1st Time Bird owner have lots of questions..

[mikeocd]

Hello, we finally did it bought a 2004 m380, now the confusing started hopefully someone can help. The Hurricane heating worked fine then all of a sudden the flame out light came on. After reading outher things I believe, and with my fingers crossed, that it might be because the Diesel level is below 1/4 tank, does anyone know if that is true?

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OK, filled it With siesel, and the Hurricane heating is working, now could someone please explain the Hydro button the 2 air conditioner buttons, (up front) and the 2 thermostats that ar in the Bird, and how they all work together. I read the manual 3 times and im still confused. I bought in from southern Florida, and I live up north they did not know to much about the heating system..Thanx

[cmillsap]

hydronic heat button is for heating a cold engine with Hurricane unit. Used in cold climates to assist in starting the engine

The two A/C buttons are master control circuit on/off switches. One is for the front a/c and the other is for the rear a/c. These allow the driver to turn on/off the a/c from the driver's seat. If I remember correctly, one multi-thermostat controls the A/Cs and Hurricane furnace. The other controls the 120VAC baseboard heaters which have a Circuit Breaker in the rear control panel.

[mikeocd]

OK thank you, so does the 2 ac swithches up front and the hydro heat swith need to be on, to run the hurricane heating when parked? Also, if i read this correctly the Thermostat in kithcen is just for the the AC and heatpump, Not the Furnace? Thanx

[cmillsap]

The 2 A/C switches need to be on for the A/Cs or the Hurricane to work and for the thermostat to function. I Know! I know!, why should you have to turn on the A/C switches to get the furnace to function.???? It's the way the control circuit is wired...

The thermostat that controls the two A/C units also will control the Hurricane's heat zones. Select FURNACE with the MODE button and set the temperature for each zone. The Salon & Dining is ZONE 1 and the bedroom is ZONE 2. The bathroom thermostat is located above the bathroom sink.

The hydro switch should only be on before a cold day start-up to circulate engine coolant through the Hurricane which heats it and warms the engine. The Hydro switch should normally be in the off position which allows the process to reverse. This allows coolant heated by the running engine to circulate through the Hurricane which then heats the water going to your hot water faucets.

So instead of the Hurricanes diesel burner needing to fire up, for several hours after you are parked, the residual heat (energy)generated by the engine and stored in the Hurricane can provide you with hot water for awhile depending on your usage.

I hope I didn't confuse you more

[mikeocd]

Thank You Very Much.......if I keep the hurricane heat on say 55 degree's will I need to winterize the unit?? It will be plugged in 110v and checked daily. The electric heaters in the Bays are not working have no idea why, power is going to them and fuse is good, any ideas? Basicly does Hurrican heat the Bays and allow me piece of mind? With it plugged into 110, I switched Inverter,(which by the way i need help with too) over to 15 amp, is that correct? Thank You....

[cmillsap]

I'd set the furnace on 50*f which should keep the interior warm enough to prevent freezing inside the coach.

The Hurricane Furnace will help keep the bays warm due to the radiant heat but I would not depend on that alone to keep bays above freezing.

If you are plugged into a 15A 120V shore outlet, the inverter should be set on 15A. Also be aware that 15A isn't much power to try to keep the batteries charged and also run the Hurricane and the bay heaters and may trip the circuit breaker leaving your coach vulnerable to freezing.

Regarding the bay heaters, are you saying you metered the power at the heaters and had the proper voltage to them? Did the power to the heaters come on or go off by turning the thermostat up and down? If so, it would appear the heaters are bad although I highly doubt it.

If you metered the heater circuit before the thermostat and found proper voltage it may mean something in the thermostat circuit such as a relay or fuse is bad. In that case, I would suspect a bad relay or control fuse before I would suspect the thermostat. Do you have an electrical schematic of the bay heater circuit?

If you only have 15A available to plug the shore power cord into by using adapters from 50A to 15A when the coach is being stored, you may want to buy a couple of small (FIRE SAFE) portable heaters and place one inside the coach and one in the water bay and plug them directly into another outlet somewhere where you have additional 120V power available.

[mikeocd]

Yes I was thinking about the 2 extension cords from 2 different outlets on 2 different circuits and placing 2 small heaters in there, while keeping the hurricane on around 55 as back up, coach seems to be insulated well enough to prevent freezing. I also believe i seen heat tape throughout, I dont know if it works or not. I checked for power to the thermostat but maybe need to investigate more. Thanx, more questions to follow, so confused

[JD33]

Mike, personally I would consider winterizing the coach. While I have never needed to winterize my M380, I have winterized previous coaches and it was not that difficult. The process should be outlined in your blue book.
If that's not to your liking you will want small ceramic heaters in the bays where the non-op 12v heaters are. You can also run an electric heater in the coach and open the cupboard doors in the kitchen, bath and WC. But as Chuck indicated you are certainly looking at more than a 15 amp draw for these.
As far a heat tape goes, I don't believe that my 2007 has any and I would be reluctant to use use them in any case. You would also find that they are a considerable electrical draw.
If you are planning to use your Hurricane for an extended period of time I would ensure that it is properly serviced and be prepared to use a considerable amount of fuel.
You have not said if your situation allows you to have a 50 amp service added to your parking area, this would be very helpful.
In closing perhaps you can place a signature in your posts so that we can see what part of the world you live in?
Jim

[mikeocd]

Thanx