Original CT furnace

[keekers]

How many CT owners are using their original 6100 series DuoTherm furnace? What problems have you encountered? Do you have to keep doing repairs or adjustments? I'm timid about using the furnace.

[Bruce Thomas]

we use ours..it worked when i first got it then it stopped....bought a dinosaur board and fixed the sail switch and it works again....i think the thermostat may be a little freaky though because it'll turn on and shut down on low settings before making any heat....then turned up it gets rather warm ...but it does work and heats that thing in a hurry.
another poster on here has said i can grab the remains of his too and already sent me a spare board, so i'm keeping it in there......Bruce

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Bruce Thomas

..........bought a dinosaur board ........

Mine is original and works. What is a dinosaur board?

[mary and bob]

I found and fixed a few problems with ours. Had to clean mud wasp nests out of vent, removed igniter electrodes and cleaned and adjusted them, made a new gasket before installing them. While the electrodes were out I vacuumed out the chamber to remove any soot and rust flakes. I installed a switch to disconnect power to the furnace rather than rely on the thermostat to do that as I wasn't sure if it worked properly. The furnace may not work on battery power only if the battery is not up to full charge. We have been camping in our Uhaul for the last three weeks but have been using an electric heater instead of the furnace as all the campgrounds have had electric service at each site. Bob

[lamimartin]

Originally Posted by keekers

How many CT owners are using their original 6100 series DuoTherm furnace? What problems have you encountered? Do you have to keep doing repairs or adjustments? I'm timid about using the furnace.

I have posted some documents on my original Duotherm furnace in the d Ressources/Document center and I have posted the illustrated reinstallation procedure on my Trillium 1977.

What I found the most difficult was to succeed a snug connection of the propane line in the very tight space behind the furnace. As an extra precaution, I installed a cut-off valve under the RV floor, so I can continue using the stove, and the fridge if my furnace line needed to be shut off. As far as the operation is concerned, I found it is easier to lit and to operate than the brand new electrolytic furnace I had in my previous RV.

As far as safety is concerned, once you have eliminated all possible leaks, the Duotherm furnace has two great advantages: combustion gas are routed outside and the air intake cools down the chemny. As opposed to a catalytic furnace, the risk of monoxide intoxication is minimized (outside vent). The model I have has not electric fan, so it works even in the middle of nowhere without battery or AC power.

In other words, if the burner is in good shape, and free of spider nests, this is a reliable source of heat that will consume a reasonnable amount of propane. Catalytic furnaces use far less Propane than our old fashion Duotherm, but adding a second Propane tank is no big deal compared to the high cost of catalytic furnace. It only becomes a problem if we use propane heating extensively for long periods.

[Kevin A]

To answer "what is a dinosaur board?": I believe he is referring to an original controller board out of an old furnace (used). However, it does conjure up images of a T-Rex stomping around in your trailer, doesn't it?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Kevin A

To answer "what is a dinosaur board?": I believe he is referring to an original controller board out of an old furnace (used). However, it does conjure up images of a T-Rex stomping around in your trailer, doesn't it?

Thanks, I shoulda Googled it before I asked. I see now that they are a supplier of furnace circuit boards. It is neat the way that just about anything is still available if you know where to look.

[keekers]

Thanks everyone. I have a friend installing and rehabing my furnace as a xmas gift. You have put some of my hesitations to rest and the experiences you are sharing will give him extra info to get the furnace working.

[mary and bob]

There is repair and diagnostic info in the Uhaul repair manual which you can find on this site. Also wiring diagrams. The repair manual also has some updates on some of the systems, including electrical and the propane piping, these updates may or may not have been done by Uhaul dealers after the trailers were in service. The wiring repair to the ground fault outlet that is described in the repair manual had not been done to our CT13. It's well worth the time to read the manual.