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Old 03-02-2012, 12:28 AM   #1
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Hi! I have a 2005 32QB Zinger that I bought (and LOVE) used from a private party in 2006 when it was a year old. Since it was bought used, the warranty would not cover the ongoing issue I have of the furnace not lighting all the time. We have the camper parked on a permanent spot, with a 200gallon kidney propane tank that was installed by the propane company. When we get there on Friday nights (we use it every weekend) after we turn the tank on, I light the stove burner to get any air out of the line, then turn the furnace on. It will always light the 1st time, but from there on out it is hit and miss. Sometimes it will light again, sometimes it will come on, try for 3 times, then lock out for an hour. Lately, it doesn't come on again after the 1st time, so the problem is getting worse. Since I bought it from a private party, no one wants to come out and service it without huge fees. With it hit and miss, I don't want to pay for someone to sit there for hours to see if it will or will not light again. (Sorry this is getting long winded!)

I searched through past posts, and see that some people with the same problem have changed over to the Hunter brand digital thermo from Walmart, and I will be picking one up this weekend. My question is, if that doesn't work, how do I remove the furnace so I can bring it in for repairs? It is in the kitchen under the fridge, and when I take off the grill, alls I see is sheetmetal. There is not access from outside, other than the small exhaust outlet. I am hoping I do not need to cut a hole anywhere? Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I am tired of missing out on fun weekends in the winter due to lack of heat in Northern Minnesota!



Thanks!
Lynn
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Old 03-02-2012, 01:14 AM   #2
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If you still have the old style mercury thermostat the new Hunter digital may very well solve the problem. If you already have another brand of digital thermostat and change to the Hunter digital it may not solve the problem. The furnace will come out from the inside. It may require you to remove the fridge in order to remove the plywood fridge support to access the furnace box though.



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Old 03-02-2012, 01:41 AM   #3
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Thank you Stan, much appreciated. Is the Hunter brand an RV thermostat or household? My local Walmart doesn't carry much in the line of RV, so I might need to order it online if it is RV specific.

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Old 03-02-2012, 01:51 AM   #4
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The Hunter thermostat is not RV specific. You should be able to find one at Walmart in the section where they have AC filters or at a hardware store. Here is a link below that should help some.



http://www.modmyrv.com/2008/07/14/rv-digital-thermostat
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Old 03-02-2012, 02:42 AM   #5
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Thank you for the additional information and the link... can't wait to get up north next weekend and see if this solves the problem, fingers crossed!



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Old 03-02-2012, 04:49 AM   #6
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The other thing it could be is carbon (dirt) build up on the heat sensor or sparker which will cause the furnace to prevent the propane valve from opening or open it not see the heat intially and so it slames shut.

I have to periodically clean mine in my house furnace as well...

a piece of sandpaper is all it usually takes.
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Old 03-02-2012, 05:04 AM   #7
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I had a similar issue with the fridge running on propane. Would light the first time, but had issues after that. After messing with it for a while (a couple of seasons actually since it was so sporadic), I finally discovered that the igniter (ceramic part) had detached from the bracket that holds it in place, so it was turning in the bracket . With trailer movement, it would rotate away from the grid that it was trying to light and wouldn't always ignite the gas. I rotated it back in place and put some gorilla glue on it. Works fine now. I imagine the heater has a similar igniter as I can hear it striking when it starts up. It beats replacing it since the part was thirty dollars or so. Good luck!
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Old 03-02-2012, 06:27 AM   #8
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These are both excellent suggestions, thank you!
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Old 03-02-2012, 06:41 AM   #9
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"The other thing it could be is carbon (dirt) build up on the heat sensor or sparker which will cause the furnace to prevent the propane valve from opening or open it not see the heat intially and so it slames shut."

Can this be accessed from outside (through the exhaust panel) or do I need to take the fridge out to do this?

Lynn
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Old 03-02-2012, 06:49 AM   #10
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On the fridge you should be able to access it from the outside, take the vent cover off the side and remove the heat shield which is usually held in place by 3 little sheet metal srews with philips heads.

You should be able to see the igniter and the heat sensor...

On the furnace you have to remove the access cover then the plenum cover to get at them...
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Old 03-02-2012, 07:49 AM   #11
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Linnie, something else you can check on your furnace.



We had a problem with our fridge lighting on propane. It ended up being the gap between the igniter and burner tube. It was set too close from the factory on our 2010 Zinger. With it too close the spark was very weak, I adjusted it to the proper measurement andthe spark became very strong and aggressive. The fridge has worked fine ever since.



Interestingly when the fridge was having trouble lighting, itonly seemed to be a problemwhenthe weather was cold, wet or windy.
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