Monitor 441 - fuel pressure problem?

[ben_webster]

Looking for some guidance on a used Monitor 441 that's installed in my barn.
The barn and heater came with my apartment and I've been tried to fire it up so I can use the barn as a workshop through the winter.

We had an external 275-gallon tank installed by a plumber, who also connected the tank to the heater. They also put in 10 gallons of kerosene that my landlady purchased to get started. When the unit is primed and turned on, the combustion fan revs up and goes for a few minutes. Then the burner status lights come on halfway. After a minute or so they go off, and finally they start flashing. I can feel the igniter get warm but I never see flame.

I have taken out and checked the fuel strainer, which seems to be clean. Kerosene came out when I did this, so I know it's at least getting to the constant level valve. Going by advice I saw posted elsewhere, I disconnected the fuel line from the combustion chamber and started the unit: no fuel came out of the line. This makes me think of a problem with the fuel pump. I don't hear any clicking or thumping from there at any point in the process.

Now my best guess is that there just isn't enough fuel in the tank to provide enough pressure. I think with only 10 gallons in the tank that the fuel level is probably short of the 18" above recommended in the manual. Could anyone tell me if what I've described is consistent with not having enough fuel pressure? I'd rather not buy a lot of kerosene and then discover that there's some major problem with the machine.

Thanks,

Ben

[hawkins111]

M441 fuel problem

Ben,

We know nothing about the heater you had installed. Did it work before, and was it serviced. Ten gallons is not enough in a 275 gal tank to have the right fuel pressure. We don’t know how high the bottom of the tank is in relation to the floor the stove sits on. Even if you have some flow at the stove filter, that might not be enough. Take the line off the filter at the tank and open the valve. The fuel should shoot out 6 or more inches. Even without the correct amount of fuel you should hear the thumping of the fuel pump when the burner status lights are steady.

Keep us posted,

Tom

[HayZee518]

heater

your heater needs a continuous series circuit for the heater to function. something is amiss in the chain of events that must be met before the pump and igniter will even work. blower, air switch, purge, prime, light, establish flame, detect flame, blower kicks in.

[ben_webster]

Thanks for your replies. All I know about the heater is that it was purchased by my landlady I think 2-3 years ago and probably has not been used or serviced in that time. I added another 10 gallons of kerosene today, exact same result. The bottom of the tank is only about 14 1/2 inches above the floor the heater is on, which is a bit less than recommended, but there are 20 gallons in the tank which puts the fuel level several inches higher. In any case, I don't want to keep blindly adding fuel without even knowing if there are issues with the heater itself.

I decided to get a pro involved. The one guy in Massachusetts who works on these machines is coming next week. I 've been told that just sitting around is not good for these heaters so I figure it will probably need some routine maintenance whether or not something serious is wrong.

Thanks again for your input.

[HayZee518]

heater

where are you located? there was a guy out near Monson that had a monitor in his fish lure shop.
shut off your fuel to the heater. on the right side bottom you'll see two screws. take these out and clean the stainless filter inside.
if your heater has been sitting idle for a time, chances there is a mass of gelled fuel and water inside the fuel sump. this crap must be cleaned out. a 13mm wrench will fit the fitting in back of the tank. unplug the heater and disconnect the spade terminals on the fuel pump. unscrew and remove the copper feed tube from the solenoid. four screws need to be removed so the sump tank can be removed.