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Old 12-26-2022, 06:58 AM   #1
Gutz54
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Heat not working

We have a Montana 3811 and the heat won't come on....we don't really use it that often and it sits on a piece of property most of the time,not on the road. --we can hear the blower going off...my question is does the heater run on propane or is it electric?? ---If it runs on gas maybe we are out--I'll need to check. Second ? is it has a furnace mode and a heat pump mode...what is the difference between the two?? Thanks
 
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Old 12-26-2022, 07:55 AM   #2
Daryles
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IF you have a late model rig with a Coleman air conditioner/heat pump rear unit on the roof, I believe in heat mode it will use the heat pump until outside temperatures reach about 40⁰F. Then it will automatically switch to furnace mode which uses propane.

The difference between heat pump mode and furnace mode is, in heat pump mode it uses shore power electricity. The air conditioner has a switching valve which makes the unit extract heat from the air and blow that into your rig. The exact opposite of how the air conditioner works.
This heat comes from your ceiling registers.

In furnace mode it uses your propane to fire the furnace to heat your rig. This heated air comes from the floor registers.

There is a furnace manual in the files section. It has a troubleshooting chart.

IF you are in furnace mode AND you have propane (check your cooktop is working) and the furnace turns on and blows air for a few seconds then turns off, it could be a sign of the sail switch having a problem.
Check YouTube for furnace troubleshooting videos.

When you change propane tanks, turn the valve on very SLOOOOOWLY!!!!
If you turn it on too quickly it has an internal safety valve which will think there's a leak and automatically shut off.
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Old 12-26-2022, 08:10 AM   #3
Gutz54
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Daryles View Post
IF you have a late model rig with a Coleman air conditioner/heat pump rear unit on the roof, I believe in heat mode it will use the heat pump until outside temperatures reach about 40⁰F. Then it will automatically switch to furnace mode which uses propane.

The difference between heat pump mode and furnace mode is, in heat pump mode it uses shore power electricity. The air conditioner has a switching valve which makes the unit extract heat from the air and blow that into your rig. The exact opposite of how the air conditioner works.
This heat comes from your ceiling registers.

In furnace mode it uses your propane to fire the furnace to heat your rig. This heated air comes from the floor registers.

There is a furnace manual in the files section. It has a troubleshooting chart.

IF you are in furnace mode AND you have propane (check your cooktop is working) and the furnace turns on and blows air for a few seconds then turns off, it could be a sign of the sail switch having a problem.
Check YouTube for furnace troubleshooting videos.

When you change propane tanks, turn the valve on very SLOOOOOWLY!!!!
If you turn it on too quickly it has an internal safety valve which will think there's a leak and automatically shut off.
Thanks--that really helped a lot!!!
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Old 12-26-2022, 09:59 AM   #4
jsb5717
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Daryl laid it out pretty well. Just to clarify...the heat pump is a function of the air conditioner on your roof. That device runs only on shore power, 120v AC power. The furnace is located under your floor and runs only on propane and your 12v DC system.

In order to really troubleshoot what's going on it would help to know exactly what you did. How did you set the thermostat and what happened when you did?
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Old 12-26-2022, 10:06 AM   #5
DutchmenSport
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Are the propane tanks turned on? Is there gas in the propane tanks? Sometimes the most obvious is often overlooked.
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Old 12-26-2022, 03:18 PM   #6
Gutz54
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Originally Posted by jsb5717 View Post
Daryl laid it out pretty well. Just to clarify...the heat pump is a function of the air conditioner on your roof. That device runs only on shore power, 120v AC power. The furnace is located under your floor and runs only on propane and your 12v DC system.

In order to really troubleshoot what's going on it would help to know exactly what you did. How did you set the thermostat and what happened when you did?
Hard to believe but the problem was we ran out of propane--shows how much we use the heater here in Florida!! thanks to everyone for the help!!
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