This all happened last spring, but I never addressed the issue. Our first day/night of camping was chilly. When we got to the camper, the temperature was about 50 degrees. I started the furnace, we went out to dinner, and by the time we got back, the camper was comfortable. For sleeping, I set the thermostat at 65. The temperature that night got down to 30. We awoke at 5am freezing. We were out of gas. I was positive that the tank had been full, but was cold enough to not care at the time. I went out and switched over to the other tank. Heat came back on. The temperature that day got to 65. The furnace didn't run much at all. That night got down to 30 again and I woke this time at 4am, once again freezing. I was pretty sure that my second tank was full, but admittedly I didn't check it the previous morning. I luckily had a spare 3rd tank. I know this one was full. I connected that and got the heat back on. Fast forward to the next (early) morning, and that tank is now empty as well. I went through 3 thirty pound tanks in 3 nights. The long weekend was over and our next trip back wasn't for a few weeks, so the weather was warmer. The remainder of of camping that year, we used electric heaters as needed. I leak checked all the connections and all the pipes. Nothing. The other two other things in our camper that use gas are the hot water heater and the stove. We used those for the whole summer and only went through 1 thirty pound tank.
So, here's what I know: the furnace alone is the culprit. But what I don't know is why. If it's a gas leak, it's only when the furnace is running. But it seems like if there was a gas leak right there at the furnace, something would have ignited. (Insert "shudder" here) Could something cause a furnace to run so inefficiently that it would use that much gas?
I'm going to guess that the number one suggestion will be "You should take it in." Because that would be my suggestion. There's a few reasons that's not going to happen: it's very difficult to get it out of its permanent site, the trailer is not plated, the nearest repair place is over an hour away, I wouldn't trust the tires to go 10 miles, etc. Also, I'm somewhat handy, so if the options are taking it someplace or installing a new furnace, I'd chose the latter. And I do feel that if I know what I need to fix, clean, or replace I could do it myself. I just don't know what to look for or where to start. I'm hoping someone has had a similar experience and can point me in the right direction.
Thank you.
