A quick entry as to what has been happening in our travels. As you may already know we are staying at one of our favorite RV Resorts (that sounds cool, Resort) Nevada’s Treasure. And I have been enjoying a dip in the pool and hot tub to cool down most every day as it’s been in the mid 80’s. Don’t feel too bad it’s a desert so the nights cool down into the upper 50’s and lower 60’s.
Well Yesterday I woke up to a rather cool RV. We have been hearing a noise coming from the furnace for many months and even though I had told Cindy it was nothing I had planned on looking into it when we got to our Yuma layover. Well noise is one thing but no furnace at all was not something I intended on running into. So after checking the 12 volt panel, pulling the fuse and testing continuity and voltage I found that electrically every thing was fine at the panel. Bummer, replacing a fuse was going to be a lot easier than what was coming next.
So I get down on the floor and pull the fresh air intake panel off. Then using my stern face look, I stared down at the furnace. Well that didn’t get it to run either but it was worth a try. So now as I look at the cabinet the furnace is in and am forced to face the hard cold fact that it will need to come apart before I can even get at the furnace for more testing. Yep the furnace was installed and then the cabinet built, which happens a lot in the RV world.
Now not to get off subject but I just talked to a guy with a motorhome that paid $2500 to have his refrigerator replaced. It was to big to move out thru the door so they had to pull out the windshield and take it out thru the front of the motorhome. Talk about a Keurig moment.
Well after stripping down the front and one side of the cabinet I could now (oh yea after pulling the outside vent off) move the furnace and start pulling the wiring loose. Bamm, first electrical connection I pull I find it’s burnt. I know you're thinking, great it is just a bad wire. Well yes and no as using a mirror revealed the connection at the furnace was also burnt requiring me to completely remove the unit to replace the board.
Once out and on the table I set up outside I gave both the board and the blower motor a closer inspection. Finding that one of the blower fans, yes it has three, had been rubbing the housing. That was the tick I was hearing but not all of it. After stripping the furnace down further I got the blower motor all the way out and discovered, as suspected, it to needed replacing.
Ok so now I needed a logic board for the furnace the blower motor, a gasket set and the plastic fan cage that had been rubbing and had two vanes broken. %$##@ I said to myself as I looked up parts on the internet this was turning into an expensive fix. Especially when you consider the furnaces age.
So I went back outside and sat down taking a brake started staring at the furnace almost zombi like contemplating my next move. Suddenly I realized there was something else that I had not noticed yet.
With all the tipping and turning I had done on the furnace while taking it apart I had not spent any time inspecting the burner box. Now not so intently focused on the teardown I could see the other half of the furnace standing on end and noticed the grayish dust that had build up between the two burner boxes. Now I had to replace a furnace in our house for this same gray dusty reason. And after further inspection proved to be that this burner box had been compromised as well.
Well it made the decision easier, we were going to be ordering a whole new furnace instead of spending money on the repair parts. I thank God the wire connection had failed forcing me to remove the furnace or my lovely bride and I might not be here to fill this portion of the blog in. Carbon monoxide poisoning or a fire might have been our fate.
So now till the new furnace gets here and I get it installed we are using one of our supplemental heating solutions. Our Big Buddy portable propane heater with what I have turned into refillable bottled gas.
As always, It’s an Adventure.
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