munchkin F09 fault

Mitch_4

as your search criteria...lots of info

C Mills

munchkin F09 fault

I have Two Munchkin heaters, located in the same space. One is mounted on the wall and never fails , the other is mounted on the floor, The floor unit will run 7-10 days then shut down w/ a F09 fault,Both units have been in sevice for three years without any issues until now. The ignitor "looks" good, I can see it glowing and I have around 40 volts to it. I have checked my condensate line, it apears ok. any suggestions would be great. I live in Colorado, The rep in this area will not return my calls.

Ken_40

I suspect...

the factory set combustion adjustment may need a tweak.

Reps rarely return homeowner calls. Get in touch with the contractor who installed them. If not him, find another contractor with the laptop and software required to tweak that parameter.

Remember, yesterday was a legal holiday, few reps work on weekends or holidays.

Lurkin' Murkin'

Lollipop Guild...

It seems odd to need a laptop and special software to do a combustion analysis or adjustment. Can you give more details on the procedure and instruments required?

Ken_40

For the past 75 years...

We had to have a combustion analyzer to dial in a burner.

Today it's a laptop. Of course, the laptop is NOT mandatory, any more than an analyzer is. It is merely a diagnostic tool and/or tweaking one.

Shuld one want to customize a chipset "controlled" burner to a particular field condition, some manufacturer's allow that super-finer calibration. Some don't.

The more friendly the tweaking possiilities, the better IMO

Troy_3

fo9

I would start with cleaning both boilers and then analyze them when you start them back up. F09s are generally caused by backed up condensate. Grab the trap and sqeeze. Sometimes you can break up crap stuck in the trap.

Lurkin' Murkin'

O.K. - so now the 2 different contractors show up in a simultaneous type fashion, each ready to perform the combustion analysis - using their preferred diagnostic tools. One has a combustion analyzer, but can't show you the latest weather report, Paris Hilton photos, or the shortest route back to the airport - like the one with the laptop can...
Who do you let in???

Kevin A Gerrity_2

F09

There are many reason for an F09 reading. The unit is not sensing a flame even though you might see one in the sight glass. Try "Find a Professional" on this site to find someone in your area that can help. You can even try calling HTP Products they should have a list of trained Munchkin service Tech in your area.

Troy_3

Lurkin

If you called two contractors and they showed- I hope you would do the ethical thing and pay them both. If not they should both leave and never return to you home. That's what I think. Any homeowner that plays that game of who ever gets here first gets the job, ususally plans on paying no one. That's been my experience. Why do you have two contractors at your door? Do tell!

Steve Ebels_3

F9

The F9 code means that the boiler has experienced a flame failure. This can be caused by a host of different things but all of them result in no flame signal from the flame rod back to the board. The problem can be as diverse as backed up condensate in the trap or boiler to an electrical grounding issue. Those are aside from the fact that you may have an actual flame problem.

If these boilers have never been professionally serviced, it's now time to do so. Doesn't matter if they are only a year old. Git'er dun!! Any and all heating equipment should be checked annually even if you think it's running great and even if it's just an old cast iron boiler. Things can be happening that you are not aware of and have no way of knowing without the experience, knowledge and equipment which enables you to be called..... Tut Tutta TAHHHH.......THE HEATING GUY!! seriously

Lurkin' Murkin'

Your missing the point, Troy. Ken recommended calling contractors until one is found with a laptop. I want to understand what the laptop is going to do for the combustion analysis? I don't need a contractor or a laptop, personally...

Troy_3

laptop

The laptop allows us to look at the history of the boiler run times and all ignition trials, errors and fault codes ever recorded. May not be as necessary as a combustion analyzer but it is another tool. Only worth while if you know how to use it and make sense of the info it gives. The fact that you don't require a qualified contractor or combustion analyzer leads me to ask- What is your question? Because without diagnostic tools I would guess from here>>>>> Yup There it is--- my crystal ball says "You need a whole new system."

N.S

Munchkin cleaning

Just had the rep ( Mark Dolel ) help me on two cleanings last week in denver. Great day of learning for me.Both munchkins ran like a charm after that.They do need a good cleaning every few years
Great rep Thanks Mark

Perry_3

I note that a Vitodens does not need a laptop

The Vitodens does not need a laptop to do "proper" service on.

So - I take it that you are saying that to be able to properely maintain a Muchkin that you need a laptop, along with a combustion analyzer.

Just another couple thousand dollar tool for a service guy to bang arround in their truck I guess.

Now given that a great many heating contractors have not yet caught on to the fact that they need a combustion analyzer at all... (we can set it up by sight, sound, and smell)... How do you think that they would ever adopt that they need a laptop too?

I know - we can put a program on the laptop that people can check off "burns right" "sounds right" "smells right" and it will output a great combustion analysis... of what should be. They can even printout the analysis somehow as well and make them look so professional.

Now I will admit that occasionaly understanding the history of a boiler is not a bad thing... But I wonder why you cannot recover the key information you need from a small panel on the boiler.

Perry

Lurkin' Murkin'

Exactly the point I was trying to make, Perry. Although I am not trying to knock the Munchkin over this. This particular homeowner has reported the fault and frequency of occurrence - the laptop will not provide much more than this, nor will it perform the combustion analysis that he needs done. The problem may not be the combustion setting, but evidently this was never checked out. Competent troubleshooting skills, and perhaps information from this site on what to look for related to this problem, are what's needed...

Troy_3

laptop

The laptop is not needed for any boiler that I have installed but it sure helps to decifer the correct info. It is important to listen to the patient carefully. Often the info you receive is not accurate. yesterday I had a woman tell me her boiler has never worked right and that she has to reset it constantly. By using the laptop I showed her over 18000 successful ignitions and 1 failure to sense flame. Her response- Oh well our gas line froze two days ago. Now I could have believed this customer and chased my tail cause a computer is just too darn smart for me. I mean grampa never needed one. I'll sound check it. I'll visualize my adjustment. WOW. no wonder people don't want to pay professional rates. There is still a market for atmospheric boilers. If the auto industry was so inclined we would still be driving model As. Stick with what you know! Please!

Kevin A Gerrity_2

But.

But some day it will. Just look at the auto industry you need a computer it check each system. Kids today can take a laptop and turn their ordinary cars into high preformance machines without adding any part.

To answer your question you do not need to have a computer, but it can be a useful tool. I believe that someday it will replace the combustion analyser and all boiler manufacture will require one to adjust their systems.