BoatBanter.com - So how do you start a Dickinson Newport cabin heater?

ray lunder inscribed in red ink for all to know:
Thanks, I emailed you.

On Mon, 16 Apr 2007 08:29:33 -0700, RW Salnick
wrote:

ray lunder inscribed in red ink for all to know:

Ahoy, I bought a used Dickinson Newport cabin heater and tried it out
for the first time tonight set up on the shop floor. I can't get the
fuel to vaporize. I have the stack and hat on and the tank is about 3
feet above the heater. There's nothing coming out of the overflow
nozzle.
If I'm interpreting the instructions correctly the Superheater goes in
with the little hat part down, so it's about an inch and a half over
the fuel inlet and covering it. Is this right so far? The burner ring
goes in with the lip down. Then I turn the meter to one, wait for a
two tablespoon puddle and light it, turn the chimney fan on low and
turn the meter off. The fuel is supposed to vaporize, whatever that
means, after about five minutes but it never happens. From the drawing
it looks like the flame is supposed to be above the burner ring but
NOT visible below it. I'm not sure how this is possible.
I tried turning the meter to one to keep it from going out and played
with the fan and more fuel but it just fills the pot with orange
flame. If I add enough fuel the flame reaches up over the ring but I
don't think this is what they mean. It doesn't put out much heat to
speak of. Anybody ever use one of these things? What am I doing wrong.
Thanks for your time and keep up the good work.

Post your email address, and I will send you the lighting instructions I
have written for ours...

bob
s/v Eolian
Seattle

Never arrived.

OK, I will try to respond to your post here -

First, it sounds like you have the stove assembled correctly.

Here's my lighting procedure write-up for Eolian. If this is a new or
recently cleaned heater, see the very last paragraph.

************************************************** *******************

This is a "pot burner" type of heater. That is, the diesel is admitted
into the bottom of a "pot", where the heat of previously burned fuel
vaporizes it. Once going, it is diesel fuel vapor which is burning, not
liquid. But, to get it going, it is liquid diesel which must be ignited.

To light, do this:

1. Turn on the power switch on the panel below the heater. This powers
a small pump which supplies fuel to the heater, and the combustion air
fan in the base of the heater.
2. Open the valve on the heater all the way. Note: there is a stop
(two stops?) that prevent inadvertent movement of the knob past the
normal running position. Pull up on the knob to turn past these stops.
Note the time - you will be waiting 2 minutes for sufficient diesel to
enter the burner.
3. While waiting, go into the head and pull off about 30" of toilet paper.
4. Loosely roll up the toilet paper, leaving a "tail" consisting of the
last square. Open the heater door, and use the rolled up portion of the
toilet paper to wipe any residual carbon off the inside of the window.
Drop the paper into the burner.
5. You will note that there is an internal baffle device in the burner -
this serves as a heat reflector, which, once hot, will provide the heat
to evaporate the diesel. But now, it is just in the way. Using the
aluminum poker, push the rolled up portion of the toilet paper under the
bottom disk on the baffle device, leaving the tail accessible for
lighting. Do the best you can - usually you can't get more than one end
under the disk.
6. When 2 minutes have elapsed, light the tail, close the door, and turn
the combustion air fan on high.
7. Watch thru the window - when the diesel lights, it is obvious - the
diesel flame is much brighter and is a rich yellow-orange color.
8. Once the diesel has lit, turn the combustion air fan down one click,
and set the valve to one notch past the "1" mark, as shown in the picture.
9. If the toilet paper fails to light the diesel, turn off the valve.
There is very likely enough diesel in the pot, it's just that the flame
from the paper didn't reach it, or the diesel didn't wet the ash in the
bottom of the pot out to where the paper was.
10. Turn off the combustion air fan (otherwise it will blow smoke from
the smoldering toilet paper into the cabin when you open the door). Get
another piece of toilet paper and follow steps 4-6 again (no wait is
necessary). Usually, it will light the second time. If not, open the
valve for one additional minute and try a third time. I have never had
this fail.
11. After the heater is warmed up, you will generally need to turn the
combustion air down one more click.

Notes:
" The biggest risk in lighting the heater is in getting the pot full of
liquid diesel before it is ignited. Then you will have an enormous
flame and a very hot stove. Do not lose track of time while waiting for
the diesel to enter the stove. If you are interrupted or distracted, be
certain to turn off the valve before walking away. (Don't ask me how I
know this)
" If you do get an over-filled stove, the only thing you can do is turn
off the valve, and wait for the excess to burn off. This is
frightening, since the flame fills the heater, and burns with a pulsing
roaring sound. It would be wise to stand by with a fire extinguisher to
be sure that the wall behind the heater, the ceiling above the heater,
and things above the stack outside (the mainsail) are extinguished
immediately should they catch fire.
" The valve is very non-linear in controlling the heat output. Normal
operation will be only between the first and second notches past the "1"
mark.
" The flame should be almost completely above the top ring in the
heater. If it is not, then you have too much combustion air - turn it
down another click. (note that this does not apply while the heater is
warming up after lighting)
" If there appear to be trailing smoke tendrils off the tips of the
flames, or if the flames are very yellow-orange, then you do not have
enough combustion air - turn it up a click.
" Done right, the flame is mostly yellow with some blue in it, and is
fairly placid.
" If the pot is ever cleaned out in an attempt to make the heater "burn
better", be forewarned that the ash layer in the bottom is an important
part of the combustion process. It serves as a high surface area
diffusion plate/evaporator. The heater will be difficult to light until
this layer has been re-established.