heater problems, like always

to whom it may concern:

anyone have problems with Modine hanging lp heaters and hangfire?
It's killing me... darn things keep poppin on ignition and when they shut down.
I've cleaned the burners, cleaned out the pilots, etc etc.
They eventually pop so bad it blows out the pilot.

I'm working on two nights of sleeping in a greenhouse with a cinder block for a pillow.
any suggestions welcome.

Any chance of un hooking the thermostat and just letting it run on a low manual
setting until you can get a hold of modine to find out what the problem might be?

I'm under the impression that "Weezingreens" husband is in the business of servicing heaters and such. Why not send her an email asking for his advice.

Judy

DeepRoots, I know EXACTLY what you mean, we've had this problem many a time before. The trouble lies in the silver colored tubes beneath the burners. I forget the technical term for this part. The problem is usually caused by spider webs that can be nearly invisible and miniscule (sp?) in size - but will still cause this problem. What you need to do is remove the burner from the heater and clean these tubes out. We straighten out a coat hanger and with a wad of cloth or tissue insert it to clean these tubes. Remember you are trying to expel a nearly invisible amount of spider webbing. Believe me this will cause the backfiring, puffing out of your pilot. Once you have 'plunged' the tubes, turn it on edge and knock out any debris. Oftentimes it will appear that absolutely nothing comes out, but this process usually solves the problem. If the problem continues, you have to repeat the process. As you know these 'tubes' are one continuous circuit and your spider web culprit could be way back at the end of the tube where it makes the turn to the next tube. The air/gas exchangers? is that the name for these tubes?...lol... Anyhow, give this a try and hopefully this will solve the problem and you can get rid of that cement pillow. P.S. we have over a dozen Modine heaters and have had to do this or a similar procedure on nearly all of them at one time or another over the last 20 years. Let me know how this works for you.

RCN, and drew, we just call them 'burner tubes" here. And yes, it's a yearly tube clean-out process here, too! I tend to use a long dead piece of grass/weed/whatever is nearby...the spider webs easily cling to those. (Smart spiders aren't they, they know what to hang on to!)

I also follow that cleanout with a blowgun on my air compressor...sure makes it easy to remove any thing in there.

My heater/burners don't tend to "pop" when there are webs in them but rather cause a bright orange flame and often-times soot buildup.

Also, check the tiny gas line that goes to your pilot; if there is even a tiny leak (usually just under the pilot housing where the line sometimes gets crimped during removal/replacement) that will cause the pilot to go out.

Only other thing I can think of is that you probably have a safety cut-off feature (mine is on top of the heater fins). When the heater is burning improperly the safety cut-off shuts the whole system down. I'd check that and see if there is any wiring going to it that looks like it has damage to it.

If I think of anything else I'll post again. Meanwhile I'll check my stash of bubble wrap; cinder blocks need padding!

see, I'd cleaned them all out....
I know bout the spiders, etc.

I guess thats why I'm so puzzled.... I've done everything recommended a month ago when I fired them up, and did it again recently. I mean, cleaned the tubes, blew out the pilot tube, etc etc

They even pop when they shut off.....
One of the better solutions would be to can the 12-15year old modines and buy a bunch of LB whites :-)

hmmm, maybe I should drop a line to weezin. Problem is everyone I talk to tells me to do something I already have :P

I'll keep reading manuals and trying new things until I get them working, or blow myself up.... whichever comes first.

deeproots...are you using any new parts? Just wondering because when I recieved my new Mr. Buddy propane heater...we couldn't get it to go on...the heater would go on, but not once we attached the 12' hose...I called the manufacturer and they said they had some defective safety valves on the hoses & replaced it free for me. Now it works fine. Just a thought if something like this could be causing your problem!

Hmmm....and the orifices to the burner tubes are clean, too? And not corroded or anything? And in good and tight?

Hmmm....and the orifices to the burner tubes are clean, too? And not corroded or anything? And in good and tight?

Are the fins still in good shape?...I know mine are getting a few cracks in them and I'm sure it will one day have an affect on the whole unit one day. (By the way, mine is not Modine but is a Reznor; I've seen the Modines and they seem to be very similar.)

fins have lil rust.... nothing serious

btw I do have a reznor f75.... great freaking machine. Course I'm trying to rebuild the fan controls as the fan cycles on/off while in operation, have it set to stay on at the moment. I like the setup of reznors much better as you can take the individual tubes out for cleaning as opposed to the whole unit. My reznors from 86 and still fires perfect everytime.

Yep, that's one thing I like, too...(that the tubes come out individually). Sure makes it nice! (and probably cheaper to replace each one, if needed, someday).

Not sure what you mean by your fan cycle. Mine only comes on when the burners light up, then the fan thermo kicks in to blow the heat out. (The fan continues to run after the burners "return to pilot light" to cool the unit down.) I wasn't aware I could control the fan off and on. News to me. Thanks.

So you still haven't figgered out the problem yet?

no, problem isn't figured out.... Thing that gets me is it pops on the way on and off.... might need to find me a manometer and test the gas pressure.

yeah, fan controls... it's with the two black wires. (eco has the red wires, limit control is the two yellow ones)
Essentially it's a spring loaded mechanism, when the metal peice is touching the burner, the heat pushes the metal off the burner, thus turning on the fan.... When it cools, the metal comes back into contact with the burner, thus shorting out the circuit.
Nifty thing rightly.... mine still works but is having trouble making contact (maybe a spring wore out).

The newer reznors (and also available as an add-on kit) have a peice you can set for various speeds and heats.... blower models and belt drivens come standard with it I think.

dp

hey shoe, if you ever need to replace the fan controls,
I found at "Graingers" if you run a search on Thermodisc it'll give you a few hundred different types...
various on-off switch temps, and even adjustable types.
all for between $8-$20
(btw, I'm now entirely too familiar with the inner workings of propane heaters, but we're still functionin capt'n)
nifty lil place graingers

Good to hear that! I've had an account at Graingers for quite a few yrs..and they deliver for free (if ya buy enuff!).

Their catalog sits either on my desk or in my 'special' bookcase!

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to call you when I need expertise concerning our ghouse heaters! With your newfound knowledge, I imagine you'll "have directions, will travel"!

;>)

(No change on your heater dilemma??)


This message was edited Dec 20, 2004 10:48 AM

naw,I got them all fixed... of course the reznor got straight wired till i can get the part, and fancy this... one of the modine fan units died at 2am.
so there I am.... multimeter in hand, rewiring a fan unit at 2:30am in the dark when it's 33degrees in the greenhouse.

I beleive I was singing "santa claus is comming to town"

good to keep the xmas cheer.

on a brighter note, my 55gal drum stove kept it 30degrees warmer in the greenhouse than it was outdoors.... burning trash wood.
I need to build more stoves.

Nothing much to add on this subject, been keeping up to date with your problems - my husband's the technie, but thought I'd add a comment. Your post above regarding the fans dying at 2 AM reminds me of a night several years ago when we didn't expect a frost so we didn't cover the flats we had placed on benches outside for delivery the next day. My husband woke up at 1:30 AM and saw that the temps had dropped below freezing and I scrambled out of bed to join him at the nursery, pull out frost blankets and with flashlights cover everything and then go back to sleep - yeah right, sleep after all that excitement in the middle of the night! Isn't life grand when you own a nursery? And then people question why we charge the prices we do for our plants? Hope your problems give it a rest and allow you to enjoy your holidays.

there are two types of people in this industry that make me want to throttle them....

the Envious:
"Ohh you are so lucky to get to grow flowers all day"
(yes yes, as if god's hand came out of the heavens and built me a nursery)

the Sympathetic:
(when looking at your 40,000 plants)
"Yeah, I know what it's like to run a nursery too... I have a 12x12 greenhouse and 4-5 whole benches full of annuals I buy in to sell."

DR, I especially like the 'Envious'. I wouldn't give this 'job' up for anything, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Growing consumes your life, but what better way to 'live'?