« previous next »
Pages: [1]

Author Topic: Propane Heater help.  (Read 775 times)

Scout26

  • I'm a leaf on the wind.
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25,997
  • I spent a week in that town one night....
Propane Heater help.
« on: April 03, 2014, 05:20:35 PM »
Going through, loading up and checking out the camper to get ready to go Turkey hunting this weekend and I can't get the furnace kick on.

I can:

1)  Get the pilot light going.
2)  When I adjust the thermostat the fan will kick on and stay on.

But no flames.  The tube which has all the holes along the each horizontal side steadfastly refuses to put out pretty blue flames.

Ideas?  Something I can fix in the next 20 hours?
 
Report to moderator   Logged
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.


Bring me my Broadsword and a clear understanding.
Get up to the roundhouse on the cliff-top standing.
Take women and children and bed them down.
Bless with a hard heart those that stand with me.
Bless the women and children who firm our hands.
Put our backs to the north wind.
Hold fast by the river.
Sweet memories to drive us on,
for the motherland.

Balog

  • Unrepentant race traitor
  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 17,774
  • What if we tried more?
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2014, 05:25:19 PM »
Could be a number of things. Regulator valve from tank could be bad, if there's any kind of solenoid on the flow path of the gas from tank to burner that could have failed, or the jets could be clogged. My money would be on clogged jets, followed by bad regulator, followed by no gas.  :laugh:
Report to moderator   Logged
Quote from: French G.
I was always pleasant, friendly and within arm's reach of a gun.

Quote from: Standing Wolf
If government is the answer, it must have been a really, really, really stupid question.

Scout26

  • I'm a leaf on the wind.
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25,997
  • I spent a week in that town one night....
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #2 on: April 03, 2014, 05:30:09 PM »
Quote from: Balog on April 03, 2014, 05:25:19 PM
Could be a number of things. Regulator valve from tank could be bad, if there's any kind of solenoid on the flow path of the gas from tank to burner that could have failed, or the jets could be clogged. My money would be on clogged jets, followed by bad regulator, followed by no gas.  :laugh:

I've got gas.  (HA!)  as I can easily get the pilot light lit and it stays lit.  (Also the stove, and refrigerator both work.)  So that eliminates #3. 
Report to moderator   Logged
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.


Bring me my Broadsword and a clear understanding.
Get up to the roundhouse on the cliff-top standing.
Take women and children and bed them down.
Bless with a hard heart those that stand with me.
Bless the women and children who firm our hands.
Put our backs to the north wind.
Hold fast by the river.
Sweet memories to drive us on,
for the motherland.

Balog

  • Unrepentant race traitor
  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 17,774
  • What if we tried more?
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #3 on: April 03, 2014, 05:36:22 PM »
Quote from: scout26 on April 03, 2014, 05:30:09 PM
I've got gas.  (HA!)  as I can easily get the pilot light lit and it stays lit.  (Also the stove, and refrigerator both work.)  So that eliminates #3. 

Ah, if it's running other appliances then that's not it. I could see a very low tank being able to supply a pilot light but not having enough pressure to get through a regulator though.
Report to moderator   Logged
Quote from: French G.
I was always pleasant, friendly and within arm's reach of a gun.

Quote from: Standing Wolf
If government is the answer, it must have been a really, really, really stupid question.

cassandra and sara's daddy

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 20,781
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #4 on: April 03, 2014, 05:50:06 PM »
try working the valve/knob that switches it from off to pilot to run through full range of movement once or twice.  and make sure it pops all the way back out after you light pilot
Report to moderator   Logged
It is much more powerful to seek Truth for one's self.  Seeing and hearing that others seem to have found it can be a motivation.  With me, I was drawn because of much error and bad judgment on my part. Confronting one's own errors and bad judgment is a very life altering situation.  Confronting the errors and bad judgment of others is usually hypocrisy.


by someone older and wiser than I

charby

  • Necromancer
  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 29,295
  • APS's Resident Sikh/Muslim
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2014, 05:53:11 PM »
Quote from: scout26 on April 03, 2014, 05:30:09 PM
I've got gas.  (HA!)  as I can easily get the pilot light lit and it stays lit.  (Also the stove, and refrigerator both work.)  So that eliminates #3. 

Check for a spider web/mud dabber nest in the air intake on the burner.
Report to moderator   Logged
Iowa- 88% more livable that the rest of the US

Uranus is a gas giant.

Team 444: Member# 536

never_retreat

  • Head Muckety Muck
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,158
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #6 on: April 03, 2014, 09:58:33 PM »
Sounds like the gas valve is not opening. Check to see if there is power to it. Should usually be 24 volts ac at the terminals when being told to open.
You can also try the technical tap on the gas valve.
Report to moderator   Logged
I needed a mod to change my signature because the concept of "family friendly" eludes me.
Just noticed that a mod changed my signature. How long ago was that?
A few months-mods

Scout26

  • I'm a leaf on the wind.
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25,997
  • I spent a week in that town one night....
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #7 on: April 03, 2014, 10:59:28 PM »
Ran it off both the freshly chargred 12v car battery and the ac converter (ran an extension out to it)

I'll try playing with the vavle more and bring my multimeter with tomorrow.
Report to moderator   Logged
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.


Bring me my Broadsword and a clear understanding.
Get up to the roundhouse on the cliff-top standing.
Take women and children and bed them down.
Bless with a hard heart those that stand with me.
Bless the women and children who firm our hands.
Put our backs to the north wind.
Hold fast by the river.
Sweet memories to drive us on,
for the motherland.

charby

  • Necromancer
  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 29,295
  • APS's Resident Sikh/Muslim
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #8 on: April 03, 2014, 11:10:39 PM »
Are you going to have electric where you're setting up the popup? You can always run an electric heater at night for warmth.
Report to moderator   Logged
Iowa- 88% more livable that the rest of the US

Uranus is a gas giant.

Team 444: Member# 536

Jim147

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,604
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #9 on: April 03, 2014, 11:35:20 PM »
Got a brand and model number?

If I had this call with a resi unit, I would check for a tripped limit and then go to the stat. The fan shouldn't come on until the board or the close on rise stat in the unit tells it to. Why is the fan coming on? I've worked on a bunch of camper A/C units and a few refrigerators but not much on the heaters.

Do you have a meter?  I might be able to tell you to put the pointy things on this and tell me what it says. If not, do you have enough gas and whiskey to bring it by the shop?

jim
Report to moderator   Logged
Sometimes we carry more weight then we owe.
And sometimes goes on and on and on.

BAH-WEEP-GRAAAGHNAH WHEEP NI-NI BONG

Scout26

  • I'm a leaf on the wind.
  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 25,997
  • I spent a week in that town one night....
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #10 on: April 04, 2014, 01:18:42 PM »
Uhh, Jim, I'm in Illinois. and we're heading out to go Turkey hunting this weekend.  Place we're staying doesn't have electric.


I do have a Plan B* to keep us warm, should I not be able to get Plan A working.  ;)




*- Little Buddy heater.
Report to moderator   Logged
Some days even my lucky rocketship underpants won't help.


Bring me my Broadsword and a clear understanding.
Get up to the roundhouse on the cliff-top standing.
Take women and children and bed them down.
Bless with a hard heart those that stand with me.
Bless the women and children who firm our hands.
Put our backs to the north wind.
Hold fast by the river.
Sweet memories to drive us on,
for the motherland.

geronimotwo

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,796
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #11 on: April 04, 2014, 02:49:12 PM »
try using a jumper across the thermostat connection on the gas valve. (unless the t-stat is in series with the power source, then jump the wires at the t-stat.).   are camper units 24volts, or 12 volts?  if 24, you may need the inverter running.  when you say the fan is working, is it turning on by itself a set time after the t-stat calls for heat, or are you running it with a "fan" switch?  a mud dauber would be able to clog the burner, so remove the burner line from the gas valve and blow through it. (i think on campers the burner comes out with the line like a water heater, correct?)   you should be able to feel/hear the air blowing through the jet.   does the pilot stay lit after the call for heat?  good luck!
Report to moderator   Logged
make the world idiot proof.....and you will have a world full of idiots. -g2

Bob F.

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 1,249
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #12 on: April 05, 2014, 10:00:57 PM »
Been a while and I was never very good at such things, but do the still have a "thermocouple/thermistor"?? Years ago it kept a gas furnace from kicking on in a mobile home.....
Report to moderator   Logged
"I always have my primary weapon, it's right between my ears."

cordex

  • Administrator
  • Senior Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 8,679
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #13 on: April 05, 2014, 10:18:34 PM »
Quote from: Bob F. on April 05, 2014, 10:00:57 PM
Been a while and I was never very good at such things, but do the still have a "thermocouple/thermistor"?? Years ago it kept a gas furnace from kicking on in a mobile home.....
Doesn't a bad thermocouple usually kill the pilot light too?
Report to moderator   Logged

geronimotwo

  • friend
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 3,796
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #14 on: April 05, 2014, 11:30:32 PM »
Quote from: cordex on April 05, 2014, 10:18:34 PM
Doesn't a bad thermocouple usually kill the pilot light too?
yes
Report to moderator   Logged
make the world idiot proof.....and you will have a world full of idiots. -g2

Jim147

  • friends
  • Senior Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 7,604
Re: Propane Heater help.
« Reply #15 on: April 06, 2014, 12:02:07 AM »
Quote from: scout26 on April 04, 2014, 01:18:42 PM
Uhh, Jim, I'm in Illinois. and we're heading out to go Turkey hunting this weekend.  Place we're staying doesn't have electric.


I do have a Plan B* to keep us warm, should I not be able to get Plan A working.  ;)




*- Little Buddy heater.

I know where you are. Gas and whiskey. Gas to get here and whiskey to get me to work on it. We have lots of turkey here.

jim
Report to moderator   Logged
Sometimes we carry more weight then we owe.
And sometimes goes on and on and on.

BAH-WEEP-GRAAAGHNAH WHEEP NI-NI BONG
Pages: [1]
« previous next »