Hydroflame furnace woes

wernstriumph · Feb 07, 2007, 10:24 AM

The last few times we went camping in late Fall, my Hydroflame everestsar II acted a little funny. When I first start it up, it blows nice and hot for a few hours or so. Then as time goes by, the air feels cooler and cooler. It still is warm, just not as warm as it was. I changed the propane and still no change. the next night when I turned it on the same thing happened, hot to begin with then cooler and cooler after a few hours. The temp was in the upper 30's ( I never had this problem before).I set up in Camp Driveway and tried it out, same thing happened. So I removed the unit to inspect the heat exchanger and the DSI board. Everything looks clean (no soot or rust in the exchanger) and the board looks good (good solder joints, no burned up components. Even the burner itself is clean. Has anybody else experienced this? If so what did you do? Thanks in advance.

chasd60 · Feb 07, 2007, 11:20 AM

Quote from: wernstriumphThe last few times we went camping in late Fall, my Hydroflame everestsar II acted a little funny. When I first start it up, it blows nice and hot for a few hours or so. Then as time goes by, the air feels cooler and cooler. It still is warm, just not as warm as it was. I changed the propane and still no change. the next night when I turned it on the same thing happened, hot to begin with then cooler and cooler after a few hours. The temp was in the upper 30's ( I never had this problem before).I set up in Camp Driveway and tried it out, same thing happened. So I removed the unit to inspect the heat exchanger and the DSI board. Everything looks clean (no soot or rust in the exchanger) and the board looks good (good solder joints, no burned up components. Even the burner itself is clean. Has anybody else experienced this? If so what did you do? Thanks in advance.

I have no experience with your problem but here is a link to service manuals

http://bryantrv.com/docs.html

wernstriumph · Feb 07, 2007, 11:43 AM

Thanks for the link! I have the factory manuals but I'll check that site out to see if there's any other literature I'm missing. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

brainpause · Feb 07, 2007, 05:30 PM

Sounds like a rather strange problem. Be sure and post the fix if you find one!

Larry

wernstriumph · Feb 07, 2007, 05:55 PM

Quote from: brainpauseSounds like a rather strange problem. Be sure and post the fix if you find one!

Larry

I will. The owner's manual and service manual barely touch the subject. They say if the unit is running cooler to check the voltage, it may be a low battery. BUT, I checked it and it's 12.5V plus I'm running off the converter. I just downloaded a Technical Service Bulletin from the link that Chasd60 posted but I haven't had a chance to dive into it yet. This is driving me crazy!:eyecrazy:

popupcop · Feb 07, 2007, 09:51 PM

If something else is warming the thermostat, it will think the heater has done its job and cut off. I don't know if there is an external or internal thermostat on this unit but that could be a cause.

chasd60 · Feb 08, 2007, 06:54 AM

Check to see if the propane regulator is icing up.
Just throwing out another idea.

wernstriumph · Feb 08, 2007, 08:13 AM

Quote from: popupcopIf something else is warming the thermostat, it will think the heater has done its job and cut off. I don't know if there is an external or internal thermostat on this unit but that could be a cause.

This unit has an external T-stat and the last time I ran it I removed it from the cabinet wall (it is mounted on the cabinet where the furnace is) but it still did it. It just seems like the burner flame is not as strong.
Thanks for the suggestion though.

wernstriumph · Feb 08, 2007, 08:17 AM

Quote from: chasd60Check to see if the propane regulator is icing up.
Just throwing out another idea.

I have to re-assemble the unit and put it back in the PUP and then I'll try it again. If that is the case, how do I keep the regulator from freezing up? would putting a cover or bag around the regulator work?

chasd60 · Feb 08, 2007, 11:59 AM

Quote from: wernstriumphI have to re-assemble the unit and put it back in the PUP and then I'll try it again. If that is the case, how do I keep the regulator from freezing up? would putting a cover or bag around the regulator work?

From

http://www.aleutianpropane.com/st.htm
Preventing Regulator Freeze-Ups

The presence of moisture in the fuel may cause the regulator to freeze up. The following suggestions may help you prevent regulator freeze-ups and allow moisture to pass harmlessly through the regulator.

Always keep the cylinder (or container) valve closed and POL plug in place when not in use to prevent moisture from collecting inside the container.

If you suspect the presence of moisture, your propane dealer can inject methyl alcohol into your cylinder (or container) before filling.

And another tidbit
Regulator freezing may also take place when external moisture freezes and blocks the vent portion of the regulator. The vent opening of all regulators must be pointed downward to avoid any blockage. Inspect and keep the regulator

wernstriumph · Feb 08, 2007, 01:15 PM

Again, thanks for the links. I'm gonna shoot for this weekend on testing the heater out. I'll let everyone know how it went. BTW, my neigbor has a 98 niagra and his heater does the same thing.

chasd60 · Feb 08, 2007, 01:42 PM

Maybe you are getting your fuel at the same place and it is laden with moisture?

wernstriumph · Feb 08, 2007, 04:08 PM

Quote from: chasd60Maybe you are getting your fuel at the same place and it is laden with moisture?

Now that you mention it, there are only a couple of places in town to get LP (The hardware store and the gas station by me have blue rhino and there is an actual LP filling station in the next town). The last few trips, I got blue rhino tanks because the filling station was closed. I'm going to see about getting one refilled this weekend(fire up the turkey fryer!) and I'll try once with the Blue Rhino and once with the refill. I will keep you all posted. Thanks!

... possibly the light at the end of the tunnel?...

wernstriumph · Feb 12, 2007, 07:20 AM

Well, here are the results of my "Weekend Heaterama":
I set up in Camp Backyard and ran the furnace with the Blue Rhino tank till it ran out. It started out at 120F. After about 5 hours, the temp started to drop to about 100F then held steady. 20 degrees might not seem like alot, but you can definetly feel the difference. It was in the low 30's all day. I took the tank to the filling place and had them purge and refill it. Hooked it back up and ran the furnace the rest of Sat to Sunday afternoon. It held at 120F the whole time. Chasd60 you were right about the moisture laden tanks. I think I'll only do the Blue Rhino tanks in the summer! Thanks for everybody's input, it was very helpful.

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Hydroflame furnace woes