Solid fuel stoves

[DoubleEnder]

I'm looking at heating for NYACHILWA, and I fancy having a real fire - not blown hot air or a Taylors oil fired heater. I reckon a stove is a source of entertainment in its own right. I've looked at the 'Faversham' stove which is quite nice, but I seem to remember once seeing something called a 'Pansey' made by Pascal Atkey, which was a dedicated charcoal burner.
Does anyone have dimensions, a picture, or even one of these for sale? Opinions prejudices etc are very welcome.

And then I have seen details of a stove made by Bengco. Any views on that one?
Thank you

 

[bob_tyler]

Try Pascall Atkey, they are still at:-

29/30 High Street, Cowes, Isle of Wight PO31 7RX

Telephone: 01983 292381

 

[Mirelle]

Have not got a photo handy, but the Pansy is cylindrical, bulkhead mounted, with a small flue, and is made of stainless steel. Very much like the Taylors' paraffin cabin heater in appearance and can be mistaken for one, but slightly larger.

I have a friend who installed a "Faversham" some years ago and is very pleased with it. Nice, well made, stove.

How big is the boat?

 

[DoubleEnder]

The boat is 33'8", beam of 8'6" and double ended. Not a lot of volume (ie cramped) but very pretty. And will one day sail superbly. I like the Faversham stove, and the boat is currently located about 200m from Colin Frake's place so there's a certain logic in doing that. But it is a bit heavy and I don't fancy the regular Zeebrite sessions. Theres an American Dickinson Newport which I've also heard good things about on US forums (fora?) http://www.boatownersworld.com/heaters.htm

 

[Mirelle]

The Dickinson Newport is a diesel heater.

Your wrote:

"I fancy having a real fire - not blown hot air or a Taylors oil fired heater."

but then you say:

"...it is a bit heavy and I don't fancy the regular Zeebrite sessions. "

Frankly, am now a bit puzzled.

Mine is a Shipmate (no longer made) so my experiences are of limited use.

I will trust a good, well installed, solid fuel stove to burn unattended. I will never trust a liquid fuelled stove to do that.

 

[DoubleEnder]

They do a solid fuel heater as well. http://www.boatownersworld.com/dickinsonmarine/newport_solid_fuel_heater.htm
Good point about leaving an oil fired stove unattended. I was thinking that S/S might be lower maintenance than the cast iron Faversham. If I could get an enamelled Faversham then I'd be happier....but Colin isnt making them any more

 

[milltech]

[ QUOTE ]
I will trust a good, well installed, solid fuel stove to burn unattended. I will never trust a liquid fuelled stove to do that.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm interested in the reasons. The Dickinson instructions, (for the cookers), say do not leave to burn unattended, but I had assumed this was probably US liability speak.

I've got a drip feed Refleks which I do leave to burn unattended, I mean, franky, a stove you can't leave to burn unattended is completely pointless; it's definitely unattended in the saloon of a lifeboat when I'm in the fore cabin, an engine room and a walk along the deck away from it.

I have always assumed that it has some kind of automatic fuel cut-off, but thinking about that I'm not sure how the fuel valve would know it needed to cut off!

 

[Mirelle]

Reasoning.

Of course, very many people do just as you do. I'm sure they are safe 99.9% of the time.

My reasoning is along these lines:

1. HW Tilman always had diesel drip feed stoves on his boats - his argument was that he really had no choice as given the length of his voyages in high latitudes he could not have carried enough solid fuel aboard. (That is a very good argument for diesel stoves).

Consequently, he had fairly vast experience with them. Despite this, he nearly lost "Mischief" to a fire caused by a stove flare up when she was laid up. After that he was very insistent that the crew "keep an eye on it" at all times when it was lit.

2. There was a case locally a couple of years ago where two men were killed in a fire that started with a diesel drip feed stove; the boat was laid up ashore at the time.

3. A coal stove can become over-excited and burn too hot. It can certainly start a fire if the insulation is not good enough around the stove and the chimney. It can most definitely start a fire if anyone leaves clothing, a towel, or something like that hanging over it, such that it falls onto the stove (horribly easy to do this!) But it does not have ready access, so to speak, to an external supply of fuel - you actually have to pick up the lumps of Coalite or whatever and put them inside the stove.

4. A diesel stove, on the other hand, has fuel piped right into it; if a valve hangs open the supply of fuel can increase and a flare up can result.

 

[Mirelle]

I agree that it is a pity Colin abandoned the enamelled ones. However, my plain iron Shipmate has done more than twenty years; it is coming to the end of its life now but that is because of rusting around the chimney area, from the inside out, (due to condensation when not lit!) not from the outside in. Ordinary stove black, from any old fashioned ironmongers (there is one in Fambridge as I recall) keeps it quite smart looking.

 

[Alastairdent]

Diesels stoves and flare-ups.

You can buy a 'fuse' to go on the fuel line - it's a mechanical valve, held open by a nylon bar. If there is a fire, the nylon melts, the valve closes - voila, fuel cut off.

Google diesel stoves and fires. You will find dickinson's in court cases. Not a single Reflecks.

I've had a fire from my solid fuel stove. A basket of paper, stored near the stove (but no closer than 6 inches), caught fire from the radiant heat.

 

[Mirelle]

Good point.

That seems a sensible way to deal with the issue. Of course, you would already have a fire on board at that point, but at least it would not be fed by diesel.

I am no expert on diesel stoves; I have never had one. I think the one I was shipmates with for some months may have been a Perkins. It was not a brilliant sucess, mainly because the flue was badly positioned rather than anything to do with the stove itself.

 

[FWB]

Re: Reasoning.

I have a Sigmar 100 diesel heater. The fuel is fed in the same fashion as per a carburettor. Fuel enters a float chamber then the control needle valve feeds the fuel into the base of the burner. The float chamber has an overflow, this would be necessary if the float were to stick. Mine did once--I discovered that there was no fuel filter in the set up and suspect that a dirt particle stopped the float from closing. It has not happened since and I've had the boat 3 years in year round use. I believe that the Refleks has the same fuel system.
One advantage of the Sigmar is that the flame is visible, making it very cosy.
One thing I may add to my set up is a balanced flue, this will improve the stability of the flame when sailing or during strong winds.

 

[daveyjones]

I had a "pot belly " stove on my last (wooden)boat, in cast iron and still obtainable from Clarkes for less than £100. I took the legs off and sat it on a raised surface with ceramic tiles below and behind to protect the woodwork. I usually burnt a mixture of driftwood and coal, so it never got too hot. Stove pipe was a length of 2.5 in. cast iron drainpipe, which was easily cleared by rattling a bit of chain down it when it started to block up. With a rotating cowl (to draw out the smoke) you can use the stove while underway and sailing. I had a few problems with leaks from the deck causing corrosion of the metal, but I used a mixture of soot and vegetable oil to blacken it from time to time, both to keep it pretty and protect the iron. I had no problems with it either overheating or smoking, in fact it was a lifesaver as I used to sail in winter regularly. You could also open the little door to get the flame effect, and heat a kettle on the top ring.

 

[DoubleEnder]

Who /where are Clarkes? It sounds interesting

 

[daveyjones]

Try: www.clarkeinternational.com, which is the web address on the back of the catalogue I have (2003) or call 01992 565333 for a copy. It has a few pages of stoves of various sizes, including the small pot belly I mentioned. They mainly sell stuff like welders and power tools.

 

[penfold]

There's also these chaps; nice stoves but the prices are a little eyewatering. Best to buy while the exchange rate is still good. They do enamel as well AFAIK.

cheers,
David

 

[CanadaRick]

i have a Dickinson Newport solid fuel stove in my 26 footer. it works great, nice dry heat, no smell of diesel. reasonably priced and a small area on top to cook and boil water.

 

[Poignard]

Have charcoal heater that I want to sell. Have sent you a pm, in case you are interested.

 

[milltech]

[ QUOTE ]
The Dickinson Newport is a diesel heater.


[/ QUOTE ]

I was at METS last week and the Newport actually comes in a wood coal charcoal option. I didn't know either.

 

[Mirelle]

Thank you. Given the excellent reputation of their diesel stoves, I dare say their solid fuel ones are very good.