OT (a bit): How to fix smokey outdoor heater
 

Sorry if this is too OT, but I can't think of a better forum to ask.
Last year I got two outdoor gas heaters from Costco (the kind that
look like steel umbrellas). Last year both worked OK. This year one
works OK, but the other burns with big yellow flames and smokes like
crazy. In less than a minute, it sooted up the entire underside of the
heat reflector.

I know spiders can get in these things, but wouldn't that just mean
less gas and an a smaller flame? It this thing somehow getting starved
for air? Any ideas on how to go about fixing this or what I can check?
I am pretty handy and careful mechanically. I'd like to get more than
one season out of these things.

OT (a bit): How to fix smokey outdoor heater
 

lens wrote:
> Sorry if this is too OT, but I can't think of a better forum to ask.
> Last year I got two outdoor gas heaters from Costco (the kind that
> look like steel umbrellas). Last year both worked OK. This year one
> works OK, but the other burns with big yellow flames and smokes like
> crazy. In less than a minute, it sooted up the entire underside of the
> heat reflector.
>
> I know spiders can get in these things, but wouldn't that just mean
> less gas and an a smaller flame? It this thing somehow getting starved
> for air? Any ideas on how to go about fixing this or what I can check?
> I am pretty handy and careful mechanically. I'd like to get more than
> one season out of these things.

They are just a burner and need cleaning. Your describing a rich burn
which means the air ports are clogged. The units should have come with
cleaning instructions. Basically it's taking the tops off and carefully
cleaning the air ports with a paperclip.

--
DougW

OT (a bit): How to fix smokey outdoor heater
 

"lens" > wrote in message
> I know spiders can get in these things, but wouldn't that just mean
> less gas and an a smaller flame? It this thing somehow getting starved
> for air? Any ideas on how to go about fixing this or what I can check?
> I am pretty handy and careful mechanically. I'd like to get more than
> one season out of these things.
>

Less air = richer mixture = soot. Try cleaning the venturi.

OT (a bit): How to fix smokey outdoor heater
 

Thanks. It was pretty easy. I could unscrew the heater asembly and
pushed a bottle brush through the gas line. There was a white blob
from a web or something. All is OK now.