Looking for help with Proheat X45 not powering up (Fixed, sort of)

belfert · September 14, 2012, 09:02:13 AM

I have a Proheat X45 that won't power up. This is my first time using it. It is a used unit from Nimco, but I sent the heater out to Nick Badame and he tested it out for me. It was working then. I applied power to the unit and the ON light just flickers for less than a second. I removed the power plug and it measures over 13 volts.

What should happen when I first apply power? I have an older PCM that has a bunch of LEDs instead of the newer PCM with the character display.

When I switch the unit on through the the switch input nothing happens. No lights at all on the PCM.

belfert · September 14, 2012, 10:16:21 AM

I talked to Teleflex and the technician said it is normal on the older units for the ON light to just flash once when power is applied. That means it is booting up. I need to check some more stuff when I get home.

belfert · September 14, 2012, 02:58:48 PM

I keep replying to myself. It appears the Surewire module I purchased to control the Proheat may be bad. It does not appear to be providing a signal to the Proheat to turn on.

belfert · September 14, 2012, 04:07:17 PM

Another reply to myself. The Proheat works great! Coolant circulates through the system and gets hot. The Surewire interface board I bought is DOA. They will fix it, but my trip is Tuesday. Oh well, we have survived with just minimal electric heat for a number of years now.

John316 · September 14, 2012, 04:12:16 PM

Glad you got it fixed. Good for you.

Is there some way you can put a manual switch on it? I have never touched a Proheat, but might work.

John

belfert · September 14, 2012, 10:16:57 PM

A manual switch wouldn't really work as there would be no way to regulate the heat. I also don't have the special connector to hook up to the Proheat. I was holding a wire against the pin inside the connector to test the Proheat. The interface board also powers the fans on the heat exchangers inside the bus when heat is called for.

zubzub · September 15, 2012, 01:45:21 PM

fwiw I'm sure you and your rocketeers could rig up something. I am in the middle rigging up an X45 with a programable home thermostat from HD, with a little more work I could use the thermo to also control the cabin fans and regulate the cab temp. See
http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=24307.0

belfert · September 15, 2012, 04:47:49 PM

It isn't that I couldn't do it. I just don't have the time to complete the project before we leave at 1 pm Tuesday. I only have the main coolant loop plumbed and would have had to run the plumbing to the heat exchangers today and also done the electrical wiring today. I always say I won't wait until the last second on this stuff, but I was sick for a few weeks in June/July and was gone for two weeks after Memorial day. We'll survive on electric heaters again.

Before I found the Surewire module that did it all for me I was going to do my own control system with a few relays. Whoever soldered the Surewire module looks like they did it with a propane torch. The soldering is terrible. I tried to figure out if the soldering is the problem, but I couldn't reach the trace on the circuit board to test. I didn't want to redo the soldering in case I broke it worse. (The board looks like the components were soldered at the factory and the control wires were attached later.)