dearborn heater


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Old 12-21-07, 02:54 PM
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dearborn heater

I have a dearborn gas heater model no DRC30ES serial no 93390168.I need to find a repair or service manual for it.Can you help?I can lite the pilot but it will not stay lit.I need some troubleshooting info and parts description on this thing.I hope you guys can help me out here,can you?
 
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Old 12-21-07, 03:13 PM
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The first thing to check is the thermocouple. If this is a furnace that does not have any electrical connection you may have a "millivolt system" and the thermocouple will instead be a thermopile generator.

Can you take some pictures and post them on a photo hosting site with the URL posted here?
 
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Old 12-21-07, 09:06 PM
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That unit is a vent free unit and I believe it takes a conventional thermocouple.

This is the manufacturer's site but it really doesn't tell you much.



http://search.live.com/results.aspx?srch=105&FORM=IE7RE&q=dearborn+gas+furnace+DRC30ES


http://search.live.com/results.aspx?...urnace+DRC30ES

Change the thermocouple (about $7.00 at a boiler supply house for a conventional thermocouple) and then see if it works. Bring the old one with you beacause they come in different lengths.

Be careful installing it as they are pretty delicate.

Good luck,

Charlie
 
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Old 12-22-07, 03:33 AM
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dearborn heater

Thanks for the info I'm going to check some of these things out and see if I can get this heater going,it realy is a good heater if it works.Thanks again.
 
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Old 12-22-07, 02:29 PM
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I have been going crazy trying to remember the name of that switch some such units have that will kill the power if the flue temp gets too hot. If you have such a switch, you have to make sure (test it) it is not stuck "open" from some previous hot temp condition.

It came to me: A "spill switch". There.
 

Last edited by ecman51; 12-22-07 at 03:07 PM.
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Old 12-23-07, 03:16 AM
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dearborn heater

Thank you for your time and info on the vent safety switch,but this is a dearborn space heater that I'm having problems with,no flue or safety switch.Thanks again for the info.Does anyone know where you can get repair info on dearborn heaters?
 
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Old 12-24-07, 08:52 AM
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dearborn heater

Help,it's cold in this old room.Does anyone know of sources for dearborn repair info?
 
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Old 12-24-07, 09:51 AM
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Avery,

Re-read post #2. I see you never commented on that, and that is the likely cause.
 
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Old 12-24-07, 12:12 PM
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dearborn heater

No it doesnot have any electrial connections,so I guess it must have the thermopile generator.How do you check these things,or do you just asssume it is bad and replace it.Is that the only thing that would cause the piolt to not stay on?Thank you so much for your time and reply.
 
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Old 12-24-07, 06:07 PM
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The thermopile generator (also called a PowerPile generator) generates a small electrical current to hold the pilot valve open and to operate the main gas valve via the thermostat.

If you have the type with two separate leads then you can try connecting a digital voltmeter set at a low range to the leads and then heating the generator via the pilot flame. A good generator will produce about 700 millivolts.

If the generator is good then the valve coil has failed and most likely you will need to replace the entire valve assembly. Sometimes a replacement coil is available but no guarantees.

Pictures of what you have would help.
 
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Old 12-24-07, 06:43 PM
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Ummm. I don't think there enough reliable information to understand what may be going on here.

The writer suggests this is a vent free heater. But it might be a direct vent appliance and he might not know the difference.


Guesses suggest that this unit has a conventional thermocouple. Or perhaps a pilot generator. If it's actually an unvented heater, it might have an oxygen depletion sensor.

Here we have an example of the limitations of doing repairs over the internet. Unqualified people who don't know what they have and can't be depended upong to supply accurate information, combined with guesses based on inadequate information.


Sigh.
 
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Old 12-25-07, 04:12 AM
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dearborn heater

Furd,thank you for the testing info,I'll try that and see how it comes out.Thanks again

Seattle Pioneer,sorry I had thought that by posting the model and serial number you could tell what kind of heater that I had.It is a stand alone,vent free space heater,I think it has a ODS on it but not sure as I have no manual or info,that's what I'm looking for.Thank you for your reply,can you help?
 
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Old 12-25-07, 08:15 AM
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Originally Posted by avery
Furd,thank you for the testing info,I'll try that and see how it comes out.Thanks again

Seattle Pioneer,sorry I had thought that by posting the model and serial number you could tell what kind of heater that I had.It is a stand alone,vent free space heater,I think it has a ODS on it but not sure as I have no manual or info,that's what I'm looking for.Thank you for your reply,can you help?

Unvented equipment should be inspected and repaired by qualified people. They are, oh, 100 times as likely to injure or kill people from carbon monoxide poisoning as is vented equipment, and unqualified people are likely to fail to recognize hazards from equipment.


Furthermore, if you do have an ODS pilot, it likely needs to be replaced, since it's a highly engineered system and replacing parts is usually not a good idea.


Personally, I never used to work on unvented equipment when I operated my repair service. In theory it's possible to operate such equipment safely, but only if you follow the extensive list of warnings the manufacturer always supplies with such equipment. You don't even have the list of warnings.


One of those warnings is bound to be that only qualified people do repairs on the equipment.


I might add that I once acted as an expert witness when an unvented fireplace in a new home put the owner in the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. The fireplace had been installed by an unqualified contractor who had arranged the logs inuitively, rather than according to the complex and difficult to follow directions of the manufacturer.

The way the contractor installed them, the firplace produced enough CO to put the owner in the hospital. If the subtle and obscure directions of the manufacturer were followed, no problem.


Personally, my recommendation is to get rid of the unvented equipment and install far safer vented equipment. It's not worth the risks, in my opinion.
 
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Old 12-25-07, 09:17 AM
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dearborn heater

Thanks for some very good info and observations,you are correct,I'll have to look into replacing this heater.
 
 

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