Wagon-Master 6000B furnace - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-21-2009, 10:29 AM   #1
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Hi,

I have been reading this forum for about a year, but this is my first post. We bought a 1974 Boler 13 (Winnipeg made) last year, and it needs some minor work. I have seen the various door fixes and will try them, and we can get a new torsion axle made from Standen's in Edmonton (Alberta, where we live) for a reasonable price to replace the original Ingersoll RubberRide.

Right now, I am wondering about the Wagon-Master 6000B furnace. It works fine, but the front grill has some broken louvers. I am wondering whether anyone can get parts or where I could get a replacement made? Also, is there any documentation for it? I only ever see the Wagon-Master 5000 manuals on the web, which are somewhat different.

We also have an Escort Mini-15 3way fridge, which also works well, but I wonder if anyone has any documentation for it?

Thanks, we (Donna and I) hope to get the trailer out this summer a few times and try it out.
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Old 03-22-2009, 06:40 AM   #2
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Rick,

Could you send a pic of the furnace? One with the grill on and one with the access open so I can see the guts...Most these furnaces were made by Dyna trail, or Dyna flame or any of the incarnations of the same company. They still are today and its been sold again.

The issue I have with this one is if it were sold to a Canadian company the name was changed in those years to a different name...also it complied to different standards review process under Canada's gas certification laws.

The records are in a fog now, these heaters can be recognized on my end by sight.

I have old manuals, some so old if I pick them up they fall apart.

A pic will help me recognize its U.S. incarnation.

The stamping machines for the heat exchanger and the louver machines are hugely expensive, so a very few companies really build all the heaters out there. To save themselves from liabilities in old model lines its standard business practice to build under names that will by plan go out of business. The last act of the business in this country is to bankruptcy the company on its way out the door to insulate anyone from future claims regarding design consequences on an appliance like a furnace over its expected life.

Harry
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Old 03-22-2009, 01:17 PM   #3
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Hi,

Thanks for your response. Attached (I hope, I haven't figured this system out yet) are a couple of somewhat blurry photos of the furnace. The opening for the furnace is 9 inches wide and 16 inches tall.

Thanks,
Rick
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Old 03-23-2009, 10:29 AM   #4
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I think what you have is a unit made at Peerless, this unit was made before Peerless went to an oval stamped design for their heat exchangers, the square jointed heat exchanger unit tended to have heat expansion and contraction problems at the welds on the square box design, ergo the latter oval design that replaces it.(only one weld point) Was there a city of manufacture on it?

The gas valve is still available although the numbers have changed.

The old original general control valve with flame sensor 2 decades ago was TV27AA03 and has now been discontinued...the space is the problem on these valve replacements, the valve being built by Robertshaw as part number 710-203 fits in that space and works in all positions except upside down and has the same flame sensor you have with the same operating characteristics built into it and being an L.P. valve as well.

I will dust off books and see if I can find any original paper work. I believe this unit was made for only 2 years.

On the louver question which was the reason for this thread, it is harder to solve this issue because these doors would be hard to find. Please measure the louvered access door and post these measurements. (outside dimensions) You have three ways to go...

(1) If its just aesthetics you seek, and can compromise regarding your original access door that you have for any louvered door that will work, we can cross to more findable ones...

(2) If you are restoring to original condition I can provide a company that will make the louver panel for you...be rich, you will need it...louver machines are not cheap, your panel is square cornered so it can be duplicated. For those who restore to original condition its worth it.

(3) Last option (cheapest) is to remove the remaining louvers, take a grinder and clean up the lines on the panel, I am referring to the little protrusions the louver removal process leaves behind when you pop them out, your panel will end up with two rectangular boxes in it... You can then get metal decorative panel, a good hardware store has this, this material is often used as the bottom scuff panel to screen doors, I pop rivet the panel in place on the inside of the access door, so it looks good, I use the gold panel, then on the pop rivets I use a drop of gold paint so the rivet disappears, gold silicon works too. It looks good and is uniquely yours.

There is a fourth way...I have done this once, I got some 18 gauge steel and fashioned a replacement louver, inserted the copy in place and soldered with silphos 15% solder. This is high temp solder requiring Mapp gas...Most refrigeration guys know this stuff. Then I painted it all.

Happy Camping

Harry
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Old 03-25-2009, 05:43 PM   #5
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Hi Harry,

Thanks for your responses, the options got me thinking. The original panel has a label that says Wagon-Master, 3308 Harbour Ave., Seattle Wash. The outside dimensions are 10 3/8 inch wide and 16 7/16 inch tall. However, I could easily adapt a grill which was slightly larger without any trouble, as it hangs on over top of the furnace. The top edge of the grill is folded in a U shape so that it hangs from the top edge of the furnace body, and it is attached on at the bottom by a couple of flanges that don't work very well. The panel always comes off while driving, which is something I also intend to fix.

The other thought that occurred to me is that the round access door for the pilot light is hidden behind the louvers on the lower left, right at the place they are broken off in the photo (you can see it in the photo of the furnace without a cover on). Perhaps a previous owner wanted to improve access to the pilot light door and just took them off.

Anyway, we are not restoring to the original design, so if there are workable replacements for the grill I would be interested in knowing about them. Otherwise, I will likely adopt your third option of re-making it in a different image using parts from a local hardware store. That will also allow me to put in an access door at the same time too, and also perhaps to put in a place to allow a set of bars to be put over the grill while sleeping. With the bed so close to the furnace, we are a bit concerned to keep the combustible material well away from the hot parts.

Thanks for your thoughts, and I appreciate your interest.
Rick

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Old 03-31-2009, 10:36 AM   #6
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Rick,

So far I have only found the model 5000 books on your furnace, like you said they are similar, I have sent them to the Doc center, I am also looking for the catalog of louver panel manufacturers and custom door people I use when people I service are picky. I will P.M. you these when found.

The Seattle company is poof! That was a no brainier, there is a salvage yard in Mesa Arizona for RVs and they are listed through a web search that may although probably not have a cover that will work, I have a few I will measure here, The nice thing about a high altitude desert is if its rubber its gone soon, if its metal it will be here forever.

Another reason I have been slower to reply is I saw one of those things while scavenging about, I hope to retrace my latest journeys and remember where it was?

Harry
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Old 04-01-2009, 11:29 AM   #7
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Hi Harry,

Great, thanks for your response. I have asked a local machine shop and they think they could build one for about $150. If a lower cost alternative could be found, I would prefer that.

Thanks, I appreciate your efforts.
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Old 04-01-2009, 08:35 PM   #8
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Rick,

I have been having problems with my computers, I had posted two days ago and there is no sign of the post? The 150.00 is more than a good price for this work, its labor intensive, I would jump at it, I only found to date the series 5000 manual which I sent to the Doc center, I will follow up and see if that also disappeared.

I do not think its the site, my servers are being difficult.

Please p.m. me the name of the shop willing to do the work, also if it was done well.

For good work at that price I want him in the file.

Good job.

Harry

Quote:
<Hi Harry,
Great, thanks for your response. I have asked a local machine shop and they think they could build one for about $150. If a lower cost alternative could be found, I would prefer that
Thanks, I appreciate your efforts
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Old 04-06-2009, 02:35 PM   #9
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OK, will do. there is still snow on the ground here, although it is finally getting warmer. I will try to get it done in the next month or so and let you know how it turns out.
Thanks,
Rick
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Old 08-24-2014, 07:29 PM   #10
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The manual is on the docs centre but is too faint to read. Also prints out too faint to be very useful. Any chance of re-posting it in a better form, or simply email it to me and I'll see what I can do. Thanks. Jim
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