The DEFINATIVE Monitor Thread

[SpottyBoy]

Monitor 441 Maintenance Manual

Hi,
mkadyz said he posted a pdf of the Monitor 441 service manual on the MediaFire site. The link (media fire dot com ?9nu9lmn0avnr) doesn't have the file any more. Any change of posting it again in some manner? (Since I'm new, I can't post the formal link yet)

Thanks

[lucid]

422 Back Together and Running

EDIT: I'm adding a link to a series of 422 pictures and comments so they can be seen and read before the "Follow Up" comments below.

I want to thank my friend Art for putting my conversational email and pics to him into a linkable file on his website. Go to Monitor 422 Kerosene Heater to see my Monitor 422 with its covers off for the first time in 12+ years of service.

Follow-Up:
The 422 overhaul began on Wednesday the 11th, and is finally running again today, the 18th. I got the parts from Adirondack Hardware and was very satisfied with their prices and service*. The only drawback was that they were lacking some gaskets (two of 41 and one 18) . That meant that even though I had most of the parts Friday (in less than 24 hours) I had to wait for Tuesday's mail before I could really start reassembly.

I wasted an hour due to letting the flame ring (38) fall off it's pegs, and had no luck trying to work thru the sight glass hole. The burner was still on the bench so I took the top off again, removed the long baffle (40) and burner cap (39) and was able to reposition the ring and continue, working till late Tuesday afternoon. I finished up this morning and got it all hooked up in about an hour.

My first mistake showed up quickly after the starting delay, when the solenoid pump (11) began a hammering noise -- because I'd neglected to open the Fuel valve to the outside tank and it was trying to pump air. My second goof took a little longer to show up. The fuel was igniting but showed only an erratic orange glow. I had the combustion blower (70) off to oil the motor,and must have dislodged the air supply hose (4) from the elbow (3) leading up into the burner when I reinstalled the unit. Apparently there was enough combustion pressure to close the switch (56) but not enough for a good burn. I was able to coax the hose back into the elbow with a screwdriver.

The burn seems OK. It's no longer the flickering orange glow on low burn (the way I leave it in the garage). I guess it must be blue, because I don't see anything in the window now (in daylight), but the low heat feels right. Actually, I don't see how any flame is visible thru that foggy window and being way down below the cap.

* The tech guys at Adirondack Hardware were a great help, good advice on the needed parts and tips on what to expect as I dug into the 422. I think the prices were OK, based on some I'd seen elsewhere...
6182 Burner Pot $117.89 (solid but loaded with soot & cinders)
6181 Combustion Ring $61.69 (slight warp on 3 of 6 places)
6128 Burner Cap $ 44.69 (I think the old one was OK but...)
I bought time with the pricey gaskets, rather than going to McMaster-Carr, since this was my 422's first ever service in 12 years. At my age, another 12 will be close to a lifetime.

Thanks to all the contributors here,

Bruce Young in Madison NY

[lucid]

Monitor 422, Getting CLValve unit out? Never Mind

EDIT: I went ahead and took the right front leveler out, after unscrewing the right side support bracket and slipping in a piece of 2x4 to get clearance for the leveler.

Inside of the CLV/sump was clean, but I flushed it with brakekleen anyway.

Back again in the middle of 422 servicing and trying to get the Constant Level Valve unit (float bowl) out so I can check/clean the bowl. I have the 2 front screws out, and the shutoff valve removed in the back.

The whole thing is free to wiggle but the front-right leveling bolt/stud is in the way, so I can't move the CSV far enough to the front to get the back end out from under the lip that holds it down.

Unless I hear different, I guess I can lift the right side and remove the leveler that's in the way.

New Burner Pot, Flame ring, etc. are here but I'm waiting on some gaskets. Excellent prices and service (phone help) from Adirondack Hardware (thanks HayZee).

[lucid]

Thanks for the source info. I didn't get to any parts at those websites, just heater sales. But I can call if I need to. As long as the 422 is doing OK on low burn, I don't plan to dig into it right away, hoping it lasts till warmer weather. If not, I'll crank up the old Corona and get the Monitor out in the open for surgery.

Thanks again for all your help. This is a good site and I'll be back with results -- not till spring I hope.

B.Y.

[HayZee518]

For parts if you don't have anything local - look up Adirondack Hardware - they usually service Toyo, Rinnai and Monitor - they can get you parts. Nelson & Small in Maine has parts and a mail order service. About 30 miles from me Mullarney's on State Route 11 in Bangor has Monitor parts.

[lucid]

Thanks for the fast response . I got my 23,000 btu heater down from the garage attic and checked it out for back-up when I get ready for the Monitor job. But since it's doing OK for now, I want to print and study the manual, look up parts sources, and make a plan so I can go in once and be done with it — meaning spend a few bucks to replace anything questionable. It sure doesn't owe me anything after 12 trouble-free years. I'll check back when I've done the job.
We had 5° and ice fog this morning.

Thanks again,

Bruce Young, Madison, NY

[HayZee518]

start by removing and cleaning the fuel filter under the fuel bowl. use spray "gumout" then just shake the cleaner off the filter. you might remove the whole fuel sump and the solenoid and cover and look inside. I'm sure you'll find a gummy substance at the bottom of the sump around the lockout mechanism. for the lockout to work this junk needs to be cleaned out. I don't really care what other people say but kero will gel over time and its this gel that makes the gummy crap. If the needle valve scares you, leave it in there and spray the gumout around the bottom and shake it out. stubborn spots use a "Q" tip then flush out with more gumout. take the large view window out and be careful you don't break the gasket. a replacement costs around 17 bucks from mpi. look into the chamber and see how the burner ring is - how warped it is. if its way out of whack, broken spot welds, replace it. for this you'll need to remove the top of the combustion pot. there's a gasket under the lid - be careful. If you need new gasket material look into msc industrial or mcmaster-carr for "boro-silicate" gasket sheet goods. once the burner ring is out look inside with a flashlight and see how the burner mat is. if it looks like it is coming apart, again look to mcmaster-carr for coated acryllic sheet goods. a piece I bought cost around 15 bucks but it withstands 1000 degrees. another guy used permatex red to fasten his mat but the silicone burnt right up when he fired up the heater. "Rutland" stove cement works better and although it air cures it reaches its full strength when its subjected to heat. the combustion pot easily reaches 600 degrees when its running. look at the flame rod. if it is dirty it won't ionize the gas around it and will cause the unit to electrically lockout. that snapping and popping you experienced is because there is hot spots inside the combustion pot. when more fuel is let in the pot it quickly vaporizes and pops or explodes. I'll bet the bottom of your "pot" is covered with carbon! while you are in there run a piece of doubled up bare telephone wire through the fuel tube after you remove it from the pump and fuel inlet on the side of the pot. any more questions get back to me via yahoo mail and I'll see what I can help you with. I'm also in NY state up in the adirondack park near Malone.

[lucid]

MONITOR 422 - 12+ years - Never Serviced - Where To Start?

Hello all.

I've been reading all I could find here on my Monitor the past few days, aware that it's overdue for some TLC, and that I've been pushing my luck. I think I've learned a good bit here about the 422 operation, parts availability, and servicing documentation, thanks to all the contributors. What I'm looking for now is advice on where should I spend my immediate time and money, based on my 442's lifestyle and environment.

I bought it from Agway 9/96 for $1125 and installed it myself, about 8" off the floor. The 275 gal. outside tank has about 4" fuel drop vs the book's 16". Other than that I observed all the rules. The exhaust vent is plugged during the off season, but I've ignored the air inlet (full disclosure). The outside tank filter is replaced each year in the Fall.

My 750 sq. ft. garage has 6" of insulation in walls and ceiling. The 442 has done always a good job, with Central NY winters often seeing -0° temps. However, my car work hobby work (older Volvos) has dropped off, so for the last few years the 442 is just used to keep the chill off. I leave it in Economy Mode, set at 48° or 50°, bumping it up a few degrees when I spend any time out there. It normally runs at the lowest burn rate, sometimes barely maintaining the set temp in the coldest weather, but doing a good job. It's mainly a codger's luxury these days.

Things recently noted:

• Flickering orange flame at lowest burn. I don't recall ever seeing a blue flame, but it's been a long time since new.
• Got flashing pops in the burner window when I bumped the flame up to 3 out of curiosity. I dropped it back in a hurry.
• Combustion fan seems to start and run smoothly and quietly.

That's all that comes to mind right now. I'd welcome advice on what items to replace outright, and what else to look for while I'm at it.

Thank you all...

[HayZee518]

The 2400 has a plastic float shaped like a doughnut with a lever on one side. The lever contacts the needle valve, which allows fuel into the chamber. Opposite this lever ia a piece of metal glued onto the upper side of the float. When there is too much fuel or not enough of fuel, the float moves upward and contacts a permanent magnet, which locks out the fuel flow. To reset it you press the red button and this pushes the float away from the magnet. The fuel solenoid pump body fits right into the center of the float. The air pressure switch operates only when the combustion fan is running. The switch measures the differential between atmosphere and the combustion blower and closes a set of contacts. This allows the fuel solenoid and ignition to operate. If you lose the combustion air or it get weak, the switch prohibits the fuel from pumping and the igniter from heating up. After this the flame rod takes over and electrically locks out the system giving you an error number. Unplugging the heater and plugging it back in resets the computer lockout.

[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?

[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.

[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]

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.

[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]

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.