convert Reddy [torpedo] Heater to plug?

[Jim Elbrecht]

Last spring I bought a Reddy Heater. [50K BTU - uses a bunch of fuels from Jet fuel to Kero]

I used it twice and ran it about 3 hours and it quit. So this fall I checked it over and replaced a burned out ignitor.

The air pressure was 5.5 from the factory, so it reset it to 3.4 like the manual instructed. The service guy said that it was likely that the air pressure caused the ignitor to fail prematurely. He also said that Kero would burn cleaner than the deisel I was using. [and apologized for the $45!!! cost of an ignitor]

So I replaced the ignitor- put Kero in-- and got 2 hours out of the next ignitor.

I don't think I want to mess with any more ignitors.

It's in the shop now [1 year warranty] but I don't intend to spend anything on it.

Why they took a rugged spark plug and replaced it with a fragile ignitor is beyond me. Am I just unlucky or are these things way to fragile for a construction site?

Has anyone had any success converting it back to a reliable plug? [or at least, a not so fragile, and much less expensive plug]

Jim

[m Ransley]

Even a finger touching an ignitor can cause it to fail from oil contamination if it is like ones for a furnace. If done right it should be reliable

[anoldfart2]

I am familiar with the older heaters and the sparkplugs. What is an ignitor? Do you know any websites that have a picture. I guess I never knew they changed them. In my opinion, I have never had much luck with ANY of those torpedo heaters. It seems like they need constant repairs, and when they do work, they stink up the whole garage. I finally gave up on mine and got myself a propane heater for the garage. All I do is light it, and I get instant heat and no more troubles.

[Jim Elbrecht]

-snip-

Here's mine-

In geberal they are a very fragile 'glow plug'. They work fine in gas cookstoves. If you never intended to move the heater it might make sense but I don't know what they were thinking to put it in a portable heater.

My dad had one 30 yrs ago. [might still have it] As soon as you could smell it, it was time to adjust the air mixture. If you waited too long the [$1] plug would foul & you'd swap it with the spare-- then clean the plug and have it ready for next time.

That's what makes no sense to me. They replaced a [now] $5, sturdy, reliable, fixable part with a $50 part that fails completely.

I am looking at the new propane 'torpedoes'. About the same price as I paid for this beast on sale-- twice the BTU's, and a spark plug ignitor. If Reddy doesn't have a permanent fix for the ignitor- I'll be buying a propane heater next time the ignitor fails. And it sure won't be a Reddy.

Jim