Blue flame heater

[WyrTwister]

The garage in the house Mom and Dad lived in , when they passed , had the garage converted into living space . Before they purchased it .

My wire and I inherited the house , after they passed .

It had a panel ray heater . Last year , I disconnected the gas from the panel ray and used it to supply a blue flame heater . This year , the heater would lite , pilot and main burner would function , for a short time & both would go out .

Two nites ago , I gathered up a " butane match " , screwdriver , pliers and flashlight . I bent the thermocouple closer to the pilot lite . It has been working fine ever since .

Praise the Lord !

I may end up replacing it with a larger / greater BTU output , heater , some time this year . Not really large enough for COLD weather .

 

[mk378]

This means that you need to clean the dust out of the pilot burner.

The flame barely touching the thermocouple is a safety feature. If the oxygen in the room becomes depleted (or the burner air slot is clogged with dust), the flame will move out farther and cause the heater to shut down.

 

[ecotourist]

I wonder if your thermocouple is defective? My gas furnace acted up (for the first time) while the house was being inspected.

You might think that was rotten luck, but all it needed was a new thermocouple. I always kept a new thermocouple, in the package, right on the furnace door. The gas company came around and replaced it (for free) and gave my 18 year old furnace their stamp of approval. Problem solved.

 

[WyrTwister]

Are you saying the gas path of / for the pilot lite is clogged , reducing the size of the pilot flame ?

That would have to enter with the gas ? Not impossible . Not sure if the gas piping has a " dirt leg " ?

Pretty sure the burner air slot is not clogged , or any thing else is clogged .

Thanks ,

 

[WyrTwister]

One year old heater . Quality unknown . The possibility of a bad thermocouple crossed my mind .

I was just going to remove it and try to find a replacement . Do not know how hard it would be to source a replacement , but we have accounts with HVAC & plumbing supply houses . But I decided to tinker with it first .

 

[mk378]

Get to the pilot burner and blast air around it. There are some closely calibrated little holes and slots to keep it just on the edge of working in normal conditions, and "lift" the flame away from the thermocouple in abnormal conditions. This is the external parts not the gas jet.

 

[cheech279]

Originally Posted by mk378
Get to the pilot burner and blast air around it. There are some closely calibrated little holes and slots to keep it just on the edge of working in normal conditions...


+1. I sometimes have to use an old fashioned pipe cleaner to clean out the tube, then use compressed air.