paraffin heater...are they safe?

[upthesolent]

The fact that the consensus of opinion is that you MUST get a detector, I would not even consider it.

The wiring loom burnt out in the artic I was driving years ago, and a fellow driver lent me his paraffin heater for the night. The heater didn't seem to work that well and I thought I could actually smell it.
Despite well below freezing conditions, I took it outside the cab and left it there. I woke up in the morning.

Would Never have one.

 

[trouville]

Parrafin heating is VERY dangerous unless made safe.Im suprised it wasent said how the Pardys made their heater safe?

I took an old(small round) parafin heater and filled the fule container with old wool, gun cotten would be better if you can find it,that way the fule dosent gush up the wick and flare up.I tried a large and small flue but down drafts or just normal use it smells.

Then i tried pressure first parafin primus,it should have been said thay cant be left running when you sleep as the pressure reduces then the flame goes out but white explosive vapor pours out one spark and the boat will explode!!When it happend to me i was anchored in a cold damp windy empty bay,but i woke up thinking i couldent breath,the boat stank for a year!

Parrafin in France costs between 16/20 euros for 20 liters but cant always be found near the boat and outside France either very expensive or cant be found!!

Diesel is near parafin bit smokey you have to get a good gas flow i copied a good but expensive system with a balenced air flow i used drip feed which needs adjusting often but can be left running slowly when sleeping.

I have a Taylors diesel heater but for me its a bit big!Im looking for safe high output and small, wood was very good but very hard to control and the wood had to be cut very small and the burner was to big and left ash everywhere!

Recently the most efficent system was acetalene,a small acetalene generator makes the gas very inexpensivly and it provides a hot heat source albeit a bit sooty,im looking at a way to pressureise it and or add air to make it burn better.

The wonderful thing with an acetalene generator is no flare up!And when pressurised as the pressure reduces it reterns to a smoky flame!I have had some problems arrise while trying the system.Id hoped it would provide lighting.

I do have to do some more work to get the system safely running but in theory acetalene could be the answer to heat!!

Alcohol heating that im currently experimenting with!So far i have a container of alcohol in a long thin tube to stop surge then a pipe curveing off which has a "nozel" under the pipe i heat with a "fondu" heater this vaporises the alcohol vapor and gives a hot flame!When i can make it bigger it may be a good safe solution!

Always use a chimney and checkthe gas flow works!!

 

[alec]

An automobile robe or a steamer rug is grand protection to the helmsman on a cold day or night.
A night watchman often keeps warm with a couple of lanterns placed under the blanket wrapped around his legs. try it some cold wet hight at the helm.

Harold Augustin Calahan
1938

'When at sea don't make a habit of continual swearing; reserve it for special occasions'

 

[contessa26]

Re: Need definition of terms - people are talking about different things

I remember my Dad had one of those tubular paraffin heaters aboard his 8-metre. One dark evening (just paraffin lamps!), we suddenly realised there was soot everywhere. Worst was the white painted deckhead above the heater - now black. I think the wick had been too high, or it ran low of fuel - or something. But it was many years ago, and I can't rememebr the details, or why we weren't alerted by the smell. What a mess. Took ages to clean up!
Best wishes.