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F.A.Q.'s
Appliances
Heaters
A: A brand new heater can be just as, if not more dangerous
than an older heater if it is not hooked up or vented properly. That is
one reason to stay with the original installation if at all possible.
An existing heater, even a 50 year old one, is safe if the care and use
is exercised that even a new appliance deserves. A heater uses LP gas
and produces Carbon Monoxide (CO) - two elements that must be treated
with respect. A heater should be inspected carefully and all repairs made
before using it, and then inspected annually. The burner can (combustion
chamber) and flue are most critical, and should be cleaned of debris and
insure any holes or rust-through holes are either welded or a new burner
can fabricated - both of which a good welding shop can accomplish. The
connection to the exhaust vent line should be air-tight and the line unobstructed.
Burning LP gas produces water vapor, which will rust the steel and iron
burners and combustion chambers. Most were designed to rust effectively
without altering performance or safety. A good sandblasting now and then
will help clogged burner rings and make it easier to inspect the chamber.
The burner pilot light operates much like the hot water heater does- see
below for more maintenance tips.
These older units used no electricity, something only the catalytics
nowadays can boast. The older furnaces can also warm up a cold trailer
quickly,
something a catalytic can't do - catalytic heaters are good for maintaining
temperatures once achieved - especially at night. And let's face it,
the older furnaces
look cool compared to the hidden noisy under-counter boxes that pass
for RV heaters today.
You do have more replacement options with the newer forced air heaters,
as they are usually a generic Suburban and Atwood unit that can be hidden
in cabinetry.
As with any combustion device, always verify annually that the combustion
chamber and exhaust flues are 100% sealed tight, and always leave a window
slightly open for ventilation when using the heater.
A: To find someone other than yourself to repair an older
heater will be rather difficult. Big issue is the liability coverage,
and no parts support from manufacturers because of that.
Most heater units, if taken care of, are no more dangerous than when
they were new 30-40-50 years ago, but we as a society are. Back then
people
still accepted a personal responsibility for their own safety, and took
it upon themselves to check the operation and condition annually, knew
to sleep with a window and vent open, and were just more mechanically
inclined than the general public is nowadays.
Your best bet will be the smaller Mom & Pop dealers as the owner
or a long-time skilled employee will usually be doing the work. Keep
trying
until you find such a dealer that will work on it.
A: It's usually one of three scenarios,
all easy to fix. First, insects and debris can get into the burner air
inlet. Since there
is insufficient airflow, the electronic igniter won't start. Secondly
is a bad sail switch ("air-prover"). This micro-switch activates
by the airflow from the combustion blower and is set to reach a certain
RPM before allowing the gas and ignition to activate. A third problem
is that if you are not on shore power, the battery may be run down and
won't turn the blower fast enough to initiate the sail switch. This can
also apply to the earlier pilot light models. The sail switch closes
to
open the main gas valve when the blower causes it to close the circuit
confirming that fresh air is incoming for combustion and exhaust air
is
being blown out.
Here is a source for Suburban parts & schematics: http://www.marksrv.com/suburbanparts.htm
A: It is best to first remove
the heater from the trailer and work on it on the bench, using
a propane tank and
a barbecue regulator and hose to op-check. They come with a standard
5/8" flared female fitting that will mate up to most RV LPG appliances. Use
a 12v car battery for the models that require power to run fans
& igniters. While there
give it a thorough cleaning and inspection. Look for rusted burner cans & flues,
leaking or damaged lines. Make sure the pilot nozzle is not plugged. Repair any
of these before proceeding. Look for black LPG goo in the intake, lines
or mixing
chamber
of the
gas control.
Check
the
pilot
filter
too.
If residue
is
found
in any, then disassembly and a cleaning of the gas control is in order. Carb
cleaner or other rubber safe cleaner works the best. Be very careful
of any gaskets and little parts. On older units if you you lose or
damage
them, you're out'a luck.
A: When you push down on the
pilot button, you are allowing gas to go directly to the pilot burner.
The flame in turn warms up the thermocouple next to it, which in
turn
opens up a valve in the gas control, allowing gas to go to the main
burner if the gas control knob and thermostat setting call for it.
If the
flame won't stay lit, it is most likely a pilot adjustment problem
or a thermocouple problem.
The pilot needs the right amount of gas and air to burn a bright blue with just a tinge of yellow at the tip of the flame. Adjust the little set screw (usually under a plug in the gas control body). You should already have checked for LPG goo and leaking lines above. Another cause can be wind or draft blowing it out. Make sure you are testing with all the little shrouds in place.
If the flame is OK, then examine the thermocouple. If it is a hydraulic or pneumatic type (connected by a small copper tube), check for loose fittings in the little line. If it is electrical, check the connections, and then replace the thermocouple if they look OK. All online and local RV stores and small appliance places have them.
A: If it is a newer Suburban
heater, check earlier item above first. For heaters in general,
a no-light burner means that something is not allowing the main valve
to open. Vintage Gas Control Valves are very simple and durable devices,
and rarely fail. It almost always come down to some simple external
reason or periphery unit causing the problem. It could also be something
as simple as a low, but not fully empty, LPG tank.
A: Both of these problems are usually
related to the Thermostat. They can be of three types on vintage trailers.
The oldest is the pneumatic bulb type. As the air from the room is drawn
into the heater, it passes over a copper bulb. As the air in it warms
up, it works by increasing air pressure against a diaphragm in the
control body, closing the supply of gas to the burner. These types of
gas control valves will have temperature settings on the knob on the
valve. The other two types are remote mounted thermostats, usually on
the wall. They can
be of the micro-volt variety, which produce their own electricity to
actuate the solenoid, or a more conventional type that uses trailer
power.
For older thermocouples, it is the same same the pilot - check for leaking or plugged lines. Some self-contained models will use a thermocouple with wires attached. On these, clean the contacts and measure with an ohmmeter. You should get a resistance value greater than 0, but less than a dead short. Replacement is the only cure for bad units.
For wall mounted thermostats, without anything connected to the terminals on the gas control valve, the burner will just burn forever. A little solenoid in the control body is activated by the external thermostat. That is a good way to isolate if you have a thermostat problem for a no-light of turns-off-too-soon problem. If you have a Robertshaw milli-volt control, the external thermostat will just have two wires coming out of it, and they attach to the gas control valve terminals. If you have a more conventional system, much like a house thermostat, then there will 2 additional wires supplying low-voltage to the thermostat. You are on your own figuring out which you have - make sure before proceeding to any other troubleshooting other than simply replacing the thermostat with a like kind, or isolating it down to the thermostat with the wide open test mentioned above. You can wreck a milli-volt solenoid by applying voltage to the terminals.
A: Actually this applies to most early RV
Heaters
and Hot Water Heaters. The RV manufactures used gas control valves of the era
that were used on household hot water heaters: General Controls, Robertshaw-Grayson
&
Unitrol.
Old HW heaters are good sources of parts, and there are also modern generic non-electric
replacement valves available. You might have success by taking a valve and probe
into a small appliance parts
dealer and find a substitute. Forget any idea of asking for a control for a certain
brand name of heater, or for a "1964 Airstream".
A: The burner nozzles (jet) on these LPG heaters
are usually a tiny hole, and some heaters with their vertical jets,
like our Hydro-Flame, are very susceptible to plugging up with scale
and rust. A
quick clean-up of the jet will restore the flame. Also,
for some reason, mud-daubers just love building nests in heater
vents! After 7 years, we've learned to seal ours off now when not
camping.
Hot Water Heaters
A: Bowen was bought by Atwood many
years ago, and some of the newer parts can be adapted to work, such as
regulators, pilots lights and burner tubes. For example the
pilot light assy is part number MPD 91603. Contact Atwood for
more information.
A: This is a quite common replacement.
The new Atwoods and Suburbans are smaller than the old Bowens (old Atwood).
Remove the
old unit from the outside, it is attached around the lip of the opening
and sometimes with a couple of brackets into the wood floor. Fashion
an
adapter plate to fill the gap at the top and sides and to provide attachment
for the old exterior shroud if required. Secure this plate to the opening
using the
old screw locations along with the new HW heater. A little sealant prior
to assembly will make a weathertight installation. This method will
allow you to keep the old exterior cover with the new unit.
If you have the vintage Bowen heater that has the external shroud for
the hot air exhaust on just one half of the opening, the newer Suburban
models exhaust the hot air on the same side, making reusing the existing
shroud even easier. Otherwise, fabricate a deflector shield from sheetmetal
and pop-rivets to deflect the exhaust upwards and out the top.
Here's a website
showing the replacement of a Bowen heater with a new 6 gal Atwood. The
same idea would also work for keeping the original shroud - don't
use the cheapy one that comes with the new unit. http://www.ldservice.com/tim/airstream/wacky_water_heater.htm
A: The only two sources exist for
these. One would be a wrecked trailer, but they always go first. It is
also possible to have
a sheet metal shop make a similar shroud using a picture of one as a
guide using novelty embossed aluminum and perforated aluminum sheet.
If you
have a pan brake and shear, you can do it, too. Only thing missing would
be the nameplate and the original style latch - which may be a blessing
on the later. More info available here in this Restoration Topic section.
A: Atwood, the current manufacturer of the post 1968
Bowen style water heater recommends an annual blowout of the water heater.
Their method involves attaching an air fitting to the city water inlet,
applying clean 40-50 PSI air and blowing the water of the heater. They
say the scavenging action of the air bubbles will clear the calcium buildup.
If you already have a build-up of material, you can use a gallon or two
of white vinegar to loosen the calcium deposits. Put it in, let it soak
overnight, flush it out good. You may have to repeat, depending on how
much is in there.
Air-Conditioners
A: The Armstrong "Bay Breeze" was
used when they first became available in 1960, and then as long as
they were made.
Sounded more like a hurricane than a breeze, but if you compare components
and operation with newer RV AC's the difference was significant. These
units are definitely worth repairing. The Armstrong's used commercial
grade parts. Airstream then had to change to a Coleman Delta TX that
had
inside/outside air and did a decent job. When that model was discontinued,
Airstream changed to the Dometic Penguin. Airstream has used the Penguin
on all their trailers ever since.
A: According to Airstream records
they did not start pre-wiring for air-conditioning until 1962-1964 (depending
on model/factory).
You can tell if there is a spare 20amp breaker in the electrical control
box. In the few years prior that AC was available, wiring was run from
the fuse panel on custom AC installations only.
A: The air-conditioner needs to
be installed in a contoured pan, specific to the brand of air-conditioner – available
from Airstream dealers only. This pan is connected to a drain hose that
goes down between
the inner and outer skin and exits the floor and belly pan. This drain
was preinstalled on 1967 and later models, and has to be retrofitted
on older trailers. This pan also adapts the AC to the rounded top of
the
Airstream.
A: Not all until 1969. Prior to
that, some models will have frame members adjacent to the vent opening,
but others require two
fore & aft stringers be placed between frames (“main bows”),
in between the skins.
Refrigerators
A: Simply put, they heat up liquid ammonia, changing
it to a vapor that as it expands absorbs heat. As the vapor condenses
back into a liquid, it releases the heat it absorbed in the tubing inside
your refrigerator to the outside of the refer on the back via the cooling
tubes. This heat is exhausted out your trailer via natural convection,
and is the reason your trailer has a lower and upper vent for the refer
(some early trailers had the lower intake air only come from the interior
cabinets). The heat to initiate the cycle comes from a 110v heater coil
or a small LP gas burner flame.
A: Older refrigerators are sturdily built using long-life
materials. The newer materials are not as sturdy, such as plastic vs.
metal and electronic circuit boards and controls that will have a limited
life. Plus, they are made with so much newer looking plastic that they
are very noticeable. Most shops will want to replace you refer because
it takes less skill to replace with new than to repair old, plus the chance
of quick success is greater. There are RV
appliance shops that will work
on the older units, so check around.
Another option is fixing them yourself. It first takes an understanding
of how they work (see above), and then troubleshoot and restore the
unit, cleaning, disassembling and adjusting per the manual if available.
The most common failure of refrigerators is accumulation of dirt and
rust on the coils inhibiting heat transfer, or the gas burner becoming
plugged with rust from the coils or by spiders, or the thermocouple
tubing/fittings leaking or out of position. The enclosed tube system
for the ammonia gas/liquid is rarely the problem as they almost never
leak or plug unless damaged or mis-operated. On pre 1970's refers, once
the tube is compromised, professional
repair is almost the only option
unless you find another donor unit to swap and combine parts with.
A: The biggest concern is that new refrigerators are
of different sizes than the older units, and cabinets may require substantial
modification. By moving more controls to the front, replacing the steel
box with plastic and foam, and replacing the aluminum frame with plastic,
the sizes are close, but not quite the same. Another thing to watch out
for is that many of the older refrigerators had cutouts in the back that
are not duplicated on modern units.
A: The cooling circuit of your refrigerator depends on
a small section which must be kept hot in order to heat up the ammonia
in the tubing. It can be heated either by a gas burner, or an electric
resistance heater. The two circuits are usually independent. The electric
heat usually has a heating element and its own thermostatic control. Make
sure the heater element is inserted to its full length in its pocket or
receptacle. If the electric heater is only partly inserted, the heat distribution
will be incorrect. Another possible failure is the heater element has
burned out. You can determine which by using a volt-ohm meter. Modern
heating elements can be adapted to fit in place of inoperative units.
If it is a modern refer, the most likely failure is the controller Circuit
Board. Replacement boards are available from RV Dealers.
A: The cooling circuit of your refrigerator
depends on a small section which must be kept hot in order to heat up
the ammonia
in the tubing. It can be heated by a gas flame or by an electric resistance
heater if so equipped. Usually these two systems are completely separate.
It sounds as though service is needed for the gas burner portion. The
usual causes are the burner orifice being plugged or damaged, or the
gas
control being plugged or needing adjustment. Plugged burner tips can
be cleaned out with solvent and compressed air, and replacement burner
tips
are available from small appliance parts distributors. Make sure the
thermocouple flame sensor is in the flame path per the manual, and that
all the fittings
are tight. The thermocouple compresses the air in the tubing as it is
heated, opening a valve in the gas control it connects to. If there
is
any air leakage, the valve will not open. Make sure the flame height
and color is adjusted per the manual, and that the vents are free and
clear
of blockage. Also, make sure that there is LPG pressure at the control
valve. The VAC Archives have
started collecting and posting older fridge manuals in their Online
Library.
A: It is to the extent that if the problem was caused
by running the refer while off level or without adequate cooling air,
resulting in overheating. This will cause an excessive vaporizing of the
ammonia within the boiler. After some hours of this, the liquid mixture
in the boiler is very weak and the circulation of liquid stops. The refrigerator
should be removed after allowing sufficient time to cool down. Turn the
unit upside down several times so that the liquid in the absorber vessel
can be mixed with the liquid in the boiler. This will restore the liquid
balance.
A: Starting in the '70's refers
were made with a modular cooling system that can be replaced external
to the refer box. Check out some of the suppliers
in this section.
A: The best place to get replacement fridge gaskets is
an appliance or appliance parts store. Take in a section of gasket and
find one close. They have the kind that is captured by screw-on flanges,
the push-on kind, and the adhesive kind. It won't be a one piece molded
part, as it is sold by the foot, or in some cases will be the size of
a home refrigerator, but you cut the four lengths you need out of it.
Angle-cut the corners with a 45 deg notch, leaving the outside surface
intact. Seal the corner up with matching colored silicone sealant.
A: The biggest would be ventilation.
Early Airstreams didn't provide adequate ventilation for the
cooling tubes. When it comes to refer venting, the key is "draft".
The taller &
tighter your chimney, the better the draw of cool air over the coils
of the refer. The ideal is a screened intake in the floor (what Airstream
started using in the '60's), into a relatively tight compartment made
using the refer back, side cabinets & outer wall of the trailer,
continuing upward and exhausting out the top of the trailer.
The top roof vents used in the 1950's looked more like smokestacks, and
are still available at better home centers, hardware stores, and plumbing/heating
supply houses. They have both the 4" round capped ones, usually
used on the heater vents, and the long oval one, usually used on the
refer's.
Both have storm collars, made of aluminum and look much like the ones
from the '50s, only now made in Mexico.
A:One way professional restoration
shops do it is to keep the door and accessories of the old unit, and
then modify and mount it on the body of a new similarly sized Norcold
or Dometic refer in place of the new units' door. Use a new door
gasket (see above). This will work obviously if you have the skills,
tools and know-how (ingenuity?) to do it.
Stoves
A: The older ranges, Dixie's and
PreWays for example, are really household apartment ranges of the era.
Even the newer Princess, Coleman and Magic Chef stoves, ovens and
ranges
use the same technology as their household cousins. Restoring & using
old appliances is hot right now, and the fallout to appliances will
be a good result. There are companies that will restore household vintage
ranges, a search on the Internet under "vintage appliances" brings
back about
a dozen. Find one local (avoid shipping), and they will even do your
RV range.
Most stoves don't need full restorations, just a good going through. Stoves are easiest gas appliance to work on, ovens a little more difficult. Remove the unit and work on it on the workbench. Hook up a propane tank and a barbecue regulator and hose to it. They come with a standard 5/8" flared female fitting that will mate up to most RV LPG appliances. While there give it a thorough cleaning and inspection. They disassemble easily, but take good pictures and label parts and hardware. Rusted parts can be stripped, sandblasted and repainted or chromed. Check in the phone book under metal stripping, metal plating, and powder-coating.
Replacement grates and clips are available from RV dealers. The same with the burner control valves. Some of the vintage stove companies have replacement knobs that may fit, but would require a full set to look right.
Ovens are a little more complicated. Most use safety interlocks. Basically this a always on pilot that heats up a thermocouple, that allows gas to flow to an intermediate safety flame when you turn the oven on. This intermediate valve also is controlled by the oven temp sensing thermostat. Only when the intermediate flame heats up its thermocouple, does the safety valve allow gas to flow to the main burner. It's quite an operation to watch. These complicated devices actually are pretty reliable, usually only succumbing to errant 0wner disassembly or plugging up from the LPG supply. The pilots are all adjustable, but are usually only worth messing with if you don't know what the PO did to the appliance. Otherwise, it's just a matter of trial and error to determine where the gas flow stops, and why. Replacement parts from newer RV ranges can be adapted to work in older units. Here's a view and adjustment instructions for the typical Harper Oven Control used on most Magic Chefs and Princess stoves.
When working on old appliances, remember to leak check all connections, check for leaks and allow unburnt fuel to always dissipate before lighting.
