Roger Long wrote:
I think nearly everyone who has responded is missing something, unless
I am.

As I understand from what I have reviewed on manufacturer's web sites,
there are three options:

1) Pot burner.

No power required. Would work from a gravity day tank with either 12
V or hand pump.
Downside: Erratic at large heel angles. Can flood an produce large
flames, or so I've heard. The horror stories I know are 30 years old
so maybe they've gotten better.

2) Pressure by air. The fuel is put into a small pressure tank and
pumped up with a small internal pump sort of like a camp stove.

3) Pressure by 12 volt pump. This runs all the time that the stove is
running. Not a big draw but, no power, no heat.

I'm leaning towards #3 because maintaining power is pretty vital for
other reasons. I also like the idea of being able to shut off fuel
delivery with a switch. If a pipe or fitting broke with the pressure
tank set up, diesel would be spraying everywhere, perhaps on the
heater.

Being a gadgeteer, I might look into a hybrid where fuel can be pumped
into the small tank from the main fuel tank and then pressurized by a
small air pump. I wouldn't try to make this automatic but it would
save schlepping fuel around the boat in cans. An emergency air bleed
vent to the outside would shut the stove off quickly in an emergency.


Roger,
You forgot the gravity feed. The setup on the Dickinsons if installed
properly precludes flooding and flame ups. The carb has a float in it
and when the feed is too fast the float rises and stops the flow well
back from the burner. If the heater/stove is mounted near the ceterline
of the boat with the day tank above it it will work fine except on
extreme days with in excess of 45 degrees of heel. I have laid my boat
over with the stove on (50 -60 degrees) and nothing happens.
Check it:
http://www.dickinsonmarine.com/shop5...p?catalogid=25
For installation manual see the bottom of the page.

Gaz