Parafin/kerosene and eberspachers

Results soon...

I ran the heater for about six hours on paraffin on Saturday night... Used about 2.5 litres I think...

Dismantled the heater today and photos soon...

Any ideas what it was like inside.. bearing in mind I'd tried to scrape out the hard black carbon deposits in it about a month ago without much luck...
 
Martin_J said:
I ran the heater for about six hours on paraffin on Saturday night... Used about 2.5 litres I think...

Dismantled the heater today and photos soon...

Any ideas what it was like inside.. bearing in mind I'd tried to scrape out the hard black carbon deposits in it about a month ago without much luck...
Click to expand...
Come ONNNNN! lets see!
Is it as clear cut as the Eber pix?
Stu
 
If it is very clean as in the before and after on this thread then ...great! but does this indicate that long term use with this fuel may have the potential to cause damage, is it ( somehow) 'aggresive'.
I wonder if it helps to clean the gauze screen in the same way?
 
A month ago..

This is what it was like a month ago... and most of these deposits were so hard the scraper (an old screwdriver) just couldn't shift them...


And the small holes in the other part (by the glow screen).. coathanger wire just didn't work either...
 
I know you're waiting...

I ran for six hours on Parasene (from Homebase)... and upon opening..

The furthest half of the burner was totally shiny clean and the nearest half was just dusty looking and flaking off!!
 
Last edited:
Then a shake....

and a quick fluff out with a soft toothbrush left it looking like new...



Note - the green burner gasket fell to pieces as usual.. It had only been in a month.
 
Last edited:
I seriously think that another evening running on paraffin... or not letting it get so bad in the first place .. and it would have cleaned up all by itself.

Also there was no visible soot in the exhaust either as it ran.. but the general smokiness has now gone.. exhaust gases are clear now.. It's as if the hard black deposits have just been vaporised.

Espar do recommend it.. as per my previous posting in this thread and I'm definitely going to try and find an easier way of temporarily connecing the paraffin supply next time.

It just had to be done.. Just running for an evening on paraffin and then going back to diesel from the main tank - I'd have never really known...

I have just looked back at all three pictures now... It's hard to believe how bad it was! (and yes the gauze does look like new... although it was only new a month ago but it's had a lot of use during the snowy/icy period...)
 
Last edited:
Martin_J said:
I ran the heater for about six hours on paraffin on Saturday night..
Click to expand...

Impressive. But had you run it for that long continuously on ordinary diesel previously?

I am not that surprised....I have seen off-road vehicles which have had very smoky exhausts after running on red for a time, but which clean up considerably on road diesel.

(how does pcatterall manage to post a reply before you've even posted! - those server clocks must be out again)

Vic
 
Decided to try this on a particularly smoky Webasto over the weekend as I am tired of ripping the bloody things apart and manually decoking or worse, replacing burner tubes on 2 year old heaters.
I ran it for 10 hours at full bore using almost all of the 4l container.
Observations; the heat output was down on its normal performance; the furnace roar was pulsing or surging in time with the pump. On coupling back to the main tank there was no smoke and the roar was constant with no sign of smoke at all, ran for a couple of hours like that and all was still good at shut down. As has been previously said this seems to be the answer to a long time problem and I definitely intend to invest in a pocket full of 3/16th two way valves to make it easy to do an annual pre emptive run on paraffin. Thanks to the OP for one of the most useful threads I have seen in a long time. I do wonder though if with the ULSD that many will now have access to if this may naturally become less of an issue.
 
Thank you for the update... I guess the photos helped to show what yours might now be like inside. Hard to believe.

Has to be done whilst the heater is still working though!
 
Had a problem with my Eber D2 very recently. Ran for 5 hours on paraffin, changed the gauze and now running OK again. Still a wee bit of smoke on starting so probably could do with more time running on paraffin and/or decoke as well, but yes great tip, thanks Martin J...:)
 
Well done djbreeze. I must admit from your other posting last week (from your description) it did sound like yours was about to splutter to a stop completely.
 
Martin,

I have only just stumbled on your suggestion and I am so excited. Hopefully you may have solved my problem. But..... I have an old D1L eber and when I took the plug out and fished out a glow pin screen, with great difficulty, I was told by a distributor that the glow pin screen is not user serviceable on a D1L. Now what? Distributor told me it should still run without the screen but may continue to smoke. Anyone out there with a similar experience?
Many thanks,
Pete
 
sandbankpete said:
I have an old D1L eber and when I took the plug out and fished out a glow pin screen, with great difficulty, I was told by a distributor that the glow pin screen is not user serviceable on a D1L. Now what?
Click to expand...

If you have 'fished out the screen' then surely by definition it is user-serviceable (by you!). Do you mean this particular distributor is UNWILLING to sell you the part? .... if so there are plenty of others who will :)

Edit: saying it should work WITHOUT the screen sounds barmy to me.
 
Last edited:
VicMallows said:
If you have 'fished out the screen' then surely by definition it is user-serviceable (by you!). Do you mean this particular distributor is UNWILLING to sell you the part? .... if so there are plenty of others who will :)

Edit: saying it should work WITHOUT the screen sounds barmy to me.
Click to expand...

That is because when it is removed it is likely to get bent and damaged. Given the awkward places where heaters are installed and the time it takes to service, for £13 on eBay I would fit a new screen rather than clean and attempt to fit back an old one.
 
Can you run a diesel on kerosene-yes so long as you add a measure of oil to provide lubrication for the injector pump and injectors.
Gearoil;two stroke oil whatever.
If your engine has an inline pump far better as pump is usually lubricated from engine or has its own sump.Rotary pumps are totally relient upon the lubricating properties of the fuel.
In my Mercedes Benz OM636 workshop manual details are provided of suitable blends of Kerosene and oil as well as alternative fuels such as palm oil.
You could run cars on kerosene-I remember a common sight in the Yorkshire dales would be a beat up farmers van blowing clouds of blue smoke out of the exhaust.It was illegal but used to be tolerated.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top