Works in short spirts
I have a reddy heater 170c that switches on,heats up for approx.2-3 mins,then shuts down and blows a puff of smoke.i will switch it off,wait a few minutes and the same thing happens.i have heard many remedies to the problem.i have cleaned the fuel tank and even added a fuel filter.someone recommended a thermostat.please help me
Heating & Cooling - Reddy - Heater-30-55,000 BTU Variable
Answers & Comments
Roger Becht has the best (and cheapest) solution to try first. Bend a Q tip to reach the photo cell with out removing it and swab it out. It didn't come back filthy but I bet it had just enough dust on it to cause it to malfunction. This procedure fixed mine with the same problem. Also, I bought a low pressure gauge and checked the pump pressure, and it was 5.5 psi instead of the specified 5.1. They say that's pretty critical.
There is a photo cell in many heaters to detect the light of the flame. Try cleaning or replacing the cell. If it can't see the light it will shut down the unit.