Drew Callahan · March 23, 2026
Your Jayco Alante’s owner’s manual won’t mention it, and the service department charging you $400 in labor won’t explain it either: the rooftop AC unit’s most common failure has nothing to do with refrigerant or compressor wear. It’s a capacitor—a small cylindrical component that costs less than a tank of propane but makes the difference … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 22, 2026
It was November, maybe fifty-two degrees outside, and I’d cranked the thermostat to heat mode expecting the familiar low rumble of the Jayco’s furnace catching. Instead: click. Click. Click. Then nothing. No roar, no warmth building in the ducts, just that hollow, repeating tick that told me the igniter was cycling without actually firing the … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 22, 2026
Most Winnebago Forza owners assume their rooftop AC will soldier on indefinitely—that it’s built to last as long as the diesel engine underneath. That assumption costs people money, comfort, and peace of mind. The truth is simpler and harder: Winnebago, like every other manufacturer writing a spec sheet and a price, cuts corners on climate … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 21, 2026
I’ve got my workbench set up in the shade behind bay two, and sitting on it right now is a Dometic AC shroud I pulled off a Thor Palazzo last week. The owner called me at 2 PM on a Saturday—kids playing in the background, wife asking what was wrong—because the unit had quit mid-afternoon. … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 21, 2026
Lose your furnace igniter or control board on a Winnebago Forza when you’re parked alone in November temps, and you’re not just uncomfortable—you’re in genuine danger. A furnace that won’t light is a furnace that won’t keep you alive if things go sideways. I’ve spent enough nights in remote spots to know the difference between … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 20, 2026
I’ve got a blackened igniter electrode sitting on my workbench right now — pulled from a Berkshire that came in last month with the owner convinced the whole furnace assembly was toast. The ceramic around the spark point is cracked, the tip’s carboned over to nearly nothing, and the wire connector shows green corrosion where … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 20, 2026
“Drew, my Palazzo’s furnace keeps clicking but won’t actually fire. The blower kicks on when I turn up the thermostat, I can smell propane coming from the vents, but nothing ignites. Is this the igniter, or am I looking at a bigger problem?” That question landed in my inbox last winter, and it’s the same … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 20, 2026
I’m standing on the ladder with my head tilted up into the rooftop AC shroud, one hand on the blower housing and the other holding a multimeter. The hum is there — the compressor is spinning fine — but the fan blade barely moves. It’s 98 degrees outside, and inside the Berkshire it’s climbing toward … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 19, 2026
A Fleetwood Bounder furnace igniter replacement runs $280 to $420 in labor alone at most RV service centers — and that’s before the part itself. Add a control board failure into the mix and you’re looking at a shop bill that climbs past $800 without much effort. But here’s the thing: if you’ve got a … Read more
Drew Callahan · March 19, 2026
Most Fleetwood Bounder owners miss the early warning signs of a dying AC capacitor until the compressor won’t turn over at all. By then, you’re looking at a $600+ rebuild instead of a $40 part swap. I’ve pulled units off dozens of these rigs where the run capacitor was clearly failing for months — the … Read more
