1990 Furnace - How to light?

I have a 26ft 1990 TM. I cannot figure out how to light the furnace. I just bought it and it did not come with any literature. I read the instructions under the outside door.

1 Turned on the tanks
2 Turned the red dial to pilot
3 Kept pushing the red button down and was not sure what was supposed to happen.

[B_and_D]

Can you read a model number & make on the furnace? Many of the manuals are online...

Another question, where exactly is the outside door where you are trying to light the furnace? Is it down by the floor, or ?

I will go down this week to try to find a modle.

The door I was talking about is on the backside of the camper at floor level in the middle of the camper. When opened there is a dial that has Low/Med/High.

There is also a red dial on top of a box that has Off/Pilot/On. When set to pilot, you are able to push a red button down that I have no idea what it does.

Thanks!
Eric

I'm not sure, but does that sound like the water heater? We had a Coleman pop-up with a water heater and that sounds what ours looked like.

Regards,

Bob

[Bill]

Turn the dial to "PILOT". Push in the red button and hold it in. Using a match or a butane barbeque lighter (better), light the pilot light. (I don't know how to tell you where the pilot light is without a picture, but it is a small gas outlet with a small solid metal cylinder above it.) You will get a small blue flame. Continue to hold the red button for 15 seconds - you may discover that it needs longer. When you release the red button, the flame should stay lit. If it goes out, start again, and this time hold the red button for 30 seconds.

Once the small pilot flame stays lit, turn the knob to "ON". Now the furnace thermostat will take over, bringing on the heat when it is needed.

Initial lighting may take quite a while, since gas has to travel all the way from the tank, and through the empty pipes, to reach the furnace. This interval may be shortened by lighting one of the stove burners - once lit, shut if off.

Bill

Looks like I was trying to light the water heater. Sure wish I had the owners manual!

[B_and_D]

I have a manual for a 1997 TM, it's probably not much different from yours. If you'd like me to PDF it for you & email, send me a private message with an email address where I can send it.

There are also separate manuals for the stove, heater, refrigerator and water heater (from the manufacturers).

Be sure that you fill up the water heater with water before you light it, you can do that by turning on either the city water or the water pump and then opening the hot water tap at the kitchen or bathroom sink. If it's empty it will spray a bunch of air & water all over the place so stand back, or open it very slowly. You have to light it where my picture that I sent you shows the long end of the lighter. You have to hold down the red button and keep pushing on it until it gets heated up enough to stay lit, at least 30 seconds, and sometimes more, especially if there hasn't been any gas in the lines for a while (or if you've refilled the propane tanks).

Your furnace should be operated by a thermostat in front of the kitchen sink (if it's the same as mine). Ours has both a temperature control on top and an on/off switch on the bottom. The bottom switch has to be on or it won't work.

If you have any other questions ask away, we're all here to help. When we first brought home the TM, even though we'd been given a "tour" by the (non-TM) dealer, there were things we were completely confused about. I thought the converter was the outlet for the bathroom fan. I also didn't know that the TV antenna rotated. And I didn't know about the switch inside the roof hatch that controls the front lights. I also didn't know how to jack up the stabilizer jacks with the little round silver pole so that the trailer doesn't rock back and forth.

[B_and_D]

Well, I just went out to the TM, found the manual and scanned the brochure in pdf, but as it was feeding through the scanner I noticed this little blurb:

"The 20' through 23' Models (before 1991) have an optional pilot type gas furnace. All other models come equipped with an automatic ignition gas furnace with blower".

It goes on to give instructions as to how to light the furnace if you have the pilot type.

Which model of TM do you have?

I have the M26 and noticed last night that there was an ignite setting on the t-stat inside so I think I need to light the stove, get the lines full and give her a try. Do you kow if it will light if the battery in the camper is dead as long as it is hooked up to 110 via the external plug? Thank you for all of your help!!

Eric

[B_and_D]

It should work as long as there is power, as far as I know. Ours works on either battery or 110.