My Wallas stove has "died"......

wesshaw · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 9:33 pm Post subject: My Wallas stove has "died"......

Sorry to trouble you but as a new (4-week) owner of a well-maintained 1991 22 ftr., I've been very happy with this, my 26th boat in 67 years. The Wallas stove has made the closed cabin so much more enjoyable and useable here In Winter Harbor on the Downeast Maine coast. Largely due to this great heater, I've intended to leave the boat in the water (I use her every day) into December and until the daytime temps stay below 30º... I've been essentially running the stove as soon as the sun begins to set (and also on foggy or rainy days) and the temps head down into the 30's & 40's. I stay aboard until 9 p.m.± and the stove, on medium to high, easily maintains a 20+ degree spread over the outside temp and provides a 'constant' warm surface over which one may spread 'numbing and burning' diabetic hands. I've gone thru 2 gals of refined (expensive) K-1 from WalMart. I've come to love the warm, quiet, constant, fogging-free & odorless heat. A great stove! I've had no problems with fumes, etc. as cited in this forum... She has been running fine.

PROBLEM: Two days ago she failed to start (even with engine running for max. electric)... Both batteries are new and at full charge. Power to stove is fine, pump runs with usual clicking sound. Red light glows when I power her off. The documentation with this (I believe) 1991 Wallas is quite minimal and I've re-read repeatedly. It notes that "...pumps and burners can be cleaned by running in Isopropyl Alcohol..."

—And I've followed their steps implicitly (i.e. emptied the K-1 line by running stove in non-start mode for 15 minutes, pumped through straight isopropyl alcohol for 20 minutes, dumped all old fuel from tank, all new fuel in tank. (After 10 minutes on "start" still no firing! Frustrating!)

The lit. also notes notes that "...delayed function normally indicates a carbonized burner..." BUT no mention or diagram of how to access and clean same....! (I put on an older propane heater from my ice house last night but, now, after the clean and quiet Wallas, found it unacceptable. Water vapor on windows, burning eyes, need to crack the slider and run the exhaust fan, burner noise, etc.....)

With no decent schematic in the lit, so little 'season-time' left, I'm reluctant to pull the entire unit out and loose the few hours of available boat time left in this season to debug a stove I've come to very much enjoy.

I'd very much appreciate any advice or other possible "fixes" and also word on how to "access and clean a possibly carbonized burner" -- and or a USA contact number for distributor, etc...

Thanks, in advance, so much for any advice and assistance!

Wes Shaw, Harbormaster, Winter Harbor, Maine, 04693. 207-963-7007 and/or wesshaw1@mac.com

tsturm

CAVU · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:08 pm Post subject:

Wes,
Check the Documents section under Forums above. There are two documents which might help. One has a lot of good pictures and info on overhauling the Wallas. It might be a different model than yours but they are similar.

Wandering Sagebrush · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:27 pm Post subject: Wallas

Ken,

I sent Wes a link to Tom's Wallas manual.

Steve

wesshaw · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject: Re. Wallas problem

Hi there and thanks so much for the many responses....!
After going to some of the references I believe I've erred in running two gallons of that hi-priced clean K-1 that Home Depot sells thru the stove. (Someone had 'told' me that I should use the best K-1 you could buy. Comments of the reference posts seem to indicate that it should/must be fired on the run-of-the-mill diesel and I'm guessing that my best bet is to call Scan Marine and arrange to ship it across the country for a complete servicing... I'll have to make do at the moment with my 'temporary' propane heater from the ice house... (Good practice for a few weeks from now as the outside temp. here at 10:30 p.m. is 31.7º and with a few weeks of that the lake ice will be 12" thick...!)
Again, many thanks for your speedy advice and assistance! Got to go and make supper and then to bed before 1 a.m.. Best, Wes

Wandering Sagebrush · Posted: Tue Nov 11, 2008 11:12 pm Post subject: Wallas Fuel

Wes,

There are tons of threads on what fuel to use. Bottom line is that there are as many theories as there are types of fuel. Many of us use a synthetic called Klean Heat. It seems to be the preferred hydro carbon.

Steve

C-Sick · Posted: Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:29 pm Post subject: Give Scan A Call

I wouldn't hesitate to give scan a call. I have called them from my cell phone while on the boat and they have successfully talked me through the necessary repairs. I have been duly impressed with their ability to do an accurate diagnosis over the phone. Furthermore I am no mechanical or electrical wizard and still they were able to walk me through the necessary steps.

wesshaw · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 9:09 am Post subject: Sending Wallace for re-build

Hi Jay..... Thanks very much for the advice re. the Wallas. I called and reached a very pleasant and informative fellow, Bruce (Karl has apparently been gone for over a year...). In the end his best suggestion was/is to send her out for a complete re-build given that it is the original Ceramic 100U #2534 and he is amazed that it has run so well to date... He promises a quick turn-a-round and I may have good heat again within two weeks.... Daytime highs here at the "other" end of the world are in the 40's and my rec. therm. shows a nightime low of 21.9º last week.... Water temp. is, however, still decent at 49º this morning.

He estimates cost of the re-build at less than $500± and, given that the cost of a new unit is now $2,250, the 22% expense seems reasonable.

Again, many thanks for your advice and that of others thru the C-Brat forum!

Rick from Maine · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:16 pm Post subject:

Hey Wes, Not so Fast !

I've been wondering about using Hunky Dory in the winter in ME.

So, what precautions are you using to keep your C-dory usable in 21 F weather?

What do you do with the engine? Is Leaving it down in water enough to prevent damaging freezing?

Have you drained & winterized your water tank & head?

How do you keep icing in the cockpit from making the bilge pump inoperable?

What other things do you do?

Rick from Maine

Blindbaybob · Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2008 8:41 pm Post subject:

We've had pretty consistent success with our Wallas by cleaning the filter from the fuel tank, with solvent or WD40. That generally gets it running well again. You might want to try this, before sending it off for repairs.

At other times, the stove will run fine for a short time and then shut itself down. When this happens, we let it shut down completely ( lights off; fan stopped), then fire it up again. We keep doing this as many times as necessary, and eventually it runs fine on its own for as long as we want it.