I cannot find an answer for this specific question anywhere!

I live in a rental with a 35 yr old Williams 3509622 wall heater. When I moved in I replaced the broken Honeywell dial thermostat with a newer digital one. I got the pilot going, turned it on, and heat! It worked great for two weeks until we had a big rain and wind storm. That night I noticed it was getting increasingly warmer than what I had the thermostat set for...then all of the sudden the heater shut off and hasn't worked ever since.

I can get the pilot lit, but when I turn the thermostat to 'on' there is a loud click and the pilot goes out. Jumping the thermostat wires also produces the click and then the pilot goes out. I put in a new thermocouple/generator and cleaned the pilot orifice but still no heat. The pilot will not stay lit if I start this process with the thermostat in the 'on' position so that's a no go. My landlord says that there is a cap on the flue making it unlikely debris is down there, however I'm inclined to believe that it's some sort of malfunction due to overheating because of the temperature increase the night it died.

Here is where we are at odds.. The unit has a limit safety switch on the top, left hand side. This is connected to two black wires that connect to the gas valve. The current model of this heater uses a switch with a red reset button. The safety switch on this very old model does not have a reset button. I believe that this means if it was tripped during the storm, it has to be replaced. My landlord believes the pilot wouldn't stay lit if there was something wrong with the safety switch. He says our safety switch without the red button is 'self resetable.' Is it not possible that this is dead? They do sell them as replacement parts..

As a side note, the serial number is no longer visible on the heater. When I called the Williams Company they told me that without that, they cannot give me any specs as to the millivolt system and that I cannot rely on the current manual because things will be different in my unit. The replacement generator I purchased is a universal replacement for 600/750 millivolt pilot burners, but I don't know if this was the correct choice without having more technical information.

 

These are the magic words. YOU have no business troubleshooting or repairing the heater, it is incumbent upon the owner or property manager to ensure you have heat. Doing the work yourself makes YOU liable for any damages, even if you didn't cause them.

Your city, county or the state, possibly all three, will have laws and ordinances that place the burden of repairs on the owner. You can check with the local, county and state government offices for the nearest office to file a complaint if your landlord does not fix, or have fixed, this problem in a timely manner after notification. These offices DO take these complaints seriously.

 

B,
Furd has given you very good advice. It is the landlords responsibility but I'm sure you knew that.

That being said since you started this already with the tstat are you aware there are special stats for millivolt systems are not the same as 24V systems of today. They may turn the system on and off for a while but are very inconsistent in there operation. By that I mean it may turn it on one time and not shut it off or just not turn it on at all another.

Just something to check. Whenever getting parts make sure you tell them millivolt. As far as your limit switch goes they do go bad and are made to shut down if there is a problem. That's why the systems of today have resets on them. Some of the old ones did not.

I'm not advocating working on this thing but since you have already, you can check the status of that switch by removing the wires and putting them together, bypassing the switch. If the boiler stays running it will narrow down your problem. Either you have a bad switch or a blockage somewhere.

Make sure to check there are no obstructions in your venting for safety sake. If you are satisfied all is clear you can replace the switch.

Hope this helps a little.

 

Do you live in PG&E service area. If yes, call them AND make sure the serviceman uses his/her meter to test system.

 

Good advice from the guys and mbk3. I've found that most of the gas providers have excellent and affordable service on gas appliances.

With the age of that unit it's probably long past due for routine maintenance. From your description of the problem you don't have a wiring problem. The problem is in the pilot system. It'll need to be taken apart and cleaned.

 

I knew I shouldn't have said I'm a renter! I understand all of the laws and that this is something that the landlord should take care of, but the landlord is an old woman and is doing the best she can right now by having a handyman take a look at the situation alongside me. Staying in this arctic environment for two weeks while going to the city for resolution is not a great option. I believe this is a simple fix and much like a male renter, I'd like to do a certain amount of easy troubleshooting myself such as this internet thread before escalating the situation.

I will call PGE and also clean the pilot assembly again. It's not a thermostat issue because jumping those wires doesn't work. The pilot light alone will not stay on unless that safety switch is connected. Connecting the black safety switch wires together with a scrap of low-voltage wire does not work, which is puzzling to me because, while always ill-advised for anything other than diagnostics, jumping the safety switch should always work. Connecting those wires directly is difficult because the ends are encased in plastic. I don't know if it's possible that the safety switch is 'dead' but still completing the circuit with the metal casing, thus making is possible to keep the pilot light on when it's connected but still unable to get the main burners on because the safety mechanism is dead. Sigh.

Also, still wondering if the generic 600-750mv generator was the right replacement for this 30+ yr old heater...assuming there are weaker and stronger generators...

Thank you for all the help, I understand the limitations here and won't be doing any actual work on this heater besides what I've already done (jumped the thermostat, cleaned the pilot, replaced the thermocouple, and maybe will replace safety switch). After this, we move into gas valve territory and then I will absolutely have to insist that a HVAC professional take over.

 

We've given you the renters warning. The only reason we say that is because if you do something wrong.... the insurance company could and can deny coverage.

That aside..... if you had a meter you could measure the output of the pilot generator. It needs to be probably better than 500mv (1/2v) DC. That reading should dip when the gas valve is activated. In your case since the pilot is going out.... it's dipping way too low.

You more than likely need to clean the pilot orifice. The pilot needs to be big and bushy to sufficiently heat the PG. The PG also needs to be completely engulfed in the flame for maximum output.