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Old 03-24-2016, 01:05 PM   #1
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Furnace Ignition Fault

I have recently purchased a 2006 Sunline Solaris T-2553. When trying to fire up the furnace, I hear it trying to ignite (clicking...) three times. After that, I get a fault on the control board. The red LED flashes 3 times intermittently which corresponds to an ignition fault. Can anyone provide some troubleshooting steps to help me get the furnace going? Thanks in advance!!

Jeff
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Old 03-24-2016, 02:09 PM   #2
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This is not all that uncommon, if you have disconected your LP bottles or the lp hasn't been used for a while.

Turn on a burner or two on your stove to get the air out of the lines and then try to light the furnace.


If that isn't sucessful, carefully check the exhaust and the burning chembers for bugs and debris...certain insects are attracted to LP.

I'm sure there will be more suggestions along shortly.

Welcome to the club, enjoy your new coach.
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Old 03-24-2016, 05:20 PM   #3
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A weak battery can also cause a problem there has to be enough air flow to allow the gas valve to open if the fan is running too slow the sail switch will not close and the gasvalve will not open.
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Old 03-24-2016, 06:55 PM   #4
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A weak battery can also cause a problem there has to be enough air flow to allow the gas valve to open if the fan is running too slow the sail switch will not close and the gasvalve will not open.
Would a weak battery be a problem if I have the electricity hooked up?

Thanks,
Jeff
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Old 03-24-2016, 08:01 PM   #5
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Should be ok on shore power. May just be air in the lines. Like Mack C-85 said, after checking for obstructions, turn on stove burners to purge air.
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Old 03-24-2016, 08:02 PM   #6
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Would a weak battery be a problem if I have the electricity hooked up?

Thanks,
Jeff
On a 2006 model, if you are plugged into shore power, the converter will have enough power even with no battery. Those converters are made they can run with no battery. The older ones need a battery to run.

As Mack stated, first does the stove top light? and does the hot water heater fire on gas? If both of them are working and the furnace goes out on safety 2 to 3 times, then need to start digging deeper. Assuming it did not fire after 3 cycle of faulting out then:

You tell us, when you turned on the furnace, did the fan run for several minutes and then you hear the clicking of what might be the igniter?

If you are actually hearing the igniter, then that means you are past the safeties that inhibit the gas valve from opening. And if you are actually hearing the clicks of the igniter, then the coil is strong enough to jump the gap which is a start. It "might" be weak to not have enough energy to ignite but need to make sure gas is actually flowing.

By chance did you hear any type of "clunk or click" of a gas valve opening, would only be one sound as it opened, when the sparking started?

We need more info to go much further.

Hope this helps

John
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Old 03-24-2016, 08:14 PM   #7
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I got three separate sets of clicking after the fan ran for a bit. Then the LED on the control board indicated an ignition fault (3 flashes followed by a 3 second pause). I did not hear a clunking sound. I will turn on the burners beforehand and try again. I will also listen for the valve. Thanks for helping. Much appreciated!!

Jeff
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Old 03-25-2016, 06:09 AM   #8
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That unit has a flame sensor it is possible it is lighting and going right out it then goes into lockout (3 flashing lights) it is a ign. fault that can be any thing from no gas to board to flame sensor or plugged up gas port. I would suggest taking it to an RV furnace person instead of throwing parts at it.
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Old 03-25-2016, 08:12 AM   #9
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That unit has a flame sensor it is possible it is lighting and going right out it then goes into lockout (3 flashing lights) it is a ign. fault that can be any thing from no gas to board to flame sensor or plugged up gas port. I would suggest taking it to an RV furnace person instead of throwing parts at it.
I'm definitely not going to throw parts at it. I will troubleshoot the unit until I either am convinced I have found the problem or ready to give it over to the "pros".

Jeff
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Old 03-25-2016, 11:55 AM   #10
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In your case I can't say but all most every older style heater I have dealt with has been the board and some of the newer stuff the guys have told me they have replaced flame sensors. Does yours have a small window that you can look at the flame?
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Old 03-25-2016, 12:45 PM   #11
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Not sure what you mean by window. There is a hole in the cover. Maybe I could see the flame from there?

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Old 03-25-2016, 03:31 PM   #12
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Ditto on it being a bad board. In the last 10 years most furnace problems I have seen have been a bad board. If you have friend who has a trailer with the same furnace that works you could borrow his board to test on your furnace. If it is a bad board replace it with a Dinosaur Electronics board instead of the mfg;s brand. You could also take your board to a local dealer and see if they could test it for you.
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Old 03-25-2016, 03:40 PM   #13
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I'm not right there so it maybe what you are look at it's usually small, quarter size you should be able to see a flame. If it starts clicking and a flash of a flame it probably is a flame detector. If you don't see any thing then I would lean towards the board. What module is the furnace?
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Old 03-25-2016, 03:42 PM   #14
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And yes the Dinosaur boards are top notch and less expensive than OEM..
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Old 03-25-2016, 06:46 PM   #15
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Not sure what you mean by window. There is a hole in the cover. Maybe I could see the flame from there?

Jeff
On your 2006 Sunline, that vintage of Hydroflame furnace you are not able to see the igniter. It is buried inside the heat chamber, Looks like this

Gas valve on the right


Here is the burner assembly




And that burner sits down inside the heat chamber, here


The electrode is also the flame sense feed back. Once the burner lights, it heats the electrode and sends a millivolt signal back to the control board to say the flame is lit. The heavy, thick red wire is the high voltage igniter cable.

You can see it hear on the coil on the board. That one will bite when it powered up. be careful


By the 2006 brochure, they had a 25,000BTU unit in them. This would be a mod 8525-IV I believe. You can confirm. The pic's above are from a 8525-IV.

If you cannot hear the gas valve, with the outside cover off you can feel the side of the gas valve for the "click" possibly. The Atwood hot water heater gas valve goes "clunk" the furnace is harder to hear as the fan is running. Do not have your hand near the exhaust port in case it fires off.

How electrically friendly are you? Do you have a VOM meter and know how to use it?

This can be one of those things to not go beyond your ability. But if you understand wiring diagrams and 12 volt systems, you can isolate a few things to get close to what does and does not work.

Question: does yours have a bee screen over the furnace exhaust port? Do not want to rule out mud daubers... They like LP gas smelling things. I bought screens for mine after digging mud packed burner out of my sons popup gas fridge. The furnace is harder to get in that far, but not beyond imagine. Leave this as a last thought unless you see mud signs near the heat chamber heat exhaust port.
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Old 03-25-2016, 06:51 PM   #16
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So I tested the furnace again after letting the stove burners run a bit. Same result. After the fan runs for a min or so, I hear the igniter trying to fire. After three attempts, I get an ignition fault. I don't smell propane or hear a flame. I don't believe it is the flame sensor. I believe that the gas valve is not opening for some reason. Could be a bad board, bad valve, or blockage. Any tips on how to check these things?

Jeff
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Old 03-25-2016, 07:08 PM   #17
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Jeff,

Do you have a DC volt meter and know how to use it? The gas valve uses 12 volts DC to power it. You can verify it is getting 12 volts from the board.

With an ohm meter you can verify the gas valve coil is not burnt out. Odds are low it is this, but it can be checked.

If the coil is not making continuity and not shorted to ground, and it is getting 12 volts, then this points to the valve has issues to not open, the orifice is plugged and it did open or something is blocked in the gas line as the likely 3. If no 12 volts, then the wiring or board has issues.

As to hearing flame, the flame makes noise you can hear. It will be a roar when it is lit and keep lit.

Did you see any mud in or near the furnace exhaust port?
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Old 03-25-2016, 07:15 PM   #18
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On your 2006 Sunline, that vintage of Hydroflame furnace you are not able to see the igniter. It is buried inside the heat chamber, Looks like this

Gas valve on the right


Here is the burner assembly




And that burner sits down inside the heat chamber, here


The electrode is also the flame sense feed back. Once the burner lights, it heats the electrode and sends a millivolt signal back to the control board to say the flame is lit. The heavy, thick red wire is the high voltage igniter cable.

You can see it hear on the coil on the board. That one will bite when it powered up. be careful


By the 2006 brochure, they had a 25,000BTU unit in them. This would be a mod 8525-IV I believe. You can confirm. The pic's above are from a 8525-IV.

If you cannot hear the gas valve, with the outside cover off you can feel the side of the gas valve for the "click" possibly. The Atwood hot water heater gas valve goes "clunk" the furnace is harder to hear as the fan is running. Do not have your hand near the exhaust port in case it fires off.

How electrically friendly are you? Do you have a VOM meter and know how to use it?

This can be one of those things to not go beyond your ability. But if you understand wiring diagrams and 12 volt systems, you can isolate a few things to get close to what does and does not work.

Question: does yours have a bee screen over the furnace exhaust port? Do not want to rule out mud daubers... They like LP gas smelling things. I bought screens for mine after digging mud packed burner out of my sons popup gas fridge. The furnace is harder to get in that far, but not beyond imagine. Leave this as a last thought unless you see mud signs near the heat chamber heat exhaust port.
Mine looks very similar to that, but I believe it is an 8500-IV. No bee screen.

I am quite savvy technically. So, I plan to fix this myself. I just want to isolate the prob before I order parts. I would like to check the gas valve with my Voltmeter. I have the wiring diagram, but I don't know what to look for across the valve terminals. If the valve checks out, I'll check for a blockage. If no blockage, I'm stumped...
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Old 03-25-2016, 07:22 PM   #19
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Jeff,

Do you have a DC volt meter and know how to use it? The gas valve uses 12 volts DC to power it. You can verify it is getting 12 volts from the board.

With an ohm meter you can verify the gas valve coil is not burnt out. Odds are low it is this, but it can be checked.

If the coil is not making continuity and not shorted to ground, and it is getting 12 volts, then this points to the valve has issues to not open, the orifice is plugged and it did open or something is blocked in the gas line as the likely 3. If no 12 volts, then the wiring or board has issues.

As to hearing flame, the flame makes noise you can hear. It will be a roar when it is lit and keep lit.

Did you see any mud in or near the furnace exhaust port?
Thanks so much for the help. I will check for 12V at the valve and for continuity btw the coil and gnd. If those things check out, I'll check for a blockage. If not, I'm probably ordering a new board...

Jeff
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Old 03-25-2016, 07:27 PM   #20
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Mine looks very similar to that, but I believe it is an 8500-IV. No bee screen.

I am quite savvy technically. So, I plan to fix this myself. I just want to isolate the prob before I order parts. I would like to check the gas valve with my Voltmeter. I have the wiring diagram, but I don't know what to look for across the valve terminals. If the valve checks out, I'll check for a blockage. If no blockage, I'm stumped...
There should be something more then the 8500. Yes it is a 8500 series furnace but the last 2 numbers are part of the BTU code. Usually that is. I have not seen all of them.

The gas valve has a red hot wire with a blade type plug. The yellow wire on the valve is the ground. if you unplug the red wire from the valve, there should be 12 to 13.5 volts between the blade connector and ground (DC -) when the valve calls for to be open.

If you have an ohm meter when the red wire is unpluged, an ohm check between that red wire on the valve and ground should have some resistance. You are checking the resistance through the coil. If it is an open circuit, then the coil is open and no good. I do not know the coil resistance but is would be low. Not meg.

The furnace should have between 10.5 to 13.5 volts DC going to it, to run correctly. The 10.5 sounds low but that is what the Atwood spec says. Ideally with have in the 12.5 area or higher

I will look if we have the service manual in the files section.
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