VC Interpid

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Jackfre

Burning Hunk
Oct 3, 2011
150
N CA
A few years ago my wife saw one of these and before you knew it I was installing it in the house. It's pretty. Operation has been intermittent. I have tracked the problem down to the on/off switch on the side. We do not use a wall stat or a fan on it. it is a simple on/off operation. I am on my third of these switches and apparently they are affected by the heat generated by the stove. I just wrote a letter to VC, but am curious what you all see on these. What is the fix?
 
Replace it. Cheaply made...
Some last forever & some don't.
You local hearth shop should have one.
Gently pry it out with a flat blade.
Take a pic of the wire spade locations
before you remove them.
Attach them to the new one &
just snap it in.
 
Millivolts don't push hard across dirty or corroded contacts very well. Especially when they are not in a sealed gas valve or something.
You think the heat is ruining the switch? I always thought it was corrosion caused by humidity in the summer.
Maybe install a millivolt thermostat away from the unit or a light switch type of arrangement on the wall.
 
Another option is a remote t-stat...
Skytech remotes are pretty popular for gas units.
I have (2) of their model 3001s... One on our HnG 6000TRX-I Fireplace & one
on our Heatilator QVI 30 fireplace insert.
Had em BOTH for over 15 years...
 
Ii am on my third switch. I have written VC as I consider it a manuf defect. No joy, so far. The service tech at the dealer, whom I know and trust said the switches are just affected by the heat. Great place to put it. I have no interest in adding a wall stat. I believe it should work as designed and purchased. I’ve got 55 yrs in the business. I am curious what if any experience you all have.
 
Well, I have 12 years in the hearth business including sales, service & installation.
I admit that I have never worked on a gas fired Intrepid, but this is the first I've
heard about a recurring switch malfunction in ANY gas unit.
 
I’m 20 years, heating, cooling and plumbing service tech.
At 55 years experience you should be good to go.
I always have to laugh at my self when I run into an odd problem at home....the issue can feel bigger then for some reason.
From working on old gravity furnaces.....all the connections matter. Might need to go through the circuit with a meter to see if it’s more than the switch. Maybe low voltage from the thermopile. I am not familiar with your heater though.
 
Take some ohm readings to verify which part is causing the problem.
Could be your wiring Spade terminals.
I like to see under .30 ohms in the circuit connecting the loop back to the gas valve. You can get by with more than that, but obviously there is a part with resistance if you have that much.