Printable Version of Topic
Click here to view this topic in its original format
Truck Camper Forum _ General Discussion _ Heater/Air Thermostat
Posted by: MikeMarkCA Apr 30 2018, 02:11 PM
Good day.
I have been struggling with a cheap thermostat. I have a Lance 950, it has air and heat, the heater being an atwood with an atwood thermostat. The original went out, so I ordered a new one and put it in. Right away I could tell the switch on the new unit was screwed up, at times the heat and air would run at the same time. I put in another one, and now that thermostat shows no power, and testing the wires I now seem to have no current coming to the thermostat wires,,
I tested all the fuses under the step for continuity, and they seem to be ok. Is there another fuse not on the main fuse block?
I am frustrated to the point I think I'm going to take it in, is there a better quality thermostat that would work with the Atwood heater? I'm fed up!
Posted by: RV_Tech Apr 30 2018, 05:35 PM
QUOTE(MikeMarkCA @ Apr 30 2018, 03:11 PM)
Good day.
I have been struggling with a cheap thermostat. I have a Lance 950, it has air and heat, the heater being an atwood with an atwood thermostat. The original went out, so I ordered a new one and put it in. Right away I could tell the switch on the new unit was screwed up, at times the heat and air would run at the same time. I put in another one, and now that thermostat shows no power, and testing the wires I now seem to have no current coming to the thermostat wires,,
I tested all the fuses under the step for continuity, and they seem to be ok. Is there another fuse not on the main fuse block?
I am frustrated to the point I think I'm going to take it in, is there a better quality thermostat that would work with the Atwood heater? I'm fed up!
I have been struggling with a cheap thermostat. I have a Lance 950, it has air and heat, the heater being an atwood with an atwood thermostat. The original went out, so I ordered a new one and put it in. Right away I could tell the switch on the new unit was screwed up, at times the heat and air would run at the same time. I put in another one, and now that thermostat shows no power, and testing the wires I now seem to have no current coming to the thermostat wires,,
I tested all the fuses under the step for continuity, and they seem to be ok. Is there another fuse not on the main fuse block?
I am frustrated to the point I think I'm going to take it in, is there a better quality thermostat that would work with the Atwood heater? I'm fed up!
Mike,
I am sure I can troubleshoot it, but I have to know the model or post a picture so I can pull up the wiring diagram. Do you have a Dometic cooler on the roof or a Coleman?
Posted by: MikeMarkCA Apr 30 2018, 09:05 PM
QUOTE(RV_Tech @ Apr 30 2018, 03:35 PM)
Mike,
I am sure I can troubleshoot it, but I have to know the model or post a picture so I can pull up the wiring diagram. Do you have a Dometic cooler on the roof or a Coleman?
I am sure I can troubleshoot it, but I have to know the model or post a picture so I can pull up the wiring diagram. Do you have a Dometic cooler on the roof or a Coleman?
Air is a Coleman I believe, and the thermostat Atwood P/N38535
All my paperwork for the air says AieExcel, and that a model of Coleman? Pretty sure the interior air grate says Coleman on it. 48000 series.
I believe the heater is an Atwood not sure of the series number, literature if for various models. 7900 to 8012 series.
Now when I connect a tester the negative terminal of the battery, and test all the wires, none are lighting the tester up. Wires were not man-handled, and look to be OK, but now seem dead.
Posted by: MikeMarkCA Apr 30 2018, 09:11 PM
QUOTE(MikeMarkCA @ Apr 30 2018, 07:05 PM)
Air is a Coleman I believe, and the thermostat Atwood P/N38535
All my paperwork for the air says AieExcel, and that a model of Coleman? Pretty sure the interior air grate says Coleman on it. 48000 series.
I believe the heater is an Atwood not sure of the series number, literature if for various models. 7900 to 8012 series.
Now when I connect a tester the negative terminal of the battery, and test all the wires, none are lighting the tester up. Wires were not man-handled, and look to be OK, but now seem dead.
All my paperwork for the air says AieExcel, and that a model of Coleman? Pretty sure the interior air grate says Coleman on it. 48000 series.
I believe the heater is an Atwood not sure of the series number, literature if for various models. 7900 to 8012 series.
Now when I connect a tester the negative terminal of the battery, and test all the wires, none are lighting the tester up. Wires were not man-handled, and look to be OK, but now seem dead.
I took this picture of the wiring off the original, bought the matching thermostat, and rewired exactly the same way, but as I said before I think the new thermostat had a faulty switch that ran the heat and air at the same time unless you giggled the switch.
Posted by: RV_Tech Apr 30 2018, 10:06 PM
QUOTE(MikeMarkCA @ Apr 30 2018, 10:11 PM)
I took this picture of the wiring off the original, bought the matching thermostat, and rewired exactly the same way, but as I said before I think the new thermostat had a faulty switch that ran the heat and air at the same time unless you giggled the switch.
Your wiring looks to be correct. Normally Coleman systems feed the hot lead (terminal #3) from the furnace.
First of all verify you do not have power at the stat. Terminal #1 is your ground so you don't need to run back to the battery. Terminal #3 jumpered to #4 is your hot.
Also be sure you are checking your fuses with a meter or test light. Do not just eyeball them. I did dozens of service calls and did nothing other than replace a fuse.
Also since you replaced your stat. Check to make sure you did not hit insulation on the wire when you tightened them to the stat.
Posted by: MikeMarkCA May 1 2018, 01:50 PM
Thank you, I'll be back around Sunday, I have night work all week won't get to it until Sunday. I did use a multi-meter on the fuses and verified continuity without pulling them, but I'll re-perform the test. As far as you know, Lance runs all their fuses to one fuse block?
Posted by: RV_Tech May 1 2018, 05:14 PM
QUOTE(MikeMarkCA @ May 1 2018, 02:50 PM)
Thank you, I'll be back around Sunday, I have night work all week won't get to it until Sunday. I did use a multi-meter on the fuses and verified continuity without pulling them, but I'll re-perform the test. As far as you know, Lance runs all their fuses to one fuse block?
Yes, I don't know anyone that uses a secondary fuse block. Lances, from the few I have worked on are all straight forward.
I was guessing that when you installed the new stat you accidentally ground a hot lead. I have done that more than one time and it is easy to do without noticing it.
On the Coleman stuff you can normally test the functions by jumpering the hot to the stat terminals other than the ground of course.
Posted by: MikeMarkCA May 2 2018, 02:15 PM
QUOTE(RV_Tech @ May 1 2018, 03:14 PM)
Yes, I don't know anyone that uses a secondary fuse block. Lances, from the few I have worked on are all straight forward.
I was guessing that when you installed the new stat you accidentally ground a hot lead. I have done that more than one time and it is easy to do without noticing it.
On the Coleman stuff you can normally test the functions by jumpering the hot to the stat terminals other than the ground of course.
I was guessing that when you installed the new stat you accidentally ground a hot lead. I have done that more than one time and it is easy to do without noticing it.
On the Coleman stuff you can normally test the functions by jumpering the hot to the stat terminals other than the ground of course.
I was guessing that when you installed the new stat you accidentally ground a hot lead.
..and blew a fuse?
Posted by: RV_Tech May 2 2018, 02:35 PM
QUOTE(MikeMarkCA @ May 2 2018, 03:15 PM)
I was guessing that when you installed the new stat you accidentally ground a hot lead.
..and blew a fuse?
..and blew a fuse?
That was my thought, but I was also remembering running into this problem before that is particular to furnaces with Coleman coolers and I think the problem ended up being at the furnace where it feeds power to the board, but that was years ago and I can't recall it anymore clearly. If you pull the cover on your furnace, is there a reset there. some furnaces have them, some don't. It is so much harder to do this online rather than in person.
Powered by Invision Power Board (http://www.invisionboard.com)
© Invision Power Services (http://www.invisionpower.com)