Wallas Help: Little Oval Fan operation???

Byrdman

Wallas help please. The little fan UNDER the bottom of the unit, that provides the air/exaughst flow.... does ya'lls run all the time the unit is on at the same speed and or at least remain on all the time the unit is operational??

I had an issue with mine Thursday morning...right when I was warming her up....or attempting to warm her up... Smell, fog cloud outide my boat... the blinking red light and shut down. (thankfully it was 38 degrees and all of the SeaRay spring boaters were not out on the docks having their coffee and breakfast)... My old faithfull let me down for the 1st time in about 5-6 gallons of fuel burn...

1st thought was power issue, so I let the unit shut down, cool about 15 more minutes, then started the motor and ran her for about 5 minutes (again glad no body was sleeping next to me...I like to get up around 530...), attempted a restart with motor still running and lots of power... Same gig. Checked the power hook up fitting...a bit loose but it always has been, and sometimes pops off but I know just what to look for... did take off the ground wire fitting and krimped it down a bit to make sure I was getting a good ground...Can't do that on the power cord due to the plastic fitting device...bummer. On restart attempt I payed a bit more attention, and just listened better...knowing that my 1st fire up failed. The little oval shapped fan on the bottom of the unit, would come on, run a bit, completly stop for a second or two...run a bit more,,,,stop for a second or two....more smoke under the sink...no fan blowing to vent or provide air...then kick back on for about 15 seconds, and another "fire up" with a bit of a "poof" sound...(not enough air flow??), then the smell, the fog cloud, the blinking red light, and I shut her back down. Never had a problem with this wallas. But then, I never recall hearing the little oval fan shut off and on either...but, it seems it always ran while the unit was operational, not a intermitant running?? And...to top it off...guess which owners manual I could not find.... Mr. Wallas. I feel like my dog has left me.. Thoughts please.

Wanderer · Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 9:48 am Post subject:

We experienced smoke under the counter twice the other day when we were out. The unit would heat up properly then start smoking. Traced the problem to a loose power connection.

Good Luck.

TyBoo · Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 6:57 pm Post subject:

A couple weeks ago I went to get some Kerosene, and the local store doesn't have it any more. Instead of a five gallon can of K1 for $16, they sell one gallon jugs of Klean Heat for $8. So, since everyone raves about it, I bought some. Ever since, the stove has acted screwy. Doesn't want to light, and shuts down right after lighting sometimes.

Well, just a little bit ago, my wife looked out the window from the house and said the boat was on fire. There was a lot of smoke coming out the Wallas exhaust, and a bunch under the galley. The boat wasn't burning, but the stove was smoking like I ain't never seen it smoke. It is shutting down now, and I will jerk it out and check it over after it cools.

Then I'm gonna dump out what's left in the tank of the Klean Heat, and put in some good old fashioned Kerosene, after which, I am betting it works just fine. The last two gallons of that expensive stuff I will give to the first guy who comes and gets it. I have gone through many gallons of K1 with nary a combustion problem, and after a quart of the fancy stuff, I got an exhaust full of soot.

Hey Patrick - Are you still using kerosene like Dusty always did, or have you switched to Klean Heat?? I know it won't make a fan quit running, but my fan was running just fine and everything else sounds just like your troubles.

I know that 47 folks are going to come on here and tell me that the stove is screwed and it isn't the fuel. And they will probably be right. Nevertheless, I will still give the sixteen bucks worth of Klean Heat to the first one of the 47 who comes after it. I was wondering what the big attraction of the stuff was anyway. It is not odorless like they say, it just smells different and less than K1. It would heat the stovetop about 20º hotter than the K1, but since I never had any smell problems with the K1, I can't see why I would spend the extra five bucks a gallon for the stuff. Now I am sure I won't, regardless of the cause of the current trouble.

Alyssa Jean · Posted: Sun Feb 20, 2005 8:51 pm Post subject:

Mike, I used diesel initially but changed to kerosene for the last 1 1/2 and have never had a problem with my unit.

Byrdman · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 6:10 am Post subject:

Wanderer: I think I may have a power connection problem too...due to the little T shaped power connector being "loose"...but how do you tighten up something "inside" that plastic "shell" thing that keeps it in a T? Had thought of attempting to cut it off and clip two single wires...but, know it has worked fine in the past, so I did not want to compound a problem. Now, I have to admit, I have not looked down into the T fitting, and I may be able to push a scratch awl or ice pick down in there and bend the little "prong catcher" in a bit... Next trip.
TYBOO: Please do not count me in the group of 47...but it would not be profitable for me to drive to OR for a couple gallons of Klean Heat. I do use it, and have burned several gallons of it. Problem I have may or may not be fuel... again, not wanting to compound problem... I wanted to 1st focus on the little oval fan.
Thought process here is.... fuel, air, spark are needed to make anything fire. I simply recall the fan running ALL the time...not shutting on and off. I did find a little varmit had started building a nest in the "air tube" going into the fuel bottle and cleared his handy work out...but thought...that would only have restricted the fuel....not the air to the burn location...or I may be wrong. It has burned fine since that clean out, which again puts me back to how does everyone else's fan work???
TODAY, once the world wakes up in a few hours, I will track me down a wallas owners manual and get it FEDEXed to me.

And on the cost of the Klean Heat.... Yep, I agree and it hurt to pay it, but when I looked at how long it really burned, and it did smell less than K1, and for my dock mates who are around me on some mornings during my breakfast cook fest....I would prefer them smell coffee and bacon rather than K1 exhaust.....so I did switch to the Klean Heat...and, it seemed to burn on low longer better and could be for the simple reason Mike said...it might have burned just a bit hotter...so low may not have been that much lower..

Little Oval Fan running all time or part of the time input please... ??

C-Hawk · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 11:14 am Post subject:

HHmmm
I'm beginning to re-think my idea of having a wallas installed in my boat. I keep seeing these posts about how finicky the darn thing is. I would be very pi$$#@!- er- upset if I paid two grand to have it installed and it wouldn't work.
So what's the deal -- how many would buy a wallas again?

Jon - CLou · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 11:49 am Post subject:

Da Nag and I had brief wallas encounter on the C-Lou this weekend. All I know is that you better have a good power supply to the unit or you're going to experience some weird stuff. Right Bill? The last time I saw smoke puffing out like that was on the Wizard of Oz show. Shocked

I called Carl at Scan Marine while this was going on. He was very helpful and confident that it was a poor power source. He was right. After replacing a battery, the unit worked just fine.

Byrdman, I'm not sure about the fan but I bet if you're power source is lacking to the unit, the fan probably would act screwy.

Fishtales, after two years of use the answer would be yes. No problems with the stove or fuel at all, just the power supply.

Byrdman · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:37 pm Post subject:

Have a call into Carl or Karl at Scan Marine now... Left a voice message. Not sure what time zone they are in, or where they are located...but I called at about 1115 central, whick would be either 8 or 915 west coast time... I have often flown out of Atlanta and simply can not remember if west side is two or three hours behind central time.
From another C-Dory site (guess which one...) feedback is indicating that the fan would run at one of the 3 speeds anytime the power switch is on. Mine is stopping for a short period of time...so I almost at this time feel like it is the power to what ever is controling this little oval fan underneith the unit... Will attempt to put a picture of the bottom of my unit on my profile page for talking purposes.
YES, I would buy another. This thing has been W O N D E R F U L.... and cost very little to run....even buying the spendy Klean Heat... For about the cost of one bottle of beer at the bar, I can cook/heat about 18 hours, using the spendy stuff. And, the one gallon containers store great on the boat. Have just put brand new battery in the unit. It is HOT. Thinking a conector issue....

MOOSE · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 12:53 pm Post subject:

I think one tends to hear more about the problems that may occur with a Wallas than about how great they are. I mean, who complains about things that work well. And there are lots of them out there that do. We absolutely love ours, but then what's not to love. It's from FINLAND!!!
Al
PS - with apologies to Karl, who is actually a Swede.

Byrdman · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:14 pm Post subject:

Just talked with Karl.... He thinks it is a fan issue too, but I could not for the life of me tell him if the little yellow on/off light was constantly on or not....I was focused underneeth (sp?) at the fan that was not running 100% of the time on some speed... Karl indicate that it would run at all times, but at differant speeds based on the "load demand.." Asked me to check the fan to make sure it had not dropped down....and to push up on it...? Can't wait to check this out... I do know that I have heard it shift a bit and strike the sides...and a slight push on the sides would free it up.. So, I may have some issue with the fan shaft...? Kinda makes me go hummm.. and want to cancel everything else I have planed today and go check out the boat issue...which is an hours drive each way...but hey...it is my boat... Schedule change coming up I think.

Byrdman · Posted: Mon Feb 21, 2005 5:59 pm Post subject:

OK, I could not stand it after talking with Karl. Went to boat, timed and watched the entire "turn-on/fire up" procedures.... All timed events in order, all lights came on and stayed on.... When talking with Karl on the phone, he asked me to specifically look at the VERTICAL position of the fan blade gizmo (my word..) in the little oval whole that feeds air. He was right on target. I could easily slide it up the little shaft further up into the housing... and upon putting the power back on, it spun and slipped right back down to the bottom of the pin/post/shaft. This has 2 "fittings" that are to hold it up in place. The 1st being a little plastic "star nut" and the second a metal star nut with the outside diameter of about a dime. Both of these now easily slide up and down the shaft... Recommended solution was to skuff up the shaft, then "super glue" it into position un the "upward" position. But, no super glue on board today so it will be about a week until I can get back to my boat to attempt this recommended fix. Sounds like it will work, and in the down position, the little fan "gizmo" does seem to fall down and BLOCK the air flow instead of pulling it into and thru the system. Had to be either fuel (not), power (not) or air (more than likely...) Will keep all posted as this continues. Does seem like that shaft would have been threaded with some type of small lock nut it this was/is possible.

Byrdman · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 4:16 pm Post subject:

Super Glue/Epoxy type glue recommendations anyone?? It just needs to come in a tube/syrenge applicator that I can pull the fan blades down, shoot a bit in there, slide it up, and add just a touch more as to "glue the glue" in place...after it dries.

TyBoo · Posted: Tue Feb 22, 2005 8:46 pm Post subject:

Brydman - It don't matter what you use. As soon as you fire it up with that Kleen Heat crap, she's gonna fry. You have to run petroleum based products in an appliance that is built with petrol grade O-rings and seals. That KH in a Wallas is just like spraying WD40 in an air cylinder. It works great for a while, but sooner or later the rubber seals melt. You're screwed. You might as well get you a big cast iron pot and burn some wood in it.

Well, maybe I got a little carried away there...

You might try some of that stuff called JB Weld to glue your fan in position. As long as you never want to move it again, that is. You can also use some Threadlocker removable grade Loctite. The blue stuff. It ought to work good.

BTW - After junking the KH and filiing up with K1, mine works great.