Using paraffin to de-coke an Eber D5LC heater

[NormanS]

Paraffin is paraffin, whether blue, pink, green or white, it's all the same what ever you call it or how ever much you pay for it !!!

Is it? Way back, we used to use TVO, Tractor Vapourising Oil, It certainly wasn't the same as Esso Blue or Alladin Pink.

 

[BoyBlue49]

TVO - Not same.

I suggest you look at "Tractor Vaporising Oil" wikipedia to see that TVO is not just paraffin, it has octane enhancing additives.

 

[NormanS]

I suggest you look at "Tractor Vaporising Oil" wikipedia to see that TVO is not just paraffin, it has octane enhancing additives.

That's why I said, "IT'S NOT THE SAME".

 

[robinwr]

So I gets me a gallon of paraffin and head down to the marina to burn it through the heater on Friday night. It wouldn't fire up at all - no fan - nothing - this after running for about five hours last Sunday.

So Saturday's activities included removing the gas locker insert to gain access to the heater and reading the fault codes on the controller/timer. I have an actual fault of 012 - overheating at the overheating sensor; a previous fault of 013 - overheating at the flame sensor; the four remaining fault codes are 053 - flame cut-out in the power stage (which would tally with the few time recently where it failed to ignite and which prompted me to start to think about de-cokeing it).

Questions are -:
Is this something that can be remedied without having to call an engineer?
Do I need to replace glow plug, screen and sensors?
Does the controller/timer need to be reset to allow operation or is there a built in self test which will pass if the sensors are new?

I've looked at both Jellie's and Stu's articles in PBO and while they are useful they relate to different heater models - mine is a D5LC, 7 years old with 4500 hours on the clock.

Again all advice and tips appreciated.

 

[nigel1]

Is it OK to put paraffin, kero through a Webasto Airtop, I cannot see why not, but does anyone know if there ia a reason why this cannot be done.

 

[Heckler]

So I gets me a gallon of paraffin and head down to the marina to burn it through the heater on Friday night. It wouldn't fire up at all - no fan - nothing - this after running for about five hours last Sunday.

So Saturday's activities included removing the gas locker insert to gain access to the heater and reading the fault codes on the controller/timer. I have an actual fault of 012 - overheating at the overheating sensor; a previous fault of 013 - overheating at the flame sensor; the four remaining fault codes are 053 - flame cut-out in the power stage (which would tally with the few time recently where it failed to ignite and which prompted me to start to think about de-cokeing it).

Questions are -:
Is this something that can be remedied without having to call an engineer?
Do I need to replace glow plug, screen and sensors?
Does the controller/timer need to be reset to allow operation or is there a built in self test which will pass if the sensors are new?

I've looked at both Jellie's and Stu's articles in PBO and while they are useful they relate to different heater models - mine is a D5LC, 7 years old with 4500 hours on the clock.

Again all advice and tips appreciated.

I was under the impression the D5 didnt lock out, so Im guessing if nothing happening at all it is a power supply prob as the first check. Basically they go thru a self check sequence, so even if it fails to start then once a restart is started then signs of life should be apparent whilst it self checks till it comes against a fault?
Stu

 

[robinwr]

The consensus on this forum is that it doesn't lock out but I thought that that type of lock-out was as a result of a failure to start - I'm wondering is this a kind of thermal protection lock-out. The trouble-shooting manual talks about overheating faults causing the thermal cut-out switch to activate preventing start-up - if there was a fault in the sensor then presumably it could activate the switch and prevent start-up.

Power - we've only had the boat since September and I'm still finding my way round the electrical and electronic inards. I have power at the controller (a 701 10 series with diagnostics hence the ability to read the codes) - does this have a battery backup. We do not have a separate breaker on the switch panel for the heating so I imagine there is a separate in-line fuse - will have another look and also try and see if we have power at the heater itself.