Help. Cant light pilot on furnace.

[flyfishingnuts]

Help. My wife and I just bought a used 2004 Tacoma Fleetwood and tried to light the pilot light so we could in turn get the furnace started - however, could not light the pilot, Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Peter

[SpeakEasy]

Pilot?  On the furnace?

On our Coleman (Fleetwood) there is a furnace, but it has no pilot. If you have a supply of propane and a good electrical hookup (either AC or battery), then all you need to do is turn on the thermostat and set it at a higher temperature than the air temperature. The ignition is automatic.

[tknick]

like previously mentioned, the furnace on that model should be a pilot-less ignition.  when you turn the furnace on, and the thermostat up high enough, you should hear a clicking sound of the ignitor.  As I don't have a furnace in my current PU I can't be certain, but it may only try to light for a pre-defined period of time.  If it does not light, then it stops trying as a safety measure so gas isn't flowing freely.  After waiting about 5 mins for any gas to dissapate, you can try again.  If you hear the clicking but it still wont light, then you probably have air in the gas line.  The easiest way to deal with that is to light your stove and leave it running while trying to light the furnace.  The stove has a much bigger opeing for the gas (and air) to escape.

If you aren't hearing the clicks at all then check your power supply.  If you have a battery, make sure it is charged and connected.  if you are on shore power that wont matter.  I would guess there is a fuse somewhere for the ignitor. You can look in the furnace access panel or in the converter for that to see if it has blown.  

this is just a rough guess.  I'm betting you just have air in the line and if you give it long enough it will probably light.

[ForestCreature]

Did you turn the thermostat on?  There is a little tab on/off switch on the bottom that's hard to move. Without that on the furnace won't run.

[bkfdwife]

after reading this thread, I went out and plugged my 91 palomino sxl in for the first time and fired up the fridge and furnace...
unlike the Rockwood I had last, I had to light the pilot for my furnace! hahahahaha
and here I was thinking I was gonna be lucky!
Having fun!
Lisa

[PITPOP27]

Our furnace (Fleetwood) is not lit by pilot, there is a thermostat under the dinette, and the on switch underneath is close to IMPOSSIBLE to click on - in fact a friend broke it clear off - luckily we just installed a digital this weekend :p .  But you open the furnace grate and there is an on switch.  It runs on your electric not propane.

[tlhdoc]

Our furnace (Fleetwood) is not lit by pilot, there is a thermostat under the dinette, and the on switch underneath is close to IMPOSSIBLE to click on - in fact a friend broke it clear off - luckily we just installed a digital this weekend :p . But you open the furnace grate and there is an on switch. It runs on your electric not propane.

The electric lights the furnace and runs the fan, but you need propane to produce the heat.

[PLJ]

PITPOP27, what kind of digital thermostat and anything special about the installtion? I dislike the thermostat on the popup, especially that little tab that is almost impossible to locate  :eyecrazy:

[PITPOP27]

PITPOP27, what kind of digital thermostat and anything special about the installtion? I dislike the thermostat on the popup, especially that little tab that is almost impossible to locate  :eyecrazy:

(thanks tracy   )

The digital thermostat - you can see on our mods here - was EASY to install, we picked it up at Home Depot for $25.  It's only 2 wires, and my hubby had it done in 5 minutes.  We've yet to use it on a trip - we're going away this weekend we'll let you know how it goes!

[jacbyrne]

The only pilot light that we have on our 2006 Fleetwood is for the water heater.  Maybe this is what you are talking about?  If so, it takes FOREVER to light.  To help speed up the process, light the inside stove first to get gas in the lines, then turn it off.  Now, when you go to light the pilot it will light much quicker.

[zamboni]

As others mentioned, most furnaces are self-igniting.  Perhaps light your stove, to ensure that gas is flowing -- the furnace will attempt to light for like 10-30 seconds, then give up (and "shut off" the gas flow to it).  A few cycles of this may be necessary to purge any air in the line.

As for thermostats - we also replaced the default in our hybrid with a $30 model from Lowes.  When we're camping, overnight, I set it to like 63 degrees.  Then, if the electric heaters can't keep the camper warm enough, the gas will kick in to "help out"  (note, bunks are cooler than the main cabin).

That said, I also added heat strips to our AC during the last campout; they really helped.  People say they don't work - but bear in mind that they are a 1500 watt heater - just with MUCH more air passing over it, the air does not feel as hot as a hair dryer, but the same amount of energy is being "pushed" into the camper