Pilot light shuts off on gas vented space heater

David Morack

I have a 20 year old Sears gas vented space heater I use to heat my breezeway connecting the attached garage to the house. I have a boiler and baseboard heating for the main part of the house however the breezeway is on a slab and the previous owner put in the spaceheater to heat the breezeway and hallway leading up from the breezeway to the kitchen. The pilot light went out this week. I can light the pilot and the burner will kick on, however after several minutes both the burner and pilot shutoff. The flame is blue and surrounds the thermocouple. I cleaned out the pilot orifice and replaced the thermocouple, but the pilot still shuts off after several minutes. I am very frustrated and don't know how to proceed. I don't want to get a repair man out because the unit is 20 years old and the estimate and repair will surely cost more than it is worth. The only other part I can think of replacing is the control valve and Sears parts tells me it is over $300 to replace which is probably over what I would pay for a new spaceheater if I can find somebody that still carrys them. However it is late in the season and Home Depot and Lowe's will not carry gas spaceheaters again until October. So I can either be cold for the rest of the winter (winters in Michigan or cold until May) or repair what I have. Please help me. Thanks in advance.

Robert O'Connor_7

GAS VALVE??

What kind of gas valve is it? SOME of the old sears units have 24v gas valves that can be purchased for under a hundred bucks. Even some of the MV/powerpile gas valves are under a hundred fifty. Most likely that ones discontinued, but there is usually some valve that can be cross referenced to effect repair. Boc .. P.S are you sure you haven't overlooked another cause for the failure??

Unknown

Is that unit vented out the side

of the building? If it is make sure the seal between the vent gases and the intake air has not become disconnected in the vent pipe. If it has remove it and clean it good then reseal with some furnace cement. The easiest way to do that is to remove the outside cover and reach in from out side. If that seal is broken it will just keep going out. That is a lot cheaper than a gas valve. Do not replace the gas valve unless you have a pro diagnos that in fact it is defective.

[Deleted User]

Air

Sounds like it starving for air. Check your intake. is it a concentric termination thru the wall? what does the thermocouple do during operation? do a closed circuit test and light it up. if the voltage drops either its starving, or the burner affects the pilot flame.

Mike

Arthur

Gas heater

Is the pilot going out when the main flame goes out when the temperature is up to it's setting, It could be the main flame is taking the pilot with it.
I notice you said you were getting fustrated, One word of advise. DON't swear at the heater what ever you do they tend to be sensitive and take humbridge at being sworn at,
If you do a pro will have to be called to placate it.

Murph'_5

Be sure to buy an insurance policy !!

A CO detector applied in the living space (or many) will assure you will recoup (in number of years lived) the price of replacement!!Dealing with old or new equipment must be respected, 50-100$ is very well worth it!



Murph'

GM

It sounds like either your gas pressure is dropping when main gas opens and the pilot is no longer adequate to energize the pilot solonoid,or the unit has a cracked heat exchanger and the pilot is bieng affected when the fan comes on. If the latter is the case it could be dangerous. Service calls are cheaper than doctor visits(barely).