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Atwood furnace not igniting

ScottnDana
Explorer
Explorer
We have a Jayco Jay Flight slx tt. The atwood furnace quit igniting on our last camping trip. The fan (blower) will come on and run for 30 seconds and shut off, (no ignition no heat). Propane tank full, batteries charged, connected to land power but still no change.

Any thoughts are welcome

Thx
12 REPLIES 12

vermilye
Explorer
Explorer
Mike63376 wrote:
Got the same sail switch problem. 2019 jayco. Atwood furnace gas valve wonโ€™t open. Shut it down. Removed cover (no door). Tapped on sail switch lightly. Reset and powered thermostat. Works fine for about 3 weeks. Just happened again. Do I have to remove the whole furnace to change sail switch. It has the new design. Bought another new furnace. It has the old design sail switch. Whatโ€™s the problem with the sail switch. Jayco is new. New sail switch is located in blower outlet housing, old style is in combustion blower housing. Why the change in locations?
One sail switch problem many Escape Fiberglass trailer owners have been having with the Atwood AFSAD12 furnace is pet hair jamming the switch. Rather than replacing it, carefully removing the accumulation has fixed it.

The newer installations include an outside door that provides access to both the electronics & sail switch. Older models require pulling the furnace for either.

3_tons
Explorer
Explorer
I had a similar problem, and after examination it was not the sail switch... Turned out that theres an ignition prover (not sure if thats the proper OEM name) just above the exhaust outlet that has two electrode prongs, that over a time the gap can get outta spec due to road vibration... I pulled this out and closed the gap a bit (to about 1/4โ€) and all was well again... Haven't had a single recurrence in over 5 years since...

Mike63376
Explorer
Explorer
Got the same sail switch problem. 2019 jayco. Atwood furnace gas valve wonโ€™t open. Shut it down. Removed cover (no door). Tapped on sail switch lightly. Reset and powered thermostat. Works fine for about 3 weeks. Just happened again. Do I have to remove the whole furnace to change sail switch. It has the new design. Bought another new furnace. It has the old design sail switch. Whatโ€™s the problem with the sail switch. Jayco is new. New sail switch is located in blower outlet housing, old style is in combustion blower housing. Why the change in locations?

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
dougrainer wrote:
...finding a real problem, then assuming it is a common problem. Doug


No, not really. OP's symptoms were 100% identical to mine. I'm just attempting to give him a starting point to begin troubleshooting. I have found that about 99% of the problems I've encountered with any of my RV's are "common" to a lot of other folks.

I've always following the path of least resistance. Start with the simple, no cost stuff first. Eliminate the most rudimentary, and work to the complex from there.

There are many other things that can cause an RV furnace from running properly. It's like saying, my car won't run. The engine started and then died. Where do you begin? The obvious of course? Do you have gas in the gas tank. Work upward from there.

Even the 4 possible faults indicated by the flashing light on the board could have multiple causes. Is the fan blowing fast enough to activate the Sail Switch correctly. A shot of WD40 on the fan might be all it takes. Low battery, weak battery converter, failing fan motor; any one of these could cause the red fault light to indicate this is the area of difficulty. But, it's a start.

Believe me, I'm no expert on mechanical repairs. But I have confidence in myself, knowing that anything on my RV is just nuts, bolts, screws, wires, and components. Researching a problem and finding possible causes and passing on our experiences is, after all, what these forums are all about.

I hope the OP figures it out and it really is as simple as blowing a dead bug out of the furnace orifice. Until he returns and gives an update of what he's tried or do so far, we can all only guess.

Meanwhile, it give the rest of us an opportunity to share our thoughts. Had it not been for a previous thread from a few days ago that I quickly brushed over or not taken the time to even look at, I would have been completely clueless. All the discussion from that thread sat in the back of my head. When I experienced the same problem, well ... it took a while for the light bulb to go off. Maybe all these discussions and possible solutions will help other too.

So, keep posting from your experiences. Everything helps. Believe me, these forums just saved me a ton of money, as I had already contacted my dealership for a date for a repair on my furnace. These forums saved me money and time on this problem. Share, share, share! We all benefit.

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
ScottnDana wrote:
We have a Jayco Jay Flight slx tt. The atwood furnace quit igniting on our last camping trip. The fan (blower) will come on and run for 30 seconds and shut off, (no ignition no heat). Propane tank full, batteries charged, connected to land power but still no change.

Any thoughts are welcome

Thx


Odds are it is a BAD Hi Limit switch. Doug

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
DutchmenSport wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
... I have NEVER found a sail switch that has dust or debris causing it to not work. Maybe it happens but I have worked on thousands of furnaces in 40 years. ...


dougrainer, go to 55 seconds in this video: click here.

This is similar to what mine looked like last night when I pulled it. Although mine was not that dirty. There was just enough lint and cat hair caught right where the sail hinges to the switch itself, preventing the sail to push the tiny button behind it. I simply removed the "wad" and blew the remainder out. Furnace has cycled well ever since. We are in it now. It's getting cold outside! Yuck, rain and cold in Indiana today!


Did not state it does not happen, just I have never seen it bad enough to need a cleaning and then it worked. YOU are a prime example on these forums of finding a real problem, then assuming it is a common problem. Doug

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
dougrainer wrote:
... I have NEVER found a sail switch that has dust or debris causing it to not work. Maybe it happens but I have worked on thousands of furnaces in 40 years. ...


dougrainer, go to 55 seconds in this video: click here.

This is similar to what mine looked like last night when I pulled it. Although mine was not that dirty. There was just enough lint and cat hair caught right where the sail hinges to the switch itself, preventing the sail to push the tiny button behind it. I simply removed the "wad" and blew the remainder out. Furnace has cycled well ever since. We are in it now. It's getting cold outside! Yuck, rain and cold in Indiana today!

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
I find it very funny when people suggest to just blow out a sail switch. I have NEVER found a sail switch that has dust or debris causing it to not work. Maybe it happens but I have worked on thousands of furnaces in 40 years. Also, the odds are since the OP has a smaller Jayco, the furnace will have to be PULLED to do ANY diag or cleaning. Jayco has been putting Zero Clearance Furnaces in for the past 10 years. On new Furnaces, IF the Sail switch is malfunctioning, it can cause failure of ignition cycle IF IT STAYS CLOSED after original heating operation. Older Module boards did not have this type failure. This means, that IF when the furnace is started, and it sees the current is already flowing thru a stuck ON sail switch, before the Fan gets to speed, it will shut down the ignition cycle. So, with zero clearance Furnaces, it is best to replace the sail switch anytime you have to pull the complete furnace. Small cost($10 to $25) for making sure if you have a intermittent sail switch, you don't have to keep pulling the furnace. With a new sail switch, you then go thru a complete check out of the furnace. Doug

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
See my comments in your other post earlier. YouTube video link there explaining how to remove the Sail Switch. Start by blowing out the furnace compartment with a blower to get loose dirt and dead bugs out. Flip the reset button. It should fire until it faults again. Once it faults, check the red flashing light on the furnace board. See the codes I put in the other thread you started. Depending on the type of flash will determine the problem. Sail Switch is very easy to get to and cleaning off lint and dust will probably let it work again. Reassemble, flip the reset switch again, and see if it cycles correct. If it does, replace cover and enjoy the heat!

FYI, when I did mine at 11:30 pm last night, I did not unplug power or disconnect batteries. Just handle carefully and don't touch any ends of wires.

Dusty_R
Explorer
Explorer
enblethen wrote:
Dirty sail switch! Blow out sail switch with compressed air.


Or dirty fan.

enblethen
Nomad
Nomad
Dirty sail switch! Blow out sail switch with compressed air.

Bud
USAF Retired
Pace Arrow


2003 Chev Ice Road Tracker

firemedic1992
Explorer
Explorer
Can you pull the control board out and take it to an RV shop to get tested? Sounds like the same issue that I had last year with my Atwood furnace. Ended up being the control board was done. Itโ€™s easy to take it out.

Good YouTube video: Here