Monitor Heater Consumer Problems - 21,22,422,40,41,441,KWH-124 Repairs,Parts,Service

Al's DISCOUNT Heating
 

Award Winning Heating Dealer

Vented Heating Specialist

 

 

At this time we DO NOT recommend ANY model of Monitor Heater !

When we originally sold the Monitor 21, 22 and 41...these Heaters were Little Miracles of Modern Heating and we sold them without hesitation. Our customers were happy, we were happy - Everyone was Happy! A Semi-annual Cleaning was about all the Heaters needed to stay running purrrrrfectly for many, many years.

Then when Monitor brought out the 422s and 441s we had problems right out of the box. That was in 1994 and we feel these problems continue until today 9 years later (and I just heard from a VERY loyal Monitor that he is NOW finding problems with the 2400s!).

We found that Monitor had down-graded the quality of the 441 Motor Bearings (bean-counters at work) causing them to 'Squeal' right out of the box. Also we later found that the 422 and 441's did NOT run as long without cleanings, AND repairs were more frequent than the 21, 22 and 41 - We were having to clean many of the units Yearly and replaced Parts much sooner than they should have been. Sure we made money when we got the Heaters Repaired and up and running Properly...But the Customer paid for cleanings too soon and repairs that shouldn't have been needed. The continuing legacy problems of these heaters makes us the BEST repair money we have ever put in the bank.

Whenever we found a problem with these heaters or parts, we were told by our Monitor Supplier that there were NO problems with the 422's and 441's...HOWEVER, we have been repairing these Units ever since they first came out 9 years ago - we even replaced the Noisy 441 Blower Bearings in our shop BEFORE we sold or installed the Heater! That does NOT mean that EVERY Monitor Heater is instantly troublesome; but there were then, and continue to be now, so many problems we see that we absolutely suggest that you do NOT buy Monitor Heaters (remember we have made LOTS of repair $$$'s on these Monitor Heaters as have ALL other Heating Dealers).

 

Read what Customers, Dealers (and I ) have to say:

 

3/3/03 - Unhappy New York Dealer Calls:

An Monitor Dealer called me from New York to say how unhappy he was with Monitor and their Products since the 21,22,41's. He is unhappy with the 441 / 2400, with the training, with the NO-HELP desk at Monitor and his local Distributor (how bad can it get); and is so dis-illusioned in general that he is thinking of going to Toyo - What a step up for the Customer and Him that would be !!!

I can see this scenario happening more and more. It is sad to see the Customers unhappy, the Dealer unhappy and Monitor making gobs of money on the backs of all of this while some (and I mean very few) Dealers are breaking their backs to do the best they can. I think of Enron, MCI and the Others when I think of Monitor.

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2/30/03 - Please - Please - Please Read This Link:

http://www.hwforums.com/2036/messages/286.html

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2/26/03 - Yet Another Disaster:

A Monitor Owner called me and said his M22 did not work - Remember...the M22 is a good heater except for the Solenoid Assembly which in fact I see destroy the heaters most of the time. When I checked the Heater, all the screws were loose and I could tell the Solenoid Assembly was stuck. And being 10 years old, the Heater did need a Re-build.

At my Shop, I found that a supposedly reputable Monitor Dealer had 'been through' the Heater a couple of years before. BUT...important screws were 1/4" from seating; screws were missing; the Solenoid was totally locked open giving TOTAL air and a very lean burn verified by the burned-up pot and flame ring; the gaskets were loose and the viewing glass was NOT, and the bearings were just waiting to fail being dry as bones on the Texas Plains.

As usual, I did my Total Re-build with better gaskets, better O-Rings, Re-engineered the Solenoid System, new pot and flame ring, lots of TLC and Air-meter adjustments. The flame is NOW as puuuuuuuuurfect as any ever built, the Heater runs flawlessly and quietly and the customer is elated.

This is the way Heater Life should be !

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2/20/03 - Dealer Installs 300 Damper Solenoids !

A Monitor dealer got in touch with me yesterday because he had heard about my ravings over the Damper-Solenoid Problem. He told me that he had replaced 300 Damper-Solenoids last year. It took all I had in me NOT to grab him by the throat and ask why he was so stupid as to replace the units when they were NOT the problem. He probably made $25,000-30,000 on this phase of his work alone when I have not replaced one Damper-Solenoid since I changed the engineering on that assembly and put on the Premium O-ring.

I guess it still amazes me how pure greed over-rides ethical work and common-sense when these guys (and the Factory?) out there poke the Customer up the bung-hole once again and again and again.

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2/19/03...Stupids - Stupids - Stupids

Dave called me the other day from New Hampshire because from experience he could NOT trust the local Dealer to work on his Monitor; the day before Jenna called for the same reason - AND I receive calls almost daily because of these STUPID - STUPID - STUPID and USELESS Dealers who couldn't zip up their fly correctly!

I started selling and repairing Monitor Heaters in 1989 (14 years for those of you who missed out on Math Class). The training? and help? from the Local Monitor Distributor was next to useless; as a matter of fact, I left each training? session knowing less than when I went in (by the way: I started in electronics in 1960 and was programming computers in 1965). Each repair and installation was strictly Learn-as-you-go as. Because of my Technical background, integrity and zeal to know...my knowledge quickly out-stripped the Factory and all other local Technicians?; and Al's Heating quickly became the #1 Service Organization in the NorthEast - and Al's Heating has Received several awards from the Local Monitor Distributor for our work.

What is still a shame though is that 14 years later, MOST of the Technicians? both locally and around the Country seem as useless as Dog-poop from the Heater Disasters I see and from what Monitor Owners around the Country say when they call me - And this is INEXCUSABLE !!!

So just to reiterate...AL's Heating will be producing a COMPLETE and detailed Installation, Diagnostics & Repair Manual in July so that NONE of you will be dependent on the STUPIDS - STUPIDS - STUPIDS that seem to be rampant out there. And if Monitor were to come out with one...it would be ONLY for the Dealers and they would still be STUPIDS - STUPIDS - STUPIDS just as they are right now and you still would get terrible service in my opinion!!!

AL's Heating is the ONLY Heating Company in the Country who will help you directly get your parts and repairs done efficiently and correctly.

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2/18/03 - Damper O-Ring Disaster Finally Solved !

Ever since I can remember...we at Al's Heating have been replacing the Monitor Damper Assembly ($100.00 + Labor), and it has ALWAYS seemed ludicrous that just because of a 2¢ O-Ring (+ other egregious damper problems) that an entire Heater should self-destruct and have to be Re-built to the tune of $400-750.00:

What would happen was that the O-ring would prematurely split and fall apart either causing Low-Air and thus Sooting the Heater up and shutting down; or High-Air and a very Lean burn causing High-heat that would burn up parts - Either way the Customer got the short end of the deal.

I always knew that this was NUTS but there was never a satisfactory Factory solution, and I NEVER felt that the Factory cared for anything but selling parts (= Big Bucks) and having their Dealers make BIG-BUCKS on Repairs for no reason at all.

Finally, after being TOTALLY frustrated with what I felt to be Unsatisfactory Factory answers, I recently sent one of the Monitor OEM O-Rings to a Chemistry Lab and had it analyzed. They told me it was the cheapest and lowest quality O-ring made, and that There-in lies the problem of the century ( and last!) with Monitor Heaters.

The Factory O-Ring probably costs Monitor 2¢ where-as a Premium Quality O-Ring would coat around a 5¢ - So much for Corporate Bean-Counters at work and what I TOTALLY believe is anyone at the Factory caring anything at all for You.

Here are the Chemical Analysis Facts Comparing a Monitor vs. Al's Premium O-Ring:

Material
HiTemp
Sunlight
Ozone
Compression
Weathering
Chemicals
Impact
Thickness
Monitor
250°
4
4
2
4
4
2
Orig.
Premium
400°
1
1
1
1
2
1
+ 24%
Legend: 1 = Recommended / 2 = Satisfactory / 3 = Poor / 4 = Marginal

The Lab Analysis and Product Comparison Irrefutably shows that the Monitor OEM O-Ring fails in our EVERY standard category and is TOTALLY LESS THAN SATISFACTORY To the Quality Standards that we DEMAND of our suppliers and parts, and give our Customers at Al's Heating. Please note also that Our O-ring is 24% larger and beefier making it stronger and more resiliant with a Life-Time Guaranty on the Part (does Monitor do that?) and probabably saving YOU several hundred of dollars in repairs. We believe the OEM O-ring to be the Root Cause of Millions of Dollars in UNNECESSARY REPAIRS over the years past and years to come for unsuspecting Monitor Customers. Now all that is Necessary is a Class Action Suit against Monitor and get them to pay back Millions in Restitution for what I believe is Just and Right to Monitor Owners - The TRUTH will ALWAYS out!

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2/13/03 - Air/Fuel Mixture Meters Coming in June!

The Monitor Damper Solenoid Problem (which we have totally solved!) and the Air/Fuel Mixture Adjustment are the two most notorious problems we have seen over these past 13 years - BUT NO MORE!!!

YES! the Monitor Air/Fuel Adjusting Meters are coming in June. Without these meters it is IMPOSSIBLE to adjust the Air/Fuel Mixture to keep the flame clean, the soot out, and the pot from burning up - But most repairmen do NOT have or use one even though this Meter is essential. Now you can have one for yourself and KNOW your Heater is working GREAT !

You will notice that Monitor has NOT created a Service Manual that means anything - But we will this June along with the Air/Fuel Mixture Meter so that you can do the repairs AND make the Monitor work puuuuuuuuuurfect next winter and at the same time be Totally Independent and do a Better Job than the IDIOTS that charge you an arm and a leg and still are STUPID as the day they were born !!!

See you in July !

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2/13/03 - Dick has More 441 Problems ~ Of Course !

'I am the property manager for a small group of rental cabins in The Adirondack Mountains of NYS. The reason I write is that we have two units we now heat with the 441 Monitor, and both are having problems. One is less than two months old, and the other was totally serviced, and has been in use for about 3 weeks and the burner rings have been a problem'.

These types of comments have been so common that I am 'almost' bored...But these Consumers have NO RIGHT to be bung-holed and have Monitor problems like these. Every problem with the Monitors (I can find NONE with the Toyos) can be remedied if One wants - but today's Companies ONLY care for BIG profits NOT the Consumer.

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1/31/03 - Don in Maine says 2400's a Problem!

Don in Maine is a Certified Monitor Dealer who makes $60,000 a year repairing Monitors. He totally disagreed about my assessments of the Monitor 2400's when they first came out (remember he is ONLY a Monitor Dealer while I have sold both). Don was so sure about the 2400's that he even put one in his house. All went well for the first year. Now he is telling me that he is getting more and more calls about the 2400's shutting off. I did a 'Break-down' of the 2400's and was totally disappointed - I the chickens DO come home to roost...

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1/30/03 - Joe at adelphia says 99% Under-qualified !

Joe (a certified Monitor Tech) e-mailed me after reading my 'Forum' and my Web-page to agree with Me that 99% of Monitor 'techs' (not what I would call them) are Underqualified - which is just a nice way of saying that they are TOTAL IDIOTS that should NOT be in your home or touching your Heater; and that is why I will have Complete Monitor and Toyo Instruction Manuals by next June so that you will NO LONGER have to 'depend' on these Jokers that would just soon as not wreck your heater as not (you should hear the calls I receive from all over the Country about Heaters being totally destroyed one after another by these Assassins).

You DESERVE 100% qualified work, and soon you will be able to do it yourself and know your heater BETTER than the Factory and 99% of the Idiots out in the field just taking your bucks and leaving you holding a pile of pieces.

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11/18/02 - 422 - NO Factory Response - Chuck in N.H.

"I called Monitor (MPI) every day for two weeks to get some help with my Monitor 422. In all the messages I left in 2 weeks...MPI Never even called back once. Al's Heating was TOTALLY right about the Problems at Monitor" !!!

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11/15/02 - 422 Problems - Matt in Oregon

"I had my Monitor 422 for 6 months before it started having problems. The Heater limped along for about 1 1/2 years until I finally decided to have it looked at. The Monitor Dealer said he replaced and adjusted few things for which I paid $180.00. After getting the Monitor 422 back home...I found that it still did NOT work right! I called Al and he said he would help me. What is wrong with Monitor and these idiot Dealers across the Country???"

(These are the kinds of problems that I hear ALL THE TIME from VERY frustrated Monitor Heater owners all around the Country. We NEVER hear these On-going problems from Toyo owners. I have even called Monitor Technicians? and Distributors (in disguise) to see if they know anything at all...And Sadly in my experience they might as well as be shoveling manure because I feel that is all I get and I can't imagine that the customer gets anything better!)

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11/11/02 - 441 Problems - David in Oregon

"I have a Monitor 441 that starts up, burns with a low yellow-tinged flame for a minute or so, and shuts down. My experience with a local "serviceman" is not unlike those (bad) I read of on your forum. Bottom line is - I need the heater repaired (and it seems sadly impossible...)"

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11/8/02 - GF200 problems in New Hampshire:

A GF200 gas heater user called from New Hampshire in a PANIC ! His Monitor gas heater had overheated to the point of being Cherry Red and he was convinced that if he had not come home and unplugged the Heater that his home would have burned down. He is now going to trade His Monitor gas heaters in to get the Safety and Reliability of Rinnai Gas Heaters. We have heard from others about problems with their Monitor gas heaters - ask Monitor about their history...IF they will tell you!

10/28/02 - from South Carolina

A man called from South Carolina saying that his Monitor 441 had only been used for a short time and then stopped. He had the local Dealer in, but the Dealer could NOT get the heater working! This is typical of the idiots out there 'working' on these heaters as I get calls daily with the same stories - what a way for a company to treat the Public that buys their product.

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10/24/02 - Jim in Alna, Maine

"My Monitor 441 had stopped working after only 3-4 years. The local Dealer in Boothbay Harbor that I bought it from took the Heater to his shop, supposedly worked on it, brought it back, charged me $300 and promptly told me that the 441 Heater would not work anyway - that it would have to be junked. My wife is sick with Cancer, I travel in my work and I MUST have a reliable Heater for her and the Family. Therefore I am having Al's Heating install a Dependable Toyo Laser 73 on Tuesday - Thank you Al for Helping our Family" !!!

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10/18/02 - Mark in Asheville, North Carolina:

"My Monitor 422 has stopped working after only four years of moderate use. No one locally could fix my Heater so I called the Factory. They told me to do this, do that, and do the other thing...None of which fixed the Heater - In other words, The Factory was no help at all! I called Al's Heating and Al helped me understand why I was having so many problems. Now I either have to have the 422 Heater Re-built at a cost of $600.00 after only minimal use - I am totally disappointed in the Monitor 422 Heater.

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10/17/02 - Glen in Bangor, Maine:

" I asked the local Monitor dealer about a Pressure Control Valve for my Monitor and their eyes became like saucers - They had NO idea how to help me. I called Al's Heating and Al immediately knew the answer and helped me to the right direction. It is GREAT to find a truly knowledgeable Heating Dealer who Knows and Cares! "

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10/8/02 - Evening 422 Emergency Call:

A customer called late in the Afternoon complaining that their 3 year old Monitor 422 was not working. Upon inspection, I found that the flame was very white indicating a burned out pot, flame ring and burner mat - in other words the almost Brand-new Monitor 422 needed a Major Re-build ( including bearing work, damper-solenoid, linkage re-build, air-fuel metering correction ) to the tune of $600.00 - Which I have found to be NORMAL with these units. No customer of any product should be subject to such expensive problems in such a short time !!!

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Gun Point Resident: A Monitor Owner Reports:

"We were having many problems with our 441; We had SEVERAL Dealers in to repair the Unit and paid hundreds of dollars. After that, we went away for the weekend, the Monitor stopped working AGAIN and the pipes froze causing much damage - We do NOT trust our Monitor Heater!!!".

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Another Monitor Owner Reports:

"We had several Monitor Repairmen in to service our 422, spent several hundreds of dollars and it still would never work right. We put the Heater in the shed and it is still there" !

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1/1/02 - A FORMER Monitor Dealer Reports:

Since the 441's M422 ARE SO POORLY MADE, I HAVE REPLACED BLOWER BEARINGS BY THE HUNDREDS AND AM STILL DOING IT; FLAME SPREADERS (FLAME RINGS) IN 422 FORGET IT . THEIR GAS UNITS FLAME RODS GO BAD IN 2 YEARS AND NEED REPLACING. THEIR LIFTER PUMP IS A JOKE. I HAVE BEEN REPLACING MONITORS WITH L73s & L56 HEATERS - Toyo's NO TROUBLE and the BEST BUY FOR THE MONEY.

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1/2/02 - UNHAPPY Monitor Owner in Northern Maine:

"We have a 422 and just had it 'Re-built' last hear for $400.00 - and it STILL does NOT work right. Now the Service-man says it needs ANOTHER $300.00 worth of work. We are very unhappy and do not know whether to have the repairs done again and take our chances or buy a ToyoStove."

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A Fellow Dealer in Alaska Reports:

"We are having many Monitors installed just a year ago (422 and 441) going bad already!"

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Another Unhappy Dealer Reports:

"We just opened a Brand-New 441 and stripped it down. The burner mat was already lifted; the damper assembly was having a problem; and the bearings were the same CHEAP Thailand bearings that have been giving us problems for years!".

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And - A Fellow Dealer in Maine Reports:

"The 422 and 441 Damper-Problem Repairs along with the other 422 and 441 problem Repairs is the BEST and Easiest money we have ever made!".

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As Early as 1997 a Large Western Distributor Said:

"We are having to Re-Build 422's in the 1st and 2nd year and our Customers are VERY UNHAPPY and the Factory can't solve the problem.".

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From a VERY unhappy Alaska Monitor Dealer:

"Monitor corporate management is the most rotten I have ever dealt with!"

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NOW, to hopefully solve the problems with the 441, Monitor has brought out the 2400. We would love to see the 2400 work as good as the 41 - BUT we also were told that the 441 was better than the 41 and it was NOT!!! It takes about 2 years for a new Monitor Model to prove itself (if it ever does) and I would suggest the you absolutely NOT buy the 2400 until 2-3 years have passed - and DO NOT buy the 422 at all. We are repairing the 441's and 422's all the time and make LOTS of BIG bucks on these Re-builds much to the disenchantment of the customer who had originally wanted a Great Heater - NOT lots of Costly repairs!!!

 

Right now...We ONLY suggest the Toyo Line of Heaters - Click Here

 

Please Click this Link for Our Technical Forum Page and read about MORE problems with the Monitor Heaters!

 

Back to the Main Monitor Page.

 

(All Editorial Comments and Experiences are those of the Author - Alvah C. Luce / Cosmic Genius)