16 year old 422

[FordMan59]

I have a 422 that I installed in Jan. '96. It is still working fine even though it has never had any work done to it other than cleaning the fan, cleaning the cabinet and removing the cabinet to clean the dust out of the unit. I've noticed the flame is no longer burning blue as it should, but a yellow/orange. I suspect the burner assembly needs to be disassembled and cleaned/rebuilt. Since I've never worked on one of these heaters my question is whether a cleaning will return it to proper operating conditions or if I should replace some of the burner parts. If I need to replace parts what all should be replaced to get it back to original operating condition. If the parts just need cleaning what should be used for cleaning them? As long as it works OK though out the winter I'm going to let it go until spring when I no longer need heat.

[HayZee518]

a complete overhaul is necessary. routine maintenance doesn't address all the issues. start with the combustion blower. if it sounds like a jet engine starting up [whining] bearings need to be replaced. these are 608Z sealed bearings. you'll need a small two jaw gear puller. the nut that holds the impeller on is left handed and make sure you put the sleeves in in the correct order. next you'll have to remove the combustion pot and its inner sleeve and clean the air holes around it. while you are in there, check the burner ring to see if it is warped or the welds let go. below the burner ring you'll need to change the burner mat. this piece costs around 45 bucks and is glued down to the combustion pot's floor. there are gaskets between the combustion pot and the heater itself. air is forced up the combustion pot from below and into the area surrounding the inner sleeve. check the flame rod for straightness also see if it is clean and there's no soot on the inner porcelain. clean with gumout. the fuel sump needs to be removed and cleaned out. in the bottom you'll see some brownish gelled crap. this must come out. there's a stainless steel screen which can be gotten to by removing two screw on the side and the screen pulled out. clean also with gumout.

[FordMan59]

Thanks for the quick reply!! The fan still seems to be working fine, no noise in the bearings. Will the burner pot need to be replace or is it likely it can be cleaned and reused? Do you think that I'll just need a new burner mat, combustion ring and gaskets or would you recommend other parts? I'm in an area where that much of it's run time is on low except at night and on very cold days. I'm not too worried about the cost of the parts, but just don't want to waste money on unneeded parts. There's nowhere close by that sells Monitor's or their parts, but have found some on ebay. Is there anywhere that I'd be able to order them at a lower cost than ebay? I also have a new Monitor 2200 I bought since they had quit making Monitor's to use for a back in case the 422 wears out. Does the 2200 use the same burner parts as the 422? I haven't seen any parts for the 2200 on ebay and was wondering if I bought a complete burner assembly and didn't need all the parts if I'd be able to use them on the 2200 if the 422 wears out.

[hawkins111]

M422, 1996

Ford,

A Monitor 422 built in 1996 was one built in only the second year of that models run. You may have one of the early ones that had bushings instead on bearings in the combustion motor. If so, you can oil them if they are not worn too bad. You can tell right away if you have one by looking at the bearing cap on the motor. If it has a black rubber stopper in the cap it has bushings. This may save you some trouble as they can be oiled. As for the combustion chamber service, you won’t know all the things that need replacing until you tear it down. I will say a ring, mat and any gasket you touch will need to be replaced. You won’t know about the burner pot until you inspect the bottom of your old one.



As far as the M2200 and M422 combustion chambers, they are different. Only some of the gaskets around the igniter are the same.


Keep us posted,

Tom

[FordMan59]

Thanks for the info Hawkins111. What would I be looking for to determine whether the burner pot needs replacing or not? Do you know anywhere that has service parts for the 2200? I haven't yet seen anyone on ebay with them.

[HayZee518]

I think ebay has pretty much exhausted their supply of monitor parts. Adirondack Hardware in Keeseville NY has all the parts you need. Monitor stopped making the vented kerosene heater earlier this year but they still carry parts.

[hawkins111]

Monitor parts

Ford,

When you get the pot out, flip it over and remove the insulating pad. If the bottom has any warps or cracks it needs to be replaced. If not, just clean the carbon out and replace the mat. Be sure all the air holes are clear. EBAY is not the cheapest place to shop. Try your local Monitor dealer. They should have or be able to get all the parts you need.

Tom

[FordMan59]

If either of you have contact information for other parts dealers I would appreciate it very much if you would post it (preferably phone numbers) so I can begin the process of getting the parts I'll need to rebuilt the 422. Do either of you know whether there are any other companies that make service parts for Monitor heaters or not. Since Monitor products are currently available I will probably use their service parts, but was wondering in case I ever have problems down the road and original Monitor products are not available.


HayZee518,

I knew Monitor had quit making the Kerosene units that's why I went ahead and bought a new 2200 in case the old 422 wore out. Do you have a phone number for Adirondack Hardware?

Hawkins111,

Thanks for the info on how to determine the condition of the burner pot. I'm in KY and bought my Monitor in NC. There's nowhere in KY that sells Monitor products so the closest dealer I know of is about 450 miles away in NC.

[hawkins111]

no dealer area

Ford,

It does look like you are in an area of no Monitor Products dealers. You are going to have to call your old dealer on the phone an order the needed parts and have them mailed to you. The distributor in the South East is Caswell Distributing. You can find a parts list on the net @ monitorheating.com/.

Nobody other than Monitor makes Monitor parts. For now you are OK as they will make parts for the near future.

Stay warm,

Tom

[FordMan59]

I called Adirondack Hardware for pricing on a complete burner rebuild kit. They quoted $300.+shipping over the phone. I found and ordered a complete burner rebuild kit on ebay for $193.45 including shipping. The seller is Hickory Home and Garden in Hickory, NC. Their user name on ebay is hhgconline. I was going to post the link in case anyone else needed parts. but since I'm a new user I'm not yet allowed to post links. Just thought this might save someone else a few dollars on their Monitor repair/maintenance.

[HayZee518]

We appreciate any information on Monitor parts you can contribute. I am physically located in New York state and know of two suppliers here. There's one in the state of Maine - Nelson & Small and probably countless others, but without knowledge of them can't supply any information. I am sorry, but will help you on that ominous Monitor heater.

[FordMan59]

I'm glad to help in any way I can and since my knowledge concerning Monitor repair is extremely limited, I thought posting a supplier with good prices might help someone else out. I went ahead and bought the complete burner pot with mat, burn ring and gaskets so I'd be sure to have everything I needed when I tear into it in the spring. At that time I'll likely have many more questions concerning how to disassemble the unit. Can anyone post step by step instructions on the dis assembly of the 422 burn chamber? If so it would be very appreciated. I can usually figure things out after studying them, but thought if someone could post step by step it might save me some time and I wouldn't screw something up. I make most of my own home repairs since I was a construction worker for about 25 years before becoming disabled and learned many phases of construction. I also make most of my own car repairs with the help of repair manuals, but have never tried working on a Monitor heater so this will be a learning experience and I'd like to make it a good one!!

[HayZee518]

a Monitor heater is both complicated and real easy to work on. it is as you know a vented heater. all combustion products are isolated from the room air. the heater "heats" by burning a kerosene product within a closed loop combustion area. outside intake air comes in, is heated in a chamber, goes through a finned heat exchanger and out through a dual walled exhaust tube. heat is blown into the room by one fan.
I'm sure if you look deep enough here you'll find step by step aids for repairing your heater. If I were to post another tear apart directive, it would be redundant. check through the posts and if there is a problem get hold of me or hawkins or dfitz.

[FordMan59]

Is it recommneded to put cement on the thread of the screws when reassembling the unit to prevent them from backing out due to vibration from the heater?

[HayZee518]

see the third posting