If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4 winters
old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It would not fire.

Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house heat so
I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I would have been
frantic. After numerous phone calls to the manufacture and their rep I was
told that any HVAC company should be able to work on it. I called a local
company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took two
hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that
exhausts the heater has rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took the
part and today 4 days later called to tell me the part was going to cost
$650.00. I was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online at
numerous sites.

Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists for
$141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is $650....plus
installation.

Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new heater. I
need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The Modine Rep said
the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed after 4 years. He says
the new ones that vent air from outside are better because they don't have
the humid air of the greenhouse rotting the insides.

The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I have
now.

I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with gas
furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you recommend
it?

I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.

Good growing,
Gene

Hi Gene, My mentor has used a Southern Burner heater for more than 30years, still
heating.
We have had two for over 10yrs & have had to replace the Thermo-couple on each. $11.00
shipped
overnight.
Not sure of the BTU's but g/h sizes are 10 x 24 & 10 x 20 with varying heights to
10feet.
We have the model that has a chimney & one has to purchase the upright pipes from
Home Depot about $4 each. I paid about $400 for the heater but the price must be
higher
by now.

http://www.southernburner.com/

--
Cheers Wendy

Remove PETERPAN for email reply

Gene Schurg <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote:
> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4
> winters old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It
> would not fire.
>
> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house
> heat so I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I
> would have been frantic. After numerous phone calls to the
> manufacture and their rep I was told that any HVAC company should be
> able to work on it. I called a local company who took their good old
> time coming out and the repairman took two hours to figure out what
> was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that exhausts the heater has
> rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took the part and today 4
> days later called to tell me the part was going to cost $650.00. I
> was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online at numerous
> sites.
>
> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists
> for $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is
> $650....plus installation.
>
> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new
> heater. I need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The
> Modine Rep said the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed
> after 4 years. He says the new ones that vent air from outside are
> better because they don't have the humid air of the greenhouse
> rotting the insides.
>
> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I
> have now.
>
> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with
> gas furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
> recommend it?
>
> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
>
> Good growing,
> Gene

Most of the people around here who have greenhouses use Southern Burner.
-danny

"wendy7" <wendy7PETERPAN [at] cox.net> wrote in message
news:j_V%f.10874$TK1.9491 [at] fed1read06...
> Hi Gene, My mentor has used a Southern Burner heater for more than
> 30years, still heating.
> We have had two for over 10yrs & have had to replace the Thermo-couple on
> each. $11.00 shipped
> overnight.
> Not sure of the BTU's but g/h sizes are 10 x 24 & 10 x 20 with varying
> heights to 10feet.
> We have the model that has a chimney & one has to purchase the upright
> pipes from
> Home Depot about $4 each. I paid about $400 for the heater but the price
> must be higher
> by now.
>
> http://www.southernburner.com/
>
> --
> Cheers Wendy
>
> Remove PETERPAN for email reply
>
> Gene Schurg <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote:
>> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4
>> winters old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It
>> would not fire.
>>
>> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house
>> heat so I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I
>> would have been frantic. After numerous phone calls to the
>> manufacture and their rep I was told that any HVAC company should be
>> able to work on it. I called a local company who took their good old
>> time coming out and the repairman took two hours to figure out what
>> was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that exhausts the heater has
>> rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took the part and today 4
>> days later called to tell me the part was going to cost $650.00. I
>> was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online at numerous
>> sites.
>>
>> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists
>> for $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is
>> $650....plus installation.
>>
>> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new
>> heater. I need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The
>> Modine Rep said the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed
>> after 4 years. He says the new ones that vent air from outside are
>> better because they don't have the humid air of the greenhouse
>> rotting the insides.
>>
>> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I
>> have now.
>>
>> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with
>> gas furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
>> recommend it?
>>
>> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
>>
>> Good growing,
>> Gene
>
>

I feel for you...
look up the part number of the squirrel fan at
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml,
if it is what you need and a good price buy it
and find somebody ELSE to install it for you.

Those heaters that draw the combustion air from outside the greenhouse are
better for a variety of reasons.

My heaters have both been on very good behavior this year. Only one nozzle
replacement needed on one of the two. On the subject of rust... When they
came on last fall they spewed out a fine coating of iron red rusty dust on
all the plants below. I can not imagine them lasting 20 years.

"Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
news:MwV%f.6575$MU4.6227 [at] trnddc03...
> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4 winters
> old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It would not fire.
>
> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house heat
> so
> I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I would have been
> frantic. After numerous phone calls to the manufacture and their rep I
> was
> told that any HVAC company should be able to work on it. I called a local
> company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took two
> hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that
> exhausts the heater has rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took the
> part and today 4 days later called to tell me the part was going to cost
> $650.00. I was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online at
> numerous sites.
>
> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists for
> $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is $650....plus
> installation.
>
> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new heater. I
> need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The Modine Rep said
> the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed after 4 years. He
> says
> the new ones that vent air from outside are better because they don't have
> the humid air of the greenhouse rotting the insides.
>
> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I have
> now.
>
> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with gas
> furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
> recommend
> it?
>
> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
>
> Good growing,
> Gene
>
>

For what its worth I'm with Al.

I have a Southern Burner heater, vented to the outside.

Like an idiot, I decided to turn it off over summer (why pay for the pilot
light when its summer time, I thought.)

Big mistake.

The humidity in the GH froze, rusted or whatever name you want to call it
the valves shut. dead dead dead. I was fucked.

Luckily, I had a Grainger's catalog and for about a hundred dollars I bought
a replacement valve assembly and was back in business. I have not shut off
the heater ever since. The heat from the pilot light keeps enough heat at
the valves to keep them from rusting over the summer.

While this isn't the same as your squirrel cage assembly, it does lend
credence to Al's comment that you can fix this yourself or get someone else
to fix it for you for much less than you'd think.

K Barrett
(if a girl can do it so can you.)

"Al" <nospam [at] all.ever> wrote in message
news:MJOdnWDEI5X7rN3ZnZ2dnUVZ_tOdnZ2d [at] adelphia.com...
>I feel for you...
> look up the part number of the squirrel fan at
> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml,
> if it is what you need and a good price buy it
> and find somebody ELSE to install it for you.
>
> Those heaters that draw the combustion air from outside the greenhouse are
> better for a variety of reasons.
>
> My heaters have both been on very good behavior this year. Only one
> nozzle replacement needed on one of the two. On the subject of rust...
> When they came on last fall they spewed out a fine coating of iron red
> rusty dust on all the plants below. I can not imagine them lasting 20
> years.
>
> "Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:MwV%f.6575$MU4.6227 [at] trnddc03...
>> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4 winters
>> old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It would not
>> fire.
>>
>> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house heat
>> so
>> I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I would have
>> been
>> frantic. After numerous phone calls to the manufacture and their rep I
>> was
>> told that any HVAC company should be able to work on it. I called a
>> local
>> company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took
>> two
>> hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that
>> exhausts the heater has rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took the
>> part and today 4 days later called to tell me the part was going to cost
>> $650.00. I was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online at
>> numerous sites.
>>
>> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists for
>> $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is $650....plus
>> installation.
>>
>> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new heater.
>> I
>> need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The Modine Rep
>> said
>> the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed after 4 years. He
>> says
>> the new ones that vent air from outside are better because they don't
>> have
>> the humid air of the greenhouse rotting the insides.
>>
>> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I have
>> now.
>>
>> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with gas
>> furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
>> recommend
>> it?
>>
>> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
>>
>> Good growing,
>> Gene
>>
>>
>
>

In article <MwV%f.6575$MU4.6227 [at] trnddc03>, Gene Schurg
<gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote:

> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists for
> $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is $650....plus
> installation.

I'm new in this newsgroup, but have to jump in (violating my own "lurk
for a month before shooting your mouth off" policy)...

If the manufacturer has quoted you $141, will they ship to you at that
price? If so, get the fan, note how the old one is connected, and
connect the new one the same way.

This stuff isn't mysterious, it's easily DIY.

If you're nervous, check your local paper for the handyman ads. Anyone
running one of those can replace a furnace fan for you.

OK. Contrarian is not an unusual stance for me , so...

I avoided the Southern Burners as my greenhouse would have needed several,
amounting to a severe loss of plant-growing space. (If they only made a
higher-output unit.)

I was a long-time Modine user until the "specially for the greenhouse" unit
turned out - as yours did - to be not worth a damn in the humid environment
of the greenhouse. At that point I decided to go with the separated
combustion type, but Modine's smallest was overkill for my GH size.

I found that Reznor made one that suited the bill perfectly - it has the
high efficiency heat exchanger design of the Hot Dawg from Modine, plus the
separated combustion.

Combined, my propane usage was cut by 40%.
--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"K Barrett" <mormodes [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:-fSdnXqBYIRXzN3ZRVn-vw [at] comcast.com...
> For what its worth I'm with Al.
>
> I have a Southern Burner heater, vented to the outside.
>
> Like an idiot, I decided to turn it off over summer (why pay for the pilot
> light when its summer time, I thought.)
>
> Big mistake.
>
> The humidity in the GH froze, rusted or whatever name you want to call it
> the valves shut. dead dead dead. I was fucked.
>
> Luckily, I had a Grainger's catalog and for about a hundred dollars I
> bought a replacement valve assembly and was back in business. I have not
> shut off the heater ever since. The heat from the pilot light keeps
> enough heat at the valves to keep them from rusting over the summer.
>
> While this isn't the same as your squirrel cage assembly, it does lend
> credence to Al's comment that you can fix this yourself or get someone
> else to fix it for you for much less than you'd think.
>
> K Barrett
> (if a girl can do it so can you.)
>
> "Al" <nospam [at] all.ever> wrote in message
> news:MJOdnWDEI5X7rN3ZnZ2dnUVZ_tOdnZ2d [at] adelphia.com...
>>I feel for you...
>> look up the part number of the squirrel fan at
>> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml,
>> if it is what you need and a good price buy it
>> and find somebody ELSE to install it for you.
>>
>> Those heaters that draw the combustion air from outside the greenhouse
>> are better for a variety of reasons.
>>
>> My heaters have both been on very good behavior this year. Only one
>> nozzle replacement needed on one of the two. On the subject of rust...
>> When they came on last fall they spewed out a fine coating of iron red
>> rusty dust on all the plants below. I can not imagine them lasting 20
>> years.
>>
>> "Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
>> news:MwV%f.6575$MU4.6227 [at] trnddc03...
>>> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4
>>> winters
>>> old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It would not
>>> fire.
>>>
>>> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house
>>> heat so
>>> I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I would have
>>> been
>>> frantic. After numerous phone calls to the manufacture and their rep I
>>> was
>>> told that any HVAC company should be able to work on it. I called a
>>> local
>>> company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took
>>> two
>>> hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that
>>> exhausts the heater has rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took
>>> the
>>> part and today 4 days later called to tell me the part was going to cost
>>> $650.00. I was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online at
>>> numerous sites.
>>>
>>> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists
>>> for
>>> $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is $650....plus
>>> installation.
>>>
>>> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new heater.
>>> I
>>> need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The Modine Rep
>>> said
>>> the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed after 4 years. He
>>> says
>>> the new ones that vent air from outside are better because they don't
>>> have
>>> the humid air of the greenhouse rotting the insides.
>>>
>>> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I
>>> have
>>> now.
>>>
>>> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with gas
>>> furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
>>> recommend
>>> it?
>>>
>>> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
>>>
>>> Good growing,
>>> Gene
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

For what its worth I'm with Ray, too. I thought the Southern Burner heater
was ungodly expensive when I bought it but its what "everyone" was using and
I didn't know there were alternatives. A friend used a plain old home wall
heater (vented to the outside) in his GH, figuring that when it rusted out
he'd just get another one. He figured he could replace the wall heater 5-6
times for what a Southern Burner cost. But I'm not that knowledgable or
handy. (I was amased at myself for actually being able to properly identify
and instal the replacemnet part for the southern burner.) So, Gene, if
Resnor makes an affordable model, go for it.

I believe many parts are interchangeable and can be purchased at places like
Grainger's. I think I wound up replacing the valve assembly with a Robert
Shaw valve assembly that operates the same etc, but wasn't the
manufacturer's part. For what its worth, Grainger's has some neat
thermostats etc for GH control too.

K Barrett

"Ray" <raybark [at] firstrays.com> wrote in message
news:G_udnUGYyraz9N3ZRVn-vg [at] comcast.com...
> OK. Contrarian is not an unusual stance for me , so...
>
> I avoided the Southern Burners as my greenhouse would have needed several,
> amounting to a severe loss of plant-growing space. (If they only made a
> higher-output unit.)
>
> I was a long-time Modine user until the "specially for the greenhouse"
> unit turned out - as yours did - to be not worth a damn in the humid
> environment of the greenhouse. At that point I decided to go with the
> separated combustion type, but Modine's smallest was overkill for my GH
> size.
>
> I found that Reznor made one that suited the bill perfectly - it has the
> high efficiency heat exchanger design of the Hot Dawg from Modine, plus
> the separated combustion.
>
> Combined, my propane usage was cut by 40%.
> --
>
> Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
> Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!
>
>
> "K Barrett" <mormodes [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:-fSdnXqBYIRXzN3ZRVn-vw [at] comcast.com...
>> For what its worth I'm with Al.
>>
>> I have a Southern Burner heater, vented to the outside.
>>
>> Like an idiot, I decided to turn it off over summer (why pay for the
>> pilot light when its summer time, I thought.)
>>
>> Big mistake.
>>
>> The humidity in the GH froze, rusted or whatever name you want to call it
>> the valves shut. dead dead dead. I was fucked.
>>
>> Luckily, I had a Grainger's catalog and for about a hundred dollars I
>> bought a replacement valve assembly and was back in business. I have not
>> shut off the heater ever since. The heat from the pilot light keeps
>> enough heat at the valves to keep them from rusting over the summer.
>>
>> While this isn't the same as your squirrel cage assembly, it does lend
>> credence to Al's comment that you can fix this yourself or get someone
>> else to fix it for you for much less than you'd think.
>>
>> K Barrett
>> (if a girl can do it so can you.)
>>
>> "Al" <nospam [at] all.ever> wrote in message
>> news:MJOdnWDEI5X7rN3ZnZ2dnUVZ_tOdnZ2d [at] adelphia.com...
>>>I feel for you...
>>> look up the part number of the squirrel fan at
>>> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml,
>>> if it is what you need and a good price buy it
>>> and find somebody ELSE to install it for you.
>>>
>>> Those heaters that draw the combustion air from outside the greenhouse
>>> are better for a variety of reasons.
>>>
>>> My heaters have both been on very good behavior this year. Only one
>>> nozzle replacement needed on one of the two. On the subject of rust...
>>> When they came on last fall they spewed out a fine coating of iron red
>>> rusty dust on all the plants below. I can not imagine them lasting 20
>>> years.
>>>
>>> "Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
>>> news:MwV%f.6575$MU4.6227 [at] trnddc03...
>>>> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4
>>>> winters
>>>> old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It would not
>>>> fire.
>>>>
>>>> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house
>>>> heat so
>>>> I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I would have
>>>> been
>>>> frantic. After numerous phone calls to the manufacture and their rep I
>>>> was
>>>> told that any HVAC company should be able to work on it. I called a
>>>> local
>>>> company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took
>>>> two
>>>> hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that
>>>> exhausts the heater has rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took
>>>> the
>>>> part and today 4 days later called to tell me the part was going to
>>>> cost
>>>> $650.00. I was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online
>>>> at
>>>> numerous sites.
>>>>
>>>> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists
>>>> for
>>>> $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is
>>>> $650....plus
>>>> installation.
>>>>
>>>> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new heater.
>>>> I
>>>> need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The Modine Rep
>>>> said
>>>> the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed after 4 years. He
>>>> says
>>>> the new ones that vent air from outside are better because they don't
>>>> have
>>>> the humid air of the greenhouse rotting the insides.
>>>>
>>>> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I
>>>> have
>>>> now.
>>>>
>>>> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with gas
>>>> furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
>>>> recommend
>>>> it?
>>>>
>>>> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
>>>>
>>>> Good growing,
>>>> Gene
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>
>

I appreciate all the comments. I'm still not sure what I want to do at this
point.

The Southern Burner sounds great that it works without any electricity but I
would need at least two of them since they have lower BTU output and I would
also have to bring gas into another area of the GH which would be a pain in
the butt. They also are only floor model and like Ray said that takes
valuable plant space.

The Graingers catalog was interesting but they didn't carry parts for Modine
:(

There is a local parts distributor for Modine that sells to the HVAC trade.
If I decide to fix the POS that I have now I would probably do that.

I am afraid that I will fix this one and worry all next winter that it might
break again. I'm thinking about a new unit but am unsure what I'll get.
I'll check out the Reznor site.

I'm still open to more suggestions.

Good Growing,
Gene

Ray,

Thanks for the lead. I like what I've read about Reznor so far. How long
have you had your Reznor unit in use? Have you had any problems/repairs in
that time?

Thanks,
Gene



"Ray" <raybark [at] firstrays.com> wrote in message
news:G_udnUGYyraz9N3ZRVn-vg [at] comcast.com...
> OK. Contrarian is not an unusual stance for me , so...
>
> I avoided the Southern Burners as my greenhouse would have needed several,
> amounting to a severe loss of plant-growing space. (If they only made a
> higher-output unit.)
>
> I was a long-time Modine user until the "specially for the greenhouse"
unit
> turned out - as yours did - to be not worth a damn in the humid
environment
> of the greenhouse. At that point I decided to go with the separated
> combustion type, but Modine's smallest was overkill for my GH size.
>
> I found that Reznor made one that suited the bill perfectly - it has the
> high efficiency heat exchanger design of the Hot Dawg from Modine, plus
the
> separated combustion.
>
> Combined, my propane usage was cut by 40%.
> --
>
> Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
> Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!
>
>
> "K Barrett" <mormodes [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:-fSdnXqBYIRXzN3ZRVn-vw [at] comcast.com...
> > For what its worth I'm with Al.
> >
> > I have a Southern Burner heater, vented to the outside.
> >
> > Like an idiot, I decided to turn it off over summer (why pay for the
pilot
> > light when its summer time, I thought.)
> >
> > Big mistake.
> >
> > The humidity in the GH froze, rusted or whatever name you want to call
it
> > the valves shut. dead dead dead. I was fucked.
> >
> > Luckily, I had a Grainger's catalog and for about a hundred dollars I
> > bought a replacement valve assembly and was back in business. I have
not
> > shut off the heater ever since. The heat from the pilot light keeps
> > enough heat at the valves to keep them from rusting over the summer.
> >
> > While this isn't the same as your squirrel cage assembly, it does lend
> > credence to Al's comment that you can fix this yourself or get someone
> > else to fix it for you for much less than you'd think.
> >
> > K Barrett
> > (if a girl can do it so can you.)
> >
> > "Al" <nospam [at] all.ever> wrote in message
> > news:MJOdnWDEI5X7rN3ZnZ2dnUVZ_tOdnZ2d [at] adelphia.com...
> >>I feel for you...
> >> look up the part number of the squirrel fan at
> >> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml,
> >> if it is what you need and a good price buy it
> >> and find somebody ELSE to install it for you.
> >>
> >> Those heaters that draw the combustion air from outside the greenhouse
> >> are better for a variety of reasons.
> >>
> >> My heaters have both been on very good behavior this year. Only one
> >> nozzle replacement needed on one of the two. On the subject of rust...
> >> When they came on last fall they spewed out a fine coating of iron red
> >> rusty dust on all the plants below. I can not imagine them lasting 20
> >> years.
> >>
> >> "Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
> >> news:MwV%f.6575$MU4.6227 [at] trnddc03...
> >>> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4
> >>> winters
> >>> old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It would not
> >>> fire.
> >>>
> >>> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house
> >>> heat so
> >>> I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I would have
> >>> been
> >>> frantic. After numerous phone calls to the manufacture and their rep
I
> >>> was
> >>> told that any HVAC company should be able to work on it. I called a
> >>> local
> >>> company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took
> >>> two
> >>> hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that
> >>> exhausts the heater has rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took
> >>> the
> >>> part and today 4 days later called to tell me the part was going to
cost
> >>> $650.00. I was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online
at
> >>> numerous sites.
> >>>
> >>> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists
> >>> for
> >>> $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is
$650....plus
> >>> installation.
> >>>
> >>> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new
heater.
> >>> I
> >>> need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The Modine Rep
> >>> said
> >>> the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed after 4 years.
He
> >>> says
> >>> the new ones that vent air from outside are better because they don't
> >>> have
> >>> the humid air of the greenhouse rotting the insides.
> >>>
> >>> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I
> >>> have
> >>> now.
> >>>
> >>> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with
gas
> >>> furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
> >>> recommend
> >>> it?
> >>>
> >>> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
> >>>
> >>> Good growing,
> >>> Gene
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
> >>
> >
> >
>
>

I just went thru my 3rd or 4th winter. No problems at all.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
news:l2i0g.6093$yQ.6004 [at] trnddc07...
> Ray,
>
> Thanks for the lead. I like what I've read about Reznor so far. How long
> have you had your Reznor unit in use? Have you had any problems/repairs
> in
> that time?
>
> Thanks,
> Gene
>
>
>
> "Ray" <raybark [at] firstrays.com> wrote in message
> news:G_udnUGYyraz9N3ZRVn-vg [at] comcast.com...
>> OK. Contrarian is not an unusual stance for me , so...
>>
>> I avoided the Southern Burners as my greenhouse would have needed
>> several,
>> amounting to a severe loss of plant-growing space. (If they only made a
>> higher-output unit.)
>>
>> I was a long-time Modine user until the "specially for the greenhouse"
> unit
>> turned out - as yours did - to be not worth a damn in the humid
> environment
>> of the greenhouse. At that point I decided to go with the separated
>> combustion type, but Modine's smallest was overkill for my GH size.
>>
>> I found that Reznor made one that suited the bill perfectly - it has the
>> high efficiency heat exchanger design of the Hot Dawg from Modine, plus
> the
>> separated combustion.
>>
>> Combined, my propane usage was cut by 40%.
>> --
>>
>> Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
>> Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!
>>
>>
>> "K Barrett" <mormodes [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:-fSdnXqBYIRXzN3ZRVn-vw [at] comcast.com...
>> > For what its worth I'm with Al.
>> >
>> > I have a Southern Burner heater, vented to the outside.
>> >
>> > Like an idiot, I decided to turn it off over summer (why pay for the
> pilot
>> > light when its summer time, I thought.)
>> >
>> > Big mistake.
>> >
>> > The humidity in the GH froze, rusted or whatever name you want to call
> it
>> > the valves shut. dead dead dead. I was fucked.
>> >
>> > Luckily, I had a Grainger's catalog and for about a hundred dollars I
>> > bought a replacement valve assembly and was back in business. I have
> not
>> > shut off the heater ever since. The heat from the pilot light keeps
>> > enough heat at the valves to keep them from rusting over the summer.
>> >
>> > While this isn't the same as your squirrel cage assembly, it does lend
>> > credence to Al's comment that you can fix this yourself or get someone
>> > else to fix it for you for much less than you'd think.
>> >
>> > K Barrett
>> > (if a girl can do it so can you.)
>> >
>> > "Al" <nospam [at] all.ever> wrote in message
>> > news:MJOdnWDEI5X7rN3ZnZ2dnUVZ_tOdnZ2d [at] adelphia.com...
>> >>I feel for you...
>> >> look up the part number of the squirrel fan at
>> >> http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg/start.shtml,
>> >> if it is what you need and a good price buy it
>> >> and find somebody ELSE to install it for you.
>> >>
>> >> Those heaters that draw the combustion air from outside the greenhouse
>> >> are better for a variety of reasons.
>> >>
>> >> My heaters have both been on very good behavior this year. Only one
>> >> nozzle replacement needed on one of the two. On the subject of
>> >> rust...
>> >> When they came on last fall they spewed out a fine coating of iron red
>> >> rusty dust on all the plants below. I can not imagine them lasting 20
>> >> years.
>> >>
>> >> "Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
>> >> news:MwV%f.6575$MU4.6227 [at] trnddc03...
>> >>> If I had hair I would have pulled it out by now. A week ago my 4
>> >>> winters
>> >>> old Modine HotDawg natural gas heater stopped working. It would not
>> >>> fire.
>> >>>
>> >>> Luckily it's been warm enough to keep the greenhouse warm with house
>> >>> heat so
>> >>> I am not too concerned. If this had happened in January I would have
>> >>> been
>> >>> frantic. After numerous phone calls to the manufacture and their rep
> I
>> >>> was
>> >>> told that any HVAC company should be able to work on it. I called a
>> >>> local
>> >>> company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman
>> >>> took
>> >>> two
>> >>> hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00). The squirrel cage that
>> >>> exhausts the heater has rusted and fell apart. The HVAC company took
>> >>> the
>> >>> part and today 4 days later called to tell me the part was going to
> cost
>> >>> $650.00. I was shocked since the whole heater only costs $550 online
> at
>> >>> numerous sites.
>> >>>
>> >>> Once again I called the manufacturer's rep who told me the part lists
>> >>> for
>> >>> $141.00. The HVAC company says too bad that their price is
> $650....plus
>> >>> installation.
>> >>>
>> >>> Now I'm thinking about cutting my losses and just getting a new
> heater.
>> >>> I
>> >>> need 45,000 BTUs and it has to hang from the ceiling. The Modine Rep
>> >>> said
>> >>> the greenhouse environment is why the furnace failed after 4 years.
> He
>> >>> says
>> >>> the new ones that vent air from outside are better because they don't
>> >>> have
>> >>> the humid air of the greenhouse rotting the insides.
>> >>>
>> >>> The ones vented from the outside are double the price of the model I
>> >>> have
>> >>> now.
>> >>>
>> >>> I thought I'd ask the experts in here what their experience is with
> gas
>> >>> furnaces. How is your greenhouse furnaces holding up? Would you
>> >>> recommend
>> >>> it?
>> >>>
>> >>> I'm hesitant about making another investment in a Modine product.
>> >>>
>> >>> Good growing,
>> >>> Gene
>> >>>
>> >>>
>> >>
>> >>
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>

Hey Gene,

For what it is worth, I have 4 lp units here; one Dayton and 3 Modines.
They have given me no more problems than the oil units, boiler, or heat
pumps we also use. The Dayton is pushing 15 years old, well maybe already
pushed it but who is counting. They all use greenhouse air for combustion
and are power vented.

Try and figure out why the fan failed. There is most likely some underlying
cause, these things should not fail in only 4 years. The heater might be
cheap junk. The heater might be of bad design, but easily modified. Your
installation may be making the fan unit more vulnerable than need be. Water
is not your friend here, watch for condensation paths. Dirt buildup on the
fan may have caused the failure and now you know the fans must be cleaned
every so often. Or the failure might just be a fluke, a bearing damaged in
shipping could take years to fail. As you have a better understanding why
the fan failed, the repair/replace decision may be clearer.

I have had good luck doing Goggle searches on furnace part numbers. I can
often find the part at 30 to 50 percent off Grainger prices. More than once
the repair part deal has been found on eBay.

Pat

"Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
news:9yh0g.413$_s5.104 [at] trnddc04...
>I appreciate all the comments. I'm still not sure what I want to do at
>this
> point.
>
> The Southern Burner sounds great that it works without any electricity but
> I
> would need at least two of them since they have lower BTU output and I
> would
> also have to bring gas into another area of the GH which would be a pain
> in
> the butt. They also are only floor model and like Ray said that takes
> valuable plant space.
>
> The Graingers catalog was interesting but they didn't carry parts for
> Modine
> :(
>
> There is a local parts distributor for Modine that sells to the HVAC
> trade.
> If I decide to fix the POS that I have now I would probably do that.
>
> I am afraid that I will fix this one and worry all next winter that it
> might
> break again. I'm thinking about a new unit but am unsure what I'll get.
> I'll check out the Reznor site.
>
> I'm still open to more suggestions.
>
> Good Growing,
> Gene
>
>

Have you tried HeinLein Supply?. They carry Modine parts. Replacing
the squirrel cage can't be that hard to do. I've done it on clothes
dryers, etc. The unit should have come with an exploded drawing and
parts list; with those, a little common sense and some basic tools,
you should be able to do the job.

If you attempt it, be sure to shut off the current at the breaker box
first.

J. Del Col

That's true about googling for repair parts and directions. I got a repair
manual for my maytag refrigerator ice maker online and was able to take it
apart and fix it.

K Barrett

"Pat Brennan" <orchidsNOT [at] rica.net> wrote in message
news:1243hif7i07ft39 [at] corp.supernews.com...
> Hey Gene,
>
> For what it is worth, I have 4 lp units here; one Dayton and 3 Modines.
> They have given me no more problems than the oil units, boiler, or heat
> pumps we also use. The Dayton is pushing 15 years old, well maybe already
> pushed it but who is counting. They all use greenhouse air for combustion
> and are power vented.
>
> Try and figure out why the fan failed. There is most likely some
> underlying cause, these things should not fail in only 4 years. The
> heater might be cheap junk. The heater might be of bad design, but easily
> modified. Your installation may be making the fan unit more vulnerable
> than need be. Water is not your friend here, watch for condensation
> paths. Dirt buildup on the fan may have caused the failure and now you
> know the fans must be cleaned every so often. Or the failure might just
> be a fluke, a bearing damaged in shipping could take years to fail. As
> you have a better understanding why the fan failed, the repair/replace
> decision may be clearer.
>
> I have had good luck doing Goggle searches on furnace part numbers. I can
> often find the part at 30 to 50 percent off Grainger prices. More than
> once the repair part deal has been found on eBay.
>
> Pat
>
> "Gene Schurg" <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote in message
> news:9yh0g.413$_s5.104 [at] trnddc04...
>>I appreciate all the comments. I'm still not sure what I want to do at
>>this
>> point.
>>
>> The Southern Burner sounds great that it works without any electricity
>> but I
>> would need at least two of them since they have lower BTU output and I
>> would
>> also have to bring gas into another area of the GH which would be a pain
>> in
>> the butt. They also are only floor model and like Ray said that takes
>> valuable plant space.
>>
>> The Graingers catalog was interesting but they didn't carry parts for
>> Modine
>> :(
>>
>> There is a local parts distributor for Modine that sells to the HVAC
>> trade.
>> If I decide to fix the POS that I have now I would probably do that.
>>
>> I am afraid that I will fix this one and worry all next winter that it
>> might
>> break again. I'm thinking about a new unit but am unsure what I'll get.
>> I'll check out the Reznor site.
>>
>> I'm still open to more suggestions.
>>
>> Good Growing,
>> Gene
>>
>>
>
>

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Modine ILG

Heinlein Supply Co.
5516 North Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630
(773) 774-8616
info [at] heinleinsupply.com



Parts - Modine

Heinlein Supply is the Midwest largest "IN STOCK" distributor of Modine
Parts. Our stock consists of a large selection of Modine Parts for both
past and present units. We will be glad to assist you in accurately,
and promptly selecting parts for your unit heater requirements.

We SHIP IMMEDIATELY FROM OUR STOCK. If for some reason the part is not
in our stock, we will order and expedite it for you.

To ensure correct part selections for your heater we encourage you to
obtain the following information about the Unit Heater.

The first 4 can be found on the Unit Heater Name Plate.

1. Model Number
2. Serial Number
3. Power Code
4. Control Code
5. The Part Number or Description of the Part that failed
6. The Date the Part/Unit was installed and the Date on which it failed

To ease you through the ordering/inquiry process we have included a pdf
worksheet. Fill in the worksheet and contact us at 773-774-8616, email,
fax at 773-774-8622 or fill out our information request form.

Downloadable Forms
- Modine Parts Inquiry / Order Form
- Customer Information Form

This in the site that J. Del Col wrote about. The pictures didn't copy
but they have fans, blowers, the works.
The big problem with blowers and fans is their being rusted to
the shaft. WD 40 it the day before you try to take it off, the set
screw(s) or will be hard to get at and probably froze up. You may need
that handyman for that job. Don't force anything and don't reach for a
hammer!
Sorry for putting my nose in here but have been doing repair work
and engineering all my life and the secret is, get the part and get
patience, get the unit on a solid work bench and don't give up. You can
rent small pullers and if needed a small pencil grinder as a last
resort, for removing the blower from the shaft. Go slow, you have all
summer! ;-)) (It may be best to buy the Blower and a new motor. Life
will look a bunch better if you do that).
Joe T
Houston









? 2006 Copyright Heinlein Supply Co.

jtill wrote:
> > The big problem with blowers and fans is their being rusted to
> the shaft. WD 40 it the day before you try to take it off,

Good advice. I prefer Liquid Wrench or Breakfree CLP.

(It may be best to buy the Blower and a new motor. Life
> will look a bunch better if you do that).

Yes indeed, and it still wouldn't ad up to $650.

J. Del Col

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 10:25:21 -0700 in <Q7udnerJKruIGN_ZRVn-qQ [at] comcast.com> K Barrett <mormodes [at] hotmail.com> wrote:
> That's true about googling for repair parts and directions. I got a repair
> manual for my maytag refrigerator ice maker online and was able to take it
> apart and fix it.

Worth mentioning.
There are people in this world that should not attempt repairing things
his or her self. There are other people that toss all rational
thought to the wind when electricity or gas are thrown into the mix.

If you are one of those people, you need to
1) Find a good HVAC technician/firm.
2) Establish a working relationship with the folks that do your HVAC
work.

I think the original poster found one of the firms where extortion
is a part of their business plan. I'd suggest asking for repair
estimates from a couple other firms before replacing the whole thing.
--
Chris Dukes
< tajwerk> this job isnt bad though. Today we had free breakfast and
B0rg implants.

Gene Schurg wrote:
>
I called a local
> company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took two
> hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00)


$127.50 an hour?!! It should have taken him about two minutes. I
hope you don't patronize these pirates in the future.

J. Del Col

On Sun, 16 Apr 2006 01:59:33 GMT in <9yh0g.413$_s5.104 [at] trnddc04> Gene Schurg <gene_schurg_nospam [at] verizon.net> wrote:
> I am afraid that I will fix this one and worry all next winter that it might
> break again. I'm thinking about a new unit but am unsure what I'll get.
> I'll check out the Reznor site.

Well, you now know one failure mode for this heater.
I do not know if you've looked far enough to see if this is
the only failure mode you're likely to encounter.
If you're handy and not afraid of electricity, having a replacement
fan stored under your bed might be the cheapest solution.
If you're not so handy... you probably want to find an HVAC
company that is responsive and rational.
>
> I'm still open to more suggestions.

Whatever you decide, have you thought about a backup system?

--
Chris Dukes
< tajwerk> this job isnt bad though. Today we had free breakfast and
B0rg implants.

They charge $95 for the first 1/2 hour and $40 per 15 minutes.....As a favor
the tech only charged me for 1 1/2 hours......What a deal!

I think he was ashamed.



"jadel" <delcolja [at] mail.ab.edu> wrote in message
news:1145290118.329611.61880 [at] v46g2000cwv.googlegroups.com...
>
> Gene Schurg wrote:
> >
> I called a local
> > company who took their good old time coming out and the repairman took
two
> > hours to figure out what was wrong ($255.00)
>
>
> $127.50 an hour?!! It should have taken him about two minutes. I
> hope you don't patronize these pirates in the future.
>
> J. Del Col
>

We don't have heater needs in Houston but I have been following this
thread. Do you guys use any Solar Panels combined with water storage? I
use 35 Gal. drums for bench supports (since I have plenty of them).
Panels can be made with plastic pipe, a small pump and half a dozen
drums and you could save some bucks on heating. The pipe panels could
serve as shade cloth at 50% blocking. Just a thought.
Joe T
Houston

Someone in our society has a system like this. They live just over the
border in South Carolina. I think they have more like 50 barrels under the
benches in a pretty big greenhouse. They have black painted pipes running
across the roof (but not nearly enough to provide any shade for the plants)
and a pump to circulate water through the system. It seems to work. I need
to get them to write an article for the newsletter sometime.
-danny

"jtill" <jtill10610 [at] aol.com> wrote in message
news:1145498136.664682.55180 [at] t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> We don't have heater needs in Houston but I have been following this
> thread. Do you guys use any Solar Panels combined with water storage? I
> use 35 Gal. drums for bench supports (since I have plenty of them).
> Panels can be made with plastic pipe, a small pump and half a dozen
> drums and you could save some bucks on heating. The pipe panels could
> serve as shade cloth at 50% blocking. Just a thought.
> Joe T
> Houston
>

On 19 Apr 2006 18:55:36 -0700 in <1145498136.664682.55180 [at] t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> jtill <jtill10610 [at] aol.com> wrote:
> We don't have heater needs in Houston but I have been following this
> thread. Do you guys use any Solar Panels combined with water storage? I
> use 35 Gal. drums for bench supports (since I have plenty of them).
> Panels can be made with plastic pipe, a small pump and half a dozen
> drums and you could save some bucks on heating. The pipe panels could
> serve as shade cloth at 50% blocking. Just a thought.

I've been meaning to play with with a Subterranean Heating and Cooling
System
http://www.sunnyjohn.com/indexpages/shcs.htm
But to do so effectively would require enough space to do two greenhouses
one with traditional and one with SHCS.


--
Chris Dukes
< tajwerk> this job isnt bad though. Today we had free breakfast and
B0rg implants.

Chris, I can't see SHCS, would have to talk/visit an installation.
Joe T
Houston

Just wondering, what about old house furnaces with cracked heat
exchangers ( you should be able to get them for cheap) that use outside
air, a small ammount of carbon monoxide (CO) leaking shouldn't be a
problem, they produce enought and you buy them cheap from a HVAC
company as long as can show that it is an outdoor use.

Jack