So the first Wednesday of the month is Senior Day at the Palace of Food, which Neighbor L and I hit most months.
On the way back she graciously agreed to stop at the post office to see if the new orifice for my misbehaving bedroom heater had arrived. Happy day, it had! Which celebration turned to concern as the moment for installing it approached, because if this didn’t work I was down to replacing the whole furnace. Which was going to make me feel pretty stupid, but that’s the extremity I’m prepared to go to if it gets me my bedroom heater back. The worst of the winter is (probably) over but the nights are always still cold: At high altitude, with little humidity, we get some pretty mean day/night temperature swings and I want my bedroom heater, dammit. (Stomps foot like a 3-year-old.)
I had already taken off the firebox access plate, on which the pilot assembly is mounted, so often that the gaskets were falling apart. So I got a new roll of flat woven gasket material from the local hardware and was ready to go. Messing with the new gasket situation added time to the process of getting the new pilot assembly – with its second new orifice – installed, but by about two in the afternoon we were ready to try.
And it works! Oh happy day, it works. I have my bedroom heater back. At least for now.
Yes!
Good for you
Some good news from the gulch… Huzzah!
Break out the hot toddy with a splash of rum.
Hot damn! Congrats!!
Perhaps order a spare right away so that you can have one on hand for the next time Mr. Murphy comes to visit. Maybe a thermocouple, too.
Very well said, The Neon Madman!
An ounce of prevention?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Mr-Heater-Universal-Propane-Fuel-Filter-F273699/304910654
Ben: yeah, I’ve been thinking about that. I have one of those filters on my Heater Buddy because I’ve seen one ruined by dodgy propane. That particular filter won’t work on iron pipe but there almost has to be one that will.
I have a “wood stove” gas heater in the house, and the glass panel has been off a few times over 20+ years. The last time around, I had the pro do repairs*, and he told me that there’s a heat resistant rubber tape that’s a good substitute for a lot of spots on a heater.
Haven’t bought any yet; it’s supposed to be sticky on one side, so it might solve a few worn gasket issues.
((*)) The coil that runs the valve (millivolt system) had been rubbing against the valve body, and eventually the wire wore through at the connection point. New valve did the trick, and the latest version uses the thermopile instead of the little thermocouple.
Post title IMMEDIATELY gave me an Earworm. Hope you ‘enjoy’ it too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Fn36l_z3WY