# My heater died



## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

I have a fairly new 170/210k heater. Worked great until now. Blows smoke all over until I take the cover off, then it works great. 

Im about ready to smash it with a sledge. Ive cleaned everything I can think of, the fuel pressure is fine. Its always when you need it the most. 

No one anywhere has any heaters for sale. 

Rant over. 

I have another one to use, but it burns your eyes a bit, so ill have to use propane during the day. 



The good news is I get to plow snow for 3 days in a row.


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## blacktop (Oct 28, 2012)

JBM said:


> I have a fairly new 170/210k heater. Worked great until now. Blows smoke all over until I take the cover off, then it works great.
> 
> Im about ready to smash it with a sledge. Ive cleaned everything I can think of, the fuel pressure is fine. Its always when you need it the most.
> 
> ...


Domas can tell you what's wrong .. Sounds like the air intake . 

Is it a multi fuel heater ? What are you running?


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

It's a dynamic pro kero heater. I'm running kero.


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## superseal (Feb 4, 2009)

Maybe the wick is f'ked up...if indeed it has a wick :laughing:


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

Nope no wick lol


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

What type of igniter does it have ?


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Sounds like a clogged air filter. Try just removing the filter(s).


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

fjn said:


> What type of igniter does it have ?


A forked type of sparkug.


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

JBM said:


> A forked type of sparkug.





Just AWAG, put in a new one.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

I'll try to clean it tomorrow. It starts great without the cover on thou


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## pappagor (Jan 29, 2008)

try the air hose trick


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

What is the air hose trick?


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## fjn (Aug 17, 2011)

JBM said:


> What is the air hose trick?





x 2 ?


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

It's a lack of air. you need a NEW air filter not just cleaned. There's that paper filter that has carbon or something in it, that needs to be replaced. I can only find them on Amazon. What i do in that situation is to put the lid back on but only 2 or 4 screws towards the front and wedge something in the back so air can be sucked in directly, hopefully it works until you can get a new filter. Order 4 at a time

So long as the front is fully covered foreward of the fan there is no more risk of fire than if the whole thing is covered


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

I ordered the filters. The paper one is black , completely. I tried to run it without the paper filter and it didn't improve it.


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## rustyjames (Aug 28, 2008)

http://www.reddyparts.com/sp_tips.htm

This site helped me figure out what my heater problem was.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

JBM said:


> I ordered the filters. The paper one is black , completely. I tried to run it without the paper filter and it didn't improve it.


Yeah i've tried that too, doesn't work, I think it needs some resistance to draw or soemthing


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## Fancis Casini (Jan 31, 2013)

JBM said:


> I have a fairly new 170/210k heater. Worked great until now. Blows smoke all over until I take the cover off, then it works great.
> 
> Im about ready to smash it with a sledge. Ive cleaned everything I can think of, the fuel pressure is fine. Its always when you need it the most.
> 
> ...


lol I have the same sized heater same problem [internals are all the same basically] at first it would run fine but run out before it was empty.....i found the fuel pick up tube hose too long so it curled upward in the tank bottom.
I had much down time as they are very temperamental. Ive bought pump blades;the pressure gauge; all the filters;nozzle etc etc..and each time I got it running but slowly it regressed to needing the cover slid forward a bit and now wants it off!
I noticed the plastic along the heat chamber getting hot...I took the chamber off and the metal supports were giving out allowing it to settle towards the tank top. I put in strap supports and it helped but I think the chamber is terribly under gauged!

Other fixes were the air and fuel tubes flare at the fittings ie nozzle and filter and pump. The nozzle spins with air flow and has spiral grooves which get filled and the spin is easily stopped or slowed with either dirt or faltered air flow. I take the nozzle apart and clean them and do all the filters but it still demands the cover removed....has to be the chamber air flow. Just a hunch as yours is new look at the end of the fuel tube in the tank...make sure it's not curled and be sure they cut it in a point ie 45 degree cut from it center. it wont get clogged by bottoming that way. I actually replace all those **** hoses and used ideal clamps because they leak after a while. B careful with the igniter,just looking at it will fracture it and its expensive like a gas dryer igniter! Funny though the replacement is a lot more durable!

Talk about no heat I've been plowing without it. Damned duramax has a head gasket problem that results in over pressurized coolant and air pockets in the heater core. I put in blue devil last spring [5000$job] and it worked great but now the core is clogging! Put in 2 by bass tees and air blew it and water hose blew it both directions. It works for a while three times then it goes cold.This morn I'm putting in bar's and pumping it for an hour both directions. I thought I was done with the no heat **** and scraping ice off the inside windows...I used to have a 36 horse vw that did the same thing, but we piled in anyway!


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

All new filters and it wont run with the cover fully on. Runs amazing with little shims in the back though.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

JBM said:


> All new filters and it wont run with the cover fully on. Runs amazing with little shims in the back though.


Hmm. You're sure you have the right pressure? You're running kero? Can you switch yours between 170 btu and 200? if so does it work on one but not the other? It's been bitterly cold here lately, maybe the fuel is just too thick without more air?

Definitely sounds like an air flow problem...I'm really surprised the new filter didn't fix it.


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## 6stringmason (May 20, 2005)

I switched to LP for simplicity. I was sick of fixing all the muilt fuel heaters I had, and filling up jugs all the time. Now I just get some 100lb cylinders for running during the day, or 20's for smaller jobs, and its so much less head ache. And they run, without fail for me all the time.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

6stringmason said:


> I switched to LP for simplicity. I was sick of fixing all the muilt fuel heaters I had, and filling up jugs all the time. Now I just get some 100lb cylinders for running during the day, or 20's for smaller jobs, and its so much less head ache. And they run, without fail for me all the time.


Do you find much difference in fuel cost?


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

LP is nice, but most of the sizable heaters I've seen have no thermostat. They have to be manually ignited. Not so much of a factor outside/in a tent, but not practical to keep fiddling with when they can stay ahead of the cold.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

Tinstaafl said:


> LP is nice, but most of the sizable heaters I've seen have no thermostat. They have to be manually ignited. Not so much of a factor outside/in a tent, but not practical to keep fiddling with when they can stay ahead of the cold.


Also many of them can't be dialed down except at the tank. they are either on or off. And when they do fail they are difficult if not impossible to service at home. The big pigs/hogs or salamanders (I've heard both terms) are so stupid hot and loud that they can make for a very unpleasant day.


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## 6stringmason (May 20, 2005)

I havent specifically done the math on fuel costs, but LP up here is hovering around $1.80 per. Kerosene is above that, and diesel is at $2.50 ish. 

I also like not smelling the diesel or kerosene fumes all day, or having to slosh around and fill the 5 gallon jugs all the time. Its nice to have 500 gallon tanks dropped off for bigger jobs, or just drag around 100lbers and 20's for the smaller ones. 

I did find some LP heaters for about $200 that have a thermostat and can be changed from 130k to 170k from Fleet Farm, an upper midwest chainstore. They've also got the auto ignite on them, no priming involved. I've been running the LP's now for 4 or 5 years, and other than having to fix a cord, or put a new fan on. they turn all day without fail. 

I guess its just personal preference.


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

I did the math on LP and diesel when I was first starting and the difference was over 2x more for propane. If I had figured Kero it would have been the same. Diesel cost was $40 per day and propane was almost $100.


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## JBM (Mar 31, 2011)

If my heating cost 100 a day thats what I would charge additional.


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## Rockmonster (Nov 15, 2007)

dom-mas said:


> Also many of them can't be dialed down except at the tank. they are either on or off. And when they do fail they are difficult if not impossible to service at home. The big pigs/hogs or salamanders (I've heard both terms) are so stupid hot and loud that they can make for a very unpleasant day.


Get a 'Hot Box' (by Red Dragon).....I've got two of them, you can dial em down, and they will *crank* when needed......plus, you can put about 200 lbs on top of them as well........when you need to heat up, or melt ice off of stock......

A true 5 star product.....:thumbsup:


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## dom-mas (Nov 26, 2011)

JBM said:


> If my heating cost 100 a day thats what I would charge additional.


I can't always get heating cost out of a project. If the project is too expensive they'll wait til spring. There's no doubt about it...I make less money in the winter for more out put of work, with or without heating cost. If i could just add $2k to the cost and still get the job I would...but I can't so I either eat the heating cost or only add $1k to the cost and get the work. I still make more than sitting at home


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