Help! Pressurized Kerosene Stove

[cardinham]

So I have a pressurized kerosene stove in my boat. it looks almost un-used. I have had a lot of issue finding information on these. The setup has a stove, a valve, and a pressurized tank.

I am unsure what I am doing wrong here.

I fill the cup and heat it up for about 2 minutes or so, open the valve, turn on the stove, and light it. I get a fairly large orange flame maybe 10% blue. Tons of soot and black smoke. goes out a lot...

I wonder if I am missing something?

I pressurize tank to about 15 PSI per instructions. Open main valve all the way.
i heat up the burner for about 2 mins with denatured alcohol. when it burns out I turn the burner on slightly and light is. it starts a huge orange flame. and i adjust the knobs to manage it, but still cloud of soot and smoke and small orange flame.

should i light with the stove knob all the way open instead of lightly opened?


i am at a loss. it basically is orange flame, soot, smoke, and stinking up the whole boat.

please help

[rbk]

Don’t know what stove or setup you have but if there is a removable jet or a way to get at it, pull it and clean it with a small piece it wire. If the burner is also removable, pull it and soak it in solvent for a bit and try and give it a clean as well.

[Nord Sal]

I have used kerosene stoves that operate like this but not the marine version (Force 10?) stoves.

It sounds like you're using the correct procedure. It is important to get the burner hot.

My stove came with a small wire for cleaning the orifice which sometime gets partially plugged. Burning dirty would hasten plugging/restricting the orifice. The restricted orifice would usually cause poor atomization of the fuel resulting in a poor flame, i.e., an orange, pulsing and weak flame with lots of soot. In this case the fuel emitted from the orifice would often revert to the liquid phase and could result in burning liquid fuel overflowing from the stove -a dangerous situation even when not inside a boat.

[ItDepends]

Definitely not right... these should burn with a small, intense, bright blue flame. It should look very much like the burner of a gas stove.

You might try preheating longer. Lighting a burner that is too cold results in exactly what you describe.

[Kelkara]

I have a Taylors Kero stove ... this is exactly the behaviour I get if it is insufficiently primed.

Once that big orange flame starts, there is no way to get it to settle down to the nice blue flame ... just turn it off and start the priming process again.

Eventually you should work out how much alcohol you need to get it going consistantly.

This of course assumes a burner in good condition ... if its old and used, maybe new jets will help ... it wont hurt to replace the packing washer and pricking needle while servicing it.

[CarinaPDX]

As others have said, it is a description of inadequate pre-heating. These burners take liquid kerosene in the bottom and heat it to vapor, mostly in a chamber just below the cap, and it is this vapor that is regulated by the valve just before it passes through the jet and into the burner cap above. If it is not adequately heated such that the valve only sees vapor then the liquid passes the valve and provides too much fuel, resulting in the nasty yellow flame and soot. In this case it will also be slow to burn out after the valve is closed and will also result in some burning during the following pre-heat. Needless to say this is miserable and to be avoided.

While you can pour alcohol into the cup that is not the best way to go. Aside from being awkward to fill a cup, and especially at sea, it makes it suicidal to refill the cup if the first attempt to pre-heat fails - at least until it has cooled down. The best way to pre-heat is to remove the cup and use a clip-on Tilley wick (https://www.tilleylampsandstoves.com...amp-pre-heater). Buy at least two and store them in a small jar with stove alcohol inside. When it is time to pre-heat just pull one out and clip it on the base of the burner and ignite. If the pre-heat is inadequate (usually a matter of getting distracted and letting it burn out) then the other one can be clipped on and lit (careful though as it rapidly evaporates and can flare up due to the previous heating). I try to watch and when the flame burns low on the wick I unclip it and use it to ignite the burner, instead of pulling out the propane lighter again.

If the cup is filled or the wick is fully soaked it should be enough to pre-heat if the burner is lit immediately - do not wait any time. It is best to light the burner when the alcohol is still burning (but remove the wick if used).

It is possible to experience what you describe when the burner has not been maintained for years or poor quality kerosene is used. When the kerosene evaporates it can leave behind soot, and if this soot builds up enough inside the burner then the burner doesn't vaporize as well. I doubt this is the case because it takes a long time (years) to get there and unless in developing countries the kerosene shouldn't be that bad. But it is a possibility. The fix is to remove the burner and clean out the interior - I find oven cleaner to be effective, with the aid of pipe cleaners.

If you are going to use this stove a lot you should invest in a spare parts kit and even a spare burner or two. I bought about 15 burners because I had access to a wholesale price when bought in quantity. When a burner needs servicing I just replace it and put it aside for cleaning. When there are several that need cleaning I do them all at once.

Since I have been using deodorized kerosene (KleanHeat brand in the U.S.) I have been going for years since the last time I had to fuss with a burner. In England definitely look for "Parafin", which is a similar product. Never use kerosene that is not clear as water - if it is yellowish it will soot badly.

I have lived aboard for 30 years, always cooking with my Taylor kerosene stove, and am very happy with it. It was not always so - there was a steep learning curve in the beginning. I was fortunate enough to have met one winter a couple on the Isle of Wight with the same stove and they taught me about it. I will gladly help you if I can.

Greg

Edit: What stove do you have? And where are you located?

[jooa]

I had a similar problem with my Force 10 Cozy Cabin heater. I was also using denatured alcohol to preheat. Denatured alcohol can be as low as 70% alcohol, which means it does not burn as hot as 100% alcohol. It also scared the sh*t out of me when I tried poring alcohol into the little bowl, and thought of my me and my boat going up in flames was less than appealing. A chemist friend recommended I use gel alcohol, like the canned stuff they use for chafing dishes, or camping. This stuff is great, it burns much hotter than denatured alcohol and can simple easily and safely be scooped out and pasted into place, no chance of spilling if the boat moves.

[kryg]

Not sure what you filled the cup with? It should be mentholated spirits and not kero, which is seems like you maybe using by the color of preheat flame? Another trick is to put an asbestos wick around the inside the cup, so the metho will not spill out. Light and wait till the preheated cup is nearly out and turn stove on slowly.

Originally Posted by cardinham

So I have a pressurized kerosene stove in my boat. it looks almost un-used. I have had a lot of issue finding information on these. The setup has a stove, a valve, and a pressurized tank.

I am unsure what I am doing wrong here.

I fill the cup and heat it up for about 2 minutes or so, open the valve, turn on the stove, and light it. I get a fairly large orange flame maybe 10% blue. Tons of soot and black smoke. goes out a lot...

I wonder if I am missing something?

I pressurize tank to about 15 PSI per instructions. Open main valve all the way.
i heat up the burner for about 2 mins with denatured alcohol. when it burns out I turn the burner on slightly and light is. it starts a huge orange flame. and i adjust the knobs to manage it, but still cloud of soot and smoke and small orange flame.

should i light with the stove knob all the way open instead of lightly opened?


i am at a loss. it basically is orange flame, soot, smoke, and stinking up the whole boat.

please help

[old pirate]

I would through it out and switch to propane. We had a fire on board mid Atlantic with a Taylor’s parrafin/kero stove.
Now on board we try to minimise the use of such volatile fluids as meth.

[Uncle Bob]

Originally Posted by old pirate

I would through it out and switch to propane. We had a fire on board mid Atlantic with a Taylor’s parrafin/kero stove.
Now on board we try to minimise the use of such volatile fluids as meth.

Been in use for a very long time on probably thousands of boats, I'm guessing that anything that has been improperly used and/or maintained can malfunction. Look after them and they apparently work very well.

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by old pirate

I would through it out and switch to propane. We had a fire on board mid Atlantic with a Taylor’s parrafin/kero stove.
Now on board we try to minimise the use of such volatile fluids as meth.

By using an explosive gas like propane? I have personally seen several boats after having experienced a propane explosion (one I watched sink after exploding and burning). A couple in my club had their legs shattered from a propane explosion in their boat. You should be concerned about the flammability of alcohol and other volatile fluids but using propane instead is not a safety improvement, whatever else can be said for propane. It is precisely because it is so potentially dangerous that it is not allowed on public transport in many places - making getting a tank to and from a refill station sometimes difficult when out cruising.

Greg

[Malabarista]

I too use a Taylors heater and stove and live aboard. The symptoms you describe sound like either insufficient pressure or pre-heating. I’ve never had much luck with the little preheating cup either. It just doesn’t get the burners hot enough so i use a blowtorch. Just play it lightly at first to avoid cracking a cold burner and then heat it to a dull red colour. I know i have introduced a pressurised gas canister to avoid a pressurised gas canister [emoji846] but my little kero blowtorch suffers from the same problem and it’s insane to use a blowtorch to light a blowtorch!

[racer1958]

Used a Taylor's two burner stove for years.
Used mineral spirits instead of kerosene during that time.
Less sooting and no issues with the normal pre-heating.

[Hasbeen]

Change the kerosene completely. Kerosene over time absorbs water. this causes the resultant mixture to burn very poorly, & with a cool flame.


Fresh full strength Kerro should fix your problem.


Carry reserve Kerro in a sealed metal tin, & do not put more than a couple of weeks in any large tank attached to the stove.

[Boatyarddog]

Originally Posted by cardinham

So I have a pressurized kerosene stove in my boat. it looks almost un-used. I have had a lot of issue finding information on these. The setup has a stove, a valve, and a pressurized tank.

I am unsure what I am doing wrong here.

I fill the cup and heat it up for about 2 minutes or so, open the valve, turn on the stove, and light it. I get a fairly large orange flame maybe 10% blue. Tons of soot and black smoke. goes out a lot...

I wonder if I am missing something?

I pressurize tank to about 15 PSI per instructions. Open main valve all the way.
i heat up the burner for about 2 mins with denatured alcohol. when it burns out I turn the burner on slightly and light is. it starts a huge orange flame. and i adjust the knobs to manage it, but still cloud of soot and smoke and small orange flame.

should i light with the stove knob all the way open instead of lightly opened?


i am at a loss. it basically is orange flame, soot, smoke, and stinking up the whole boat.

please help

My wife's boat uses a Kerosene stove.
We do not use regular Kerosene though.
Not clean enough.
We use Jet fuel, and it's not hard to get.
Its ultra purified kerosene.
Not sure where you are, but our local airport teaches helicopter pilots.
You can call around to check for availability, with them.
They often sample the fuel for purity, and will pull off what amount you need.
Sounds to me like an air fuel mixture issue, ( clogged up with soot), or a purity issue.
Old Kero, will do this too.
Personally I do not like Kero because of the mess, and use propane to cook and Diesel to heat.
Hard to beat the Heating ability of a good burning Kero stove though, they burn hot!

ALSO, do inspect the interior of your pressure container, it may have collected moisture and is now in your Kerosene.
Pull the tank and flush with fresh Kerosene.
Boatyarddog