Elston Manufacturing HC Heater Owner's Manual
Elston
Revision C1
11/2009
Manufacturing
HC Heater
Owners Manual
Table of Contents
Important Safety Information...........................ii
1) Description of Heater..........................................1
General information about your heater
including specifications
2) Quick Start Guide...............................................2
Basic instructions for using your heater
3) Service Instructions............................................7
Recommendations on maintaining your heater
4) Troubleshooting Guide.......................................8
Detailed guide to help you diagnose and
fix problems fast
5) Installation Instructions...................................11
How to install and setup the HC heater.
Parts List...........................................................A1
Wiring Diagram...............................................B1
Revision B – Valid for models beginning with Serial # 2424
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Safety Information
Safety Information
The heater you have purchased was designed, first of all, to be safe. However, since this heater
burns propane and uses electricity, safety precautions are necessary for the safe and reliable
operation of this product. Throughout this manual, this important safety information will be
highlighted in red.
Warning: Use Propane Only
This heater is designed to operate on propane only. Do not
attempt to use anything else as fuel since fire or explosion
may result.
Use this heater only with regulators and tanks that provide
propane vapor at 11 inches of water column.
Warning: Do Not Bypass or Substitute Safety
Equipment
Always use the regulator and excess flow valve supplied
with the heater or a replacement that complies with
Department of Transportation safety regulations.
Warning: Exhaust Gases
It is highly recommended that you use a carbon monoxide
detector whenever people are regularly in the space heated
by this heater. Although this heater’s exhaust is completely
isolated from the inside air making it extremely unlikely
that any carbon monoxide will enter the inside air, a carbon
monoxide detector is a necessary but inexpensive way to
add another layer of safety.
Warning: Electrical Safety
Always disconnect power from the heater when performing
maintenance or inspection.
As always, apply common sense. If you’re not absolutely sure it’s safe then don’t do it.
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Chapter 1 Description
Description of Heater
The HC heater you have purchased is a thermostatically controlled propane heater. It is designed
to be mounted on the inside of the cab on heavy equipment or inside a small building.
It is a heavy duty forced air heater with electronic ignition. To maximize safety, the combustion
air is completely separate from the inside air. The combustion air is drawn from outside, burnt
with propane, heat is pulled from it to warm the inside air, and the exhaust exits outside.
Specifications
Dimensions.....................................................16 in wide x 11.5 in tall x 8 in deep
Weight..........................................................................................................27 lbs
Shipping Weight...........................................................................................32 lbs
Rating.................................................................................................19,000 BTU
Combustion Air Inlet Diameter........................................................................2 in
Exhaust Outlet...............................................................................1.5 in steel pipe
Hot Air Outlet Diameter..................................................................................6 in
Rated Voltage.................................................................................................12 V
Operating Voltage Range (with heater running)..................................11.5-13.5 V
Average Current Draw................................................................................3 amps
Fuel Requirement........................................................................propane (LP gas)
Fuel Consumption............................................................................0.8 lbs/hr max
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Chapter 2 Quick Start Guide
Quick Start Guide
Attention
The switch on the side of the heater should not be used to turn
off the heater when it is blowing warm air as this will
significantly shorten the life of some parts in the heater.
Instead, this switch is designed as a emergency shutoff and to
shut down the heater if it will not be used for long periods of
time. Please turn down the thermostat to turn off the unit
during normal operation.
Please read the previous page of important safety information if you haven’t already done so.
This guide assumes the heater has already been installed. For installation instruction please go to
chapter 5 (page 11).
For Instructions
Before Running the Heater for the First Time .....See Below
On Running the Heater for the First Time............See Page 5
On Running the Heater...........................................See Page 6
Before Running the Heater the First Time
Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with your heater. The cover to the heater is attached
with six bolts as shown in Illustration 1 below.
Illustration 1: Overall View of Heater
The combustion air enters in an opening on the bottom of the lower left of the heater. It is
combined with propane and burnt in the burner, travels through the heat exchanger , and exits
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Chapter 2 Quick Start Guide
outside through the combustion air outlet on the bottom heater. The inside air is blown over the
heater exchanger by the fan, where it captures the heat produced by the burning propane. This is
illustrated below.
Illustration 2: Inside of HC Heater
Near the heater, you will see a thermostat. Please consult the manual that came for the thermostat
for instruction on how to operate it.
A switch, a green indicator light, and a red indicator light are located on the side of the heater
where the gas and the power enter the heater. The switch operates as a emergency off switch; it
disconnects all power to the heater. It should be used when the heater is not needed for an
extended period of time and should not be used for shutting off the heater when it is running or
for day to day operation. For day to day operation, the thermostat should be used instead since it
will allow the heater to safely cool down. The green indicator lights is on when there is power to
the heater and the internal circuit breaker has not tripped. The red indicator light is on when the
safety system has checked out but the heater is either waiting to light or unable to light.
Normal Operation for Heater
When the switch on the heater is off, the propane turned on, and the thermostat set to its
minimum setting, no lights will be on or fans will be running. When the switch is turned on the
green indicator light will come on. If the thermostat is turned up until the heater starts (this will
be unnecessary below 20 F), the blower and fan will start and after a short delay the red indicator
light will come on. After a 15 to 30 second delay, the gas turns on, the red light turns off, and a
faint clicking noise will be heard as the spark module sends a high voltage spark to the spark
probe. The heater will attempt to light for approximately 10 seconds. If the heater lights, the red
light will turn off. If not, the red light will turn back on and the heater will wait 15 to 30 seconds
to try again.
3
Chapter 2 Quick Start Guide
The heater will run until the trailer reaches the temperature set on the thermostat. The gas will
turn off but the blower will run for an additional 2 to 3 minutes to cool down the heater.
4
Chapter 2 Quick Start Guide
Running the Heater For the First Time or After the Unit Has Been Sitting
a Long Time
Whenever you need to verify that the heater is working properly, please follow the four steps
below.
1) Check the air inlets and outlets
Check that the air inlets and outlets are undamaged and unblocked, especially the ones that are
outside.
2) Check the fuel system
Check that the propane tank is securely mounted and the gas lines and fittings between the
propane tank and the heater are tight and undamaged. Turn on the valve on the propane tank.
3) Set the thermostat to the maximum value
If the temperature is above 80 or 90 degrees, you may not be able to turn the thermostat high
enough for the heater to start in the next step. If you wish to continue setting up the heater you
will need to chill the thermostat probe.
4) Turn on the heater
The heater will start and, after a few seconds, ignite. The red indicator light near the power switch
will turn on until the heater has ignited. You should hear it quietly ignite just after the fan turns
on and you will feel the air exiting the heater get warm within a minute. If the heater doesn’t
ignite after a few minutes (the red indicator light will turn on and stay on), please refer to the
troubleshooting guide to help fix the problem.
5) Set the thermostat to the desired temperature.
Your heater is now ready for use.
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Chapter 2 Quick Start Guide
Normal Operation
1) Check the air inlets and outlets
Check that all the air inlets and outlets are undamaged and unblocked.
2) Check propane supply
Check that the propane tank(s) are securely mounted and contains fuel. Check that the fitting
connecting the tank to the gas system is tight. Turn on the valve on the propane tank.
3) Set the thermostat
Set the thermostat to the desired temperature.
4) Turn on the heater
Your heater is now ready for use and will automatically run as necessary to maintain the space at
the desired temperature (just like a home furnace.)
5) Turning off the heater
If you need to turn the heater for the night or the weekend, turn off the heater using the
thermostat. This guarantees than the heater has time to cool down properly.
If you need to turn the heater off for longer than a few days, turn off the heater using the power
switch on the side. It is very important that the heater is not running when you shut off the power.
If the heater is running, first turn off the heater using the thermostat, wait until the fan was
stopped, and then turn off the heater. Turning off the heater with the power switch while it is
running is not inherently dangerous, but it will reduce the life of some of the components inside
the heater. Once the heater is turned off, close the valve(s) on the propane tank(s).
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