Keeping Pilot lit in Wind

[Tacman7]

I bought and installed a Williams Gravity Direct Vent LP Wall Furnace from HD for myself.

It works fine until the wind gets pretty gusty. The pilot doesn't go out when it's just the pilot going. When the heaters going the wind will make the pilot go out then the heater shuts down. I tried turning the pilot up but I can't tell a difference after adjustment. I'm experimenting with a baffle for the vent cap and I played with restricting the air intake some, with limited results.

Does it sound like there is something wrong with the heater that it only goes out when it's running not when it's sitting with the pilot on?

Any thoughts suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

[BILLG]

Check inlet gas pressure it should be min 11'' W.C max13'' W.C. on L.P. system. If it's to low pilot will droop when main burners run and be more likely to go out.

[PLUMBER RICK]

sound like the issue is the draft diverter. problem is it happens when the heater is operating with high winds. typically when the main burner shuts off the air flow changes as the burner shuts down. make sure that the sheet metal around the burner compartment is installed properly. i would contact the facory for more advice.

rick

[HVAC HAWK]

if the gas pressure is OK watch the pilot to see if the pilot gets lower when the heat comes on . check to see if the thermocouple is still in the pilot when the heat is on .

[Tacman7]

Problem with checking the pressure is I'm a carpenter. None of my tools measure a water column. Whatever that is. Is there a gauge that I could buy that's not too expensive?

I've watched it when it goes out. The fire right around the thermocouple goes out then in a few seconds the whole thing shuts down.

I thought it might be a supply problem so I changed to a two stage fixed regulator that I bought at an RV place. I was using a regulator for a outdoor grill.
I have a 100lb bottle with a two stage regulator then a flex hose going to about 30' of 1/2" black pipe to the heater.

Thanks

[TOD]

This might sound like a dumb question but are you sure it is an LP unit? All I see on the HD web site are NG units.

[PLUMBER RICK]

tacman, you're in southern calif. why not let the gas co come out and look at it. they can measure the pressure,

a word of advise, if the problem is a danger, they will shut off the unit.
this can be a good thing or a bad thing.

i have a new customer that called me 2 days ago. he was having problems with his furnace. the gas co came out and determined that the main from the gas meter to his house is restricted, ( not leaking). they shut his gas off wednesday.

personally, if the line is not leaking and this has been an ongoing problems for months. why shut off the gas to the whole house no hot water or heat.

i'm going there today to check it.

a real dumb question. where in southern calif do you live that you use propane? and this is southern calif. i've had to run the a/c to cool things off these last few weeks

rick.

[Tacman7]

I'm in Riverside County out in the stix between Hemet and Perris. Unincorperated Riverside, Nuevo mailing address.

Yes summer came pretty early this year.

It's tough in Calif. No seasons, 70degrees all year round.

Actually, November of 2004 we had snow. It will snow here every 15 or 20 years.

http://inlandvalley.net/snow/index.html

The HD in Hemet sells propane heaters and propane waterheaters, even a tankless one. (which I'm thinking about - $500)

I have a guage around here somewhere that I used to check the pressure of natural gas but it was in PSI.

Can you convert PSI to WC?

[HVAC HAWK]

i think there is 21" wc to 1 lb so if you have a gage that you can read 1/2 lb
then a 1/2 lb will be about 10" to 11" wc you can get it close

the unit will shut off if the pilot goes out Wye is the pilot going out ?

you say you have a long hose and then it goes into 1/2 " pipe .
this may be to small of hose and pipe and this is wye your pressure
might be low . you may need to turn the screw in on the regulator
a little bit about 1 full turn . try to get a gage on the heaters gas valve this will be a Allen screw on the inlet side of the valve. you may need a 1/8 to 1/4 " reducer , this depends on what size your Gage .

[Tacman7]

Thanks


I looked up an online conversion...

13 Water Column [inch] = 0.469 654 794 pound/square inch [absolute]


Not much pressure.


I have a low pressure gauge for the quad tires. When you clear it, it stops on 1.5 pounds. I thought that was because there is that much pressure in the air here.

I'll try some measurements.