• We’re Back – Thanks for Your Patience! We’re thrilled to welcome you back! After some time offline, our site is up and running again, though you may experience occasional instability as we work through the final steps of restoring full functionality. Your understanding and support mean the world to us – thank you for sticking with us through this!
  • Email notifications are being sent but may be blocked by spam filters. If you don’t receive an expected email, please check your spam folder.

Furnace Furnace Question...

Mick'nSarah

Mick'nSarah

Junior Ranger
2 questions:

1) I used the furnace last night for the first time. I turned it on to take the edge off right before we went to sleep. I turned it off using the thermostat in the cabin, like Craig showed me (but left the propane on outside). I thought this would keep the furnace off until I moved the toggle switch back into the 'on' position. During the night, the furnace turned itself on, without my help, and I couldn't get it to turn off, so I got up and turned off the propane. It came back on an hour later, but just blew cold air. Is this normal or is it supposed to turn off when the switch is in the off position?

2) When the furnace is on, it creates a strong smell. How long does it generally take for that to go away? I figure it is normal for the new trailers, but didn't notice it when we first picked her up because it was blowing so hard outside, so I didn't think to ask Craig.

Thanks for any tips you have!
 
When you turn the thermostat down all the way there should be a little click at the end that actually turns it off. However, the blower may continue to run for a minute or two while the furnace cools down.

If you have the thermostat clicked off and it still comes on by itself later then you have a problem.

I remember the strong smell, but I don't think it lasts too long - it's the new Camp-Inn smell. If you are going to be keeping it in a garage, leave the windows and vent open so it can air out.
 
Yep, Mick'nSarah, Evan has the answer. Same thing happened to me two weeks ago when I was sleeping in the 560 for the first time in a sub-freezing New England night. Turned on the previously unused furnace to take the chill off when first settling in, then thought I had turned it off only to have it cycle back on in the middle of the night. Of course, as Evan points out, it isn't enough to push the thermostat control all the way down -- Gotta give it that one last little nudge to the left until you feel that final click off. And that new-furnace smell went away (mostly) after the first few uses.

And as an aside, I was surprised to note that after three nights and a cumulative furnace burn time of less than one hour, the gauge on the twenty-pound propane tank showed about one-quarter to one-third used. I was led to believe that it should last a whole lot longer, so I'm of a mind now that the gauge either isn't to be counted on to be interpolated accurately, or it drops quickly at first, then less rapidly later. Comments from those of you with more cold weather furnace experience? How many hours of furnace-on time does the large propane tank support?
 
I have not found the gauge to be very useful. Mine generally reads full until right before the tank is empty, and then suddenly it reads empty. I don't think it has an even curve - if you understand what I'm saying.

We got the small tank, and in the middle of winter with temps in the teens and twenties, we got a week of furnace use out of the small tank. This would be several hours a night plus cooking.
 
Guys, we don't have a heater, but just as a reference we use an average of 1 1/2 lbs per day cooking two meals so we made it a week with our 11 lb. tank before the gas shut off. When it shut off, there was still 1 lb. in the tank. Based on what Evan said, I'd swag that the heater uses 1/2 to 3/4 lb per night.

Also, after doing a lot of homework about the propane gauges they are about as dependable as a schizophrenic cat with distemper and rabies. I carry a small portable digital scale.

Hilditch
 
We'd have to agree with Hilditch about that propane gauge. First let me state, that we didn't purchase ours from Camp-Inn, so I don't know if their model would have this problem. On one of our recent camping trips, we awoke to prepare breakfast, only to find that our gas bottle was empty. This was a big surprise, since it had been filled only days before. We had to assume that there must be a leak somewhere. Fortunately, we weren't too far from civilization, and after consulting the yellow pages, and making a few phone calls, we found a gas station that could refill our tank. We had our suspicions about the gas gauge, so Jim removed it, reconnected the gas line directly to the bottle, and tested that connection by the old soapy water method-no leak. Next, he lit the stove, then shut the stove and the propane bottle off. Hours later, he was still able to ignite the stove without turning the bottle back on. The line held the gas, so no leak there. He determined that the gauge was indeed the culprit, probably because of the rubber to rubber connection between the gauge and the bottle, which doesn't provide a proper seal after road vibrations. The gauge is now in a box in the garage, and no problems since removing it!
 
All this is good info. if I can remember it - the guage overall should be left off properly since it doesn't seem to benefit anyone. Plus it evidently causes leakage.

The scale is a great idea Bear - should save us a lot of heaches when exchanging tanks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top