# Diesel cook stoves and heaters - teach me the basics!



## UsailIbail! (Oct 7, 2011)

I recently posted questions about kerosene stoves and was reminded about the possibility of diesel stoves. I assume a kerosene cooker can run on diesel in a pinch. Any thoughts? I imagine they will clog up eventually but what should I expect if I ran a kero on diesel when the kero tank ran dry? Is diesel that foul?
Please don't post about Propane... I am not going in that direction.

Thanks in advance for your reply.

Sail on!


----------



## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

All the kero, home, marine, truck and aviation oils, are going to burn about the same rate,140,000 btuh Most stoves, heaters and even kerosene lanterns use a generation type burner. You've seen the same type of thing thing in coleman laterns. yes it works on gasoline too.. (scary also! ) The fuel has to be super heated to become a gas, If you have ever used a kerosene heater you are familiar with the glow the burner cage makes. That is what super heats the fuel so it burns so clean. kind of like an afterburner. You may see combination pressure and super heater type things in newer stoves. Soot will be common until your very able to start the burner with preheating per the mfg's directions. 

problems surface very quickly as fuel oils are heated .. they leave residue in the generator, wicks turn to glass and loose the wicking ability, Diesel "smell" is a tip off somethings not burning right. 

Diesel and kero stoves just because of the fuel, have to be cleaned often and properly.


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

We have a diesel heater in our boat that also heats the water in our hot water tank when it's running. We love it. The gal who owned the boat before us live aboard and I think she ran it 24/7 when it was cold. We've run it days at a time. The two problems we have are every now and then when we're underway and it's windy, we get a back draft now and then that stinks it up down below and when it's really cold and we've got it turned up, the water in the hot water tank gets so hot that we actually drain hot water down the sink to get rid of it. I worry about it coming to a boil in the hot water tank and tripping the pressure relief valve. I might be a little paranoid about that issue.


----------



## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Ray is that a reflects? simple old and reliable feeder type burner. uses a "metering valve" back in the day they were called carburetors, same valve was used in your dad's hunting cabin heater most likely just sayin  

"perfection" was an old mfg of non electric diesel heaters.


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

> uses a "metering valve" back in the day they were called carburetors, same valve was used in your dad's hunting cabin heater most likely just sayin


It's a Dickenson Antarctic, but you described it perfectly. Matter of fact, our first home was a one room apartment in Germany and we had a similar diesel stove to heat it. Oma and Opa used to sell us five liters of diesel at a time that went in a little fuel tank and was gravity fed into the burning pot. The heater in the boat runs off our main tanks with a low pressure pump. It ticks at one second intervals. It's the boat's heartbeat in the winter time and we find it pretty soothing along with the flickering light of the fire at night.


----------



## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

While I am not at all in favour of a diesel stove for cooking I must say I love diesel heaters. We've got one of the built in jobbies though I confess I'd probably prefer a Dickenson for that bit of a glow plus no need for a fan. OK, so fan is pretty quiet but it is still there. Diesel is also a nice dry heat, condensation is simply not an issue. 

OTOH, I guess I'm happy to live without the occasional blow back.


----------



## UsailIbail! (Oct 7, 2011)

Fascinating reading your posts. Thank you.

I am clearly falling in favor of the diesel heaters, especially when coupled with hot water! I have learned from you about the virtues of DRY air in the cabin as well... not having h20 as a burning by product is nice for drying out.

Can you teach me more about the heating elements for diesel cook stoves? or link me to more information? A criteria I focus on is to keep it simple... I want to be able to repair nearly every part on my own if needed. 

I burned a kero stove for years in my 38'er without venting and it always seemed ok - prior to CO meters being available. Do you think diesel is much worse, or should it always be vented?

Sail on!

This photo is the arrival of the new steed last November.


----------



## mitchbrown (Jan 21, 2009)

I have the Sigmarine 170 bulkhead mounted diesel heater in my Bene 390 and really like it. Been using it most weekends for the past year and a half and it is still shinny clean inside. If it is a porper install with enough chimney length and a Barometric damper installed as the first section close to the heater. Mine can handle about 15 knots of wind before i have to worry about any down drafting. Down drafting can be eliminate if you want by installing a balanced draft but i couldn't stand the idea of putting two 5 inch holes in the cabin top


----------



## erps (Aug 2, 2006)

I'm probably mixing terminology that may lead to some confusion. Our diesel appliance is a cabin heater, not a cooking stove. We've just always called it a stove, sorry about that. 

For cooking, I've used alcohol, kerosene and propane stoves. I converted both my alcohol stoves to propane and we suffered the kerosene stove until I swapped it out with one of the converted alcohol to propane stoves. The kerosene stove we had scared the crap out of us a couple of times with big flare ups and we often had to clean soot off the headliner. It cooked faster than the alcohol stoves, but the wife went on strike after one particular flareup. They guys in the commercial fishing industry around here typically have diesel stove/ovens in their boats for cooking and for heating their boats. You can tell, they're the ones with the windows open during late fall fisheries.


----------



## jackdale (Dec 1, 2008)

As diesel stoves require venting, I do not believe that they can be gimballed. As such they cannot be used when heeled.

Diesel heaters are great. The only downside is the vent on the deck.


----------



## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

We live aboard in Maine and use a combination of heaters. In the winter we have a diesel fired furnace that is capable of producing on demand hot water(I will add a HE soon). It is a hydronic type with multiple zones. It pump a Propolene glycol mixture through the boat to small radiators with 12v fans that blow air through them. It works very well to keep us toasty in our Maine winters. It is completely 12v so we also use it at anchor during our extended 7 month sailing season here.

At dock in the Spring and Fall we use our Mermaid reverse cycle AC/heater. It runs on 110 and can be powered by our engine driven 5k genset if needed.

Our stove is Propane. No complaints and very safe if properly maintained and operated.


----------



## SVTatia (May 7, 2007)

I believe the OP was referring to pressurized fuel?

There are differences, as the non-pressurized (drip) stoves are large and will need a big chimney and cannot be gimballed.


----------



## UsailIbail! (Oct 7, 2011)

If installed correctly, can a diesel heater be used in the big nasties? (BIG waves and wind?) or is back drafting so bad the interior becomes a CO death zone?

You are mentioning drip systems and pressurized. Are most of the Heaters drip systems? 

What is a barometric damper?

You are all very helpful and I appreciate your time very much.

Jay


----------



## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

My diesel furnace does not suffer backdraft and can be used in big seas. It has a dedicated intake with a blower that promotes the movement of combusted gases out through the exhaust in the transom.


----------



## UsailIbail! (Oct 7, 2011)

Got it Treilly... good thoughts and copied for the future. "Out through the transom" how cool is that. 
Love the internet!

Thanks.


----------



## mitchbrown (Jan 21, 2009)

A barometric damper is a piece of stove pipe that has a flapper in which helps keep the draft pressure constant. 

Mitch


----------



## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

If the carb is placed in line fore and aft with the burner they can stand a bit of heel without choking or dieing .Dickensen has all the parts and info. If you change fuel ie stove, diesel like we do in cold places, you can adjust the float level for different SG.If it boils your tank add a length of radiating pipe or heater and fan .Hot water runs uphill and may need a vapour vent if its a closed system. Turning the heat too low is inviting a load of soot. Love my Adriatic.


----------



## erman8211 (Apr 21, 2015)

I have a oil cookstove and it is not for regular diesel . They sell what they call lite fuel oil in Nova Scotia for these stoves an we have a 75 gallon tank that heating oil company will fill from a separate tank on their truck. They only carry it in the fall and early winter. No one sells it for cash an carry out say in 5 gallon cans.The heating oill company's won't do small amounts In cans.They insist that the stove is designed to run on this diesel lite they sell. Its a Torrid cookstove/heater . They told me neither diesel or kerosene should be put in as ones too lite an the other too heavy.Said experiment mixing the two starting 50/50 or so till it runs good. I'm not sure of any of these claims they make an would like advice on mixing oils or if I even have too.New to this stove an would like to run it just as backup with few 5 gallon cans a year if there's a blackout.So looking forword to your help and ideas .Thanks Chuck
.


----------



## Rocky Mountain Breeze (Mar 30, 2015)

I would contact the manufacturer of the stove rather than taking the word of an oil distributor or internet "expert." My personal opinion would be that a commercially available stove would probably use #1 kerosene which is available for portable kerosene heaters.


----------

