DATE: December 16, 1998
TO: General Manager & Chief Engineer

NO. OF PAGES (including this one):

SUBJECT: SAFETY ISSUE - DRYER GAS VALVE ACTUATORS
p/n 96S1500, 96S1500A & 96S1501

Dear MILNOR Customer,

We have been notified by Honeywell of a recall of its V4055, V4062 and V9055 fluid power actuators which are used on MILNOR gas fired dryers. The recall includes manufacturing date codes of the Honeywell actuator including date code 9744 through 9841. These actuators may have a defect which can cause a safety issue. The malfunction is characterized by temporary "sticking" of the hydraulic fluid dump valve. This malfunction can result in delayed closure of the gas valve after electrical power is interrupted to the actuator. The possibility of the gas flow not shutting off upon command creates a SAFETY ISSUE.

Honeywell has determined that the frequency of FPA (fluid power actuator/gas valve actuator) use substantially impacts the potential hazard. If the FPA (gas valve actuator) is used on a daily basis, meaning it cycles at least once every 24 hours, the FPA (gas valve actuator) appears to be reasonably safe and continued use pending replacement is appropriate. Honeywell has had no reports of failure with this usage pattern.

If, however, the FPA (gas valve actuator) is used infrequently, meaning it is cycled less than once per 24 hour period, the problem may be present. Therefore, if your usage of the FPA (gas valve actuator) is infrequent, then before employing the FPA (gas valve actuator) do the following test performed by a qualified service technician per Honeywell installation instructions.

1. Operate the burner to establish the FPA (gas valve actuator) is open, meaning gas flow is present.

After gas flow is present, look in the actuator window. You should see the red edge of a disk. This should take 13-26 seconds. (The easiest implementation of this would be to start the dryer in a "manual load" cycle. Then after the flame is established, have the operator turn off the dryer while a qualified maintenance engineer witnesses proper gas valve operation as described in Step 2.)

2. Shut off (de-energize) the FPA (gas valve actuator). A yellow disk labeled "shut" should become visible within the FPA (gas valve actuator) window after 1 full second. If the yellow disk is not visible after 1 full second, close the manual shut off valve immediately and notify MILNOR to expedite a replacement actuator.

3. If the yellow disk is visible, use the FPA (gas valve actuator), pending replacement. However, run this test before any subsequent infrequent use.

This test should be performed every time the FPA (gas valve actuator) is not powered for over 24 hours.

All FPA (gas valve actuators) in the date code range noted above should be replaced with new actuators. Honeywell has set forth a plan to supply new actuators and installation labor for the replacement of any gas valve actuator with date codes within the above mentioned range.

We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to hearing from you soon.

Any questions or comments can be directed to MILNOR Technical Support at 1 504-467-9591, ext.75, or Honeywell at 1 877 487 7532. Please refer to "Honeywell Gas Valve Actuator Recall" when speaking to our technical support representative.


Gary Lazarre