Bubble diesel stoves

[vicafloat]

Hello fellow boaters.  A friend of mine is having difficulty with his Bubble diesel stove and cannot find a specialist in the North West to come and service it.

Have any forum members got any recommendations?  Thanks in advance.

[Ex Brummie]

Try looking on the OFTEC web site for an technician for vaporising burners. This style of appliance is common in domestic properties.

[vicafloat]

Ok thanks, will advise him to do that.

[Mike Tee]

Has he spoken to Harworth Heating in Doncaster yet?

[vicafloat]

Yes he has but Terry Hibbert was not available and nobody else could help.

[vicafloat]

He contacted OFTEC but they were not helpful. !!

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, vicafloat said:

He contacted OFTEC but they were not helpful. !!

 

I found the same when looking for someone to service my Kabola Old Dutch oil stove, particularly when you say it is on a boat.

 

In the end I bit the bullet and learned how to do it myself. 

 

If it is burning with a yellow, rather than blue flame it is usually because the small holes in the burner pot are blocked, or if they are clean, that the "high flame" screw needs adjusting.

 

If you search the net for Refleks, Bubble and Kabola drip feed stoves (they all work on the same principle), you will find a few pdf's on how to maintain them. They are all broadly similar.

 

However the most comprehensive guide is Koukoivagia's excellent guide here.

 

 

 

Advice on how to adjust the "high flame" setting and how to clean the burner pot can be found in these threads.

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by cuthound
Missing apostrophe

[mrsmelly]

Skip it and fit a multi fuel stove is my advice.

[cuthound]

49 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

Skip it and fit a multi fuel stove is my advice.

 

Nah, oil drip stoves are great when properly set up.

 

Clean, no heavy bags of coal to lug about and only need cleaning every 500 hours of running. About the same cost to run as a coal stove at current prices.

 

Oh and controllable too (added later).

 

The main issue is finding out how to look after them properly.

 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2020 by cuthound
Clarification

[peterboat]

4 hours ago, vicafloat said:

Hello fellow boaters.  A friend of mine is having difficulty with his Bubble diesel stove and cannot find a specialist in the North West to come and service it.

Have any forum members got any recommendations?  Thanks in advance.

Talk to Terry at Harworth heating he owns the Bubble stove brand, he is a helpful chap and can a will talk people through the problem and maybe fix it, I think the manual is downloadable off the tinternet. I am on my second bubble stove and rate them

[Ex Brummie]

5 hours ago, vicafloat said:

He contacted OFTEC but they were not helpful. !!

How unusual!!!!!?. (not) For the accredited trade body, they are often like this. However, if you look on their website for a registered technician on vaporisers, you can make some 'informed' phone enquiries.

[vicafloat]

Terry from Harworth heating has given the boater details of a mobile engineer who will be able to sort the problem.

Thanks for all the helpful information!

[Arnac]

I've inherited a temperamental Bubble stove which I am going to attempt dismantle and clean thanks to this excellent servicing thread. In addition I found the following video that explains the basics of oil regulator mechanics which all work off the same principles. Hope this helps too.

 

 

[peterboat]

21 minutes ago, Arnac said:

I've inherited a temperamental Bubble stove which I am going to attempt dismantle and clean thanks to this excellent servicing thread. In addition I found the following video that explains the basics of oil regulator mechanics which all work off the same principles. Hope this helps too.

 

 

The only advice I can give you is never let a friend fill your water tank up, especially if the oil tank is close to it! Especially be careful if the water filler is labelled water and the bubble stove tank is labelled diesel 

[Arnac]

Good advice 😅

[Wide boat man]

clean fuel is vital make sure you have a good filter in the supply line.

[Ex Brummie]

Be careful with a filter. If the head to the stove is low, then a filter could be too resistive. On my Bubble, I have a Crosland 489 with no element in it. The flow rate is so low through the  filter that new fuel coming in takes so long to pass through any water or other contaminant falls to the bottom of the bowl and is easily cleaned out with the annual service. It is so effective that after 25 years, the filter in the oil control valve is still clean as a whistle.

cleaning out the slot in the metering column needs to be done annually, especially after a long period of non use, and the feed pipe from valve to burner pot needs to be kept clear of carbon. The door seal, and also the seal between the burner pot and grate need to be tight. The flue is of paramount importance and it will help to have a draught reducing cowl and an insulated chimney outside the boat.

[Arnac]

I've inherited a temperamental Bubble stove which I am going to attempt dismantle and clean thanks to this excellent servicing thread. In addition I found the following video that explains the basics of oil regulator mechanics which all work off the same principles. Hope this helps too.

 

 

[Arnac]

1 hour ago, Ex Brummie said:

Be careful with a filter. If the head to the stove is low, then a filter could be too resistive. On my Bubble, I have a Crosland 489 with no element in it. The flow rate is so low through the  filter that new fuel coming in takes so long to pass through any water or other contaminant falls to the bottom of the bowl and is easily cleaned out with the annual service. It is so effective that after 25 years, the filter in the oil control valve is still clean as a whistle.

cleaning out the slot in the metering column needs to be done annually, especially after a long period of non use, and the feed pipe from valve to burner pot needs to be kept clear of carbon. The door seal, and also the seal between the burner pot and grate need to be tight. The flue is of paramount importance and it will help to have a draught reducing cowl and an insulated chimney outside the boat.

Thank you. Really appreciate the advice.

 

 

[Arnac]

I got around to servicing my inherited and previously mentioned  Bubble Stove today. Don't think it's been used for years . 
Anyway, working logically from the tank I changed the main feed fuel filter, then removed and cleaned the filter in the oil regulator. Next I opened up the top access lid of the oil regulator (no need to detatch the entire regulator unit from the main diesel line).
 The spring loaded oil feed - the one with the narrow slit - was clogged shut with muck. Took it out along with the float mechanism, cleaned everything carefully and reassembled. I then checked the fuel feed from the regulater to the burner and finally cleaned out the burner pot.
She's now burning on a nice blue flame on the lowest setting. Toasty.
Thanks for all the advice on the forum. I wouldn't have known where to start without it.

[Oddjob]

On 23/10/2020 at 16:23, vicafloat said:

Hello fellow boaters.  A friend of mine is having difficulty with his Bubble diesel stove and cannot find a specialist in the North West to come and service it.

Have any forum members got any recommendations?  Thanks in advance.

Weld some chain to it and use it as a mud weight. Mine went in the bin changed it for a solid fuel stove had no end of problems with the bubble. 

[Tracy D'arth]

They are renown for being temperamental and driving the users mental. I have seen more ripped out than seen installed and working.

 

They need clean fuel, proper cleaning, and a tall flue to improve the draught. 

 

I know of no one brave enough to service them. 

[Mike Tee]

This is just above the lowest setting, no jumper required! And its over 20 years old. Admittedly it needed a good clean etc when we acquired the boat recently, but still all original. Sorry, not the best of photo's.

 

 

 

 

[Tracy D'arth]

38 minutes ago, Mike Tee said:

This is just above the lowest setting, no jumper required! And its over 20 years old. Admittedly it needed a good clean etc when we acquired the boat recently, but still all original. Sorry, not the best of photo's.

 

 

 

 

That is the best flame picture of a drip feed burner I have seen in ages.

[peterboat]

1 hour ago, Mike Tee said:

This is just above the lowest setting, no jumper required! And its over 20 years old. Admittedly it needed a good clean etc when we acquired the boat recently, but still all original. Sorry, not the best of photo's.

 

 

 

 

Same as mine until the water incident!

35 minutes ago, Tracy D'arth said:

That is the best flame picture of a drip feed burner I have seen in ages.

Mine used to be the same stove has to be as level as possible, I used kerosene which is cleaner and hotter