Greenest of all fun finder newbies! Furnace?

[mjr]

Hi there!

A few days ago, I had no idea what a "Fun Finder" was and now we own a 2006 x-139. We'd talked about buying a camper some day and this model seems like a perfect small size to start with.

I'm looking forward to better understanding the various appliances and getting everything working again. Currently, the top priority is to get the furnace working although the blower motor sure is loud! The stat currently calls for heat, turns the blower on but it turns off after 30-60 seconds. I assume that's because of a failure to ignite. I get the feeling my learning curve will be steep over the next few months!

Any insight to share on these Suburban furnaces?

Thank you!

-mjr

[profdant139]

Welcome to the club, and congrats on your new X-139! Be sure to ask lots of questions -- us old-timers love to help out.

Don't know why the furnace is not igniting -- I am not sure if the burner orifice is reachable. If it is, compressed air will often get rid of spider webs that impair operation.

And yes, the furnace is noisy! We only run ours at shower time -- too noisy, too much electricity used.

If this is your first RV, prepare for two shocks -- there is a very steep learning curve (but not insurmountable). And prepare to have more fun than you ever expected!

Where are you located, and where will you travel??

[mjr]

Thank you, Dan. I can 100% agree with your first shock already. It's been a fire hose of a learning curve already. It sounds like I'll be working on pulling the furnace out today, blowing it out and seeing if that fixes the ignition issue. I've pre-emptively ordered a replacement thermostat as well that I've seen referenced in another thread on this forum.

We're in Tucson, AZ and initially will stay close. Our first outing will likely be at a state park just a few miles away for one or more test runs. There's so much to see right here in AZ that I imagine we'll keep many of the trips here in the state. There's always one of our favorite weekend getaways -- the Grand Canyon.

Some other things I've noticed as I work my way around the camper:

1) The battery is only 2 years old but I'm not sure how well it's doing. I got it fully charged and was surprised to see it mostly drained after not much more than an hour. May need replacement. Longer term, maybe a dual battery setup? I have proactively ordered LED bulbs to replace the halogen bulbs to reduce the power draw.

2) I hooked up a garden hose to the fresh water supply port and it doesn't seem to accept any water. I don't hear it filling and the indicator panel continues to show that it is at the lowest indicator level. I'll need to pull the bench panel to visually verify water level. Unsure as to why it wouldn't take any more supply at this point. It appears that there is a flow/pressure restricter on the input. Maybe that's the issue?

3) I'm told the microwave works on an extension cord. It doesn't work in the supplied outlet. Need to multi-meter the outlet and replace if needed. The upstream breaker is not popped.

4) The entertainment system could use a replacement. Several parts aren't functioning. I imagine these days we could reduce the physical footprint of the stereo down to a double DIN... but that means redoing some of the cabinetry work.

I think I just bought myself a long list of todos but I look forward to the memories we can create by taking family out to surroundings they're not used to

What have you done to your 139?

-mjr

[mjr]

Originally Posted by mjr

2) I hooked up a garden hose to the fresh water supply port and it doesn't seem to accept any water. I don't hear it filling and the indicator panel continues to show that it is at the lowest indicator level. I'll need to pull the bench panel to visually verify water level. Unsure as to why it wouldn't take any more supply at this point. It appears that there is a flow/pressure restricter on the input. Maybe that's the issue?


-mjr

I was able to figure this one out.. I noticed in one of the posts elsewhere on this forum that there was a reference to TWO inputs. I've learned now that "City Water" bypasses the tank. The other input is pourable --- not a garden hose connection. It looks like I need to find a replacement cover as the fresh water input has no cover.

[profdant139]

The battery: I use two group 31 deep cycle batteries from Napa, 110 amp hours.

The key thing with batteries is never let them run down. Keep them above 12.1 volt when resting. Use a trickle charger. I use a BatteryMinder Plus. LEDs will make a big difference.

The microwave should work when you are on shore power -- not on the battery. The outlet is in the cabinet behind the micro.

We yanked out our entertainment center -- the phone is our entertainment, when we need it (rarely). The place where the radio used to be is now storage.

Here's my blog about modifications to the trailer:

The LMIC (Look Mom I'm Camping)

And here is my trip blog:

Look, Mom, We're Camping!

Have fun!! It sounds like you have a technical background, so you are ahead of the game.

[LJAZ]

Hi & welcome to the forum!

A couple of thoughts on your furnace. First - yes they are loud so that's normal, next, are you sure it's getting propane? Also possible that the line has no propane especially it was disconnected from a tank for a while. Try lighting the stove and a let it run for a minute or two and then retry the furnace. If that doesn't work, there is a service manual available that has a troubleshooting flow chart that you can download.
Another handy item if you camp with hookups is a small 1500W portable electric heater, Much quieter!

As far as that goes I recommend getting the model & serial #'s off all of your appliances and downloading the manuals. I keep copies of these in a folder on the trailer just in case I need them while on the road.

As for batteries, how do you intend to camp? If it's mostly without hookups then a 2 battery system makes a lot of sense. If you mostly plan on camping with hookups then a single battery will be all you need.

Good luck figuring out the furnace and let us know how you make out.

[runner421]

Hey All -
Matt got his camper stolen from storage lot in Tucson, AZ about a week ago. Keep your eyes out for it. 2006 x139. Cross-posted in the facebook fun finder group. The more people looking, we might get lucky.

[mjr]

Originally Posted by runner421

Hey All -
Matt got his camper stolen from storage lot in Tucson, AZ about a week ago. Keep your eyes out for it. 2006 x139. Cross-posted in the facebook fun finder group. The more people looking, we might get lucky.

thank you very much for cross posting. That was very thoughtful of you.
-mjr

[dustyone]

Has there been any update on this loss of a camper? That's terrible to just buy something and then have somebody steal it out from under you. Especially when it's stored in a storage yard.