Lighting Pilot Lights

[Joe Loiacono]

I bought a 1980 Trillium 4500 in the spring. We are going on a trip to New Hampshire from Toronto so I decided to get the furnace and the fridge going on gas, to test them before we might need them. Do think I could get those pilot lights going...no way. I would get a flame going but not from the end of tthe pilot tube. My persistance paid off though as I discovered that there were thick spider webs in both pilot tubes. This required disconecting the pilot tubes from the feed line and using compressed air and a small pipe cleaner to get the webs out.

If anyone is having this kind of problem, this is an easy thing to check and clean and could save you lots of money for a professional to do the same thing...not to mention the hassel.

Happy Camping.

[Alistair Camelford]

Hi Joe...good advice.Always test the frig on gas before a trip...saves trouble-shooting in the dark at the campsite
Some other tricks: hold the start button on for longer than indicated...makes sure the safety valve is heated enough to let gas flow. Turn on the stove for a bit before lighting frig to get rid of air in lines,drill a peep hole in the draft cover that is right in line with the pilot flame (mine was off by an inch!)
Add a computer cooling fan to boost air flow to the top evaporator fins on the top outside of the frig.
Happy chillin ....Alistair

[Gerry]

I bought a 1980 Trillium 4500 in the spring. We are going on a trip to New Hampshire from Toronto so I decided to get the furnace and the fridge going on gas, to test them before we might need them.
Happy Camping.

Good idea to check before you leave but...if you been on this site and have read any on furnace problems you must know that I have been a year now trying to get mine to run reliably.
Finaly giving up took it to a dealer and $225 later it worked for a week, sitting in the yard then on our trip to the lakes region of Maine it would not ignite.
I am going to take out the furnace...rewire the whole thing and if it still doesn't work I am going to buy a new cat heater.
As I told the wife "As soon as we take it down our 1/8 mile dirt road to the main road, anything can happen".
Hope yours works when you get to your destination.
Gerry the canoebuilder

[Ryan Kennelly]

when I got my 4500, It had sat since 1986.... It still had LP gas in the tanks. So I proceeded to mess with all the components and slowly one after another I got them all to work. The heater did had spiders nests in the pilot light tube, and the weirdest thing of all, was this motor oil looking stuff that layed in the copper tubing under the trailer. it eventually blocked off all the burners on the stove. I had to take everything back apart and blow it out again, then switch out the LP tanks.

Last trip out the heater was hard to start. I took an end wrench, and tightend the fitting on the thermocoupler, and it lit right up.

[Darwin Maring]

The Thermocouple is a major problem on all devices that use this technology. Some thermocouples create a small amount of electricity that trips the regulator to work and the electricity can be measured with a digital voltmeter. If you have one of those thermocouples on your unit be sure to clean the regulator end of the thermocouple very good with alcohol both the thermocouple and regulator sides then insert it and tighten it good.

If it does not work then, remove the regulator end of the thermocouple and attach a voltmeter and heat the thermocouple and see if you get a voltage out of it. The voltage will be very minimal. If you get nothing, purchase a new thermocouple. My house water heater thermocouple reads from 8 to 18 millivolts.

Other thermocouples have a regulator end that moves and the movement activates the regulator and this type would have to be installed tight also. Removed from the regulator end and heating of the thermocouple you should be able to measure the movement.

It sounds like you found the solution to your problem by tightening the thing. Happy Camping.