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Topic: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting (Read 824 times) previous topic - next topic

1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

We bought our GV this year and it's now the time of year to see if the heaters work in our off-grid situation.  They don't.  I'm starting with the front one as it is the most important to us.  Nothing happened when it was turned on.  Following the troubleshooting guide led me to replacing the relay switch and the control board with Dinosaur replacements.  Progress, but still no happy.  Only 2 things are left on the guide, spark and fuel.  I cannot tell if there is an audible spark, my hearing isn't all that great (too many rock concerts when I was younger); I suspect there is not a spark.  Nor do I know how to tell if the propane valve is opening.  It does not appear to be getting any voltage.  I'm kind of lost at this point.  The green light on the board is on which is supposed to mean that the sail and limiter switches are on.

I'm also wondering, as much current as the blower is pulling, we would probably have to run the generator.  If we're running the generator, would we be just as well off using an electric radiant heater, or, instead of the generator running a Little Buddy heater?

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #1 –
The blower does pull a lot of power. You have to have really good batteries to get through the night. Running the generator will use a lot of propane, probably about a gallon an hour. Probably need to come up with a different plan. I don't know where you are and how cold it gets there. You will also have to address water lines, water heater and holding tanks fresh and sewer.

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #3 –
Thanks for the replies.  We're in West Tennessee.  Weather is often unpredictable here but freezing spells usually don't last more than a week or 3 at a time.  Last year we were in a 5th wheel camper and did fine, but it was on the grid, and connected to a large propane tank.  We only had about 1 week of snow, and had a temperature controlled valve that let the water run when the temperature got below 36F.  We put it on a T connection where the water came into the trailer and let it flow down the hill.  The ground around it was wet probably about 10-20 nights total.  The only time the pipes froze was when the valve was fooled by the sun.  We put a pallet with a board over it and it worked fine from then on.

Anyway, I'd still like to get the heater working.  It would be nice to have it as a backup or supplement even if we have some other heat source.  It is not unusual for power to go off when it gets really cold.  Also, we may have our solar generator working before the end of the year.

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #4 –
Measure voltage into the PC board when someone attempts to start the heater.  What is it?

Even with poor hearing, if you are at the furnace (side of coach) it should be loud enough to hear.

Do other propane appliances work?

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #5 –
From the for what it's worth department:
My 1981 Foretravel had 2 furnaces and the exhaust manifold on one was rusted through, creating a carbon monoxide hazard.

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #6 –
If the heaters (furnaces) are from 1986 it is time to replace them, even if they do seem to work. One advantage of propane appliances is that they are inexpensive. Too much risk for CO poisoning with bad equipment.
I had 2 20K furnaces in my 04 Tropi-Cal.  with the 4 golf cart batteries, (~450 A/H) could usually camp through a Friday night through Sunday leave weekend no problem. For longer stays or really cold weather generator while making breakfast and dinner, (2 hours/day) would keep me going. My inverter/charger had a 100 amp charger so worst case 4 hours to fully charge batteries. Consider what you have for equipment. May be time for a battery/charger/inverter upgrade. Using generator to run electric resistance heating is not practical. Especially on propane even questionable with heat pumps. 

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #7 –
Thanks, everyone.  Testing voltages while generator is running has 14.4v at the supply side of the relay.  After the blower starts, that drops to 11.8.  The green LED is lit on the controller but the test point only shows 2.8v.  I don't know what to make of that.

Gas, fridge, and water heater are all working on propane.

Definitely no sparking sound.

Replacing the units is certainly a possibility and I'm pretty certain both of them are original.  Are drop in replacements available or am I looking at significant modifications?

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #8 –
Don't condemn the furnace (other than for safety/exhaust leak issues) until you figure out why you are not getting 12+ VDC to the furnace.

Yes, the fan could be seized (easy to confirm by spinning it by hand), but don't assume that.

What is house battery bank voltage (at the batteries) with generator running?  With generator off for at least 1 hour?

What is voltage at the battery and at the furnace when someone turns it on?

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #9 –
Batteries with generator running: 14.4-14.6
A couple of hours after shutdown: 13.7, which is where the solar panels maintain it.
In the morning before the sun comes up, it is usually about 12.7.

With blower on:
Voltage at battery with generator running: 14.4
Not sure which point is meant by "at furnace"
Voltage at supply side of relay: 11.8-12.1
Voltage at check point on control board: 2.6-2.8

It might be worth mentioning that the first time we tried it, the blower would not spin up, but I accessed it from under the sink and moved it by hand and then it would spin.  It didn't feel stuck and I didn't think I had actually done anything until it did spin the next time we tried it.  I only had to do that once.  It also felt fairly loose in a wobbly way, meaning I could move the blower blade cylinder about 1/4" or so up and down or back and forth.

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #10 –
Quote from: CC Friends –
With blower on:
Voltage at battery with generator running: 14.4
Not sure which point is meant by "at furnace"
Voltage at supply side of relay: 11.8-12.1
Voltage at check point on control board: 2.6-2.8

OK, job one is to find out why  14.4 VDC at the batteries and 11.8-12.1 at the relay.  That is way too much of a voltage drop,  May be positive or may be ground issue.

By "at furnace" I meant where coach wiring goes into the furnace wiring.

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #11 –
I also notice that when the thermostat is off (either by off switch or temperature setting), the supply side of the relay matches battery voltage.  Likewise, the control blade on the relay (coming from the thermostat) has battery voltage until the blower switches on and then it drops to the 2.5v level.  Generator wasn't running at this point since the solar panels are producing more than enough to run the blower.

So, during the delay between switching on the thermostat and the blower spinning up, both the control blade and the supply blade to the relay have near battery voltage.  After the blower starts, the supply drops to 11.x, and the control to 2.x.  That would say to me that the problem is in the blower motor or wire to it but electric stuff is not my forte'.
 

Re: 1986 Hydroflame DC8232 troubleshooting

Reply #12 –
Not unusual for voltage to be find with no load, but drop with load IF there is a problem. Resistance on either positive or ground side will manifest itself exactly that way.