[Public-List] Repaired my cozy cabin propane heater—pretty much

[Randy Katz]

Hello, all,

 I bought a used cozy cabin propane heater for the boat about 15 years ago.
(See link below with a picture.) It recently stopped working correctly. The
pilot light would come on after the control knob was depressed, but as soon
as I released the knob the pilot light would go out immediately instead of
remaining on. The heater was thus inoperable.

A common repair for this problem is to buy a new thermocouple. However ,
The original manufacturer no longer sell parts, most parts anyway, for this
heater, and there’s nothing available that looked to be an equivalent part.
It may be possible to find something similar online, but it’s unclear that
it would be compatible. The choice seem to be chucking  this $400 heater or
getting creative to bypass the usual operating system.

I was saved by watching a crazy guy on YouTube who figured out a way to
eliminate the need for the thermal couple. His heater was a different type,
an outdoor standing propane heater, but the same basics applied.

 It’s possible to take the control valve apart and remove part of the
thermocouple unit.  In fact, that bypasses a safety feature of the heater,
which is if the flame goes out, the propane flow ceases. However, given
that we seldom use the heater, and that I never leave it running when I’m
gone, and that I shut off the propane at the tank before sleeping, this is
a beautiful solution for me.

The thing works absolutely great without the thermocouple. When you depress
the control knob the pilot light will be ignited immediately, and the
heater works as usual.

This may be of interest to someone with a similar heater and problem. Just
be sure to turn off the gas at the source when not using, and don’t allow
anyone else to use it who doesn’t know about its quirk.

Regards,
Randy katz
 #249
Bellingham/Seattle

https://www.suremarineservice.com/Heat/Propane-Fireplaces/10000.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjw3ZX4BRDmARIsAFYh7ZIfSPLqRVdekn3rghKYg7Qhfdw-3Lf7PFGNRZrVj3oiIJvA43CPGsQaAnvpEALw_wcB