Older GF600DV

[Purple dawg]

Hello,
I purchased a Gf600dv 10-12 years ago, and it has never given me a problem. I turn the gas off 1 may and relight on Halloween. When I went to relight this year the pilot has an even blue flame impinging on both thermocouple and thermopile like always. I turned up the remote thermostat and it lit, but no comforting soft whoosh, only a low volume flame, that won’t activate the blower unit. I purchased and installed a new main valve and igniter assembly. No change in flame height. Gas pressure seems good although I have no test meter, need a suggestion as to what to do next.

 

[DAKSY]

Pull the burner & burner orifice &
poke a Q-Tip swab into the tube behind the orifice.
Probably a spider's nest in there.
Let us know how you make out.

 

[wooduser]

Pull the burner & burner orifice &
poke a Q-Tip swab into the tube behind the orifice.
Probably a spider's nest in there.
Let us know how you make out.

Pull the burner & burner orifice &
poke a Q-Tip swab into the tube behind the orifice.
Probably a spider's nest in there.
Let us know how you make out.

That's a very good diagnosis Daksy --- I was going to suggest it as the likely cause of the problem as well.

And I just left BSA as a volunteer since I became an adult leader in 1981 ----got the Silver Beaver a few years ago, and spent twelve years blowing on the coals of a struggling Cub Scout Pack to keep the fire from going out.

 

[wooduser]

A spider's nest is a likely cause of the problem.

You need to find the main burner orifice, usually a brass fitting screwed into the end of the gas pipe going into the burner unit of the fireplace.

You typically need to remove the main burner, unscrew the burner orifice and inspect and remove the spider's nest, which is usually just inside the burner orifice.

Insects just LOVE the odor of natural gas, or perhaps the odor of the mercaptan odorant that's added to the gas.

 

[Purple dawg]

Pulled the burner & orifice no visible obstruction. Blew compressed air @ 100 psi through everything, installed new main valve & igniter assembly, flame height still 3/4”. Had gas company out to test pressure in regulator, no problems
is it possible that the new main valve is defective as well, seems unlikely. I have two other gas appliances in the house both operate fine.

 

[Millbilly]

Is the burner a pan or a tube?

 

[DAKSY]

Did you run a Q-Tip in the gas line like I suggested?
Blowing compressed air into the gas line may have simply moved
the spider's nest out of the way & in the other direction.
When the gas flow resumed in the feed direction, it may have
pushed the nest back into the blocking position.

 

[Purple dawg]

Is the burner a pan or a tube?

It’s a corrugated aluminum tube.

 

[Purple dawg]

Did you run a Q-Tip in the gas line like I suggested?
Blowing compressed air into the gas line may have simply moved
the spider's nest out of the way & in the other direction.
When the gas flow resumed in the feed direction, it may have
pushed the nest back into the blocking position.

Didn’t get anything with the q-tip, but I took the aluminum tube off the main valve outlet and blew through it, it felt just like a spit wad going out a straw! I had stuck the q-tip in their, just not far enoughThe clog was down inside the brass elbow that connects to the burner oriface. SUCCESS stove operates just like before! Thanks to everyone that commented/suggested. I now have new parts and a working stove.

 

[DAKSY]

Learning Experience & a Job Well Done. Good on you!

 

[wooduser]

Glad to see you reporting success!

This is where experience would be of value. An experienced repairman would have verified that only a small amount of gas was still getting through, and disconnected the supply line to the burner at the gas valve and inspected it further.


But ---- the nature of DIY repairs is that you pretty often have to do things 2-3 times before you get them done right. I'd say you did very well by not giving up and going back to take a second whack at the problem.


You might want to look around the vent pipe outdoors to see if there is anything that could be trimmed away to discourage a repeat episode of this issue....

Wow! I don't think I've ever found a nest so far up the tubing. Usually just inside the burner orifice in my experience. But live & learn.

Insects just LOVE the smell of the mercaptan odorant that is added to the gas, which by itself is odorless.