There is no other way to put it – The thermostat that comes with most campers absolutely suck.  If you have ever camped in the cold, you know how difficult impossible it is to get the furnace to an accurate and tolerable temperature.

The good news is, that this is a simple five minute project to fix.  All you need is a two-wire (ideally heater-only) thermostat.  I bought mine, an Emerson 1E78-140, from Amazon for about $20.

Instructions

1. Turn off or disconnect your battery.

2. Locate your current mechanical thermostat.
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3. Remove cover, and unscrew from wall
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4. Disconnect wires, noting where they were connected.  For mine, the white connects to W and the red/white connects to the R.
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5. Open your new thermostat
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6. Route the wires through the back and connect them to the matching connections; White to W and red/white to R (or RH).
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7. Install new thermostat to the wall, using the screws you removed in step 3.
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8. Install batteries and put thermostat face on.
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Now you have a better, smarter thermostat to run your furnace and so you can see the interior temperature at anytime.

A word of caution with a digital thermostat; it only works if the batteries are good.  So if you are camping in the cold, remember to bring spare batteries for the thermostat.  I also keep the old thermostat in my “spare parts” box, just in case.

One thought on “Installing a Digital Furnace Thermostat in Jayco 19XUD Hybrid Travel Trailer”

  1. Thanks for info. I have a 19xud as well. Never figured out if the furnace works. Is it propane or electric or both? Please tell me how to use it. Are there switches somewhere? Thank you

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