Suburban RV Furnace Won’t Light At Extreme Temperature (COLD)
It can happen to you. When you least expect it, your furnace may not light when it is cold out. It is a situation you hate to be in but it does happen. It is not a fun situation either. Common and simple-to-fix sources may lie at the bottom of this problem.
Cold weather is known to wreak havoc on RVs and their appliances. When it comes to your furnace, not lighting, it could be that the gas line had some moisture in it which froze. The ice build-up could block the gas from reaching your furnace.
To learn more about this problem, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about so you can get your RV warm again when the temperature dips. Take a few minutes to see how this information can help you.
Suburban RV Furnace Won't Light At Extreme Temperature
Whether it is cold weather or warm weather, there are parts of your Suburban furnace that may not work. They could just be old and worn out which means that replacing old parts is going to be your main solution.
One example, one RV owner tried everything to get his furnace lit but everything was checking out to be okay. He said it wasn’t a valve and gave his reasons. But in the end, it turned out to be a bad valve.
A simple replacement from Amazon saved the day for him. Now if you have the blower running but the furnace won’t turn on, then you have a power problem. The furnace needs a minimum of 10.5 volts to run, a blower can work with less than that amount of electricity.
Check your power supply to make sure your furnace is receiving the power it needs. If you hear a sound like an ignitor is trying to create a spark, it is a clicking sound, then you may not have gas coming to the ignitor.
This can happen in extreme weather as moisture can get into the gas line and freeze. You may have to pull the gas line off and use compressed air to blow the blockage out of the line.
Or, the thermostat has gone bad. This happens a lot due to many reasons, not the very least being it is not the best one made. You can bypass the thermostat by jumping the wires and seeing if the furnace still works.
If it does, then your problem is in the thermostat. Other sources can be a problem with the sail switch, the solenoid, and similar parts. The solenoid can block the gas from getting to the ignitor. This happens if the part fails or no power is getting to it.
There are many parts and sources that can go wrong when you are stuck in this situation. You can call in a qualified repair man and let them diagnose the problem for you.
The Furnace Won't Start When Cold
Just like the last section, there are many sources for this part of the problem no matter the brand name of the appliance. Here are some possible sources that you should check out:
- you are out of propane or the tank’s regulator has a problem
- There is a problem with the gas line and it is not letting the gas get to the furnace
- the pilot light or the thermocouple has worn out. Replacement or cleaning may be your only options here
- as mentioned earlier, your thermostat is wearing out, failing, or mis-reading the temperature levels. Replacement will be your only option at this point
- There is no airflow to the furnace and this can be due to damage done to the system that brings in the air
- there are basic electrical problems shutting down your furnace.
These situations can happen at any time, not just in cold weather. Except for any freezing that can take place. One we haven't mentioned yet is the propane itself.
This gas is known to contract in cold weather and when it does, it reduces the pressure in your furnace. You may not be getting all the propane you need or paid for when this happens.
Then your propane tank can freeze completely. When this happens you need to warm it up in the best way possible. Be careful though as bringing the tank inside is one solution but not always the most recommended one.
When Your Suburban Furnace Doesn’t Light
Here is a little checklist for you to use to help you diagnose the problem.
1. Check the propane tank & gas line- make sure the gas is flowing at the pressure it is supposed to. To check this turn on your gas appliances and the furnace, if they work, then these two items are not your problem.
2. Check your electricity sources- if the battery is not producing 10.5 volts then switch to a new battery. Also check your breakers, etc., to see if the power has been cut off in some manner.
Or re-charge the battery and get it back up to over 10.5 volts. Also, check for corroded terminals. This situation can interfere with the transfer of power.
3. Check your wires- loose or damaged wires can happen at any time. Check to make sure there is no problem and if there is, tighten, repair, or replace the wires.
Finally, if your thermostat has batteries, check to see if they are out of power. If so, replace them and see if that solves your problem.
Some Final Words
Suburban and other brands’ furnaces can easily not light in cold weather. The trick is to find the offending part and solve the problem as quickly as possible.
Furnace parts will fail in any season and it could be that your furnace and its internal parts are just too old. Think about getting a new furnace or at least replacing older parts so your furnace doesn’t fail you when it is cold.
