I have a raypak p-r406a-en-c (natural gas) unit and I'm having a flame rollout problem. I looked at the flue and it's clear. There's no obvious issues (no dead beasties). No obvious damage. I tried adjusting the pressure a bit, 3/4 of a turn counter clockwise didn't change the flame height. It's pretty much tightened clockwise in it's original state. Since I saw no change, I stopped playing with it and put it back where it was. Are there any other customer capable items that I can do before bringing in the professional?
Raypak Heater problem (flame rollout)
- Thread starter snewo
- Start date
Pool Clown
In The Industry
Check and make sure that all the burners are firing properly and blue. Roll out occurs when either the exchanger is sooted up, or you have one or more clogged burners. Roll out sensor is one time use, no reset and must be replaced (if it is open).
Yes, my rollout sensor is currently toast and needs to be replaced. So does my wire actually....big yellow flame. The more I research this it seems that everything points to improper combustion (yeah I kinda already knew that). The basics seem to point to either poor ventilation (either intake or exhaust) or clogged tubing. Now I'm wrestling with how deep I'm going to get into this. I'm convinced I can pull the burners safely and then use a trusty coat hanger to clean it out. I'm thinking that might be my next course of action. The problem is that I have a teenage birthday pool party deadline looming.
Most obvious cause, as was mentioned, is the heat exchanger is sooted up. You will need to open up the unit to get to it. Poking around with a coat hanger wire realy won't get the job done. If I can't pull the heat exchanger out to clean it. I pull the burners, gas valve, etc and flush the heat exchanger with a garden hose. The most common cause for these to plug up is running too cold of water thru them. This causes a lot of condensation in the burner chamber that causes the combustion by-products to condense out and build up inside the unit. Once a little starts it is like fertilizing a weed.... It just gets worse and worse. Very common problem in home heating boilers as well.
Solution: paid to have repair man fix it....but I watched.
I read in multiple spots that I needed to clean out the unit as it was mostly clogged with spider webs. The problem was that I didn't know how to do that. I watched a video on YouTube that showed someone pulling out the entire burner unit and cleaning out the jets. That struck me like much more than I was capable of, so that's why I paid for a repair. As it turns out that wasn't needed and wasn't done. Other than the normal vacuum out junk steps in the maintenance visit, the repair man pulled out his handy coat hanger. I read others saying that you could clean out the unit with a coat hanger, but I just didn't see where I was supposed to do what I was trying to do. As it turns out, where the jets meet the tubes that distribute the flame, there is a little nook where you can insert a coat hanger and plunge the tube clean. After plunging the first one he pulled out what looked like a lollipop of cobwebs on the end of the hanger.....problem solved. He cleaned the rest and fixed the damage done to the flame rollover sensor and I was back in business.
So, what did we learn? Every year before firing up the heater for the first time, I should use a coat hanger and plunge the tubes to make sure this doesn't happen again.
-Snewo
I read in multiple spots that I needed to clean out the unit as it was mostly clogged with spider webs. The problem was that I didn't know how to do that. I watched a video on YouTube that showed someone pulling out the entire burner unit and cleaning out the jets. That struck me like much more than I was capable of, so that's why I paid for a repair. As it turns out that wasn't needed and wasn't done. Other than the normal vacuum out junk steps in the maintenance visit, the repair man pulled out his handy coat hanger. I read others saying that you could clean out the unit with a coat hanger, but I just didn't see where I was supposed to do what I was trying to do. As it turns out, where the jets meet the tubes that distribute the flame, there is a little nook where you can insert a coat hanger and plunge the tube clean. After plunging the first one he pulled out what looked like a lollipop of cobwebs on the end of the hanger.....problem solved. He cleaned the rest and fixed the damage done to the flame rollover sensor and I was back in business.
So, what did we learn? Every year before firing up the heater for the first time, I should use a coat hanger and plunge the tubes to make sure this doesn't happen again.
-Snewo
I had the same issue and the thermo fuse blew. After replacing the thermo fuse I started monitoring it for flame rollout and found that on windy days the flame would rollout, so I contacted Raypak and they are sending me a vent extension. I also noticed on line they sell a D-2 Power Vent as an extra feature, with easy to install directions. Question to those reading this: has anyone installed the power vent and did you have positive results?
Had the same problem on my Raypak heater with flame rollout, and fuse blowing. Replaced the fuse and found cobwebs in the stainless steel chutes that the gas orifices point to. No disassembly required. Hope this helps someone.
Orifice spiders are a nefarious group. They also inhabit gas grills and anywhere an unused hole is available. Tuition...cost of education.
I'm reading about Rollout fuses blowing and the main cause I'm seeing is those dreaded Orifice spiders! Dam those little buggers! Can anyone tell me a way to keep them out of my heater in the first place? I'm tired of dropping $25 dollars every spring because they have built a home in my pipes. I could consider it an Eviction fee but after a few years it does add up. Any ideas are most welcome! Thank's folks !
Pool Clown
In The Industry
The spiders are making a home in the burner, not the orifice. They do nest in the orifices, but when this happens, you get no flame (no gas). Clear the burners, then you will have to do some testing. Try running the heater for a few minutes every month that the pool is operating, weather you are heating or not. If they still come back, you will have to increase the frequency, every two weeks, and so on, until you find that they are not getting in there between heater runs.
And there is always the pesticide route...
And there is always the pesticide route...
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I just installed a D-2 yesterday on a Raypak 266 for an indoor pool. I am happy with it so far.