Wheelhouse heater question

[Biggie]

Hi guys, I built a wheelhouse this year and finally got it out yesterday. It is 8x14' with 3' V. It has 1.5" pink foam board in walls, ceiling, and floor. I have a Williams 22k direct vent furnace in it. Yesterday with it being a high of 0° the highest I got inside the house was 48° at the end of the day. Do you think the furnace is too small?

[fishingstar]

how well did you have it banked?

we had my house out yesterday and it stayed at 70 until

9 last night that is when the lp tanks started to freeze up.

could you have been having the same problems? 

My house is 6.5x12 insulated the same with 15000 btu empire.  

[Biggie]

I banked it fairly well. I was wondering too if it was a regulator problem. Should the tip of them get too hot to touch?

[LindellProStaf]

You mean your regulator is hot?  It should be outside by the tanks.

[RebelSS]

11 minutes ago, LindellProStaf said:

You mean your regulator is hot?  It should be outside by the tanks.

WHOA!!!! Your REGULATOR?!  That's technically impossible, they usually freeze or ice up.....DANGER! DANGER!!!!  

Edited January 17, 2016 by RebelSS

[LindellProStaf]

The regulator has plastic parts in it.  It should be outside by the tanks and if it isn't, like Reb said.  DANGER!!!  If it is too hot to touch it must be inside and you have melted parts inside.  

[RebelSS]

STOP using that NOW!!!! Seriously!!!! Do NOT stay inside with that!!! Get a certified LP guy to look at it! 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2016 by RebelSS

[Biggie]

Sorry, regulator is outside on the tank. I was talking about the furnace. I thought it would be a lot hotter on the top vent

[LindellProStaf]

When it is on I can't touch the outside vent on mine.  There should be a pipe inside a pipe.  The big pipe is the intake and the inside pipe which is a little longer is the exhaust.  

The end cap is what is hot on mine.  It is on the exhaust pipe.

[Biggie]

I had the side of house with the vent facing the wind, can this cause problems?

[LindellProStaf]

My vent was facing the wind yesterday and my house was nice and cozy.  I have a 10' house with a 10,000 BTU Home Comfort direct vent from L&M....  A 22 btu furnace should cook you out of that house with the good insulation like you have used in the walls and floors.  Do you have an auto changeover regulator that will change tanks when one goes empty?  They sometimes aren't real reliable.  I have two of them and have to bring one into the garage to warm up and get the moisture out of it and I them put the spare one on.  OR  just use a single regulator and you have to go out and change tanks when it runs out.  AND keeps tanks as full as possible when it is cold like this.

[Biggie]

It was just a single regulator and the tank was just filled.

[RebelSS]

Well, at least it wasn't his regulator. But, he should be getting cooked right outta there with a 22K BTU furnace.

[LindellProStaf]

Ya, how big of tank do you have Biggie?

[Biggie]

30lb

[LindellProStaf]

Maybe you should go buy another regulator.  Single ones don't cost much.  Then you can always have a warm one that is dried out and you can change it in minutes.  Also the bigger the tank the better when it gets real cold out.  I use 2 40's.  Also spiders like  to make nests in open lines.  I always keep a tank on my regulator or tape it shut in the offseason so  bugs don't get in there.

30 should work but may be borderline when that 22K btu furnace is trying to suck propane in on a real cold day.  A 100 would be great.

[Biggie]

I well have to buy another regulator and try that out.

[LindellProStaf]

The more I think about it I think you should also look for a used 100lb tank.  That would be the real ticket for you.  You would have more pressure when it gets cold out and that big furnace is calling for more gas.  Your 30 would make a good spare for when the 100 runs out and you are getting a refill.

[Biggie]

Should the regulator be a certain pressure, was looking at some on hsolist that were 11 WC

[LindellProStaf]

I think that is standard.

[eagle_3464]

Was this a new tank? If it is and they did not purge it correctly, the safety valve inside the tank may be restricting LP flow. I had a new tank last year with similar problem.

[Biggie]

No, it was off my camper. I went out tonight and took off regulator and warmed it up. Not much change. Forgot to take my other tank to try. The flames on the burner are less then a quarter inch high so I'm assuming it isn't getting no where near enough lp. I have a new regulator ordered but not sure that is it

[fishingstar]

I had that same problem with my heater.

I found the u turn I made with my copper line had collapsed 

just enough that the primary burner was the only burner working.

I put in a flexible appliance gas line in so I  didn't have to do the bend with copper.

We don't have the same heater but  similar.  My primary burner is a oval and the secondary

burner is straight in the middle of the primary. I didn't know the second was even there.

hope this helps

Dan

 

 

[Biggie]

Thanks. I have another line coming with the regulator do I will just bring tank inside and try it. I have a flexible line in right now. Going to suck if it is the line because I can't really run inside the wall

[rustysetter]

Make sure its not the tank, mine acted the same way and the tank was a few years old.