THE WORLD'S SIMPLEST 'PULSE JET' HEATER!

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Conversely, the remaining pan should be attached inside, with its bottom facing inward. Use No. 6 X 3/8" panhead screws to fasten the plates to the wall.

Since the stove must be mounted close to the wall to allow the structure to fold up, a two-layer heat shield must be used behind the stack, as shown in our illustration. It consists of a polished aluminum sheet cut to fit around the bread pan; it's held away from a second plate on a 1-3/8" ceramic electric fence insulators. This provides a free-air space between the sheets to encourage convection.

If you plan to use the heater on a conventional stud-framed wall or on one with metal sheathing and insulation, it's necessary to use an approved ventilated thimble where the flue pipe passes through the structure. An adapter can be made of sheet metal to mate the rectangular spout to the round stovepipe opening, and short extensions can be used to bring the stove housing further away from the wall to comply with the National Fire Protection Association's bulletin 89M, or with your local fire prevention code. A sheet metal or polished aluminum surface mounted on 1" noncombustible spacers should be utilized as a heat shield.

It's important not to mount the fuel tank too high above the copper fuel-line inlet, or you'll waste kerosene and the stove may overheat. As an extra safety precaution, locate the control valve assembly a reasonable distance from the burner so as not to expose it to excessive warmth. After the initial lighting (which requires opening the shutoff valve just enough to moisten the wick, then touching an ignited match to the burner through the flap hole), give the space to be heated ample ventilation and allow the galvanized flue coating to burn off. Open the other needle valve, if necessary, to increase the heat output.

With this done, the compact furnace can be operated safely, though it should never be left entirely unattended. If your heater "huffs" noticeably and repeatedly, produces black smoke, or tends to burn fuel in the drip pan, it's running too rich and may well overheat. Reduce the fuel flow until the symptoms cease; don't continue to operate the stove under these conditions!

You'll find that a quart of kerosene will last about four hours on the low setting, half that at "full throttle." After approximately 16 accumulated hours of use, the burner surface should be cleaned through the flap opening with a toothbrush, and the feed line should be purged with a short dose of air pressure.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print