The DEFINATIVE Monitor Thread

[Watchesgalore2]

Thank you big time!!

I just wan to thank you for taking the time to help others! I am currently unemployed and don't have the money for a service call for my Monitor 441. We just recovered from being out of power due to an ice storm when my heater started acting up. Your info was concise and easy to follow. My local Monitor dealer was able to get the gaskets and flame rod in less than 24 hours. Fifty bucks for parts and a little of my time and I'm back up and running thanks to your thread. Once again, THANK YOU SIR!!

[Greg_Cornish]

I just wan to thank you for taking the time to help others! I am currently unemployed and don't have the money for a service call for my Monitor 441. We just recovered from being out of power due to an ice storm when my heater started acting up. Your info was concise and easy to follow. My local Monitor dealer was able to get the gaskets and flame rod in less than 24 hours. Fifty bucks for parts and a little of my time and I'm back up and running thanks to your thread. Once again, THANK YOU SIR!!

Hehe. our serviceman charges $169 to come to the house and never leaves without adding to that. Last time they made 4 trips though since they guarantee their work. However, I'm sick of the 441 upkeep every year. Getting the Toyo 60 AT tomorrow to take its place. Some say its more efficient, some say its less.
I'll let you know what I think.

[mkadyz]

Alright, an update. The pressure switch finally came in and I swapped it out with the old one. The old one was fine. The more I think about, I would be very hesitant to assume the pressure switch is the culprit in the future. It is a pretty simple device and my guess is it doesn't fail too often. So that meant the old one was doing its job and not letting it start up.

Swapped the old pressure switch back in and ordered a new combustion motor and damper solenoid, total cost with tax was about 180 dollars. It may have just been one or the other, but I didn't have time to test them and the solenoid was only about 60 bucks. Right off the bat I noticed the new motor was much stronger than the old one, just when I was testing it outside of the heater. Put both new parts in, fired it up and its running like a champ. There is a perfect blue flame on low and med/low fire, no orange at all. When it kicks into high fire there is some yellow flickering for about 2-3 minutes until it lines itself out. Then there is a nice blue flame on high as well. Im not sure what the flickering is all about, maybe the burn chamber needs get to a higher temp to support complete combustion on high. I dunno, just a guess. I might play with the fuel delivery once it gets closer to summer and Im not going to need it everyday.

As some of you may remember, I used Permatex Ultra Copper for some of my gaskets when I did the chamber rebuild. It has been running for two days straight now and it seems to be holding up great. I also took my Fluke thermometer to the burn chamber after it had been running on high for about an hour and the hottest spot was about 575 degrees F if anyone cares to know. Well thats about it, if any problems show up in the future I will post back and let everyone learn from my mistakes.

[Greg_Cornish]

I found my problem after a motherboard replacement and 5 service calls on my Monitor 441. There's an O-ring on the air adjustment intake switch that dampens the sound of the switch opening and closing. That's its only use. Well that had broken, fallen into the spring and wasn't allowing the intake door to open enough to get a good air/fuel mixture - burned rich.

He removed it, adjusted an adjustment screw to make up for the lack of the width of the O-ring and it burns very clean. Of course they said they first motherboard was still partly the fault and wouldn't refund me. So. I'll have my buddy put the old one back in for me to find out.

[msmith]

monitor 2400 problem

When I try to start my Monitor 2400, in goes through the warm-up stage for a few minutes and then cuts off - I'm getting an E 13 message. The E 13 means it's not igniting, right? I had a problem with the burner mat two years ago and my service guy replaced it ($180). Could this be the problem, and what are some of the other problems which would produce an E 13 message?

[HayZee518]

the following is from the monitor error guide:
E13 No ignition. Failure of ignitor, solenoid pump
or circuit board.
Incorrect wiring or flame rod
touches to burner parts.
Air pressure switch or overheat switches not activated.
E14 - no fuel, frozen fuel line, obstruction in fuel line.
The burner mat isn't supposed to burn up! Its made out of a flame retardent material. It's just a flat "wick"

[Greg_Cornish]

Could b e an air lock? Does is have reset on the outer right side like the 441?

[HayZee518]

All the reset does is reset the lockout mechanism in the fuel sump. an "air lock" shouldn't even happen because the fuel is fed from the bottom of the sump through the needle valve before it enters the sump chamber. the fuel sump is more less open to atmosphere, so any air in the system just bubbles up through the needle valve to atmosphere. the only closed system is from the solenoid pump to the fuel tube in the combustion chamber and even this inside chamber is open to the air inside the closed combustion chamber. only two circumstances the toggle over center lockout occurs - 1) no fuel and 2) too much fuel.

[Greg_Cornish]

Great info, thx

[HayZee518]

You will find that the solenoid pump isn't "picky" to what it pumps. the sides of the pump chamber is solid plastic with the only inlet being at the bottom - a micro opening stainless steel screen. kerosene floats on top of water - so if your bulk tank has water in it water will flow along with the kero into the sump. the pump body pumps from about a quarter inch from the bottom of the sump tank - so you could have water in the combustion pot which will give a NO FLAME condition and will lock out your system until the water evaporates and a flame is re-established during the next re-start.

[msmith]

monitor 2400

Thanks for the info. I've got two heaters being fed from the same lifter pump so I don't think it's a fuel problem. I also checked the filter first and it was clean. The fuel I drained when I did this looked okay. The Monitor 2400 is 4 years old and has been serviced each year, including this year. My other heater is a Toyotomi Laser 56, and I hate to sound like Al, but the Laser has never given me a problem in 3 years. This is the second time in four years that the Monitor quit on me mid-season. I'm debating whether to trade in my Monitor 2400 for Toyotomi's equvalent, the Laser 73.

[HayZee518]

that's your call - people in alaska have monitors in use for over 15 years. toyo is rather a new line of heaters of this type. oddly enough the servicing techniques for both heaters is remarkably the same.

[Greg_Cornish]

I cannot figure out why people in the midwest have not heard of Monitor and Toyotomi heaters. You say People in Alaska use them? It must be coastal Alaska because I lived two years in Fairbanks in the 60s and my ears just thawed out about a week ago.

I just bought the Toyotomi AT-60 to replace my Monitor 441. Did I do the right thing?

[HayZee518]

again it's your call. whether it was right right or wrong thing to do is anybody's guess. check the track records of both heater types. RINNAI is another vented kero heater. the 2400 cost me $1895 so it better perform to expectations. so far I have had no problems other than a clogged pre filter which I was able to clean out.

[msmith]

Monitor 2400 again working

Had an E13 message. Purchase the manual on-line and followed the troubleshooting guide. I disconnected the heater from the outlet, and checked the air pressure switch and solenoid with a multimeter. They checked out okay. On a whim I started the heater and it worked! The troubleshooting guide says that for a no ignition problem, the constant level valve saftey might have been tripped. The manual does not say how to reset the constant level valve safety, but could disconnecting the heater from the outlet have reset the constant level valve? Also, what could trip the constant level valve safety?