I might be crazy....

[jeg1983]

I got my propane heater in and everything but I'm not sure if its a normal thing for the flames to kinda like backdraft and come out the front of the heater... It very slightly and once and a while but I was not sure if this is a normal thing? I was thinking I was getting a weird draft from the side door of the van and the back door of the van being open... Or I was thinking it was the exhaust. Because at the time I had not put a piece of flex pipe on the exhaust tip. And the muffle is like 2 and a half feet inside the van. we have the machine at the back of the van and it is a extended van. Is this normal or do you think its the exhaust. Because getting the exhaust fixed today and I'm hoping that does the trick.

 

[GRHeacock]

Someone might correct me, but I think the flame should be blue, not orange or yellow, and should go straight up, without coming out the front door.

1st thought is do you have enough chimney stack?

Second is do you close the front door, and flame still comes out the front? If so, there could be a clog someplace above the fire.

The hot air should pull the flame up with it, not come out the front.

Third thought- do you have enough propane pressure? Inadequate pressure can cause problems.

Where is the tank? Inside or outside? Could you be getting liquid instead of all gas?

Gary

 

[jeg1983]

The tank I have inside the van.

As far as Chimney stack??? I'm a bit confused on that... There is a chimney on top of it. But I do not have it vented through the roof.

I have been messing with it today and I really think the flame jets are clogged. I closed the side door and I got the exhaust ran outside of the van now. The only air moving through the van now is from the fan cooling the TM engine. But While I was messing with it today I noticed the flames would stop on certain burners here and there and then start again and that is when the flame seems to be coming out the holes in the bottom. Mabye the jets are plugged? If so, Do i have to pull the whole heater out to get the burner out?

Thanks for your time and knowledge!

Jamie Garrison

 

[Guest]

You driving around with a tank inside the truck will get you off the road quick.



Taking apart the heater not a hard task but dirty. Check with Greenie on size of jet opening to clean out.

 

[Jim Martin]

sounds to me like the flame is off...could be the orifice or just a simple adjustment.... and it is not exhausting the way it should.........


accident waiting to happen

 

[The Magician]

Clean the burner rings. it needs to be done when you notice a difference in the blue flame. It part of regular maintenance.Use a welder cleaning tip and do not enlarge the holes.

 

[Greenie]

CLEANING BURNER RING

Here is an excellent post from Duane Oxley:

"Marty...

As new as your system is, I'd be willing to bet that the Unitrol is in good shape. Since you've replaced the regulator, there's one thing left to do. (And by the way... it's periodic maintenance, as far as I'm concerned...) That's to clean the jets. Compressed air alone won't do it. You have to "drill" them out. It's important to NOT make them any larger when you drill them.

Go to a welding supply company and get a set of "tip cleaners". Basically, it's a set of tiny drill bits. there are a couple of different kinds. One looks a lot like a folding allen wrench set. (Don't get that one, unless it's all you have available.) The other looks a lot like an exacto knife... It's a tube, about 4 inches long, and the bits are stored inside of it. (That's the one you want.)

On the first jet you clean, start with the smallest bit and work your way up, until you feel like it's biting into metal. Than go one size smaller. You don't want to remove any metal... making the jet orifice any larger. Once you've got the right bit, clean all of the jets with it, then blow them out with compressed air again, before reinstalling the burner.

Obstruction of the jets is as much a residue problem as anything. Typically, it happens over a period of time of a year to two years. In my experience, it seems to be due to the perfume added to the L.P. And sometimes, they seem to add too much. That perfume leaves a residue. And if there's too much in a batch of L.P., it will clog the jets quicker."

 

[floorguy]

http://www.silverhawke.com/carpetcleaner.htm

thats one reason i went to this....

granted it might have been out of your price league...but baby oh baby


ohhh no jets to clog really....works like a hot air ballon jet...BIG

 

[Greenie]

You ever get a feel for how much juice that thing burns in an hour of cleaning?

 

[Out of Character - 0]

If the jets are clogged which they very well may be, the above post on cleaning is great. But If it is happening only when the burner is turning on it is likely the positioning of the pilot to the closest jets as well as air flow drawing the gas away from the pilot temporarily until it builds up and contacts the pilot. We have the same heater at the back door and have constant issues with wind or the 2.5 inch vac port if its open. We made a few wind screens to prevent that after we had a few explosions the rocked the neighorhood and blasted a tech on his ass one day. Since making a few adjustments, adding wind screens, and keeping the front windows closed, the open vac away, and keeping the doors closed we don't really have that problem anymore. Also you may wish to turn up the heat you can do better than 180, if you have exchangers before the burner you can pick any temp.

 

[GRHeacock]

When I had a propane burner in my first slide in, I had issues at first, because it was located right at the back door- beside the Truck Mount machine.

I added a chimney stack that was 2 elbows, so the entire thing stuck out the back door and was actually above the roof line.

This extra draw allowed a better burning of the propane.

That said, about once a year, I had to clean out the jets, due to the rust that formed.

(There is a lot of moisture in the propane)

Venting the fire outside also helped to keep the inside of the van free from the soot that can form when the burner is not working properly.

And get that propane tank outside, like D. Smith says. It is dangerous, and illegal.

Gary