Propex: Blinking 5 Times (Are they Lemons?)

[Timwhy]

[Timwhy]

Yup, two blinks! Thanks again Karl!
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'15 Audi A3 Quattro
'09 VW Tiguan (dead)
'87 VW Westy
'91 Tin Top
'90 Cabby
What the Westy wants the Westy GETS


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[Typhon2222]

From the very beginning (or almost the very beginning -- I can't remember how it sounded the first few days we used it), our Propex has always produced a kind of burbling sound while burning. As if it were burning in fits and starts rather than burning a steady stream of propane consistently. Anybody else have this problem?
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Basil — '88 Dove Blue Westy.

[westyventures]

[Typhon2222]

[Syncro Jael]

Just a comment about Propex heaters.

I purchased a HS2800 a year ago.
My son just installed his HS2211 about 6 months ago.

His 2211 has been running in Breckenridge CO. for the past winter. His Syncro has seen multiple subzero° nights and has preformed flawlessly. It has run everyday since October of 2013.

I have had no issues with my 2800. I love cold weather camping when you can get inside and have it toasty warm and sleep comfortably without the worry of some gas heaters. Clean reliable heat.

Both were installed as per the instructions and no vent pipes were cut. I understand these are machines and some machines break down. But ours have been flawless.

Great product and wonderful heat when you really need it!

Thanks Westy Ventures!
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1987 Syncro Westfalia Hightop - NAHT
Subaru EJ25 Forged Frankenmotor, Triple Knob.
Jael = (Mountain Goat)

[LemonCove]

Getting ready to take off for a cold weekend, tested propex (which I havent used in at least a year) and got the "5 flashes." Samba to the rescue! Compressed air in inlet did the trick!
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'88 Bostig Westy

[newfisher]

With ALL HEATERS there is maintenece just like everything else. YOU MUST FIRE THEM ALL UP ONCE A MONTH to keep them going. Letting them sit is asking for problems!

[dobryan]

[ThankYouJerry]

[Steve M.]

I just read part of the thread and saw it mentioned that there is soot in the exhaust.
These things run on clean burning propane...where is the soot coming from?
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This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

There are seven days in a week. Someday is not one of them.

[inorganic]

help! my propex HS2000 is experiencing 5 blinking lights, I've tried blowing out the exhaust, vacuuming the exhaust, cleaning the fan (gently), cleaning the sensor (gently). It has a new board (2 years or so) that was installed by Karl. Tried all the troubleshooting suggestions i could find but still no heat - just 5 lights. ANY HELP APPRECIATED!!!

[Crooked Designer]

After getting the 5 blinking code, I decided to change out the airflow sensor and see what happens. Van Cafe supplied the Omron sensor and I spent a huge amount of time wrestling the unit out from the high heat silicone in the holes in the floor of the van under the fridge. After that pain in the ass, I figured I'd help out the next person with some photos, because I'm visual and those instructions were pretty vague.

Step 1 is to remove the screws from the housing. Then you need to get a long and very thin but sturdy knife to cut the silicone seals from between the housing and the base of the unit. This was surprisingly difficult as well. Maybe silicone is my nemesis.

If you think about where the silicone is on the right side of this photo and think about how you can only reach that from the back of the unit (the left side) you'll get a sense of how long that knife blade needs to be. I got my propex with the van from the PO and the warranty seals on the bottom were already broken, it also said "heat tested" and a date on the bottom in sharpie, so this may have been an a previous maintenance reseal on of the silicone, so your results may vary.

Now to find the sensor. The orange white and green wires run from the circuit board to the sensor, and I had read about the black and white alternating pie pieces on the spinning wheel, so I knew what I was looking for, but here it is if you don't

Remove the two screws and the fan, wheel, and green board all come out. After looking closely, its filthy. Not surprising, as the whole unit is filthy inside. Problem identified.

to get the wires out of the grommet, I had to cut the top of it. Knowing I was going to silicone it back into place, I wasn't worried about it. Just left the cut facing up, so no chance for wires inside to find a metal edge to rub on. They will be facing the inside of the case on top which is a smooth surface, but will also have silicone in between.

Don't forget to take the tape off the sensor. This is so it doesn't fall off during transit (it eventually will be secured by the screw when you screw it into the heater)

This is it once the tape is off. I don't regret doing this over a box as I dropped the screw, washer, and sensor at least once each trying to maneuver it into place.

The base of the sensor is wider than the opening and there is a huge pipe you need to work it around so the opening on the base sits over the air inlet I had to start it in 90 degrees to where it would eventually sit to get it past the flanges on the outside of the case. fun times turning the new pieces upside down when you're trying to hold a tiny screw, washer and sensor to a board as you wiggle it around.

A micro screwdriver that is magnetic would have been a lifesaver here. Tight fit to get past the things sticking off the board so you can actually screw the new sensor down to the base using the provided shorter screw.

This is what it looks like after a lot of swearing

There is only one screw provided, and I didn't want to fight any more silicone, so I reused one of the older long screws to keep it from rotating. the screw is too long to screw the base down firmly on the left side, but I figured that wasn't that big of a deal given they only think you need one screw in the first place.

The best part of this is I've heard that the wires are sometimes in a different order, so they send the unit without the harness attached, so you can slide the pins in in the correct order for your unit. *High five* whoever thought about sending it that way. Once you have the pins in the harness in the right sequence you just swap the old for new

After adding all the silicone I had on hand to make it really difficult for myself the next time I have to take this apart, I put all the screws back in the cover and wrestled it back into place.

Upside is I got to replace my noisy metal intake pipe for the "paper" one from Van Cafe. It is much quieter now. Also cleaned up how the pipes are run under the van. I never took a photo of that because it started to rain right when I finished putting the last screws into the clamps holding them to the frame.

Works like new now. Very satisfied, as before I would always be optimistic while it was starting up. If you've used one of these, you know it takes a bit before it tells you there is an error. I enjoy hearing it light and start blowing hot air more now than I did when it was working when I originally got the van. Good times.
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'85 Westy full camper, Subaru 2.5L, 5 speed SubiGears + 5speedbus shifter kit

[Abscate]

That circuit board manufacturing dates back to bell bottom era. Maybe before. Put some friggin money back into your product , please
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.ssS!

[raspyni]

[Californio]

I have this problem with the black and white sensor. Possibly stems from the fact that there is no air filter anywhere on the heater, kind of amazing when you think about it. One day I'll do the upgrade but the Propex is so deeply lodged in there I don't look forward to it.

My workaround has been to mount the combustion air intake so it points outside the van on the top of the passenger side propane tank. When I get the blinkies, I blow into the air intake and voila, it works. Requires a bit of humility, perhaps not a bad thing. If you don't have a passenger propane tank, mount the air intake just somewhere you can get to it without climbing under the van.

[westyventures]