to pull the unit.
The trailer is my first one and it is a 2000 Thor. Maybe I am just not familiar enough with things to find the issue. The troubleshooting section of the manual is pretty worthless.
Had the trailer on trips a few times and love the thing, but just finding little issues here and there to fix, and have been putting this one off and it's getting colder.
I will search for a hidden switch or breaker.
You guys have a great day, and thanks for the help.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You need to trace the power source for the furnace. Start at the furnace end and test with a voltmeter to see if there is +12v to that On/Off switch. Then work back along the wire to find the power source. Could be a loose or broken wire, or could be the source is not one of the fuses on the distribution panel. RV manufacturers sometimes do really flaky things...

 

[Guardian 2020]

Good morning,
You guys were so gracious with me and my problem I wanted to let you know what I found.
Removed the furnace and found that the blower motor was almost completly bound up. Probably why it seemed like a no power issue.
New motor goes in tomorrow. Hopefully it didn't cause any further damage.

Thanks again for the support.
Dennis

 

[Larry N.]

Thanks for getting back to us. It's always a help when someone lets us know the actual solution that works for them, and it is generally also a BIG help to those looking for a similar solution down the road.

Luck,
Larry

 

[Guardian 2020]

Got another question.
Under 12v battery power only, all lights, refer, furnace etc work perfectly.
when i hook to shore power, with all lights and refer running, i start the furnace and lights dim and i get a low voltage code on the refer. Furnace fan runs, ignighter clicks but it wont light.
Is this a converter issue?
Thor / Wanderer Glide Lite 2001

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Sounds like it could be a converter problem, since it should be able to supply all your 12v needs without a drop in voltage. I'd want to make some voltage measurements to verify what's happening before buying a replacement, though.

 

[Guardian 2020]

Thanks Gary,
Hope to get to that this afternoon.
I'll let you know what i find

 

[Guardian 2020]

Hey Gary,
Checked voltages this morning.
Battery is at 11.3v and with unit on shore power, readings to the battery are very erratic, and at 2.7v to around 6.6v.
Assume converter is junk??

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

That's a fair possibility but I wouldn't assume it without further checks. Replacing a $250 part (the converter/charger) is worth making double sure. For example, an internally shorted battery could make it appear the converter is faulty. Ditto for a badly sulfated cell in the battery.

Disconnect the charger from the batteries and measure the voltage at the wire ends. Should be able to produce 13.3-14.0v without the batteries connected. Try another charger on the battery to see what that does.

 

[Guardian 2020]

Gary,
Converter was the culprit.
Swapped it out this morning, and all is now well.
Thanks for all your help and insite.
Much appreciated
Dennis