Foretravel Owners' Forum

Foretravel Motorhome Forums => Foretravel Tech Talk => Topic started by: Paully on September 21, 2017, 11:59:23 pm

Title: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 21, 2017, 11:59:23 pm
My most consistent problem is gas. Stove works but nothing else. Half a dozen circuit boards?

Learned something new. Front a.c. is hard wired to the house batteries. Flipping switches...Turned the temp dial to heat.. Other dial off. Lost water pump, then monitor, fridge, led lights, and finally everything after 4 hours. Disconnected batteries. Charged them. Half way through pulled out the heat gun.. Front a/c unit showing 70 on an overcast 60 day. The temp dial on "hot" and control "off". Heat pump dial "off." ?

Oh, the rear tv is original. It won't come out without wood alteration.
Title: Re: No gas.. more veggies?
Post by: craneman on September 22, 2017, 12:23:52 am
Your A/C can't be hardwired to the battery. It is 120 volt ac.
Title: Re: No gas.. more veggies?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 12:26:15 am
Disconnected from shore. It's on the batt or what then?
Title: Re: No gas.. more veggies?
Post by: craneman on September 22, 2017, 12:27:40 am
disconnected from shore generator only.
Title: Re: No gas.. more veggies?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 12:40:44 am
My inverter is on even though it says it's off? Generator is off, everything is off...
Title: Re: No gas.. more veggies?
Post by: Jeff & Sandy on September 22, 2017, 07:42:30 am
Paully, you might get more assistance if your thread title and post was more descriptive.  ;D
Title: Re: No gas.. more veggies?
Post by: Travelin' Man (RIP) on September 22, 2017, 08:08:10 am

I'm not going there.
Title: Re: Electrical surprise and no LP
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 03:41:45 pm
So I'm blackballed for not knowing much? Seems like a bunch of y'all are former employees and drivers. I'm not a bad guy, young and inexperienced perhaps, but that will change.
Title: Re: Electrical surprise and almost no LP
Post by: John44 on September 22, 2017, 03:56:05 pm
Paully,no one is blackballying you,they are trying to get more info so we/they can help you.Read your first post,I read it a few
times and your jumping all over the place,take a breath and ask your questions and try and explain the problems you will get
help.
Title: Re: Electrical surprise and almost no LP
Post by: craneman on September 22, 2017, 04:03:36 pm
I don't think you have a heat pump maybe you have heat strips in the a/c. When you say the inverter is on even though it says off, the inverter part of the panel can be off but the charging system would still be on. If you don't have a manual for the inverter they can be downloaded on the net for free. You need to separate your problems into different posts to get the best response.
Title: Re: Electrical surprise and almost no LP
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 04:10:56 pm
ok sorry... it was after a day without power. Rather than "tweeting" i tried to summarize.

What I experienced was the front a/c was turned to heat but still "off" and it slowly caused system shutdown and ultimately fail. No fun. It took me a day and a half to figure out what happened and why, and to recharge the house batteries.
Title: Re: Electrical surprise and almost no LP
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 04:16:57 pm
The front a/c is not original... the dial on the wall that says "heat pump" is original. You're the second person to tell me I don't have a heat pump. As best I can tell the inverter is off. Thanks for the manual reminder. I didn't know what to look up as things were dyeing one by one...

When i turn the heat pump temperature dial up and turn the kitchen exhaust to fan to either low or high, the front box produces heat. I figured that out playing around the other day. What fouled up the coach was that the front box also makes heat simply with the temperature dial turned to red. ? is that normal?
Title: Re: Electrical surprise and almost no LP
Post by: craneman on September 22, 2017, 04:24:03 pm
Do you have the manual for the A/C? If not download one of them also. If someone wired your A/C through the inverter it would explain some of your issues and it needs to be corrected. You do not have enough batteries or a large enough inverter do have it wired that way. Can you take a picture of the dial that says heat pump? If someone else here can say if heat pumps came on a '93 it would help.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Jeff & Sandy on September 22, 2017, 05:16:51 pm
I have a '93 U300 Paully. No heat pumps, but my AC's are original and they do have heat strips. They do have heat strips. The heat/ac has nothing to do with the exhaust fan in the kitchen. The AC's run on 110, the exhaust fan runs on 12V.

Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 06:06:04 pm
Ok.. No heat pump. But my Kool-O-matic works like one. Working on uploading a pic..
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 08:29:28 pm
I give up.

New phone and a new house. I took a pic but I can't get it to upload. There's a lot going on and I can't figure it out. I've been a hermit for years. I'm trying
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Jeff & Sandy on September 22, 2017, 08:32:29 pm
Ok.. No heat pump. But my Kool-O-matic works like one. Working on uploading a pic..

The fan just sucks air out of the coach. The thermostat you see is just an auto on feature. Once the temp hits the set temp it turns on automatically...no cooling or heating involved...just air from the coach being pushed outside.

It works great as a 'whole house fan' and can be used instead of AC. Just crack open a couple of window, the fan gets the air circulating....perfect for boon-docking in warm weather.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 09:40:44 pm
Really. So the temperature dial is the trigger for the fan...

I still don't understand why turning the temperature dial on the roof box turns it on.

Thank you for the answers. I am overwhelmed with everything. A bunch of campers showed up. I said hi to one guy parking.. he moved farther away.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Tim Fiedler on September 22, 2017, 09:45:34 pm
switch is a thermostat - ffan comes on at temps higher than set on the switch, overnight as temps decrease, the fan will quit when it reaches the temp set on switch

Used to cool coach when nights are cool, but not get too cold as outside temps continue to drop

At least that is how mine works

Tim Fiedler

Sure Start Soft Start (http://www.gen-pro.biz)

TCER Direct (http://www.tcerdirect.com) generator-gas-prod (http://www.generatorgasproducts.com) 630 240-9139
Gen-Pro
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: red tractor on September 22, 2017, 09:50:39 pm
The thermostat for the koolamatic fan should be located on the wall about 1 foot below the ceiling fairly close to the fan. I don't know where the thermostat for the ac is located, maybe on the face of the cabinets. That is where they were when the coach was built if I remember right. The ac should not be wired to run off the inverter. If it does that must be changed.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 10:03:37 pm
It's already cold here. I turned the a/c on to check it. However, the heating element is wired in. The on/off controls the fan. But the element is always hot...
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: craneman on September 22, 2017, 10:08:24 pm
Paully, If your coach runs fine, you might want to go check out another similar Foretravel for sale by an owner who has had it for awhile and ask a lot of questions. I wouldn't have a problem with a person doing that if I was selling mine.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: red tractor on September 22, 2017, 10:10:01 pm
There is something wrong wit that. and you say that you are not plugged into 120 volts ac.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 10:11:31 pm
Thanks Tim. I was using it to heat the coach... I thought. I'm lucky I didn't burn it down.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 10:14:14 pm
No no everything is plugged in now and has been. I just can't turn the front box dial without draining coach
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: wolfe10 on September 22, 2017, 10:16:48 pm
IMMEDIATELY, go back and turn off the breaker (main 120 VAC breaker box) for that A/C.

Then, troubleshoot at your leisure.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 10:19:15 pm
It is User error on aftermarket roof box maybe
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 10:21:14 pm
Thanks wolfe..  I would have exploded by now
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Tim Fiedler on September 22, 2017, 10:28:57 pm
Assume you have shore power in campground. (30 amp?) Go to big box store and buy two small ceramic heaters with thermostat. Will keep coach warm You will need furnaces running when we get closer to freeing temps
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 10:39:21 pm
I have an appt with the shop. I have ceramic space heaters for the bays... But the other night I dug everything out. Because I turned the roof box to red instead of blue and drained the house batteries in no time.

I didn't know it was on. Gotta turn the main switch from off to on Right? Nope!
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 10:46:48 pm
It took a day for me to figure out what happened. Now I know what, when, and how.... Thanks largely to texts, emails, phone call, and this thread
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 22, 2017, 11:02:33 pm
It's a steep learning curve... even the terminology is new.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: stump on September 23, 2017, 06:51:41 am
Paully Your Coach I think should have a A/C in the front .It will come through the roof and a A/C in the bedroom that will come through the roof also. There should be a control panel on each one. 2 knobs one that turns on fan to cool or fan or fan heat. the other to set temp. These units are 120volt and should only operate when plugged into shore power or with the generator running.
You should also have a gas furnace in the front and one in the bedroom. There should be a t stat usually mounted under or on a cabinet that controls this . The furnaces operate on 12 volts and should start and cycle as needed to keep set temp in coach.
The Kool a Matic fan is 12 volts and has a t stat on the wall near it. It is just a large exhaust fan, It has 2 speeds low and high. there is a temp control that you can set for it to turn on ,All it is is a exhaust fan nothing more. It is completely separate from the other systems.
So are your furnaces turning on and heating?
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: FourTravelers on September 23, 2017, 07:23:20 am
What is a "roof box"?
Is it a :
Roof mounted AC ?
Kitchen exhaust fan?
Something else a PO could have installed?
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: wolfe10 on September 23, 2017, 09:12:04 am
And, if the roof A/C drained the batteries (actually, if it would run with no generator or shore power-- meaning the inverter is powering it), then a previous owner MAY, repeat MAY have done a "whole house install" for an added inverter.  This really needs to be verified and if so, either modified to a sub-panel, or all those who will use the coach need to be aware of this "easy to screw up" wiring.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 23, 2017, 09:14:30 am
Thanks stump! And yes, I meant the forward roof ac. I am doing a poor job describing things. Thanks for your patience... 

I read the manuals before moving in. There is a lot going on in my U300... and many of the foretravel basics haven't sunk in yet. I am reading as fast as I can remember... still slow.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: Paully on September 23, 2017, 09:37:01 am
There are a lot of numbers that I'm not familiar with, however they are part of rv jargon... I am a forester. Long way off from electrician or mechanic.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: John44 on September 23, 2017, 10:15:22 am
Paully,when you get spare time start at the beginning of the tech posts and just read all of them,even if they don't pertain to your
coach you will become familiar with the jargon,also go to the Beamalarm site and read up on your coach.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: stump on September 23, 2017, 02:49:58 pm
Paully PM me your phone number and a good time to call you I'd be more than happy to talk/walk you through the systems so you have  a better understanding whats going on.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: craneman on September 23, 2017, 03:42:52 pm
Paully PM me your phone number and a good time to call you I'd be more than happy to talk/walk you through the systems so you have  a better understanding whats going on.
Stump,

That is what he needs, good call.
Title: Re: My front roof box is always on?
Post by: stump on September 26, 2017, 02:28:25 pm
I spoke with Paul yesterday. I explained the different systems. A/C, Furnaces, Refrigerator.etc.
He is only seeing 10.6 bolts at batteries. He is plugged into a extension cord 120v. I told him to unplug converter charger and make sure he has 120v there at plug. He has another 10 amp charger and I told him to disconnect batteries and charge each one separately. He may have a bad cell causing low charge,or maybe a faulty charger converter. But for started he is going to charge batteries first. We will see what he finds when he does the test.
I do not think he has any problems with the roof AC and heat strip after our talk.