Janitrol Heater

luckamucka

I have a Seneca 2 that I have had for about 5 months. The heater does not work while taxiing and during climb out. It will work when we are in level flight. I had the fan checked out and it seems to be functional. Any ideas as to what may be wrong?

Seneca38173

What debugging have you done on it so far? Bob

griff390

Bob's questions are on the right track;

More information is needed. What model of Janitrol heater do you have? Has fuel pressure been checked? Have limit switches and safety switches and controls been checked? Loose or failed wiring? Fuel strainers/filters? Spark plug/vibrator/igniter?

It would seem to me that this may be pressure related. Maybe check the pressure regulator? Janitrol heaters have a safety feature where the pressure of the combustion chamber is kept lower than the ambient cabin pressure. In case of a failure, exhaust fumes are pushed into the heater and out the exhaust rather than into the cabin. I know is seems backwards, but it's possible that when you're in cruise, the difference in pressure triggers the pressure regulator, allowing the furnace to make heat.

Here's some links to Janitrol that you may want to check out.

https://janitrol.aero/
https://janitrol.aero/aircraft-heaters-support/troubleshooting/
https://janitrol.aero/aircraft-heaters-support/service-bulletins/
https://janitrol.aero/aircraft-heaters-support/maintenance-manuals/

I've attached an S-series manual containing some troubleshooting tips.

Scott Sherer

Thanks Griff, you beat me to it, lol.