T&T: Espar heater problem

[Jeff Barfett]

Bob,

 Is your thermostat housing (the one in the saloon that you adjust the room
temperature with) have a green and red led light on it? When I have had
trouble in the past with mine, the lights will blink in a certain sequence
to give you a troubleshooting code. I have the book somewhere here that
deciphers them.

Is this a forced air or hydronic system? Something is overloading the
electrical to make it pop the breaker, right off the top of my head - wonder
if the glow plug relay is not shutting off the glow plug, causing an
overload with the rest of the fans coming online at that point?

My system in start mode, starts the exhaust fan, then the glow plug for
20-30 seconds then the fuel pump kicks on to pump diesel to the combustion
chamber. If in the next 60 seconds or so the chamber temperature probe
doesn't come up in temperature the system shuts the fuel down and in a few
minutes the fans shut down as well and you must recycle the system.

If you are getting diesel in the bottom of the exhaust it would seem to
indicated that the glow plug isn't heating properly. Speaking of that, there
is a fine, round screen that the glow plug is inserted into. This screen is
meant to be a sort of atomizer of the fuel. I've seen these screens so coked
up that fuel can't hit the glow plug. Screen is difficult to get out in one
piece to clean and reinsert and have learned to keep spares aboard for these
and a glow plug or two.

Espar are fantastic when they work. They do take maintenance, like yours, I
keep a plug on the exhaust for the warm season, usually start the season
with a new glow plug and screen. Every two years, take it out and use carb
cleaner for the combustion chamber and blow dry. One year, I took it
completely apart, cleaned (wasn't that dirty) new gaskets, new sensors, new
computer, glow plug and screen. (about $400).

I do the maintenance every year to ensure uninterrupted heat in the winter
and haven't been disappointed lately.

Fuel filter - Installed the system originally with it's own filter, have
since removed that and put it on the Racor 500's with drive engine and
Genset.

Bob - don't know where to point you next - yet. My unit btw is a forced air
system - which I use to blow A/C in the summer!

Regards,

Jeff


From: trawlers-and-trawlering-bounces@lists.samurai.com
[mailto:trawlers-and-trawlering-bounces@lists.samurai.com] On Behalf Of Bob
McLeran
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 7:17 AM


Any ideas what I should check next?
-- 
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><>Mozilla Thunderbird<><><><><><><><><><><><>
Bob McLeran and Judy Young                       M/V Sanderling 

Hampton 35 Trawler                        Cruising the Atlantic Coast
Currently: Northeast Harbor, Mount Desert Island, Maine
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