Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: morninghill on November 26, 2012, 05:20:42 pm

Title: Slide air seal doesn't deflate - (now it does)
Post by: morninghill on November 26, 2012, 05:20:42 pm
Had a storm here last week, coach parked outside my shop, slide out. Thought I should retract the slide, went through the normal routine, seal wouldn't deflate. Park brake was on, ignition on, room control key on, wait 40 seconds and amber light came on as usual. However, after the amber light comes on we look for daylight before extending or retracting slide. No daylight and didn't hear compressor.

Searched the forum posts, found a 1-21-11 post from George Stoltz describing similar problem. In his case the air seal manifold was faulty, apparently his compressor was working.

Coach has the 680 series HWH controls. Checked the compressor. It's not a Thomas and I see no 15amp fuse. With ignition off and room control key off, have 12v at one terminal on relay on compressor, no juice at the second terminal that provides the red wire (power?) to the compressor.

With Molly at the controls, me in the bay with the compressor, ignition on and room control key on, hear some air escaping, hear a relay? click, but now no juice at either terminal on the relay on the compressor.

Talked to Mark at FOT, about 4:30 Texas time. He said it didn't make sense that I had power to one terminal with ignition off and room control key off, said should have power to both terminals when room control key on. Suggested I check the HWH circuit breaker in the electrical bay. Found the breaker, pressed the button on the side, nothing. Not sure what one of these breakers would look like if tripped, but this breaker seemed set the same as the rest.

Will talk to Mark again tomorrow. Any suggestions in the meantime?

Thanks for your thoughts.

Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: Tom Endres on November 26, 2012, 05:33:42 pm
Had similar problem on my 2001 U295 about three weeks ago.
Pushed the  HWH reset button on panel left of drivers seat and the seal deflated and all was well.
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: morninghill on November 26, 2012, 06:30:33 pm
Hi Tom
Looked but couldn't find a reset button. I looked at the references on Barry Beams website, looks like the reset switch is on the hwh 2000 series but not the hwh 680 series like mine. Probably a reset procedure somewhere but haven't found it.
Did the reset activate your compressor?
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: John S on November 26, 2012, 06:45:27 pm
Your compressor needs to run to deflate the slide.  I wonder if that is the issue.
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: morninghill on November 26, 2012, 07:15:53 pm
John
I'm sure the compressor not running is at least one issue. Not sure whether compressor is dead or blown fuse, bad pressure switch or bad relay or bad controller or just a loose wire somewhere.
Be nice if I understood how these systems work.
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: Michelle on November 26, 2012, 07:20:13 pm
Mike,

I think this is the manual for the 680 series you have, assuming no tag axle (and assuming you don't already have a copy)

http://hwhcorp.com/ml21000.pdf (http://hwhcorp.com/ml21000.pdf)

the collection of Foretravel manuals is on the HWH site here:  HWH Operators Manuals for Foretravel (http://hwhcorp.com/foretravel3.html)
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: morninghill on November 26, 2012, 07:27:21 pm
Michelle
Thanks but this is one of the manuals I had already managed to locate. The little I can decipher of the schematics is helpful but I don't understand enough to puzzle out an answer.
Would be nice if HWH provided an alternate approach to applying vacuum to the slide seal the way they provide an emergency procedure for pulling in the slide.
Mike
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: Barry Beam on November 26, 2012, 08:03:55 pm
Had a storm here last week, coach parked outside my shop, slide out. Thought I should retract the slide, went through the normal routine, seal wouldn't deflate. Park brake was on, ignition on, room control key on, wait 40 seconds and amber light came on as usual. However, after the amber light comes on we look for daylight before extending or retracting slide. No daylight and didn't hear compressor.


You can manually deflate seal. Care will need to be taken if seal is manually deflated.
(Remove air hose to bladder. It will not deflate but will relieve air pressure) allowing you to bring it in.
HWH Emergency Retract Room Procedures (http://beamalarm.com/Documents/hwh/hwh_emergency_retract_room_procedure.html)
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: morninghill on November 26, 2012, 08:47:08 pm
Barry
I saw in the George Stoltz thread that its OK to do this occasionally. He used a soap solution to help lubricate the process. Is there a way to provide vacuum when the hose to the air seal is disconnected?
I have this vision of using duct tape to connect a vacuum cleaner to the system (just joking, but the principle is the same).
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: Barry Beam on November 26, 2012, 08:53:22 pm
Barry
I saw in the George Stoltz thread that its OK to do this occasionally. He used a soap solution to help lubricate the process. Is there a way to provide vacuum when the hose to the air seal is disconnected?
I have this vision of using duct tape to connect a vacuum cleaner to the system (just joking, but the principle is the same).
If it is just for this one emergency to bring it in I dont think you need to be concerned since there will be no pressure in the bladder.
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate
Post by: Tom Endres on November 27, 2012, 12:32:01 pm
Sorry Mike, I have the 2000 series, should of checked before I posted. :-[
Title: Re: Slide air seal doesn't deflate - (now it does)
Post by: morninghill on December 04, 2012, 04:46:01 pm
I think Tom had the important part of the answer. We don't have a reset switch but as HWH added one in later slide systems, must have needed it. To try to reset the system, started over, started the engine, let the tanks air up and travel light come on. Released and reset brake. With engine running, releveled coach. Turned engine off. Turned room control switch on. Slide deflated normally. Ran to tell Molly, she immediately deflated me. Reminded me we needed to extend and retract slide to confirm all is well. We did and all is well - sort of.

Although the slide extended and retracted fine, it did this with no help from the 12v compressor which still doesn't run. With the room control switch on I now have 12v to both terminals on the relay on the compressor, but still doesn't run. More work to do here, will try wiring directly to a 12v battery. If no joy, will call HWH to find out just what compressor we have. When I talked to Mark at FOT, he said HWH  supplied different compressors. He said we have the small one, others have the larger, the Thomas.

We did learn we don't HAVE to have the 12v compressor but if we don't have it will have to use the engine compressor if the tanks have leaked down.