Little Giant burner cleaning

[Ron Werner]

Finally got the burner out of my LG.
One jet was almost plugged, the rest were quite closed off and took a bit of cleaning out.
BOY did I notice the difference when I fired it up. Much larger flame, more heat, faster start.
I changed the heat sender for my temp guage as well. She went right up to boiling and right past it when I cranked it.
It's going to be like a new TM!!

All that black crap came from inside the burner after I cleaned the jets.

Thanks Les for the help. Came off really quick once I
One, bought a big enough wrench to fit the swivel, and
Two, cut the hole big enough for the burner ring to slide out

 

[renegade_cowboy]

I have a 3ht, how many hours till you had to clean yours? Is there a general rule of thumb on how often they should come out to be cleaned? I looked at mine and thought what a b!tch it would be if I ever had to remove it.

 

[lance]

Cut a hole big enough? My 2HT has a bottom that comes off as soon as you take out 4 or 5 sheetmetal screws.

Can't you do that with the 4HT?

 

[Lee Stockwell]

I like Duane Oxley's design that just folds over to expose the burner ring completely.

 

[Ron Werner]

I've 800hrs on this unit plus some playing time in SC at Les' place.
I don't know about any schedule but I'm going to pull it once a year. I could hear the difference so now I know what to listen for, and I could feel the diff in heat.

As for ease of maintenance, now that I've done it once it'll be a breeze. They happened to make the 4HT with too small a hole to pull the burner ring out so it required some surgery. NBD

I wouldn't have wanted to clean those jets in place; too darn awkward. It was nice to have the ring out, sit at a table and file out the holes under good day light.

 

[Nate The Great]

Les is the man for also helping me clean my burner ring. I was going to buy a new ring because I was miss informed from another party. Les saved the day and I got a lot more heat out of it after cleaning it then I tweaked the Tstat for abit more.

 

[Ron Werner]

what was that tweak Nate?

 

[Lee Stockwell]

You can take off the locknut behind the temperature knob and get a bit more rotation. Tighten it back down in the new position.

Might not be his tweak, but it works. Also adding a fan (not too hard) to bring a bit more fresh oxygen to the burner area helps it burn hotter and cleaner.

Moderator Warning! Moderator Warning! Moderator Warning! Moderator Warning!

Under no circumstances should anyone tamper with the limit stop on a Little Giant thermostat! If a thermostat needs to be adjusted, it should be done by a professional or supervised by a professional. Adjusting the limit tab on the thermostat increases the high temperature shutoff point of the heater. This is better known as a spike. The dial on the front of the thermostat is basically a high temperature limit. The water flow must be stopped for this control to operate. Even though increasing this will give you an increase in spike temperature, it will not increase the sustained temperature of the heater.

I did not do this warning to discredit Lee in any way. It is just that if someone adjusts this tab (especially if hot water is in the heater) it can rupture hoses and cause severe burns.

 

[joeynbgky]

I have a little giant #3. I was told two different things to do with it............ actually3

take it apart and fill the whole heater with vinegar
Take the burner out and blow out the holes with a torch
Take the heater to a radiator shop to be cleaned

anyone know?

 

[Erik]

You can take off the locknut behind the temperature knob and get a bit more rotation. Tighten it back down in the new position.

Might not be his tweak, but it works. Also adding a fan (not too hard) to bring a bit more fresh oxygen to the burner area helps it burn hotter and cleaner.

Not too much, It could catch fire.

 

[Nate The Great]

While no manufacture/distributor will openly say it, you are correct Lee. Loosen the locknut and bump it up a little.



Catch fire Erik? Isn't anyone who doesn't have a HX or vortex playing with fire?

 

[Erik]

If you over tweak the thermostat, your asking for trouble. Anything is good in moderation.

 

[Leslie Judson Jones]

I will be making a maintenance video for the Little Giant heater in the next couple of days for you guys. The Little Giant heater is an extremely reliable system and requires very little maintenance and the service record is unmatched by any other heating system in the industry. If anyone has any issues with a Little Giant heater, please give me a call at my office. I will be glad to explain to you the do’s and don’ts on maintenance.

There are several very important things I would like to mention right now to make sure you guys don’t make a mistake.

Number 1: Do not adjust your high temperature limit tab stop on the heater until you talk to me first.

Number 2: When cleaning your burner ring, do not remove your brass jets from the burner ring. These brass jets are threaded in the burner ring and are heat seized and if you try to remove them, most of the threads will strip. I will show you how to clean the jets properly and remove the debris out of the burner ring without having to remove the brass jets.

Number 3: When cleaning the brass jets it is crucial you do not make the orifices too big. I will cover all these points in my video.

Thanks!

Les

 

[joeynbgky]

Thanks les... this will really help out. Ill pay for this video

 

[Ron Werner]

that answered a question. I was wondering if opening the hole a little would be better.
A gentle filing with that jet cleaner did a nice job

 

[Ron Werner]

I don't need any more heat! Getting 212+ with 15 flow at 400-500psi with the jet on.
And there's still room to crank it hotter!!

 

[Nate The Great]

I don't need any more heat! Getting 212+ with 15 flow at 400-500psi with the jet on.
And there's still room to crank it hotter!!

I do. I only have two 3ht little giant. No money for a #4ht. I make due with what I got.

 

[Ron Werner]

find a way to preheat your fresh water perhaps. do you carry it or connect to each place individually?

 

[Nate The Great]

find a way to preheat your fresh water perhaps. do you carry it or connect to each place individually?

Connect to each place. I was going to use a HX that came with my machine but was advised not to, so my pump wouldn't fail prematurely. It was a coolant HX tied into the 20hp watercooled motor.

 

[floorguy]

[quote="Ron Werner":7ma0nap6]find a way to preheat your fresh water perhaps. do you carry it or connect to each place individually?

Connect to each place. I was going to use a HX that came with my machine but was advised not to, so my pump wouldn't fail prematurely. It was a coolant HX tied into the 20hp watercooled motor.[/quote:7ma0nap6]


???? huh

most pumps take 160-180....special seals for the higher side. The main part is it needs to CIRCULATE...other wise it makes the pump hot....hook that exchanger back up, as it should be BEHIND the pump, and before the heater...that gives it just a bit of boost

 

[Ron Werner]

plumb the HX after the pump before the LG

 

[lance]

Yes the HX with give you a head start. Little giants only raise the water temp. so much, especially with high flow.

Even if you start with water at 100 or 120 degrees before it goes into the LG, it will be better than starting at 65 degrees.

 

[Shane T]

plumb the HX after the pump before the LG

You better make sure that heat exchanger is designed to take the pressure. Some of the coolant exchangers are not. If its not rated for the higher pressure put it before the pump and add a Cat thermo relief valve. I know I have one that opens at 165 degrees. It won't open often unless your just extracting flood water.

 

[MrSteam]

I will be making a maintenance video for the Little Giant heater in the next couple of days for you guys. The Little Giant heater is an extremely reliable system and requires very little maintenance and the service record is unmatched by any other heating system in the industry. If anyone has any issues with a Little Giant heater, please give me a call at my office. I will be glad to explain to you the do’s and don’ts on maintenance.

There are several very important things I would like to mention right now to make sure you guys don’t make a mistake.

Number 1: Do not adjust your high temperature limit tab stop on the heater until you talk to me first.

Number 2: When cleaning your burner ring, do not remove your brass jets from the burner ring. These brass jets are threaded in the burner ring and are heat seized and if you try to remove them, most of the threads will strip. I will show you how to clean the jets properly and remove the debris out of the burner ring without having to remove the brass jets.

Number 3: When cleaning the brass jets it is crucial you do not make the orifices too big. I will cover all these points in my video.

Thanks!

Les

So where's the video?

Need to clean mine, thanks!

 

[Leslie Judson Jones]

I will be making a maintenance video for the Little Giant heater in the next couple of days for you guys. The Little Giant heater is an extremely reliable system and requires very little maintenance and the service record is unmatched by any other heating system in the industry. If anyone has any issues with a Little Giant heater, please give me a call at my office. I will be glad to explain to you the do’s and don’ts on maintenance.

There are several very important things I would like to mention right now to make sure you guys don’t make a mistake.

Number 1: Do not adjust your high temperature limit tab stop on the heater until you talk to me first.

Number 2: When cleaning your burner ring, do not remove your brass jets from the burner ring. These brass jets are threaded in the burner ring and are heat seized and if you try to remove them, most of the threads will strip. I will show you how to clean the jets properly and remove the debris out of the burner ring without having to remove the brass jets.

Number 3: When cleaning the brass jets it is crucial you do not make the orifices too big. I will cover all these points in my video.

Thanks!

Les

So where's the video?

Need to clean mine, thanks!

Ben,

I am glad you brought this up. I can’t believe it has been over a month since I said I was going to make this video. I’ve had a bag of parts to make the video with on my desk for about that long.

In the video I am going to include all the tools and parts you need to obtain to service the heater. I went to Lowes in the welding department and got a welding tip cleaner and tip and I also like these little bronze brushes that look like toothbrushes. Those are sold at Lowes too.

I will make the video in the next couple of days, I promise. I just got a large shipment of number 4 HT heaters in. I was kind of waiting for all those to arrive so I can do the number 3 and the number 4 at the same time.


Les

 

[Out of Character - 0]

To you guys who have a LG under warranty, consider that adjusting the thermostat will void it. I replaced an older #3 hp with a new one recently; I made the mistake of using the old pressure relief valve instead of buying a new one. The gas valve stuck after 3 months of use and the heater kept burning until it blew a leak from the increased pressure from the high temperature. My pressure relief valve didn't open. I think it was seized from being 6 years old and never being needed, LG said it was torqued down too tight. There is a possibility that somewhere along the way a tech tightened it so I give them the benefit of the doubt.

The last LG lasted 6 years with very hard water and a lot of tile and grout cleaning before it developed a leak. I still recommend the LG as good units and LG worked with me on a replacement even though they voided my warranty. In my opinion what the charged me for a replacement was fair since I did tweak it to 250F, I'd comfortably buy another.

Judson claims 240 with the LG, I imagine Les would warranty them if they failed, that's just an assumption. If my assumption is true, then Judson is the only place you should buy an LG.

Les?

 

[Nate The Great]

I just scored a small #2 LG from a local cleaner who didn't use it for awhile. I need a new thermostat box thingie for it. The dude broke his and it can't adjust the flame. The pilot light comes on though. What the cost of a thermo control box?

I also need to buy a #4. My 2 #3's are on there last legs. 1 continually blows a hole, which my good friend is getting tired of repairing. And I'm tired of taking it apart to get to the bottom of the coil.

 

[Leslie Judson Jones]

I will be making a maintenance video for the Little Giant heater in the next couple of days for you guys. The Little Giant heater is an extremely reliable system and requires very little maintenance and the service record is unmatched by any other heating system in the industry. If anyone has any issues with a Little Giant heater, please give me a call at my office. I will be glad to explain to you the do’s and don’ts on maintenance.

There are several very important things I would like to mention right now to make sure you guys don’t make a mistake.

Number 1: Do not adjust your high temperature limit tab stop on the heater until you talk to me first.

Number 2: When cleaning your burner ring, do not remove your brass jets from the burner ring. These brass jets are threaded in the burner ring and are heat seized and if you try to remove them, most of the threads will strip. I will show you how to clean the jets properly and remove the debris out of the burner ring without having to remove the brass jets.

Number 3: When cleaning the brass jets it is crucial you do not make the orifices too big. I will cover all these points in my video.

Thanks!

Les

So where's the video?

Need to clean mine, thanks!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40279


edit by FredC to fix broken vid link


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmtkE_biKz8


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RECWY3ToBkE


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR77hndhoAc



View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iD6zSjRWJ4s

 

[Luky]

view topic. php?f=1&t=40279

This is a 13-year-old thread with an apparent link from Les. When I click on it, it takes me nowhere. Does anybody have a link with tips on how to clean LG #3HT? I know how to disassemble it and not to mess up the burner orifices, but it would be nice to have guidance. My 3 HT is firing intermittently ( 3500 hours). No wonder why.
Thank y'all

 

[Luky]

Never mind, I was able to find the videos.
Thanks