Monitor heater 2400 flue pipe leaking water

[Mike789]

We bought this condo 5 years ago. The monitor heater works fine the first three years. Now if it is very cold, the heater stopped working with error code E14. This year the heater didn't work when the outside temperature below 10F. We asked a professional heater repairer to check our heater, the man cleaned our heater, but it still didn't work well, so we asked him again, the man said it's water condensation in tank, so he add some anti-freezer to the tank, and heat the tank with a torch. The heater only worked for one day, then it showed E14 again. The flame was very small, the heater worked about 10 minutes, then stopped with E14.

I saw water dropping at the flue pipe, so I disconnected the outside flue pipe, and found the pipe filled with ice, so I cleaned the pipe, and reconnected the pipe, then finally the beautiful blue large flame came again. But it only have worked for about 5 days, then I found there is blue flame with flickering yellow pop. So I disconnected the flue pipe, and found the pipe was half filled with ice and water, and the water was leaking from flue pipe A air intake port. Please see the First pic.

So I checked the manual and found the flue pipe A is not installed in correct direction, it should rotate anti-clock wise 90 degree. But look the holes in the wall, it's not easy to rotate the flue pipe to correct direction.

Now my question is why the flue pipe A leaking water, why leaking water from air intake port. Does it help to replace a new flue pipe A?

Thank you very much! Any suggestions are welcome!

[hawkins111]

That installation is the worst possible way to vent your heater. The extension kits are not meant to run through unheated spaces. Sometimes it is just not possible to use a Monitor or Toyo when you do not have a outside wall to vent the exhaust. That being said, the problem is the fact that the flue pipe is mounted on a upward slope through the wall. Condensation in the air side of the flue is dripping back into the flue. You can't see it, but the same thing is happening to the exhaust side. Left too long the flue will corrode through or block up all together. You need to make some major changes to your flue pipe set up, i.e. move the stove to an outside wall and be sure the flue pipe slopes downward.

Tom

[Mike789]

Tom, thank you very much! I cannot move the stove to other place, this is the only place with an outside wall. The former owner built a porch, so the flue pipe was moved to the outside wall of the porch, and the porch is not heated. There is only one professional monitor heater repairer in our area, he installed the heater and the flue pipe, whenever there is problem with our heater, we can only ask him for help.

I read the manual that the flue pipe is a pipe-within-a-pipe venting system, exhausts gases preheat the combustion air. But like the current installation, the flue pipe A and B are installed far away from the heater, the heat gained from exhaust gases is cooled down immediately in the unheated porch.

Now the solutions I can think are two. The first one is moving the flue pipe to the inside wall(within porch), and make extension of exhaust pipe to the outside wall of the porch. The second one is rotating the flue pipe, let the air supply pipe are leveled with exhaust pipe. I don't know which idea is better.

[hawkins111]

You can not put the exhaust in the porch and run an extension on the exhaust. The exhaust will cool and condense in the extension which is a disaster. I would not re install the pipes back in the same way because you are just asking for serious trouble with the exhaust. The problem with the flue is that it slopes back into the porch. At a minimum you should remove the flue and re-drill the hole to allow the flue to slope downward toward the outside. You are never going to rid yourself of the condensation problem as long as you keep the current set up.

[HayZee518]

The installation calls for ONE through the wall connection, not TWO! Why you need a downstream extension is beyond me. Is the porch airtight and insulated or is it exposed to the elements? Bore one hole through the wall, use the gooseneck extension between the exhaust/intake port and the heater and be done with your piping.

[hawkins111]

Mike, Please take a picture of the flue pipe outside? Thank you, Tom

[Mike789]

Thank you hawkins111 and HayZee518, here are the pictures of the outside flue pipe.



The exhaust flue pipe has an extension outside. The gentleman installed and repaired this heater came here install the extension several weeks ago when the heater didn't work and the outside temperature below 10F, he said the hot exhaust gases met with the tank make the tank cooler, then the water in the tank might freeze, let the fuel gel, so he made the extension and add more antifreezer to the tank.

[Mike789]

Above is the installation diagram sketch. Hole 2(the hole in the porch wall) is lower about 2" than Hole 1(the hole in the outside wall of living room), but I don't know if the flue pipe A&B downward or not.


I also found that the filter near the tank is about in same height with the heater side fuel inlet, and also the filter seems installed in wrong way, look here.


HayZee518, you mentioned gooseneck extention, can you explain detail how it works for this situation, or where can I find information about gooseneck extension, thank you very much!

The porch is exposed to outside, the temperature there is about same as outside, it is only sealed with plastic sheet to keep out wind.

[hawkins111]

That whole install is so wrong I don't know what to say. The fact still remains that we don't know if the flue pipe is pointed downward. That is where the water (condensation) is coming from. The gap on the air side of a Monitor flue has been a problem forever. When conditions are just right ice will form right at the inlet of the air. If the ice builds too much it will trip the air safety switch and shut off the fuel. By the way, you have the older style flue pipe which is one piece not the two piece new style. In my opinion that whole install needs to be condemned and you need to start all over in another location, the tank needs to be raised as well. Tom

[Mike789]

Thank you, Tom, I'll consider make changes to the installation, but I can't find another location to move the heater in, our house is in the middle of 5-unit condo, there is a porch behind the house. I'll do the work at summer time. Raise the kero tank, replace a new fuel filter, check if the flue pipe is downward or not in the wall and rotate it. There is water in the air supply pipe now, I need to clean it every 2 or 3 days. I don't know if insulating the pipe work or not, I'll try it. The flue pipe is old style, there should be a standard pipe with monitor 2400, but I don't know where it is. Anyway, thank you very much tom, I'll ask you when I meet with new problems.

[HayZee518]

the gooseneck or offset coupling comes with the heater and the standard length exhaust pipe. out the back of the heater goes directly to the two-pipe assembly. inlet air comes off the exhaust pipe where it Tees off goes through the flexible hose to the inlet to the combustion blower. Take a look at the installation diagram. It's right there in black and white! There is NO mention about a two pipe extension off the heater. The previous owner "rube golberged" the install.