2011 Trip across the US
2012 Trip across the US
2014 Trip across the US
2015 Trip to Alaska
2015-16 Southwest Trip
2016 New England Trip
2016 - 17 Southwest Trip
2017 - 18 Trip to Pick Up a New Escape 21 Trailer & More
2018 - 19 Trip to Winnipeg & the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
2019 - 20 Trip to the Southwest
Wednesday, November 20, 2019 - Sunset RV Park, Deming, NM, Day 5 - 0 Miles, 3,050.2 Miles for the Trip
Rain off & on all night, but sun with clouds in the morning. I made my usual 8:00 call to Jim's RV, and he is still booked up for the rest of the week. We discussed the actions of the furnace, and pretty much agree that the problem is the control board. I was hoping just cleaning the sail switch would fix it, but the fact that the gas is lighting and running for a short time pretty much rules out a sail switch problem. I asked if he would have a better chance of working on the furnace if I pulled it and brought it in. He thought that was a great idea, so I had a morning project.
Escape provides a series of videos that cover pulling a furnace, replacing the sail switch & circuit board, etc. The newer 21's have an outside furnace access door that makes repairs easy. Unfortunately, my 2017 requires pulling the furnace from the inside to get to the guts. In the video, Reace mentions that is some installations the back of the furnace catches on the edge of the plywood floor, making it impossible to remove the furnace without removing the outside exhaust. Another unfortunate - mine is one of the installations with the problem. I followed the instructions for removing the outside hardware, but is is a bear. Getting the exhaust pipe out of the furnace was "interesting".
In any case, it is out, and at Jim's, so I'm an "all electric" trailer for at least the next couple of days. I'm hoping he can get a Dinosaur board rather than the Dometic if the board is the problem since, although more expensive, it is more reliable.
Back at the trailer, I finished breakfast, changed the sheets & packed up the laundry.
The laundry is done, and so is the furnace. They called Dometic to find the availability of a replacement board, as well as checking with Dinosaur, but as they unbolted the board from the furnace, a 1 1/2" screw fell out from behind the board. How is didn't short the board & do damage is amazing, but after it was removed & the board put back in place, the furnace worked fine. Jim's only charged me 1/2 an hour labor ($52.50) for more than an hour on the phone with me, the suppliers, and the work on the furnace. While they are a busy RV repair shop, I recommend them if you are in the Deming area.
I didn't have any problems reinstalling the furnace, and it appears to be working fine. I'll run it tonight rather than the electric heater to be sure.
I checked with the owner of Sunset RV Park, letting him know I was leaving tomorrow, and rather than the 5 days I was here, he only charged for 4. That lowers the cost of the site to $14.40.
Dinner was a Lean Cuisine Orange Chicken Dinner.
Tomorrow the plan is to head to Sunny Flats, a Forest Service campground in the Coronado National Forest. It is on the edge of a flood watch on Thursday, and the campground is evacuated it the prediction is for more than 1 1/2" of rain. So, I may or may not get there. In any case, if I do, there is no internet at the campground, so you may not hear from me for a couple of days.
Until Next Time -
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Last Update:
November 21, 2019