Dolphin Lungren Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 Hi, a few weeks ago I could plug my Dolphin in or run it off of propane and the heater blew hot air just fine. Now whether I light it manually or if I plug in, the heater blows air but it isn't heated air. Now I am traveling cross country and it is getting cold so I need to figure this out fast. Any suggestions? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted October 16, 2010 Share Posted October 16, 2010 If it does not light it will sit there and blow cold air until you turn it off. Plugging it in other then helping the battery supply 12 volts really has nothing to do with making it light it should work fine with a fully charged battery. You might try cycling it a couple of times if it does not make hot air with in a couple of minutes turn off the thermostat until it stops then turn the thermostat back up if it's only an issue with air in the system a couple of cycles might clear it. The fan needs to turn at a pretty good clip for it to work so if the battery is a bit weak it may not work but plugging it in should help that. There is a switch inside that is moved by the air flow and it has to move all the way to turn the gas valve on. Propane is dangerous so if you are not skilled with that stuff it's best to let a shop deal with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphinite no longer here Posted October 18, 2010 Share Posted October 18, 2010 If it does not light it will sit there and blow cold air until you turn it off. Plugging it in other then helping the battery supply 12 volts really has nothing to do with making it light it should work fine with a fully charged battery. You might try cycling it a couple of times if it does not make hot air with in a couple of minutes turn off the thermostat until it stops then turn the thermostat back up if it's only an issue with air in the system a couple of cycles might clear it. The fan needs to turn at a pretty good clip for it to work so if the battery is a bit weak it may not work but plugging it in should help that. There is a switch inside that is moved by the air flow and it has to move all the way to turn the gas valve on. Propane is dangerous so if you are not skilled with that stuff it's best to let a shop deal with it. I have an '85 Dolphin with the same problem. After about a minute blowing cold air, I pull off the thermostat cover and use my finger to move the little thin contact lever away from the stationary contact, then let it snap back onto the stationary contact. The furnace lights right away every time. The two contacts look a bit like ignition contacts inside a distributor. John Jamieson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekim121 Posted October 19, 2010 Share Posted October 19, 2010 I actually just got done fixing my Hydro Flame this weekend after having the same symptoms. In my case it was as Maineah was discussing, the sail switch was bad. This switch is a safety inside the furnace assembly near the fan. When the fan cycles the airflow will move a metal 'sail' which makes the switch and allows the gas valve to open. If you unscrew the metal plate the circuit board is mounted to there is a wiring diagram directly on the unit and you can use to sort things out. To test the switch itself just jumper the proper wires to artificially make the switch and if the gas valve opens you'll know its the sail switch. I was able to find one online for ~$20. The real pain is that the furnace has to come completely out to change it. In addition to this the actual metal 'sail' is smaller on the new switches and is not big enough to catch the breeze needed to make the switch close. We had to remove part of the old 'sail' and glue it to the new to create enough surface area for the switch to be made. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobBeery Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 I actually just got done fixing my Hydro Flame this weekend after having the same symptoms. In my case it was as Maineah was discussing, the sail switch was bad. This switch is a safety inside the furnace assembly near the fan. When the fan cycles the airflow will move a metal 'sail' which makes the switch and allows the gas valve to open. If you unscrew the metal plate the circuit board is mounted to there is a wiring diagram directly on the unit and you can use to sort things out. To test the switch itself just jumper the proper wires to artificially make the switch and if the gas valve opens you'll know its the sail switch. I was able to find one online for ~$20. The real pain is that the furnace has to come completely out to change it. In addition to this the actual metal 'sail' is smaller on the new switches and is not big enough to catch the breeze needed to make the switch close. We had to remove part of the old 'sail' and glue it to the new to create enough surface area for the switch to be made. Hi, The hydra-flame furnace in my 87 Dolphin works BUT the fan is unbearably noisy. I need to remove the furnace completely to get at the fan and motor. I tried to get it out tonight but couldn't. The exhaust pipe won't pull free of the external fitting. How do you get the furnace out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ekim121 Posted October 21, 2010 Share Posted October 21, 2010 Hi, The hydra-flame furnace in my 87 Dolphin works BUT the fan is unbearably noisy. I need to remove the furnace completely to get at the fan and motor. I tried to get it out tonight but couldn't. The exhaust pipe won't pull free of the external fitting. How do you get the furnace out? After disconnecting everything we pulled the furnace unit about a foot out into the aisle of the camper and then pulled the vent out from the outside. This seemed to work well although we did have to cut some of the plumber's putty & caulk away from the vent to get it to pull loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolphin Lungren Posted October 22, 2010 Author Share Posted October 22, 2010 Thank y'all very much for the replies. I think I will try the easier stuff myself and if that doesn't work I will whip the wallet out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted October 22, 2010 Share Posted October 22, 2010 Funny how plastic fixes things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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