Wallas on the fritz

B

breausaw

New member
The Wallas quit on us this weekend, it starts and the red light comes on but goes into shutdown after about 5 to 10 minutes-red LED starts to blink then the unit stops just like during shutdown.
After trying about 10 times to get it going it finally took off and ran most the night then quit. I was getting cold so looked out and saw it was dead, so switched it off/on and it took off for the rest of the night. We made coffee in the morning then it wouldn’t run again.
I’ve read everything in the owner’s manual, but not much help there.
Say’s a blinking red led @ about 0.25 sec means overheat, and that's what happens but how could that be.
Checked to make sure all electrical connections are tight, the fuel is fresh diesel, and the pickup filter is at the bottom of the jug.
Start the unit on high….It's always worked great...
This is a relativly new Wallas stove on a 07 boat with problable only about 5 or 6 tanks run through it.
Any Idea’s?
I’ll call Wallas after the holladays, but hope someone out there has had similar issues.
 
HI I bought a cc23 with a single burner wallas but no instructions does anyone have instructions for these single units do they run the same ? when I sea trialed the boat The wallas started after a few times there is a roatary dial with an on /off switch Is the rotary dial for the amount of heat or for cooking or what ?? Lots of questions
 
Doryman":1eq4w2sv said:
L@@K HERE for an excellent manual on the care and feeding of the Wallas stove.

Warren
Click to expand...

This pdf. file is really a work of art, thanks so much Tom and Rene for making this effort.

Update:
Last night I took some isopropyl alcohol and cleaned the tank filter then blew it out with air. Then put a little alcohol in the diesel, tried to start and same thing; it starts normally with red light coming on then after about 5 minutes red LED start flashing and it goes into shutdown.
I went out this morning and pulled the green bus connection and reset it a couple of times. Took off the exhaust hose at the unit and blew some high volume air through, replaced the hose.
Started the unit and its been running for the last 15-no 25 minutes- I just ran out to check.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed.
:o :D :lol:
 
This is anecdotal evidence only, but I have had no problems with my Wallas since switching to Kleen Heat (despite what the factory says about using diesel.) -- Knock On Wood!

Warren
 
Hello JennyKatz,

I installed the single burner Wallas (Safeflame Model 800 mini cooker) on our CD 22 shortly after we got it (Jan. 2006) and it has, for far, run flawlessly and it gets used A LOT! When the Wallas operates correctly, it is a very simple beast.
Some guidelines that we follow (from Scan Marine and others) that should help keep it working properly are:
1. Use Kleen Heat fuel (synthetic) - burns super clean to reduce carbon build up
2. Start and shutdown the Wallas on the highest setting (we just leave it there with the exception of sometimes running it as a heater on lower settings).
3. Do not interrupt power to the unit while it is cycling. The processor automatically cycles the heater on and off in order to minimize carbonization of the burner and to optimize efficiency.
4. Make certain that it is wired to the Starting battery (through the correct fuse). I use a voltage monitor to ensure that the voltage to the Wallas is at least 11.5 under start up load. This should be no problem normally, but if you need to, you can start your engine and let it run while the Wallas cycles up. It draws 10-12 amps for a short period during start up and then the current draw is very low. I am going from memory, so you may want to look at my Power Consumption chart in the C Eagle album to confirm.

You can get a copy of the users manual for your Wallas at this URL: http://www.scanmarineusa.com/operations_manuals.asp if you want a hardcopy.

I will make a copy of the manual and send it to you if you cannot get one from Scan Marine.

Hope this helps......

:roll:
 
Jay, I am having exactly the same issue as I speak. Of course we are supposed to be heading out for Elfin Cove in the morning but now have to trouble shoot the Wallas as I try to use it for the first time this year. I quit for the night but will venture forth again in the morning. If all fails, I will have to buy a standby stove/heat source for the trip. Let us know if its still working. Steve
 
I maintain there are only two kinds of Wallas owners: those who have had problems, and those who are going to. We had one on our 22, and have one on our 25. They are great when they work, and really difficult to deal with when they don't. According to Scan Marine, they need periodic service, cleaning the fuel chamber and replacing the glow plug. If the circuit board goes bad, it has to be replaced ($590), they do not repair them. We had ours to Scan Marine a short time ago, and got it back in the boat just before Friday Harbor last weekend. After reinstalling, it would go into its startup mode and pump fuel, but the fuel would get just so far up and then run back down, and the unit would go into shutdown mode. The culprit there was the connection between the fuel line and the fuel pump, it has to be REALLY tight. Then it would pump the fuel and it would stay up, but never get all the way to the Wallas. The fix this time (thanks to John Livingston) is that between every startup when you are trying to get it back into service, you have to disconnect the power for a full reset. This is one cranky little unit with a lot of "tricks" and very poor documentation. The best, as you have seen, is the manual Tom and Renae put together here. although I don't believe it mentions the need for the full reset when trying to get it going again after disconnecting the fuel line (or maybe they didn't disconnect the fuel line). If I were starting from scratch again, I would go with something simpler, no question about it.
 
I did get the manuals with mine, in them it says if during a startup there is a failure it will shutdown and flash the lights. To fix it you need to remove the power wire to the stove and connect it backup up. This resets the Circuit board and it should startup like normal. Scanmarine told me that the biggest problem is if you turn off power while it is in a cool down cycle it will cause this to happen. Since I started following that I haven't had it do this. I was shuting it down and then turning off my battery switches too soon for it to finish the cool down. Hope this helps.
 
Jay,

Just a thought, was there anything blocking the exhaust port on the outside of the boat? Not sure what happens when you do that but I imagine it would over heat the wallas. Just something to check.
 
Pat Anderson":n5a40imc said:
After reinstalling, it would go into its startup mode and pump fuel, but the fuel would get just so far up and then run back down, and the unit would go into shutdown mode. The culprit there was the connection between the fuel line and the fuel pump, it has to be REALLY tight. Then it would pump the fuel and it would stay up, but never get all the way to the Wallas. The fix this time (thanks to John Livingston) is that between every startup when you are trying to get it back into service, you have to disconnect the power for a full reset.
Click to expand...

I talked with Mike down at Scan today had mentioned my stove has been working fine since I pulled and reset the main green connecter. He did however mention that I should also loosen and re-tighten the fuel line at the pump. Seems it sometimes may loosen or just need to be re-seated occasionally and could cause the same symptoms you had after re-installation and I had underway.
If the fuel line connection at the pump is drawing even a fractional amount of air do to a loose connection the unit will sense this and go into shutdown. Mike told me this model stove only draws 5 oz of fuel per hour max, so its very sensitive to minuscule fuel flow variations.
I did slide the pump off its mounts to check the electrical connection so perhaps this process tightened the connection enough so the unit would run.
I will however follow his suggestion to loosen and re-tighten the fuel line just to make sure.
 
flapbreaker":dwi51pyf said:
Jay,

Just a thought, was there anything blocking the exhaust port on the outside of the boat? Not sure what happens when you do that but I imagine it would over heat the wallas. Just something to check.
Click to expand...

I don't think there was any blockage, just blew air through the line as a precaution.
 
After having an additional conversation with Scan Marine think I'll stick to using Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) from the pump. It has a much longer shelf life then KleenHeat and burns as clean, plus produces more BTUs. Some marinas still have the old diesel so gas stations are the only reliable place to buy ULSD. My stove produces no smell at all since I dumped the old kerosene from the tank-which had probable gone stale over the winter- and replace with fresh ULSD.
The big problem they see with using off the shelf products is you don’t know when they were produced most of the time, and at 10 bucks a gallon for KleenHeat ULSD is a bargain over the long term.
Scan Marine’s opinions not mine.
If KleenHeat is working for you I’m not advocating that you change, but feel content in knowing that ULSD is a fine product to use with our Wallas stoves.
 
Remember your Boy Scout Motto? Be Prepared! Lots written here about the woes but nothing for a trip saver. (short term fix)

There are a ton of small stoves on the market that serve very well, I carry the whisperlite from my bygone days as a sheep hunter. Boils water in under 3 min, burns about anything, is very compact and easily stored.

Mike
 
We used to carry a one burner butane stove, now carry a Coleman Fold 'n Go two burner propane stove, the one with round burners that fold up like a clamshell. We use it a lot even when the Wallas is working fine, it is just quicker to boil water out on the cockpit and doesn't heat up the cabin on hot days. That covers cooking. We also carry a Mr. Heater Buddy propane heater. So we are prepared, but obviously we need the Wallas to be functional, and for the price, you should not have to carry backups for both cooking and heating!
Alasgun":1bj6as3s said:
Remember your Boy Scout Motto? Be Prepared! Lots written here about the woes but nothing for a trip saver. (short term fix)

There are a ton of small stoves on the market that serve very well, I carry the whisperlite from my bygone days as a sheep hunter. Boils water in under 3 min, burns about anything, is very compact and easily stored.

Mike
Click to expand...
 
Alasgun":2f8fuazx said:
Remember your Boy Scout Motto? Be Prepared! Lots written here about the woes but nothing for a trip saver. (short term fix)

There are a ton of small stoves on the market that serve very well, I carry the whisperlite from my bygone days as a sheep hunter. Boils water in under 3 min, burns about anything, is very compact and easily stored.

Mike
Click to expand...

I hear yea Mike, I carry a small single burner Cullman Gas stove..At least I can make my coffee and scramble so eggs if need be. It will also take the chill of the cabin pretty quick but need to keep a window open.
 
So we are prepared, but obviously we need the Wallas to be functional, and for the price, you should not have to carry backups for both cooking and heating!
Click to expand...
Why not Pat? Most of us carry backups to our 12k plus main method of propulsion. Some carry backup battery packs, backup generators, back up gps, a lot of which costs as much if not more than the Wallas. I quite often note people having problems with their engines, chartplotters, windlass, toilets etc., but for some reason the Wallas gets a lot of bad press. Go figure. I really like mine, in fact I added a second straight 1800 heater.
Scan marine has added some maintenance and tip information to their web site. It will probably be helpful to folks to take a read over their tips and suggestions. Scan Marine
Ron
 
I got the Wallas running this morning and it kept going for about three hours then shut down. I looked it over some more (didn't help) then called Mike at Skan. He gave me some ideas but mostly suggested sending it in. I took the glow plug out tonight and it has a burn through on the shaft. When connected to 12V it will get pretty warm but not hot. The thing is deffinately getting fuel, spilling out into the cabinet even so I think I found the problem. Now to get a glow plug. Unfortunately, we are leaving as planned tomorrow morning sans working Wallas. Hopefully the weather will stay fairly warm for us. Anybody know an alternate source for the glow plug? Ex. VW diesel etc?
 
Personally I like the Coleman stove/Mr. Buddy combo. It ain't elegant but it's about $100 out the door, does the job, and it's reliable. The Wallas cost thousands, is sensitive and borderline reliable, expensive to repair, and you have to carry the Coleman/Buddy setup as a backup anyway. Just doesn't compute.
 
dotnmarty":3ihw0yq9 said:
Personally I like the Coleman stove/Mr. Buddy combo. It ain't elegant but it's about $100 out the door, does the job, and it's reliable. The Wallas cost thousands, is sensitive and borderline reliable, expensive to repair, and you have to carry the Coleman/Buddy setup as a backup anyway. Just doesn't compute.
Click to expand...

Marty-

Thanks for sharing your moment of clairity of thought and the resultant simple solution with us all!

FIVE STAR :star :star :star :star :star KISS PRINCIPLE AWARD OF THE WEEK!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
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