Furnace turns on when it's off - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 04-26-2015, 06:46 PM   #1
Junior Member
 
Name: Greg
Trailer: Casita 17' SD
Oregon
Posts: 6
Furnace turns on when it's off

Last night was my first in my new (used) 17' SD. All went fine -- except I was awakened repeatedly during the night by my heater turning on. (Not the heat strip in the air conditioner, but the gas "furnace.") I checked and the thermostat was all the way (and clicked) to the left. It would run for maybe 3-4 minutes, then turn off. Then do so again an hour or two later. Very annoying! I didn't know what to do.

Should I just go ahead and have the thermostat replaced? Could it be something else?

Tangentially, is there a way the heater can be turned off? I guess I could turn off the propane, yes?

Help!
gsmccar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2015, 07:09 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Name: Steve
Trailer: 2018, 21ft escape— 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie
NW Wisconsin
Posts: 4,500
Remove the thermostat from the wall and disconnect the wires connected to the thermostat .Test the thermostat with an ohm meter to see if the thermostat is working properly .I used a hair dryer, set on low to simulate a rise in temperature to see if the thermostat opened on temperature rise. The lockout detent is mechanical and can be visually examined
steve dunham is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-26-2015, 09:18 PM   #3
Commercial Member
 
tractors1's Avatar
 
Name: Charlie Y
Trailer: Escape 21 - Felicity
Oregon
Posts: 1,583
I'd just replace the thermostat. Digital ones are cheap these days and work far better.

Charlie Y
__________________
Charlie Y

Don't drill holes, try custom storage you design: https://RVWidgetWorks.com
tractors1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 05:21 PM   #4
Junior Member
 
Name: Greg
Trailer: Casita 17' SD
Oregon
Posts: 6
So I called Casita and finally got the problem diagnosed figured out: the little plastic tab on the switch that breaks the connection when the thermostat is turned off had snapped off. Not obvious!

Of course, I can't just replace the plastic switch top, but need to replace the entire thermostat (or just keep sticking a piece of rubber or something in there to break the connection. Kind of a pain -- but cheap!).

As suggested, replacing it with a digital thermostat sounds good. But first off, to remove the old one, I will need to drill out the rivets that attach it to the wall. Is that no biggie? And then the new one, I guess, would likewise be riveted to the wall, yes? I do have a rivet gun -- which I have yet to use.
gsmccar is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 05:46 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Donna D.'s Avatar
 
Trailer: 1988 16 ft Scamp Deluxe
Posts: 25,697
Greg you have my sympathy. Years ago I was out camping, propane shut off, furnace thermostat shut off (I thought) and at night the temperature dropped inside the trailer into the low 40s... the Suburban tried to come on. I thought a Boeing 747 was trying to land on the roof. Shot out of bed, heart pumping, trying to figure out what was what! Yep, disconnected that crappy thermostat before the next trip. I still haven't replaced it... that's on the to-do list.
__________________
Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
Donna D. is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 06:04 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Name: bob
Trailer: 1996 Casita 17 Spirit Deluxe; 1946 Modernistic teardrop
New York
Posts: 5,413
A previous owner of our Casita intentionally broke off the on / off lever on the thermostat. Stated he would hit it with his foot when in bed and turn the furnace on (or maybe it was off?) We haven't used the furnace, but to do so we can pop off the thermostat cover and move the switch. We prefer an electric heater
mary and bob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 06:17 PM   #7
Commercial Member
 
tractors1's Avatar
 
Name: Charlie Y
Trailer: Escape 21 - Felicity
Oregon
Posts: 1,583
I suggest putting the new thermostat on with 3M VHB tape instead of rivets. Not like it's an incredibly heavy item.

But then again, I'm not into drilling holes or even hardware (especially rivets.)

Charlie Y
__________________
Charlie Y

Don't drill holes, try custom storage you design: https://RVWidgetWorks.com
tractors1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2015, 06:45 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Dennis mn's Avatar
 
Name: Dennis
Trailer: Scamp
Minnesota
Posts: 409
I had the same thing happen to the thermostat in our Scamp. I ripped it off the cabinet, disconnected the wires and touched them together when I needed heat. On our most recent trip, I bought a thermostat at Home Depo and installed it.
__________________
2021 Nissan Pro 4X. 2020 Scamp 19’ Deluxe.
Dennis mn is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
furnace


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
goTenna... turns your cell phone into a cell-free 2-way text device accrete General Chat 3 09-01-2014 04:08 PM
Turns out my Trillium weighs more than.... Bee in Canada General Chat 24 05-25-2014 10:16 PM
door lock didn't work -turns out to be an easy fix Daryl and Wendy Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 4 08-08-2013 10:57 PM
RVing Turns 100! Patrick M. General Chat 2 06-08-2010 02:11 PM
Log off or turn off? General Chat 0 01-01-1970 12:00 AM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:30 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.