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01-06-2025, 08:16 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2024
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 12
SUN #14298
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'81 Sunline 15.5 SB HF-8012 Won't Blow or Start
Any idea why my Hydro Flame HF-8012 furnace won't blow? It's connected and the thermostat is set to on. I read the manual. I pressed the sail switch after waiting for the unit to click, this was after turning the thermostat to on. See the link for a video here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/WsawT2FXKMUbYEQ6A
Thanks in advance!
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01-06-2025, 11:34 PM
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#2
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,903
SUN #89
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Hi,
I saw your video, and after clicking it a few times, it started to work for the full minute you recorded, which helps.
You have what looks like the HF-8012 P version. They made a P for pilot and a D for direct spark ignition. Look at the white label for the P or D after the HF-8012 if there is a P or D. It appears you have the pilot version by your gas valve and what looks like the Piezio igniter button next to it.
Please confirm I have that right; you have the P version, which requires you to start the pilot manually.
You stated this in your post.
Quote:
I pressed the sail switch after waiting for the unit to click, this was after turning the thermostat to on.
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Sorry, but you may have a typo or misread something. You said you pressed the "sail switch". The sail switch is a safety device inside the furnace bower housing that closes its contact when the fan motor is running fast enough to allow the gas valve to be open and start ignition. You should not have had to touch the sail switch.
However, as you asked, the fan motor must run first, regardless of your version of the gas burner ignition. You need to sort that out first.
A few questions to help where to start on this so we can help better.
1. Please look for the D or P after the model number and post so we know that.
2. Has this furnace run since you bought the camper, or is this the first time? We need some history to determine whether it stopped working or if this is your first time trying to get it to work.
3. Since the fan motor will not run when you turn on the T stat switch, we must first get the fan to run before lighting the gas burner.
3A. Did you slide the T stat temperature to the highest setting to create a call for heat? Yes/No? The T stat has to call for heat even if the fan is on and the switch is on.
3B. If the T stat is turned full up in temperature and the T stat is turned on, the fan motor should start after about 15 to 30 seconds. If it does not, then:
- Check that the fuse in the camper power center is not blown for the furnace.
- If your furnace has a circuit breaker on it, see if that breaker on the furnace is not tripped. The wiring diagrams show one on the furnace, but I'm not sure if yours has one or not.
Please comment on the above questions and try step 3 to see if the fan starts to run.
If the fan still doesn't run, the next step is to start electrical troubleshooting if this is within your skill level. You will need a 12-volt test light or a DC volt meter, know how to use them, and have worked with electricity and how to work safely around it. If power reaches the furnace, a thermal timing relay runs the fan control, which may have failed; the fan motor itself may be bad, or some other wiring connection issue. Before we get into that, let us know the above info we asked.
PS, I'm not sure which furnace manual you have. I have an old one, but we have a member uploaded one that has more in it than the one I have. See here, in our files section https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/d...o=file&id=5566
Here is my 8-pager one; it still mentions the same things with less info. https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/d...o=file&id=5652
Let us know if your manual is different.
I hope this helps,
John
__________________
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Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC
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01-08-2025, 09:58 AM
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#3
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Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2024
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 12
SUN #14298
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John,
See my responses quoted below in red.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnB
Hi,
I saw your video, and after clicking it a few times, it started to work for the full minute you recorded, which helps.
You have what looks like the HF-8012 P version. They made a P for pilot and a D for direct spark ignition. Look at the white label for the P or D after the HF-8012 if there is a P or D. It appears you have the pilot version by your gas valve and what looks like the Piezio igniter button next to it.
Please confirm I have that right; you have the P version, which requires you to start the pilot manually.
You stated this in your post.
Sorry, but you may have a typo or misread something. You said you pressed the "sail switch". The sail switch is a safety device inside the furnace bower housing that closes its contact when the fan motor is running fast enough to allow the gas valve to be open and start ignition. You should not have had to touch the sail switch.
However, as you asked, the fan motor must run first, regardless of your version of the gas burner ignition. You need to sort that out first.
A few questions to help where to start on this so we can help better.
1. Please look for the D or P after the model number and post so we know that.
I believe it is a P, as you denoted. There is a push button which clicks to start the pilot.
2. Has this furnace run since you bought the camper, or is this the first time? We need some history to determine whether it stopped working or if this is your first time trying to get it to work.
No, it has not ever run during the time I've owned it since October 2024.
3. Since the fan motor will not run when you turn on the T stat switch, we must first get the fan to run before lighting the gas burner.
Sure, I was attempting to start this on Shore Power but attempting to run it off of the 12-V battery was also unsuccessful. The lights dimmed inside my camper and almost became dark. No luck.
3A. Did you slide the T stat temperature to the highest setting to create a call for heat? Yes/No? The T stat has to call for heat even if the fan is on and the switch is on.
Yes, I had it up as high as possible.
3B. If the T stat is turned full up in temperature and the T stat is turned on, the fan motor should start after about 15 to 30 seconds. If it does not, then:
- Check that the fuse in the camper power center is not blown for the furnace.
Where can I find this fuse panel? I have a 1981 Sunline 15.5 SB.
- If your furnace has a circuit breaker on it, see if that breaker on the furnace is not tripped. The wiring diagrams show one on the furnace, but I'm not sure if yours has one or not.
<s>Could you possibly direct me to where the breaker would possibly be? </s> I will check this soon.
Please comment on the above questions and try step 3 to see if the fan starts to run.
If the fan still doesn't run, the next step is to start electrical troubleshooting if this is within your skill level. You will need a 12-volt test light or a DC volt meter, know how to use them, and have worked with electricity and how to work safely around it. If power reaches the furnace, a thermal timing relay runs the fan control, which may have failed; the fan motor itself may be bad, or some other wiring connection issue. Before we get into that, let us know the above info we asked.
PS, I'm not sure which furnace manual you have. I have an old one, but we have a member uploaded one that has more in it than the one I have. See here, in our files section https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/d...o=file&id=5566
Thanks! I will give this a look!
Here is my 8-pager one; it still mentions the same things with less info. https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/d...o=file&id=5652
Let us know if your manual is different.
I hope this helps,
John
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01-10-2025, 10:26 AM
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#4
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Moderator
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Ohio
Posts: 12,903
SUN #89
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Hi,
Here are some comments, to your responses in red
Quote:
3. Since the fan motor will not run when you turn on the T stat switch, we must first get the fan to run before lighting the gas burner.
Sure, I was attempting to start this on Shore Power but attempting to run it off of the 12-V battery was also unsuccessful. The lights dimmed inside my camper and almost became dark. No luck.
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Well, there is good news and bad news about your battery situation. The good news is that if the lights were dim, there was some connection between the battery and the camper for the power to get to them. This means the primary battery fuse between the battery and the main camper fuse blocks is still intact.
The bad news is that you either have a close-to-dead battery you are using, or there are issues inside the camper creating a heavy current load. More on this in a moment.
Next comments
Quote:
3B. If the T stat is turned full up in temperature and the T stat is turned on, the fan motor should start after about 15 to 30 seconds. If it does not, then:
- Check that the fuse in the camper power center is not blown for the furnace.
Where can I find this fuse panel? I have a 1981 Sunline 15.5 SB.
- If your furnace has a circuit breaker on it, see if that breaker on the furnace is not tripped. The wiring diagrams show one on the furnace, but I'm not sure if yours has one or not.
Could you possibly direct me to where the breaker would possibly be? I will check this soon.
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As we would call it nowadays, the camper power center in older campers is very different from the more all-in-one power converters with fuses and circuit breakers in an all-in-one case. The older Sunlines were built from separate components.
Here is close to what you are looking for: Find the power cord outside the camper where it enters the camper wall. Go inside in that general area where the cord enters the camper. Look inside a cabinet, under a dinette, bed, etc., but it would be on the floor. You should find a separate circuit breaker box for the 120 VAC items. Then, a fuse block with glass fuses separately. There would also be some form of stand-alone battery charger/power converter. These pics are from a 1979 Sunline from SunlineFan's camper. Yours, being a 1981 camper, could be very similar or the same. But the locations of these items change per floor plan. I do not exactly know where yours is, as I or others do not know every floor plan made, but we can help as we know somewhat was done as the years went by. I am fluent in the newer Sunline campers, learning daily on the oldies and helping others. This is the post these pics came from. https://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f...tml#post147243
The 120 VAC breaker box looks like this
You may find some power converter, the brown box on the floor, SunlineFan's looked sort of like this, but someone may have changed the original on his as it does not look like other 80's campers I have seen
Here is a fuse block, but this is for the DOT lights on the camper. (the tail lights, marker lights etc. On the older campers Sunline fused them
The fuses protect the furnace, lights, water pump, and other components, most likely inside your power converter. Here are pics from a 1987 camper inside the brown converter box with the glass fuses that run inside the camper. I'm not sure if your has this or not being a little older. in this case, the large red wire is battery + Pos, and the large white wire is battery - neg.
Look in your camper for items that look like the above. A previous owner may have changed something. Take good pictures of what you have and post them, and we can help you sort it out.
Now, regarding the furnace, it will not run unless you have good 12 VDC power, and if your lights dim, that is not good power. There may still be something wrong with the furnace, but until you get a good 12-volt DC power to work in the camper, the furnace will not work. You will need between 12.5 to 12.7 volts DC or higher as a starting place for the furnace. If your power converter works when you plug into shore power, it may raise the voltage. It may be up to 13.6 VDC. If your volts are down in the 12.0 range, that is too low to try and run the furnace; when the fan motor runs, the voltage will drop a little as it is a larger power draw.
The battery you want is a 12-volt deep cycle battery, not a starter battery like in a car. Walmart sells deep-cycle batteries that will work in some auto or farm stores. The standard size Sunline installed was a case size, group 24 deep cycle battery. You can buy bigger ones, but then the plastic case and where it fits on the camper A frame may need to be modified. And the camper is set up on negative ground. The negative (-) terminal is common to the camper frame and wired to the inside as ground. The positive (+) terminal is the hot wire and is not common to the camper frame. The battery wires' colors have changed over the years, and a prior owner may have changed them. Trace out the negative cable and look under the camper to see if it is attached to the metal frame and the LP gas pipe. That color wire is the negative.
Do you have a 12 VDC voltmeter and know how to use it? Or have a buddy who works on auto's electrical or home 120 VAC power; they can help you sort this out. You start at the battery and check the battery voltage unhooked from the camper, then hook up the battery and see if the voltage drops instantly by a lot. If there is no significant drop, go inside the power converter and test the fuse blocks to see what power is getting inside. In 12-volt circuits, a 1-volt drop is a significant number.
I hope this helps. Let us know how it goes.
John
__________________
Current Sunlines: 2004 T310SR, 2004 T1950, 2004 T2475, 2007 T2499, 2004 T317SR
Prior Sunlines: 2004 T2499 - Fern Blue
2005 Ford F350 Lariat, 6.8L V10 W/ 4.10 rear axle, CC, Short Bed, SRW. Reese HP trunnion bar hitch W/ HP DC
Google Custom Search For Sunline Owners Club
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