Wall Heater delay then Gas explosion.

curtis19 · 02-15-2012, 03:47 PM

Hello guys. I have a customer who has a wall heater . Its a williams. The tenant says: " You turn it on from the thermostat. It has a delay before ingnition light. about 7 seconds. Then it lights up.actually from their description the gas" Explodes" and fire shoots up the top of the unit and half the house shakes. I understand this is extremely dangerous , It is currently shut down . Non operative. but short of condemning this 1960s unit, is there a typical culprit and remedy for this kindof situation? Thank YOu again,

joecaption · 02-15-2012, 04:01 PM

I doubt that old a unit is even worth working on.

dosy777 · 02-15-2012, 04:50 PM

delayed ignition is almost always caused by a dirt or dust build up, and or some kind of mis alignment with the burners.

how · 02-15-2012, 05:50 PM

The pilot can be soft (dirty pilot orifice or pilot assy debris) so that the pilot flame is no longer close enough to the burners. The crossover may be dirty which allows one burner to ignite normally but the other burners have a delayed ignition.
The main burner is dirty where the pilot ignites the main burner so that you have a delayed ignition.

Either way you should get a pro to tell you if those explosive ignitions have damaged the unit and made it too unsafe to keep.

ben's plumbing · 02-15-2012, 10:39 PM

perform a detailed cleaning on burnner assy check pilot and clean orifice if needed .. reset unit try again if it does not work replace unit with new wall unit..

02-15-2012, 03:47 PM	#1
curtis19 Newbie Join Date: Nov 2011 Posts: 26	Wall Heater delay then Gas explosion. Hello guys. I have a customer who has a wall heater . Its a williams. The tenant says: " You turn it on from the thermostat. It has a delay before ingnition light. about 7 seconds. Then it lights up.actually from their description the gas" Explodes" and fire shoots up the top of the unit and half the house shakes. I understand this is extremely dangerous , It is currently shut down . Non operative. but short of condemning this 1960s unit, is there a typical culprit and remedy for this kindof situation? Thank YOu again,

02-15-2012, 04:01 PM	#2
joecaption Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Hartfield VA Posts: 18,814	Wall Heater delay then Gas explosion. I doubt that old a unit is even worth working on.

02-15-2012, 04:50 PM	#3
dosy777 been there done that Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Tennesse Posts: 74	Wall Heater delay then Gas explosion. delayed ignition is almost always caused by a dirt or dust build up, and or some kind of mis alignment with the burners.

02-15-2012, 05:50 PM	#4
how Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Vancouver BC Posts: 1,416	Wall Heater delay then Gas explosion. The pilot can be soft (dirty pilot orifice or pilot assy debris) so that the pilot flame is no longer close enough to the burners. The crossover may be dirty which allows one burner to ignite normally but the other burners have a delayed ignition. The main burner is dirty where the pilot ignites the main burner so that you have a delayed ignition. Either way you should get a pro to tell you if those explosive ignitions have damaged the unit and made it too unsafe to keep.

02-15-2012, 10:39 PM	#5
ben's plumbing Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 3,225	Wall Heater delay then Gas explosion. perform a detailed cleaning on burnner assy check pilot and clean orifice if needed .. reset unit try again if it does not work replace unit with new wall unit..

Wall Heater delay then Gas explosion.