Propane Heater in Scamp blowing cold air

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Benfrank76
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Joined: 05/29/2020 - 09:08
Propane Heater in Scamp blowing cold air

1994 13' Scamp.  Propane just refilled, turned on all the way, stove works.  Heater fan kicks on, then blows cold air.  I've restarted it with the thermostat, wait until it turns off then turn back on and have gotten it working for a couple cycles then goes back to not working even after the restarts. Any ideas what could be causing this?  

DPS
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Joined: 04/17/2016 - 14:03
Cold air

Just a thought,  Try  checking the furnace air intake and exhaust to be sure they aren't blocked. Years ago I had a truck camper furnace not working.  I brought it in for service and they removed many cups of dead house flys. So......... now I put blue painters tape over these on the outside of Scamp to keep them out.  Sure enough last year I forgot to remove the tape.  The symptoms were a lot like yours.  It probably it not it but it is something to check.

Doug

Greg A
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Joined: 11/02/2013 - 20:45
Heater

Since it has lit a few time most likely your burn chamber items are OK. Could be a sail switch, needs a good cleanout, a bad gas control valve, etc.

I'd start with a good cleanout, especially if you can reach the areas back by the fan. I'd also pull the propane line at the furnace and make sure it's not clogged which happens.

There are many possibilities with these furnaces, but it usually is one of these items with what you describe.

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cinerose
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Check House Battery Voltage

Did you try checking the voltage of your house battery? If the voltage is too low (around 10 amps or so) the sail switch will not turn on and the electric ignition pilot light won't light. Last summer I had this exact problem. It only manifested when I was boondocking. But the problem seemed to disappear when I was plugged into shore power. Charge your battery with a genny, plugging it in to shore power or plugging it into your 7 way connector to your car (if it's wired to charge while you drive) and see if that helps give you enough voltage to light your your pilot light. If your battery will not hold charge, it might be time to replace your house battery. My problem was my house battery was not holding charge. After I replaced my house battery with a new one, the problem was resolved. 

athearn2
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Low Battery Voltage

Cinerose is right. Low battery voltage kept our heater from igniting but the fan would run.

markjazzbassist
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Joined: 12/14/2020 - 15:56
you might need to "prime" the

you might need to "prime" the propane.  what i do is turn on the propane, then i light the stove, it will take a minute for the propane to get to the burner (which is why your furnace isn't lighting), light all 3 burners and run them full tilt for a minute or 2.  now turn on the furnace, it will light right away this time, but it will still take a couple minute to blow hot air.

 

i do a lot of cold weather camping and this is what works for me every time.  prime it baby.

1987 Scamp 16