Morco somewhat dead! :)

[paulcatchpole]

Righty, I'd appreciate any thoughts on this one...

 

We de-installed our Morco (D61E) from our 'main' boat when we installed the aga and gas boiler 18 months ago, in which time it's been sitting in the garage in a corner.

 

I reinstalled it into our project boat over the weekend, connected up and ready to go - but it won't!

 

The pilot will light and stay lit, but opening a hot tap doesn't cause the main burner to fire. There isn't a smell of gas, or even sound, to be honest - so I'd guess there's no gas turning up...

 

The water temp knob causes the output at the tap to change rate, so that control bit looks to be working fine.

 

Any ideas? Is there a simple thing that's got stuck or dried out whilst it's been stored?

 

Cheers!

 

PC

[wonderdust]

Diaphragm valve maybe?

[alan_fincher]

Righty, I'd appreciate any thoughts on this one...

 

We de-installed our Morco (D61E) from our 'main' boat when we installed the aga and gas boiler 18 months ago, in which time it's been sitting in the garage in a corner.

 

I reinstalled it into our project boat over the weekend, connected up and ready to go - but it won't!

 

The pilot will light and stay lit, but opening a hot tap doesn't cause the main burner to fire. There isn't a smell of gas, or even sound, to be honest - so I'd guess there's no gas turning up...

 

The water temp knob causes the output at the tap to change rate, so that control bit looks to be working fine.

 

Any ideas? Is there a simple thing that's got stuck or dried out whilst it's been stored?

 

Cheers!

 

PC

You'll probably get better advice from the guys on here like "NB Mike" who work with these things professionally.

 

But there are certainly parts aroundd the water/gas control area that could possibly get "sticky" if it's not been in service for a while.

 

This diagram identifies some of the parts.....

 

Morco D61 Water Control Assembly.

 

IIRC, parts like this....

 

Push Rod and Disc

 

pass fairly tightly through the upper cover plate, which has an "inner protector".

 

It's possible dismantling around these areas, removing any crud that might inhibit sliding parts, and lubricating with silicone grease might bring something back to life.

 

But that's a wild guess, the experts will of course know better!

[paulcatchpole]

You'll probably get better advice from the guys on here like "NB Mike" who work with these things professionally.

 

But there are certainly parts aroundd the water/gas control area that could possibly get "sticky" if it's not been in service for a while.

 

This diagram identifies some of the parts.....

 

Morco D61 Water Control Assembly.

 

IIRC, parts like this....

 

Push Rod and Disc

 

pass fairly tightly through the upper cover plate, which has an "inner protector".

 

It's possible dismantling around these areas, removing any crud that might inhibit sliding parts, and lubricating with silicone grease might bring something back to life.

 

But that's a wild guess, the experts will of course know better!

 

Cheers Alan - I was re-reading your Morco-epic thread to see how far you got with taking it apart.

 

Is that push rod the one that goes to the gas valve and operates it?

 

I'll have a go at taking it apart and giving everything a clean up - is it just a case of taking it apart 'upwards' from the cold water inlet?

 

PS: Just in case I've been particularly blond, it *is* cold in the bottom, hot out of the top, isn't it?

PPS: I guess I could give the whole thing a judicious tap with a birmingham screwdriver...

 

PC

[RobinJ]

The pilot will light and stay lit, but opening a hot tap doesn't cause the main burner to fire. There isn't a smell of gas, or even sound, to be honest - so I'd guess there's no gas turning up...

 

The water temp knob causes the output at the tap to change rate, so that control bit looks to be working fine.

 

Any ideas? Is there a simple thing that's got stuck or dried out whilst it's been stored?

Silly idea, but from experience I happen to have found out that the inlet and outlet are opposite way round on a Morco to a Paloma, and they don't get hot if the water flows the wrong way!

[paulcatchpole]

Silly idea, but from experience I happen to have found out that the inlet and outlet are opposite way round on a Morco to a Paloma, and they don't get hot if the water flows the wrong way!

 

Aye, it did cross my mind - I wouldn't have put it past me to make that mistake!

 

As said, I've connected cold in to the central bottom connection, into the water valve, with the hot coming out from the top of the HX, down the side of the heater... I reckon that's right on the instructions, and I think was the way it was on the boat it came out of... Can you confirm?

 

PC

[Chris Pink]

Aye, it did cross my mind - I wouldn't have put it past me to make that mistake!

 

As said, I've connected cold in to the central bottom connection, into the water valve, with the hot coming out from the top of the HX, down the side of the heater... I reckon that's right on the instructions, and I think was the way it was on the boat it came out of... Can you confirm?

 

PC

that's correct cold into the centre, hot from the left coming down from the top of the heater.

[paulcatchpole]

that's correct cold into the centre, hot from the left coming down from the top of the heater.

 

Good good, not that then!

 

I'm still not quite over the shame of none of Kate's plumbing leaking, but two of my joints did, and the sink waste has a crack in it too, I'll never hear the end of it...

 

Better take the thing a bit more apart when I'm next there and see if something's stuck then...

 

PC

[MtB]

Righty, I'd appreciate any thoughts on this one...

 

<snip>

 

Any ideas? Is there a simple thing that's got stuck or dried out whilst it's been stored?

 

 

Yes.

 

The 'water section' is not working. The diaphragm should move in response to the difference in water pressure that arises when a hot tap is turned ON. The movement cause a pin to rise and open the gas valve and supply gas to the burners. Yours is probably is not moving. Probable cause is rotting of the diaphragm leading to a hole in it, leading to no pressure difference, leading to no movement of the pin. Have I explained it coherently given 2/3 of a bottle of Fleurie consumed already?!

 

Hard to definitively diagnose without seeing it. Are you anywhere near me in Reading?

 

Cheers, Mike

 

P.S. all this assumes you have gas in the pipes :-D

 

P.P.S. You can buy a new water section directly from Morco. About £40 last time I bought one. The diaphragm alone should be about a fiver, if they sell them....

 

P.S. all this assumes you have gas in the pipes :-D

 

Ignore that bit. You said the pilot was alight so there MUST be gas. :-)

[alan_fincher]

The diaphragm alone should be about a fiver, if they sell them[/color]....

I didn't find it hard to buy a diaphragm on it's own direct from Morco, though, IIRC, after postage the cost was nearer a tenner.

 

However people on the forum have since said that Morco has refused to sell to them directly if they are not "trade".

 

However any number of places besides Morco themselves will sell you one - I think e-Bay may give several options.

[paulcatchpole]

Ta for the help on this one - I thought I'd complete the story by saying that firmly twiddling the knobs has cheered it up no end and it's burst into life...

 

Seems happy now!

 

A good result!

 

Presumably the pin in question above was stuck and a bit of 'firm' action has unstuck it!

 

PC

[NBMike]

If you do dismantle, give that pin a twiddle with some very fine emery and add a dollop of silicone grease (NOT MASTIC)

Mike

[paulcatchpole]

If you do dismantle, give that pin a twiddle with some very fine emery and add a dollop of silicone grease (NOT MASTIC)

Mike

 

Cheers Mike - we'll see how it goes, but at least it's working for the moment, one less job on the 'big list' before launch in (!!!!) under two months.

 

I do have a tub of silicone grease around somewhere, the sort for plastic soil pipes et al. But my favourite form of grease is the big tub of red rubber grease - looks just like jam...

 

PC