So , how do you get started ?

[rvpopeye]

Low voltage can do things that seem to have no explanation.

[rvpopeye]

Lost a long post this am trying to edit and ran out of time....so if you think you saw something that vanished that is why.

RV Furnaces aren't my best subject.
Both of the ones I have had did the same thing as yours and I just tossed the noisy beasts...
I did learn a few of things before that..
Mud Dauber Wasps
Attracted by the odor of propane , build nice little clay dams in the intake and/or exhaust ports .
Check for and clean out as necessary.

Sail Switch .
Every place I asked mentioned that first.

Low voltage.
As already mentioned this AM
Here's a link to the heating/ Air conditioning threads on this forum
I didn't have time to check there yet but there might be a thread on this there.

https://vandwellerforum.com/forum-15.html

[rvpopeye]

Shadow

Still a little unclear what's going on there...
Intermittent faults are a bitch.
Did the RV repair guys offer any advice / clues ?

Similar to Wayne's furnace .
Check for Mud dauber's
And also low voltage .

I was trying to see if the heater had a pilot flame ,,,frequently that type just need a thermo couple replaced , (a little ~1/4" diameter tube with one end in the flame . (There to shut off the propane if the pilot goes out.) Sometimes just knocked out of place and just need to move it back into the flame .....


NEWER "digital " heaters with a clicky spark ignition ......could need a new spark device.
OR and not sure but a control board $$. might be in there too?
This is where the low voltage thing comes in so always check that before replacing a board , they're not returnable !


also there might be some info in the Just Like Home section of the forums.

[Wayne49]

They sell screens for the intake/exhaust ports.

Mine doesn't have a pilot flame, not in the stove/oven, water heater, nor furnace.

Mud daubers might not exist in an area that has very little surface water, with sand which is there, hence no long lived mud. Wet sand comes and goes in a short time, same as snowflakes.

Like I said, I was only thinking of the furnace in case of a rare emergency. I have a gasoline generator that does work and quiet electric heaters.

I'm not planning on spending money or much effort troubleshooting a propane furnace, where the RV's tank is a measly 12 gallons. Which is fine for a year of heating water for dishes and quick showers. No room for an extend-a-stay between the valve and the regulator to use larger portable cylinders to feed a hungry furnace.

It could also be a flaky ground. I had one recently with the water pump when I switched it from the smaller house bank to the much larger refrigerator bank. Worked fine until it didn't. Turned out the ground that I had attached to, had small gauge wires on one section. Replaced with appropriate gauge and no issues since. Ground issues can be very spooky and ephemeral. Testing showed correct voltage.

[rvpopeye]

Wayne yup yup.
Covering all the possibilities that I knew of . Others will read this too.

If you use a hose with a regulator from the portable tank it can be hooked in anywhere on the RV system after that regulator.
On my class A there was already a quick connect and a shut off valve in the reefer bay for an external BBQ .I just left the hose and regulator connected there and coiled it up when traveling.

[Kyz]

Covering all the possibilities that I knew of . Others will read this too.

Just a suggestion, but maybe this heater convo should be copied or moved over to new thread in Heating/Air Conditioning just for future/possible research purposes?

[rvpopeye]

Kinda what I was working towards....LOL
Steering the ship requires more than our little crew can keep up with.
We never were very good on staying on topic here.
Probably useless to try .

Oh well.

little bites , ..............

gotta run.

[rvpopeye]

I'll leave these questions here but am going to copy them to another thread after the answers from others if any are added . Any RV dwellers reading have any water heater suggestions ? Post 'em up .
And solutions hopefully found in the case of shadowmoss' water heater.
They're a good example of what to expect here .
(And no , I'm not gonna answer every question , Just the easy ones ...arrrrrrrrr ) LOL

Fixing an old furnace (or tossing it for other options) will also get a thread in the Make It Just Like Home section of vandweller. But probably not tonight .

This will probably happen to all questions this Welcome Center thread generates.

I'm gonna go finish a Nova vid about rebuilding Notre Dame.
TWOgone.

[shadowmoss]

I got up this morning listening to the rain on the roof of the motor home. Microwaved the last of yesterday's coffee (don't judge), started the hot pot to make more, turned on the space heater. Heard a sound. Water heater has decided to start working. I was going to call the professionals in today (probably wouldn't get an appointment till next week) and go to Planet Fitness to shower. Now I can do dishes and shower here.

This motor home is haunted, I swear.

[rvpopeye]

Troubleshooting intermittent faults from thousands of miles away is a slow process...

Was it raining the last time the thing worked ?

Have you checked the ground at the heater and the frame ?
Take it apart and look for corrosion ,
you want shiny metal to shiny metal
visually clean and physically tight.
Same deal at the battery terminals too.

How far from the battery to the W heater ?

How old is the battery and what is the voltage after an 8 hour period of nothing on , including charging ?
Do you have a volt meter ? 2 digits to the right of the decimal point would be a plus. Measure right on the battery posts.
If you don't have one , buy one. It will save you way more than it costs . Mobile RV mechanics aren't cheap !

The thing works .

Most likely your spook is starting to sound like electrical and could be found where the water heater is grounded........
I said could cuz it could be the positive side too.

Running a dedicated pair of wires directly from the battery (with a fuse) can make a cheap test rig as well as a final solution .

RVs are rolling earthquakes , all electrical connections should be checked for looseness and corrosion regularly . Once a year even if you don't go anywhere . Every trip if you keep having gremlins till you find it.
It can be a PIA but you don't have to mow your lawn !