I noticed that the flame on my propane stove and cabin heater appeared to be lower than normal. I checked the fuel tank and it was full. I felt the gas valve solenoid and it felt very warm to the touch. I turned off the gas on the tank and at the solenoid. I let everything cool down, jiggled the solenoid and then turned everything back on and it worked fine. My questions are; Should the solenoid be warm to the touch when the electric gas valve is in the "on" position? Does anything on the solenoid need lubrication? Has anyone had experience with this? Thanks, Liam.
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Rick
Thanks Rick. When it failed did it die slowly or all at once? It could be that I have a bad unit. It's on a 2003 Beneteau 331.
Thanks Rick. When it failed did it die slowly or all at once? It could be that I have a bad unit. It's on a 2003 Beneteau 331.
Ours was weak
We had one of the bad ones on our B361 and it wouldn't engage the gas valve fully. We could hear and smell the propane but couldn't get anything more than a small flame on the burner. Beneteau referred me to the manufacturer who shipped out a new solenoid free of charge. FYI even the new one gets hot. As Rick said they pass enough current through them, which will of course produce some decent heat. Good luck. Mike
We had one of the bad ones on our B361 and it wouldn't engage the gas valve fully. We could hear and smell the propane but couldn't get anything more than a small flame on the burner. Beneteau referred me to the manufacturer who shipped out a new solenoid free of charge. FYI even the new one gets hot. As Rick said they pass enough current through them, which will of course produce some decent heat. Good luck. Mike
Issue solved
As per Mikes suggestion I called Beneteau. They told me that this was a problem that had been reported by a number of others. They said that the solenoid was made by Trident Marine and that I should call the manufacturer. I called Trident and they said that this was indeed a defect in manufacturing and they would send me a replacement right away at no charge. It is really great to have a resource like this forum to get the help and advice from so many experienced sailors. Without this I would have spent $100 to solve the problem. It is also really great to encounter a company like Trident Marine who is willing to admit a problem and fix it no questions asked.
As per Mikes suggestion I called Beneteau. They told me that this was a problem that had been reported by a number of others. They said that the solenoid was made by Trident Marine and that I should call the manufacturer. I called Trident and they said that this was indeed a defect in manufacturing and they would send me a replacement right away at no charge. It is really great to have a resource like this forum to get the help and advice from so many experienced sailors. Without this I would have spent $100 to solve the problem. It is also really great to encounter a company like Trident Marine who is willing to admit a problem and fix it no questions asked.
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