Furnace

[Onebel]

I'm a newbie and don't know how to turn on my furnace, I know it's still summer but I need to know when we go camping this winter. I have a 2001 17 ft Towlite trailer.
Thanks

 

[PopRichie77]

There should be a little lever (switch) on the top of the thermostat, move it to the on position, then move the lever on the bottom to a high temperature, the furnace fan should come on followed by the burner lighting. Be sure the gas tank is turned on and gas is up at the stove top first. If your trailer has a master switch, be sure it is in the right position.

 

[RichR]

That little on/off lever is usually hard to move. Just make sure that it clicks.

 

[Onebel]

Thank you, the thermostat switch broke when we tried to switch it on, I'm in Los Angeles, any idea on where we can have it replaced?

 

[RichR]

Do yourself a favor and go get a non-programmable digital thermostat at Walmart or Home Depot. There are only two wires to hook up and maybe two batteries. The stock thermostat is junk and very inaccurate. If I can find the thread here for that I will post it.

 

[RichR]

Replacing Furnace Thermostat Thread

Here it is:http://www.hilotrailerforum.com/f29/new-thermostat-2009-25-ft-hi-lo-classic-1668/

 

[Atlee]

I would replace the non digital Atwood thermostat with a Hunter (which I did as soon as I bought the trailer) or maybe a Honeywell (which other owners have done).

The Hunter is relatively simple to operate, and was easy to install. It has relatively large digital numbers, and is easy to change the temperature range.

I'm a newbie and don't know how to turn on my furnace, I know it's still summer but I need to know when we go camping this winter. I have a 2001 17 ft Towlite trailer.
Thanks

 

[Onebel]

Thanks a lot, we were able to find a good thermostat at Camping World, it's wor king now

 

[RichR]

That is good news! If it is like the original you may be able to improve the performance by adjusting the heat anticipator to reduce the wide temperature swings that most experience. Here is a clip from the thread I referred to above:

If you don't want to change the thermostat now but would like to get the cheap standard one under control there is a simple adjustment that can be made. It is something that should have been done at the factory. The heat anticipator is what controls the swing of the on to off temperatures. All it is is a little potentiometer that adjusts a small heating element which in turn heats the bi-metal spring a small amount to make it turn the furnace off sooner than what the actual desired heat is set to. Remove the front cover on the thermostat and you will see a little metal lever attached to the back plate. It can be moved about 90 degrees total and there are little graduations on the metal surface behind it. It is supposed to be set to a value that agrees with the regulator control on the furnace. On home heating furnaces there is usually a number value of maybe .5 amp on the gas valve and then you would set the anticipator to that value. I have not been able to find that type of number on our furnace. So, the rule of thumb is, set the lever to about the middle of the scale and see how that works. Just be careful when moving it so you don't accidentally damage the big spring. A thumbnail makes a good tool for the adjustment. You should see the furnace run more often but the temperature will not have the big swings. You can fine tune the anticipator one way or the other until you are satisfied with how the temperature is feeling to you.

 

[ronzas]

Hi I am a newbie with a (new to me) used 2404T towlite. I was on my first trip @ Yellowstone 4 weeks ago. The furnace worked once ( when I did not need it). Then when I really needed it (35 degree that night) it would not start. i have gas because both the frig and Water heater ran very well ob gas. Question I know were the on /off switch is ( it is stiff) but it clicks but nothing happens. Any thoughts on troubleshooting? all fuses are good

 

[RichR]

If you have the switch set to the on position and the temperature set up high enough it should start. You should hear a mechanical click in the thermostat when the points open or close. If you get in to where the furnace is look for a reset switch somewhere in the area where the wires come into it. Another thing you can try is to touch the thermostat wires together to see if anything happens. If you have the furnace manual look for a troubleshooting section and go with it. If you don't have a manual go to the reference library and download one that matches your furnace's model number.