See, built into each of our VAL6 heaters, there’s a shut-down procedure that takes place when good little boys and girls press the “off” button. The pump stops, the fire goes out, the ignitor sparks its last, but the fan keeps turning. This is all to do with one of the most expensive parts of the heaters: the radiant disk. That fan turning knows exactly at what speed to cool down the disk. Without the fan cooling the disk at the manufacturer-recommended speed, the disk will deteriorate at an unnatural speed – then you get to buy a new one. Check out our Parts Store if you’ve already been there, done that.

For your VAL6, it’s vital that you, and everyone using it, utilize the “off” switch. But, don’t worry! It’s not like you need to hang around while it cools down. Just flick the switch, and walk away. It will be ready for you in the morning!

Enjoy!

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“If there’s something wrong with your VAL6, 95% of the time, it comes down to your fuel.”

Now, I’ll be honest, a lot of people don’t like that. You might be surprised to find out that many people are actually very touchy when it comes to questioning the quality of their diesel-fuel. It seems a lot of self-worth is derived from that liquid. However, let me just say: You are important, and special, no matter what the quality of your diesel fuel!

*Cue group hug.*

Okay! Now that we’ve got the hard part out of the way and you are sufficiently satisfied in your own value as a human being regardless of petroleum products, let’s get down to business. If your heater has been acting up, and you’ve done your due diligence, meaning you’ve replaced your fuel nozzle and filter, then it’s more than likely a problem with your fuel. (The reason we have you replace your nozzle and filter first is alsodue to your fuel, but more of a contained incidence. Meaning, perhaps you ran through a bit of dirty fuel that really was just a one-off. Even that slightly dirty fuel can clog the pin-sized hole in your nozzle, or mess up your filter.)

So, first things first: Get yourself a container of fuel that you know is clean. You might even want to use kerosene. (Yes, VAL6 diesel-fired heaters can burn kerosene. Matter of fact, that’s all they burn in Japan, because it’s actually cheaper than diesel over there.) Next, set that baby down next to your heater.

From here, disconnect the fuel supply line from the top of the fuel tank and drop it into the new fuel container. Start it up and see how she runs. If you’re still having troubles, now is the time to replace the filter and nozzle. Once you’ve got them replaced, fire it up again and see how you’re doing.

If even that fails, your final resource for DIY troubleshooting is to disconnect each fuel line in turn and, using compressed air, blow out the lines. There have been instances of particles in the fuel actually clogging the lines, but this is rare.

Now, after all this, if you do find that your fuel is *gasp* filthy as a toilet seat, you’re going to need to drain your tank of it, and start again. If your area is one where the fuel just doesn’t come any cleaner, then you’ll want to get one of our tank inlet filters. These used to come standard with the heaters, but the manufacturer found that most people just took them out anyway, as they do slow down the input of fuel. However, if you need that first strain more than others, it can be a lifesaver. (NOTE: The image shown and link given for the tank inlet filter is for the KBE5S and KBE5L models.)

As our final word on the subject: If you’re just having difficulties and nothing seems to be working, regardless of where you bought your heater, give us a call and we’ll work through it with you. No fee, no hassle. We want your heater working properly, and we’re here to help: 866-369-3020

Thanks!

1) Perhaps you filled up the tank with dirty fuel from a fuel station.
2) Maybe the fuel container you’ve filled up the tank with has contaminants in it.
3) If you’ve ever unplugged the VAL6 while in operation, instead of turning it off at the switch, thereby allowing it to properly shut itself down, this can plug the nozzle.

Because the nozzle has such a fine hole through which the fuel is sprayed into the chamber, even a slight plug in an effect quite like you plugging the end of a garden hose with your thumb. The fuel sprays everywhere except where it’s supposed to.

Due to the preciseness with which the VAL6 was designed and manufactured, if things aren’t working the way they should inside the burn chamber (or anywhere else, for that matter) you can get problems like this. Over time, fuel spraying erratically in the chamber, and subsequent irregular flame in the chamber, can cause premature deterioration of the disk, and then it can crack.

A partially-clogged nozzle can also cause fuel to drip-drip-drip from the nozzle, onto the insulation cone. Over time, these drips can build up and may eventually cause flames to shoot out the front of the disk during operation. If this ever happens, first, turn off the VAL6. Then, reposition it outside (to avoid smoking up the inside of wherever you’re working, if you’re working inside). Turn it back on, and let the fuel “burn off”. This won’t harm the heater, though it might look like it would. Once the flames die back, replace the nozzle and fuel filter. (For assistance, see the video below.) You may also have to drain and clean the fuel tank.

We were running the large (RKF-503) and small (RKF-403) portable, evaporative coolers, throughout all three blazing hot days of the show, when the temperature was getting around 100°F, with the heat index well over that. We thought, perhaps if we added ice to the water tank of the coolers that the colder water dripping over the cool pads would make the air coming out even cooler than if there weren’t ice there. Makes sense, right?

Wrong! We can’t say why, but it actually had the opposite effect! We had an infra-red heat gun with us to measure the temperature of the air being produced both before and after we added the ice, and the readings speak for themselves:

Before: Upper 70′s (Degrees F)
After: Mid-Upper 80′s (Degrees F)

The conclusion: No need to add ice to the tank to make the air cooler. These coolers work just fine the way they come. So, how about you? Know why this occurred? Why weren’t we able to decrease the temperature of the air by decreasing the temperature of the water the air was being cooled by? Leave your comments below!