Atwood furnace access problem

[Wrknrvr]

   If you have an Rv that has no access for the furnace but from inside the Rv to work on it. Then you need to remove the furnace to service it and what pain that is to do. If there is an access cover it only takes a few minutes to be working on it.

  I am curious if anyone has installed a outside furnace door for access on a Atwood furnace.

   The new style arwood furnaces tend to have some issues that I have been dealing with and they can be sorta difficult to pinpoint what is wrong wth them.

   I you have had this done or did it your self I am curious as to how it worked out.

 

 This is what I am thinking about using . It is a factory access door.

Sorry the picture is not the best . The exhaust pipe is on the lower corner. Also this furnace is on end. Not laying flat like normal.

 thanks,.   Vern

[D&J]

Just take the screws out of the cover you are showing in the photo and it will be exposed so you can work on it.

Denny 

[Wrknrvr]

  I had a service call yesterday for a new arwood furnace not operating. It only has the exhaust pipe on the outside. 

 No access cover as in the photo. So the furnace has to be removed to do any testing. If there was a access door as in the photo in 5 minutes there could several test completed.

 

 That door cost about 50 bucks for the manufacturer to buy from Dometic.

 

 The next problem is Atwood has in my option problems with there new style furnaces. They are very similar to the ones they had for a long time.

 

   Vern

[Kirk W]

7 minutes ago, Wrknrvr said:

I had a service call yesterday for a new arwood furnace not operating. It only has the exhaust pipe on the outside. 

I didn't know that Atwood made a furnace that didn't have outside access. All of the Atwood furnaces that I have owned or worked on did have. For years Suburban furnaces had to be removed to work on them but at least some of their models today have outside access. 

[Wrknrvr]

notice the only outer access.

 

Yes the furnace needs removed from the inside to work on it.

 

 But that is not the real problem. There seams to be several things that can make it not operated correct . And if you put it back in and it does not work???

 Now when I remove a furnace to repair it, I always hook it up to a good 12 vdc power source and a propane system with a regulator independent of the Rv 

The old style are easy to diagnose and repair.

 

 Retirement may be forced upon me with these problems.

 

 

    Vern

 

[Darryl&Rita]

I ran into one of those last spring. Like Vern, once it's out, I cobbled together a power source, and propane system. Got it running on the bench. Once re-installed, it ran for about 4 hours, then failed again. The failure was intermittent, but turned out to be a loose wiring connection internal to the unit. The removal/re-installation was enough bumping to mask the problem, as it would fire fine on the bench both times.

ETA: It was an internal ground wire connection causing the grief, and I was saved by a manufacturing decision to mount the furnace under a bench seat. Remove the cushion, remove the plywood, and easy access to work.