More than nine months have past since we last lit the Lockgate Refleks diesel stove and whilst it’s not yet sufficiently cold to start it, we decided to test the stove before the onset of the cold weather This actually proved to be a good decision as the stove needed some minor maintenance before it started to run correctly.
We usually ignite the diesel with half a fire-lighter and that method worked today. However after 15 minutes the stove went out and couldn’t be lit as there was no fuel. It seemed obvious that we had burned the last of a small amount of fuel in the pipe before fuel starvation occurred. I checked the two isolation valves hadn’t accidentally been turned off since we last used the stove (they hadn’t). Then I pushed the small steel horizontal plunger in and out a few times to clear any potential blockage in the needle valve which feeds the stove. That had no effect! My next step was to thoroughly clean the base of the stove with steel wool and check if the diesel would then flow (it didn’t). Then I unscrewed and removed the protective steel end cap covering the small fuel filter and removed it. The filter was clean so whilst it was removed I opened the fuel valve to check that diesel was reaching the filter (it was). This left removal, stripping, cleaning and checking the fuel regulator. That’s a complex job and I’d rather find a simple solution. The hole through which the fuel enters the stove is microscopic and it would only take a tiny amount of water or other impurity to block the flow of the diesel. So I gave the side of the regulator and the pipe from the regulator to the stove several hits with the end of our metal torch. Nothing too hard but sufficient (in my mind) to vibrate loose any impurities. And looking into the stove the diesel had started to flow. Beating things often improves the situation! Worked with the children too!
Once the stove was hot I turned the regulator to maximum.
Too much yellow flame. There is insufficient oxygen to fully burn the diesel. We need to turn down the stove.
That’s better! We left the stove running for a few hours in an effort to remove all/any further impurities in the system and then threw in a cleaning tablet. This made the colour of the flames change to green and I assume it combines with any carbon residue in the stove before venting via the flue?
2 comments :
Hi there,
We have had what seems to be a similar problem you encountered with our Refleks 2000K heater this week- it's been producing excessive soot and burning with a small yellow flame- we cleaned it thoroughly (plus moving cleaning needle) and checked the fuel filter per manual, and it seemed to burn better x15mins, then the flame reduced and soot production increased again. We’ve tried variations on the starting procedure with the same results. I’m suspecting it might be a problem with the regulator? I have yet to try beating it, and we do not have access to cleaning tablets for a few weeks. Did the cleaning tablets seem to solve the problem? Has your stove worked well since this post?
Thanks!
Hi,
You are taking me back in time as we sold the boat 5 years ago! From memory, the issue we had was the small hole in the bottom of the stove which allows the diesel to enter would slowly reduce in diameter with carbon buildup. The tip of the cleaning needle might appear inside the chamber but eventually I realised more than the tip was required. I had to work the pin quite hard to make the diameter of the hole larger.
The tablets were just another way of removing (burning off) the carbon. In the end I resorted to using a circulare wire brush on a steel extension rod driven by me battery drill. This enabled me to give the base of the chamber a thorough clean and also work the wire brush into the hole. That made it easier to force the shaft of the pin through the hole. Then I used a damp paper towel to remove all the loosened carbon.
I never stripped the regulator.
Hope that is of assistance
Cheers
Tom
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