Pilot Light Question

[Goldenboy]

On real fooking windy days my pilot light will blow out. I have it vented through the ceiling of my roof. Do you think the hole in the roof is part of the problem because its vented out. I have nothing covering it. Its just a hole. Some kind of down draft? I have all my doors closed windy days. What do you think?

Golden Boy

 

[Duane Oxley]

Yes.

Back when I cleaned carpet for a living, I had a similar arrangement. But I had a "wedge" vent on the roof, with the open part facing the back of the van. The only time it was a problem was when the wind blew the wrong way and went down the vent... mainly springtime and winter.

An autopilot can remedy that, though...

 

[Jim Martin]

it is actually called a V.T.R. pipe (vent threw roof ) and it does need a cap on it to prevent downdrafts and things getting into it causing a fire....

 

[Goldenboy]

I had one of those until I pulled into the garage.

Golden Boy

 

[floorguy]

just buy a fuel fired one and be done with it

 

[Shane T]

I doubt the problem is the vent. Have you turned up the wick on the pilot? Leave one door partially open. between the engine and the burner you need some fresh air in there and you don't want it coming down thru the vent.

 

[SRI Cleaning]

Dont you get water and debris in there?

 

[Shane T]

Dont you get water and debris in there?

Never been a problem at all, even in pouring rain.

 

[rhino1]

I have to wonder if your heater is propane why did you feel the need to vent thru the roof? I would definitely say that could be one source of the problem, not necessarily from a downdraft but maybe by providing a direct passage for air to leave the van via the vent.

There is some half-forgotten physics lesson tumbling around in my head that would explain why but I can't remember it anymore.

Oh, yeah, and make sure your pilot orifice is clean. We can't go around with stuff jammed up our orifices ya' know.

 

[Duane Oxley]

I have to wonder if your heater is propane why did you feel the need to vent thru the roof?

Because some people can't leave well enough alone. (I was that way when I cleaned, so I know what I'm bemoaning here...)

Basically, with the larger heaters, some owners feel that the heat they produce is too much to "leave in the van".

It ain't true, though. 8)

 

[Royal Man]

That extra heat comes in handy in the winter. Just need to wipe the water vapor off the inside of the windows.

 

[Bob Savage]

You do NOT need to vent an LP heater thru the roof of your van or trailer.

If you do, you are messing with the gravity oxygen flow feeding the heater.

And what's worse, is putting a few elbows on the top of the heater and trying to direct it vertically to the outside of your van.

 

[Shane T]

You do NOT need to vent an LP heater thru the roof of your van or trailer.

If you do, you are messing with the gravity oxygen flow feeding the heater.

And what's worse, is putting a few elbows on the top of the heater and trying to direct it vertically to the outside of your van.

Bob,
It may not be neccassary but after 20 years of venting it out to the side of my van I seriously doubt there are any ill affects. Do you wish to explain your statement further. We all know hot air rises, are you saying it rises faster with vent pipes on top of the heater. Is there any data showing a less efficient heater that is vented?

 

[Duane Oxley]

BTW... It's not necessary to have "elbows" in the exhaust plumbing. For the few people who've insisted on venting, I've told them to route it straight up.

Years ago, I had a customer who couldn't leave well enough alone. He insisted on venting and got some flexible air conditioning duct to vent with. (You know, the big, puffy- looking, shiny stuff that's super- flexible.) He put it on his heater and routed it across the van, moving it through the door when the door was open and back when closed. It was about 8 feet long.

Well, it started sooting up. And about every 2 weeks, he'd bring it by with soot to clean out, until finally, after the third time, I got it through to him that he was actually causing the problem. (He was Korean and didn't speak English very well. So there was a serious language barrier.)

After that, all was well...

 

[Bob Savage]

Shane,

Venting an LP heater to the outside, thru horizontal piping and elbow bends, restricts the amount of oxygen that will enter the bottom of the heater, which causes a less than perfect burn, unless the heater is right at the door of the van, where there would be almost no restriction.

Venting an LP heater thru the roof, may create too much draft and cause too much airflow, which can blow out the pilot or give you sporadic flames when the burner ignites.