Monitor 441 Heater

[HayZee518]

look elsewhere in these posts on the monitor. there's a thread that a guy has scanned a service manual for direct download. it is a pdf file. it has blown up diagrams of parts on a 21, 41, 441 and 442 heater. has a flow chart sort of troubleshooting help.

[HayZee518]

Removing water & sludge from an oil tank

What I have drawn here is a way to remove water and sludge sediment from the bottom of a 275 and 330 gal fuel tank. The existing filler is a threaded 2 inch hub integral with the tank. The float gauge also screws into a 2 inch bung hole fitting. The breather looks like a 1 inch npt thread.
Get a piece of 1/2 pvc pipe slightly longer than the tank is high at an angle. Remove the filler pipe and cap. Using a long piece of clear vinyl tubing heat one one end in boiling water and slip it over the end of the piece of pvc. Stick the pvc pipe in the tank at an angle all the way to the bottom of the tank. Now start a siphon action by whatever means you can. Keep the other end of the tubing below the level of the fuel in the tank. Once the fuel starts to flow, put the end in a large bucket. Move the pvc around the bottom of the tank to get whatever sludge and water you can out of the tank. It will take several times to do this. Transfer the contents of the bucket into a large glass jug and let it settle. the fuel will float on the water, the sludge will go to the bottom. Use a small siphon and siphon off the fuel and put it back into your fuel tank. Dispose of the sludge and water. If you know of someone that burns off waste oil give it to him.

[Firebird]

Repair manual

The d/l site gives me the old "file not found" routine. Tried it three times. The tip for getting water out of the tank is a good one, I have used that method on the tank for my oil furnace before.

[sidol]

Monitor 441

Hayzee518, I wanted to say thanks to you, we got it fixed. Just a good cleaning and the same with the other one we own. Now I have another question if I may?

Our monitor in the livingroom has begun to make an explosion noise when it starts up...what is going on? Worries me, so I thought maybe you'd have some advice. Thanks so much again for all your advice.

Blessings,
Sherrie

[HayZee518]

When it starts up from a cold start it shouldn't "explode' when it starts as there isn't any hot spots in the combustion chamber. there may be a "pop" when the kerosene ignites but nothing "loud!"

[sidol]

Monitor 441

Hayzee, Thank you, it just started this sound last week. It's really just louder than normal, that makes you turn around and say is that thing going to blow up? My husband says it is the kerosene igniting, is there anything I should check or worry about? Thank you for responding so fast, I appreciate it.
Blessings.

[HayZee518]

you might check for a carbon build up in the fuel tube or fuel tube extension in the combustion pot. the amount of fuel that goes into the heater is miniscule but if the tube is partially blocked it may be blowing back into the tube and igniting.

[adnadeau]

It sounds like the fuel is either pooling on the chamber bottom and then flowing over to the ignitor, or the ignitor is slow to reach fuel ignition temp. I suggest you try to monitor closely, maybe with a digital timer even, exactly when this "explosion" occurs. If you remove the front grill, you can see through the observation window better, and you can put your hand on the fuel pump to feel it vibrate when it starts up.

[HayZee518]

another thing that comes to mind is the burner mat deteriorating. normally the fuel is fed to the center of the burner mat where its absorbed by the mat material and works its way towards the igniter, which should be hot before the fuel flow is initiated. if there is no burner mat material there then like the above poster said the fuel could be pooling, vaporizing then igniting with a loud report. the burner mat could have come loose from the combustion pot bottom. it should be "glued" to the pot bottom and not curled up.

[adnadeau]

Service Manual

The Service Manual is still at the same download site. I was able to retrieve it just fine. The site specifies that a stored document has to have some activity every 30 days in order for it to remain on the site.

[sidol]

Hayzee, you are going to kill me for bothering you once again. We came in tonight and the stupid 441 is not working again. The other night it was not working and I had cleaned around it, like I always do once a week and hit the toggle switch on the pump. We poured kerosene in the pump and it took right off and started working again. Tonight, we came home the lights were flashing on it. You turn it back on you can hear it click, the flame indicator goes half way, then goes off, then runs thru another cycle and quits. The flame indicator light the starts flashing. We just had it serviced and put the mat and burner ring...cleaned and all. What a piece...it's making me angry now. So sorry for bothering you once again. Any ideas would be helpful.

By the way, the explosion finally stopped. Maybe it was a pooling. This is a 41 model. I hope I said this last time. Forgive me if I didn't.
Blessings to you all.

[HayZee518]

First of all I don't get angry when someone has a problem. Even repetitive problems don't faze me. We got to get to the root of the problem to solve the mystery.
The problem appears to be NO KEROSENE in the fuel bowl, that's why it kicks out and goes into lockout. Check your fuel line for a restriction somewhere in the run. IF there is water in your bulk tank THAT'LL shut down your heater If your area is inclined to freezing temperatures, water can be frozen in the fuel line. Also bugs entering your fuel tank will break apart and flow with the fuel and this will block the line. Remove and clean the sump filter. My 2400 clogs up about every month and a half - so I clean it out and it goes another month and a half.
Only reason for the lights to be flashing is because the unit is in lockout for:
lack of fuel
too much fuel
not enough fuel
no ignition
no flame
overheat on the plenum
faulty solenoid pump - resulting in no fuel
combustion air proving switch not closing
clogged fuel line in combustion pot
Igniter didn't come on
Bio-diesel is a no no.

[sidol]

Hayzee, my husband said he will check all this out today...we own an automotive shop and he said that you are very thorough. We can repair a car, but this heater has been something else. I'll let you know what we find out today. Take care and thank you so much for being so nice and helpful.

[sidol]

Hayzee, opened it up, chamber had about half-inch of kero in it. Got that cleaned out had wetness still. New mat when it was serviced so it looks good..no curling. Turned it back on, now no ignition and pump doesn't run. Husband says not flooding itself because pump not coming on so could it be the igniter? Can he check it with an ohmmeter or any other ways to see if it's bad? It does cycle, clicking...flame indicator goes halfway up and stays on for maybe a minute or two...then it starts full flashing...still runs for a couple of minutes then the unit cuts off and lights still flashes.
Anything else to try or just call a service guy in? Oh, I didn't mention last night, the pump emergency light was on but since the cleaning of kero, it is out. Thanks again, hope this makes sense.

[HayZee518]

the ignitor has 120 volts on it. unplug it from the computer board and take a continuity test on it. if you have a clamp around ammeter it would be a more accurate test for heater operating. clamp around one lead and read the amps directly off the meter. one half inch of fuel is a little low. there's a line cast into the outside of the fuel sump in the white metal. jumper out the air proving switch with a set of jumpers.