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Old 09-22-2008, 09:11 PM   #11
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Lake Tahoe, NV
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John and all, thanks. I am not sure what I did, but I got it working tonight. This afternoon I tried to start it at the house which is at 6,300 feet elevation. It wouldn't start. Then I got the tank filled. It only held 1.8 gal of LP which surprised me a bit because we used it a lot in Colorado last spring and I haven't had it filled since. I then turned the little triangular valve screw above the larger round on/off valve and liquid propane blew out. I then opened it very slowly and let it hiss and I smelled strong propane so I am guessing there was little or no air in the tank. Then I took the compartment apart and fiddled with wires to make sure they were all connected. I checked to make sure nothing was blocking the vent slots in the sheet metal shroud that covers the furnace. I took the front off the furnace and started it up and I could see the flame in the little window and it fired right up. I tried to start it after I did the Purge routine and it wouldn't start, that's why I went into the compartment. Stupid me, I hadn't turned on the on/off valve at the tank after I purged it so that is probably why it didn't start and I could have saved myself the hassel of taking the compartment all apart. oclv

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Old 09-23-2008, 12:00 AM   #12
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furnace

It does help to have the tank as full of propane as possible, and even better to mention to the person filling the tank about your suspicion of air in the tank. They may be able to purge any air when they fill the tank if they know to check. SMB has had a number of different companies fill the tanks throughout the years and many never properly purged the air out at the initial fill. The company SMB has been using for the last couple years (Suburban Propane, if it's still the same), purges the tanks properly for the intial fill.

Remember that your tank has an 80% auto-stop fill valve, so your gauge should only read a little over 3/4 when full.

Suburban does offer a high altitude orfice (jet) that helps correct the air/fuel mixture at high elevation. I've only installed one, and sent one other to another customer in all my years at SMB. You would see a reduction in the amount of heat produced at lower elevations, but the two customers that have the high altitude orfice installed both commented favorably. If you decide to go this route, you'll probably want to talk to the techs at Suburban directly for confirmation and availability. Make sure you order the appropriate gaskets too, as the original ones will fall apart when you take the burner assembly out of the unit to access the orfice.

CAUTION:The high altitude orfice does have a smaller opening than the standard orfice. Make sure you do not ever try to enlarge any LP Gas orfice or even attempt to clean one with a typical motorcycle jet cleaning tool, as any enlargement of the opening can cause a fire.

I hope this helps!

John K.
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Old 09-23-2008, 12:13 AM   #13
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furnace

It does help to have the tank as full of propane as possible, and even better to mention to the person filling the tank about your suspicion of air in the tank. They may be able to purge any air when they fill the tank if they know to check. SMB has had a number of different companies fill the tanks throughout the years and many never properly purged the air out at the initial fill. The company SMB has been using for the last couple years (Suburban Propane, if it's still the same), purges the tanks properly for the intial fill.

Remember that your tank has an 80% auto-stop fill valve, so your gauge should only read a little over 3/4 when full.

Suburban does offer a high altitude orfice (jet) that helps correct the air/fuel mixture at high elevation. I've only installed one, and sent one other to another customer in all my years at SMB. You would see a reduction in the amount of heat produced at lower elevations, but the two customers that have the high altitude orfice installed both commented favorably. If you decide to go this route, you'll probably want to talk to the techs at Suburban directly for confirmation and availability. Make sure you order the appropriate gaskets too, as the original ones will fall apart when you take the burner assembly out of the unit to access the orfice.

CAUTION:The high altitude orfice does have a smaller opening than the standard orfice. Make sure you do not ever try to enlarge any LP Gas orfice or even attempt to clean one with a typical motorcycle jet cleaning tool, as any enlargement of the opening can cause a fire.

I hope this helps!

John K.
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Old 09-23-2008, 08:16 AM   #14
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Thanks John. A couple wrap up questions before I head back into the mountains this weekend. What do you think they consider "high altitude". Also a question about purging. When I opened the valve by turning the little triangular shaped screw the LP blew right out. Then I opened it slowly until I just heard the gas escaping. It still had a strong propane smell. Does this mean that my tank has no air in it and the problem was caused by something else? Thanks again for all your help to me and this forum. oclv
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Old 09-23-2008, 02:58 PM   #15
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I'm not sure what Suburban considers as high altitude, but these two customers both spent a lot of time at Mammoth (8,000 ft. and above?).

As for the purging, you should be fine if only LP Gas vapor is coming out of the purge valve. I have seen some units have to go a step farther and remove the LP Gas Regulator (left hand threads) from the main valve, and then purge through the main valve because not all of the air was removed at the purge valve.

Always glad to help if I can, thanks.

John K.
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Old 10-13-2008, 10:50 PM   #16
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I think we found the problem. I continued to have the problem off and on. I called Suburban and talked to their technical department and explained that I had a Sportsmobile and that sometimes the furnace runs, then doesn't run again. He was very familiar with Sportsmobiles and the model that they use. The first thing he suggested was that the problem was my battery. I was very skpeptical and told him that. He said the model that we have is very sensitive to battery charge. I might screw this up but I think the jist of it is that on our units the fan has to spin very fast to open some vent before the computer tells the burner to ignite the propane. If everything does not work together it will shut down. I mentioned that when I turn up the thermostat the fan comes on and shuts off after 30 to 45 seconds. This seemed to confirm to him the battery issue. He said at higher elevations the fan has to run even faster because of the thinner air. He said that they have a very sharp tech near me. I called him and explained what was happening. Basically we get somewhere and the furnace works great the first night. Wake up in the morning and it does not come on again. The first thing he said was battery. I was again skeptical. He suggested that the next time the furnace doesn't fire to then shut it back off. Next he said to start and run the van for a few minutes and then try starting the furnace with the motor running. I did this last night after the van had been sitting for two weeks and it has been cold. First I tried starting the furnace with the thermostat. Fan ran but never fired. I shut the thermostat back to off. Then I started the van for a few minutes and then turned the thermostat back on again. The fan ran and then it fired up like normal. I never thought my battery was getting old but it is 5 years old. I'll get a new one this spring. This may help someone else. oclv
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Old 10-13-2008, 10:55 PM   #17
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Wow, who would of thought. So , can i ask a question regarding... non-lighting. If our propane suburban furnace fails to light during the night while we are sleeping does it automatically shut off? or do i need to get up and shut the thermostat off on the wall?
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Old 10-14-2008, 08:49 PM   #18
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I can't answer that for sure because we tend to turn the thermostat up to the highest setting until the van is warm, then turn it off until we need it again. It seems that when the battery is down enough so it won't start it is not noticibly down. All the lights seem fine etc. But when it isn't going to start the gas never flows. You will hear the the fan run and it will shut down in about 30 to 45 seconds. If it is going to start, you will hear it ignite. If you put your ear to the exhaust vent you can hear and smell this all happen. oclv
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Old 10-14-2008, 10:01 PM   #19
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Furnace

Adventureduo and oclv ,
Here is a good web site for your Furnace operating procedure .
www.rv-partsplus.com/home/tech_tips/
And yes your furnace should have an automatic shutoff in the event of flame out . I would of course make sure that it is operative .
Greggde
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Old 10-14-2008, 11:31 PM   #20
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Glad to hear that it may only be the battery. Sorry I didn't ask about the battery voltage, which is critical for proper operation. The sail switch the tech is referring to does need adequate air flow in order to allow the gas solenoid valve to open. Double check that the air return is not blocked by anything (including the cabinet enclosure which, may not have a large enough opening). I've seen sleeping bags, jackets, etc... block the air return too.

If the furnace works fine without the cabinet enclosure, or with other typically stored items removed from around it, then insufficient air flow is probably the problem. Ensure that there is an unobstructed path for the return air and you'll eliminate at least one potential problem.

John K.
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