Gas valve.. Keep or Toss?

[N147JK]

Hi, new member here. Had an odd episode with my Suburban NT propane furnace that has left we wondering.

Short story.. while cleaning the furnace, I inadvertently wired one of the gas valve solenoids backwards. The strange thing is, the valve remained stuck closed even after I switched the wiring around. So, I opened it up and found the valve slider under the solenoid stuck in the closed position. After freeing the valve slider and reassembling, the valve works perfectly again.

Question - the issue is I know these gas valves are "non-serviceable" but in this case, working on it seems to have fixed the problem. Regardless, should I toss it and buy a new one, or keep this one and move on? - Thanks

[dougrainer]

N147JK wrote:

Beverley&Ken wrote:
People replace their tires in case the have a flat and cause $$$ damage to the RV.

Yes that's true, but tires have a known safe useful life that is simple to measure. I wonder if these valves have a similar life expectancy. None that I am aware of.

There is no known life expectancy. They will last until they fail:B
There is no manual or bulletins that state to replace Gas valves at certain age limits. Doug

[N147JK]

Beverley&Ken wrote:
People replace their tires in case the have a flat and cause $$$ damage to the RV.

Yes that's true, but tires have a known safe useful life that is simple to measure. I wonder if these valves have a similar life expectancy. None that I am aware of.

[Beverley_Ken]

I agree, toss and replace a safety item. People replace their tires in case the have a flat and cause $$$ damage to the RV.
If the valve fails (probably small possibility) but could cause a fire and possibly loss of RV or worse.

Ken

[N147JK]

dougrainer wrote:
No uncharted waters. The Basic FACT is, if you have a electric GAS valve that fails and has to be manipulated to work is a DANGER. There is a reason there are no servicable parts for Gas valves. REPLACE PERIOD. I would never allow that type valve in my RV or in anybody's RV. Doug

Thank You Doug. Yes, I will replace it. But, given what happened, I can't say for certain that the valve actually "failed". Yes it became stuck, but that was only after I wired it backwards. Maybe this is the expected behavior of a normally functioning valve when subjected to reverse polarity. Once this was rectified, it works normally again, time after time. It does not need to be manipulated to work. So, this is not a simple "the valve failed" question. "I" failed, maybe the valve is perfectly good.

Very difficult to explain the details online, I guess.

[dougrainer]

No uncharted waters. The Basic FACT is, if you have a electric GAS valve that fails and has to be manipulated to work is a DANGER. There is a reason there are no servicable parts for Gas valves. REPLACE PERIOD. I would never allow that type valve in my RV or in anybody's RV. Doug

[N147JK]

BFL13 wrote:
I had a water heater one stuck open and leaking gas. Got it working again like you did, but don't trust it. Stuck closed is one thing, but stuck open is scary.

Yes mine was stuck closed, but what I'm wondering is did energizing it one time while it was reverse-wired cause that to happen? And, once the valve was freed up, correctly wired, and working normally again, whether I should consider it safe to use.

I'd contact the valve maker and ask them, but I already know what their lawyers would have them tell me.

I get the feeling I'm in uncharted waters here.

[enblethen]

Could be just a bad valve!

[N147JK]

enblethen wrote:
Only reason polarity would matter if one valve is reversed so the two valves fight each other.

Well, I had one of the 2 valves (not both) reverse-wired. I gather when power was applied, the correctly wired one opened, the reverse wired one stayed closed. Strangely, it would not open even after correcting the wiring. But after I opened it up and freed up the valve by hand, it started working normally again. Confusing.

[BFL13]

I had a water heater one stuck open and leaking gas. Got it working again like you did, but don't trust it. Stuck closed is one thing, but stuck open is scary.

[enblethen]

Only reason polarity would matter if one valve is reversed so the two valves fight each other.

[N147JK]

enblethen wrote:
Toss it! Not worth the chance of leaking or any problems with propane system.
The coils are DC so no polarity issue.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I'll most likely get rid of it.

The solenoids have very clear polarity markings on top. I thought perhaps when wiring it backwards, the solenoid operated "in reverse", causing the valve to become stuck closed. Just guessing..

Well I already replaced the gas jet and the burner, so might as well go all the way and get a new gas valve as well. Should be good to go for many years.

[enblethen]

Toss it! Not worth the chance of leaking or any problems with propane system.
The coils are DC so no polarity issue.