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Bubble diesel stove


heyjude999

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24 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

I have the Bubble with a back boiler. If Heineken made boat stoves, it would probably be a Bubble.

It vies with solar panels as to which is the best thing I've put on the boat.

Glad you have one that works.  Taken lots out because they were a pain. Smoking a sooting seem to be normal.

The only ones that seem to work properly are the ones fitted with tall chimneys, they need the draught.

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4 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Glad you have one that works.  Taken lots out because they were a pain. Smoking a sooting seem to be normal.

The only ones that seem to work properly are the ones fitted with tall chimneys, they need the draught.

 

Easy enough to fit a taller chimney.

 

My Kabola Old Dutch has a shorter "cruising" chimney, that means the stove only burns properly on a low hear setting and a longer chimney for when we are moored up.

 

Even with the shorter one fitted it can make the boat uncomfortably hot on chill spring and autumn evenings.

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17 hours ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Glad you have one that works.  Taken lots out because they were a pain. Smoking a sooting seem to be normal.

The only ones that seem to work properly are the ones fitted with tall chimneys, they need the draught.

I only have one chimney, but it is 2 parts; 18" x 4" stainless flue in the chimney collar, a normal narrowboat chimney over the 6" collar, but I also have a swedish cowl that fits into the inner chimney. I've seen many removed because the owners can't be a***d to clean out the carbon from the pot every 6 weeks or so, or ignore advice about the flue requirements. It is rather like the individuals with multifuels who don't clean out the ashpan, don't sweep the chimneys and burn any old rubbish, and then moan about tarred up glass and fumes.

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I’m 4 winters into having corner bubble as only heat source. I’ve learnt as I’ve gone, it heats my water, rads and underfloor. Biggest change I made was fresh fire rope. It burned so well after that. Cleaning out is no harder than a solid, I use a brush and ash vacuum. I’ve made stews on top and I’ve only run out of fuel at night once, nice blue flame might night look as cosy as a wood burner but I like it. I use small fragments of fire lighters to start and nearly 2 weeks is the longest I’ve kept it going continually. My only thing I’ve never figured out is when you turn it of it always goes sooty when dying down. I like it and it was worth learning to use right. I think I’ve had less hassle than Switching it and pulling out fuel line and refit solid. Get yourself some  leccruet lidded pits as all day bubble stew is awesome 

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18 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

It smokes when turning off because the oil level drops and cannot sustain vapourisation. Not much of a problem for 2-3 minutes until it goes out.

Yes I was just referencing that the glass soots up and it’s no worry, quick wipe kitchen roll while still hot and it’s clear for next time. I  it’s the only time any smoke comes out of chimney too so good if Moore’s in smoke sensitive area  (all of London) 

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  • 2 months later...

Ours had a small inline pulsing fuel pump. I’ve no idea what make it was or even what it looked like, but it was described to me as ‘what they used years ago on cars’. It was apparently extremely low on electric use so ideal for a boat. Maybe one of the old car gurus on here could identify it. I seem to remember it switched on ‘on demand ‘. Also silent.

Anyway, we lived onboard for 7 years and loved the stove - as well as stews, it was ideal for using a steamer, bring up to the boil on the hob, then move to the Bubble set on ‘low’.

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10 hours ago, Oddjob said:

My stove goes out with change in trim go to bed stove goes out if I sleep on the sofa other side of the boat stays alight. I would like to use it as my mud weight but fitting a solid fuel stove to many issues so have to put up with it. 

How have you got the orientation of the regulator?  It's supposed to be aligned fore and aft, not across the boat.

BTW I have a flue and chimney less than 5' and it's got a dog-leg.  No issues whatsoever.  Lovely constant blue flame, with toasty central heating and oodles of hot water.  Wouldn't be without it.

I do have to clean and service it properly once in a while.

 

eta I should say that I'm talking about a Refleks, but the same principles apply.

Edited by koukouvagia
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2 hours ago, Mike Tee said:

Ours had a small inline pulsing fuel pump. I’ve no idea what make it was or even what it looked like, but it was described to me as ‘what they used years ago on cars’. It was apparently extremely low on electric use so ideal for a boat. Maybe one of the old car gurus on here could identify it. I seem to remember it switched on ‘on demand ‘. Also silent.

Anyway, we lived onboard for 7 years and loved the stove - as well as stews, it was ideal for using a steamer, bring up to the boil on the hob, then move to the Bubble set on ‘low’.

I suspect a low pressure pump but I doubt they are still available. I expect a Facit pump would do and they (I think) only pump n demand.

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29 minutes ago, Ex Brummie said:

I can't understand how a pumped supply to the Toby valve would work unless it was used to feed a slave tank. The flow out of the OCV, and consequently the flow in is too miniscule to monitor for a pump. Oil lifters to Aga's or similar are quite common.

All the time the Toby valve is closed the pump will be held with its contact apart by the fuel pressure in the pumping chamber. As the valve lets its dribble of fuel through the diaphragm in the pump will move to deliver that dribble. Eventually the diaphragm will have move far enough for the contact to close and  move the diaphragm back to start the process again. That is why such pumps use demand for control.

 

It occurs to me that if the trim alters radically it may be the float height setting rather than tank level.

 

Edited by Tony Brooks
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Tank level has no effect due the reg had a float in it. When I spoke to Harworth heating maker of Bubble stoves about installing reg was told it has to be fitted with float plimsoll line 2mm above the centre line of the inlet, dog walks across the boat trim changes by 2mm lol. I have tweaked the ref up a bit which has improved the situation some what but still goes out if both of us are on the bed together as this changes the trim so float level falls below inlet centre line. It is what it is location of the stove is at fault which I am not going to re engineer the boat for so will live with it. 

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I doubt whether the problem has anything to do with the trim of the boat. These regulators are designed to operate with heeling angles of up to 15° with a high level of reliability.  After all they were designed for fishing boats in the North Sea.

Does the angle really vary as much as this when you get into bed?

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9 hours ago, Mike Tee said:

Ours had a small inline pulsing fuel pump. I’ve no idea what make it was or even what it looked like, but it was described to me as ‘what they used years ago on cars’. It was apparently extremely low on electric use so ideal for a boat. Maybe one of the old car gurus on here could identify it. I seem to remember it switched on ‘on demand ‘. Also silent.

Anyway, we lived onboard for 7 years and loved the stove - as well as stews, it was ideal for using a steamer, bring up to the boil on the hob, then move to the Bubble set on ‘low’.

Probably an " SU " lectric pump, fitted to many BL etc cars in the 60s. Very quite little tick. If you left the car standing for a few days and it wouldnt start ya just gave the pump a quick tap and it jumped back into life.

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Tank level has some effect on the fuel supply to the toby, especially if the feed pipe is a little wavy or long. How level is the stove? If it is plumb, then why not take it a little off plumb so that the float valve is level when you are in bed. My Bubble must be 5 degrees off level when we are not on the boat, but levels up when we sit or are in bed. Even so, if I light the stove before we go down to the boat, it stays alight whilst the boat is unoccupied. The 2mm above centre of the oil feed seems a little sparse. I would expect to set a pot burner in a Rayburn so that there is an oil depth of about 10 -12 mm above the base. If my Bubble goes out, then this is the sort of level that fills the pot. 

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3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Probably an " SU " lectric pump, fitted to many BL etc cars in the 60s. Very quite little tick. If you left the car standing for a few days and it wouldnt start ya just gave the pump a quick tap and it jumped back into life.

Yes, well done, that rings a bell.

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