Fuel for Diesel Heaters

[DavidPeckham]

Hi all, I've got a drip/gravity fed diesel heater (Force 10, now called Dickinson) that I've that I've never really got going properly (as compared to YouTube videos) It doesn't get that hot and doesn't burn efficiently (red flame). Yesterday I put some diesel in directly from a road garage and it almost took off! Does anyone know if these heaters have an issue with fuel sold in marinas/fuel boats in the UK? Like everyone else, got quite a big fuel tank so difficult to fill from a roadside garage. Cheers for any help.

[Quattrodave]

At a fuel station you want to use the black pump not the green one 😁

[Tracy D'arth]

Try burning kerosene instead?

[Quattrodave]

I have a taylors drip fed diesel heater, it doesn't matter if I run it on pump diesel or red diesel.  The flame colour isn't as blue as I'd expect, rather orange really but it produces very little carbon.  My instructions say that max should be 120 drips per minute but mine will take about 150 drips per minute for full temperature...

[Tony Brooks]

How windy was it yesterday?

 

I get the distinct impression that that type of heater needs a good flue draw and many narrowband flues are too short. With the wind yesterday the venturi effect across the chimney may have increased the flue draw. If, when the wind drops, it goes back to poor burning see if you can scavenge a metre or so of metal pipe to extend the flue as a test. There is no chemical reason for the fuel at marinas to be significantly different to DERV apart from the red dye and marker.

[DavidPeckham]

Cheers all, the garage diesel (black pump!) definitely  burnt better but there was also very little wind yesterday.  Good to know there's no difference between the two (someone in the US said there may be but imagine there's a different set-up there). Can't use kerosene as it's the same tank for the engine. Will give the flue extension a go also.

 

Thanks!

[ditchcrawler]

I have a Dickinson Adriatic and it runs fine on red, its a lot cleaner since they reduced the sulphur.  Did your engine run any better on white? 

[DavidPeckham]

Cheers, can't  really tell as I was only topping up for the winter so still mostly red in the tank.

[GUMPY]

Red diesel is just white diesel with a red dye and has been for years. Both are made to EN590, years ago there was a difference as road diesel was low sulphur to EN590 and red diesel was high sulphur, that did cause problems with Webasto/Eberspatcher heaters.

Edited October 31, 2021 by Loddon

[StephenA]

4 hours ago, DavidPeckham said:

Cheers, can't  really tell as I was only topping up for the winter so still mostly red in the tank.

 

If it was only a top up and most of the tank is red I cant see how it could have had such a dramatic effect on the heater.

[Tony Brooks]

8 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

If it was only a top up and most of the tank is red I cant see how it could have had such a dramatic effect on the heater.

That is why I think it is a draft issue.

[JamesWoolcock]

I have a Kabola Old Dutch with which I has a running battle with for years with it not burning properly, sooting up and in high winds, blowing out.

Then I bought a second length of flue pipe taking the height above the cabin top to about 45inches.

Now obviously I can't go cruising with this up, so I have a short pipe too, but the sooting is hugely reduced, I get a blue flame until I turn up the fuel supply, which is very rarely needed, and it no longer blows out.

[GUMPY]

Exactly what I did on Parglena looks a bit tall but works.

[Ex Brummie]

It also helps if you have an inner pipe inside the outer chimney, and a good anti draught cowl atop it all. 

[DavidPeckham]

Cheers, will give extending the flue/chimney a go.