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Furnace fan won't turn on

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mikeyg2347 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote mikeyg2347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Furnace fan won't turn on
    Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 7:16am
The battery was fully charged. I'm pretty obsessive about that and always have my solar panels set up when I have the trailer parked.  At this point it appears I'll just have to wait until the fan fails to engage again and take it from there. Thanks for all the input. Good info to have.
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 Jul 2022 at 3:04am
Yah, I don't think there is a special moisture in the gas line sensor that puts the furnace in lockout.

If you read the sequence of operation in the service manual the events that trigger lockout are

sail switch doesnt engage (indicating that the fan didn't come on)

flame sensor doesn't heat up after 3 ignition attempts (indicating ignition failure)

overtemp limit is sensed.

So moisture in the gas line would result in an ignition failure and be sensed that way. But the furnace doesn't attempt ignition until after the sail switch closes indicating that the fan is already operating.

The other condition that will keep the control board from ever trying to run the fan and start the furnace is if the battery voltage is very low, so that is one other possibility to keep in mind.

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Post Options Post Options   Quote mikeyg2347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 6:45pm
The fan never cycled on when I threw the thermostat switch. The only time I tried to use the heater was first thing in the morning to knock the chill off. I'd turn it on and get nothing. The manual says it will lock out if there is moisture in the gas line. Since I was running an almost empty bottle from last year that's why I was wondering if that might have been the source of the problem. But, if I understand you correctly, the fan would have come on before it locked out. 
Mike
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offgrid View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 3:01pm
If the furnace doesn't start after 3 cycles it will lockout until reset. There are several reasons that it might not start. Lack of propane is one. Before it locks out the fan will cycle on each time it tries to start, which you would most likely notice unless you were away from the trailer.

So it wasn't a likely reason but I thought I'd suggest it anyway because once the furnace was reset it would make it appear as if you had an intermittent problem.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote jato Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 1:04pm
Originally posted by mikeyg2347

I ran out of propane the 2nd day of our trip and I'm wondering if the low gas tank had moisture in it (I was using up last year's propane) which, according to the guide, might make it go into lockout. I had a spare bottle of fresh propane, but if the old gas was still in the line at the furnace maybe it stayed in lockout until the moisture was somehow purged?


After going through numerous cylinders of propane with our 177 over the past 11+ years I do not think this would be a valid reason for what you encountered.  As your tank empties (hence furnace doesn't fire up) and you remove the tank from the line, any gas in the system will escape into the atmosphere.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote mikeyg2347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 10:55am
Offgrid, your comment about lockout got me thinking, so I found the manual and went through the trouble shooting guide. I ran out of propane the 2nd day of our trip and I'm wondering if the low gas tank had moisture in it (I was using up last year's propane) which, according to the guide, might make it go into lockout. I had a spare bottle of fresh propane, but if the old gas was still in the line at the furnace maybe it stayed in lockout until the moisture was somehow purged? Not sure what the mechanism for that would be, but it makes sense to me. (Not that making sense to me is significant.)
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Quote mikeyg2347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 9:09am
I don't think so.  I was turning the stat all the way off when it wasn't working. The big difference is that I had driven home and I'm wondering if the bumps and vibrations are what got it going again. It's still working this morning.

Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 Jul 2022 at 6:06am
The furnace didn't originally go into lockout mode did it? To get out of lockout you have to turn the stat all the way off (or otherwise remove power), then back on, just turning up the temp setting won't do it.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote mikeyg2347 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2022 at 5:09pm
All of those strategies are within my skill set. Thanks.
Mike
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Colt Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jul 2022 at 4:17pm
Next time it doesn't want to run, bump, slap, kick it.  If that makes it run, you likely have a bad spot in the commutator, or open winding in the armature of the motor.  
John
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