Quick Heater Question.

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t94bird

New member
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
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3
I have an 1984 Winnebago chieftain 22'.? Anywho, when then propane heater starts up it runs for about 10 seconds then shuts down.? I removed the cover on the heater box on the inside of the RV under the stove so I could see the flame to watch and see what happens.? The igniter lights a flame the burner goes on then 8 to 10 seconds go by and it acts like it just kills the gas, boom shuts down.

Thoughts?

Thx,

Ron
 
Thanks I'll give it a go.  Where do I find the Fan sail Switch ?

Thx,

Ron
 
There is a sensor that sits in the flame. Its purpose is to verify that igition has taken place and the propane is burning raher than flooding your RV with deadly and explosive gas.  If the sensor fails or is too far out of the flame, it will not detect the flame and the system will indeed shut down, just as you describe.  If its not the flame sensor, then the furnace circuit board is not recognising the signal from the sensor. Odds are its thte sensor or sensor wire, though.

The fan sail switch is also a safety interlock, but it prevents ignition unless the "sail" feels the breeze of the furnace fan running. I don't think your furnace would light at all if the sail switch or the fan itself was not working. You will find the sail switch in the air duct on the output side of the furnace fan.
 
Ron,

I agree with Gary. The furnace wouldn't light at all if the sail switch was faulty. Also, there are at least three different types of flame sensors. One is a sealed capillary tube that contains a gas that expands when heated by the flame, the second is a thermocouple that generates a small current when heated by the flame, and the third is simply a wire in the flame that passes a small current through the ionized gas of the flame. Regardless of which you have, you should clean them of all dirt and carbon. Secondly, you can try adjusting the placement of it in the flame. Sometimes vibration or bending because of temperature or old age can cause it to move enough to cause the kind of problem you're experiencing. Fairly easy to remove, clean and adjust. Also, check to make sure the flame color is blue, and not yellow, which would indicate an improper mixture of gas and air.
 
The reason I mentioned the sail switch is that we had the same indications that turned out to be the sail switch.  Apparently the sail switch was sensitive to heat or vibration or both.  Replaced sail switch, after replacing the flame sensor first, and condition was corrected.
 
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