Heater Thermocouple needed

[Dave Mac]

I need to find a new thermo couple for this heater. Any help would be great.

[Dave Mac]

I am still in need of a thermocouple for the above heater in my old 1979? Burro 13ft. Any help would be greatly apreciated.
Dave

I need to find a new thermo couple for this heater. Any help would be great.

[Tim Wood]

Dave, If it were me I would take the old one to a hardware store and see first if the threads are metric or standard. Then I would just match something up and put it in. I have replaced a couple two or three over the years in my home boiler. And all I do is get a universal one at the hardware store. Far as I know they all do the same thing, but like I said that's what I would do. Tim

[Jake Jacobson]

Dave, If it were me I would take the old one to a hardware store and see first if the threads are metric or standard. Then I would just match something up and put it in. I have replaced a couple two or three over the years in my home boiler. And all I do is get a universal one at the hardware store. Far as I know they all do the same thing, but like I said that's what I would do. Tim

Careful, you need to use one made for propane, not for natural gas as you would find for a home one.

[Dave Mac]

Careful, you need to use one made for propane, not for natural gas as you would find for a home one.

Yikes! I had no idea there were different one for LP and Propane. So I have learned something already. I would have never thought of that. Hmmm.. This makes me think I need to go to my local large propane dealer and ask him for the part.
I am also wondering if these are shaped and made specific for the catalitic style heater. what I see is the thermocouple placed in a way that it is up against the matting or what ever that is where the flame glow is seen. Thought I had to be specific in finding something like that possibly.
Thanks much Jake for that very usfull insight.

Dave

[Dave Mac]

Yeah if you go back to my original pictures you can see that the thermocouple has a 3 pronged star looking thing that is placed resting on the heater material. I will have to look at it closer tomorrow and I guess I might as well get in there and take it out and start from there. I wonder if that star is perminently attached ....Will see.
Dave

[Jake Jacobson]

Dave -

I think I might have given you misinformation..... I just replaced a complete thermocouple/pilot unit on a floor heater in a friends RV, so I had that on the brain. For the thermocouple only, there is no difference between one for propane and one for natural gas. In the pilot valve, there is a difference in the orifice, and that is where you need to be careful to get a propane vs. natural gas one. Too much coffee and not enough sleep for me lately - sorry!

That being said, it does look unusual how it attaches to the catalytic pad. Is it possible you could order a replacement from Olympic Heaters? They sell replacement parts for their catalytic heaters, and I can't imagine why it wouldn't work on yours..

just a though....

[Tim Wood]

Dave, You could start by asking Olympic about getting a thermocouple, at least they may be able to tell you where Thermix was made. If they can't help there are several other makers of Cat heaters that may be able to help. I would think one of them would have something that should work. I still think a regular thermocouple will work , long as the threads are the same. Tim

[Roger H]

Yikes! I had no idea there were different one for LP and Propane.

Dave

Dave, Jake has already corrected his mis-speak about the thermocouples and jet orifices... however, just to clarify for other readers here, LP stands for Liquid Propane and is just another name for propane. Natural gas is a different critter altogether and we, of course, use propane (also known as LP) in our trailers.

Roger

[Dave Mac]

Dave, Jake has already corrected his mis-speak about the thermocouples and jet orifices... however, just to clarify for other readers here, LP stands for Liquid Propane and is just another name for propane. Natural gas is a different critter altogether and we, of course, use propane (also known as LP) in our trailers.

Roger

Well looks like that LP or Propane comment was my mis-speak.
LP = Propane
NG = Natural Gas

[Dave Mac]

Dave -

I think I might have given you misinformation..... I just replaced a complete thermocouple/pilot unit on a floor heater in a friends RV, so I had that on the brain. For the thermocouple only, there is no difference between one for propane and one for natural gas. In the pilot valve, there is a difference in the orifice, and that is where you need to be careful to get a propane vs. natural gas one. Too much coffee and not enough sleep for me lately - sorry!

That being said, it does look unusual how it attaches to the catalytic pad. Is it possible you could order a replacement from Olympic Heaters? They sell replacement parts for their catalytic heaters, and I can't imagine why it wouldn't work on yours..

just a though....

Thanks much for the correction. You saved me from looking the fool in front of some parts guy asking for a propane only thermocouple.

[Harry Young]

I need the thread size or if its the friction clip type...there are several supply parts houses... Johnstone Supply being one...Therm-X is history now and these heaters are basicly unsupported because they did not have oxygen sensors built into the design...Cats have rules that owners did not understand...some died...lawsuits were filed...the industry acted by changing the design to include low oxygen sensors and it was pretty much fixed...to protect themselves the older ones became unsupported to get them out of use...I would use a modern design with no problems but think twice about the older ones.

Harry

I need to find a new thermo couple for this heater. Any help would be great.