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dickinson newport diesel heater

9K views 24 replies 9 participants last post by  centerline 
#1 ·
i have just installed a newport diesel heater. having trouble with soot build up on the glass door. hard to manage after that. gives off great heat. not that impressed, would like to know if any has had success with this heater and whats it like using it while under way. thanks
 
#2 ·
If have a diesel cook stove in a hunting cabin. If you are getting soot on the glass it is not getting enough draft. If you have an assist fan use that to help.

Can't help with boat use, I use Espar for boat heat.
 
#3 ·
I have the newport dickenson installed in my atv trailer... it is a great heater with a high heat output, but it is NOT an install-it-and-forget-it type of device, like a hydronic or forced air furnace...

there is a very simple mod that i will tell you about in a minute that can be done to it to make it much more trouble free.

the black on the glass is due to it burning a bit rich.. this means its not running as efficient as it could be.... induce some air in to it with the induction fan. there is nothing quick about noticing any changes when they are made, so be patient. but there is no real harm or danger in it burning rich except for the soot build up.

when the stove is cold it can create soot which is normal, but when its hot it should stabilize, and can even burn the soot off the glass.
once the stove starts putting out some heat, turn the induction fan off. it is unnecessary once the natural draft gets going good.

if you have the right bonnet/charlie noble on the stack, it works well in the wind and underway, this is providing the stove is mounted in the correct orientation so that the float it not lifted off the needle seat in the valve due to the heel of the boat.... see owners manual for correct orientation.

the other problem with the stove is that it is definitely NOT a unit that can be stopped and started quickly or efficiently... when it is stopped and started, it needs cleaning much more frequently, which can be a dirty job, depending on your install.
it usually needs a cleaning after every couple of light ups, UNLESS you add a setteling bulb to fitting below the burner where the fuel feeds from.

what happens is the soot will settle down the fuel feed hole and fill it completely up to the burn chamber... it will back up into the feed line that comes from the valve as well... and it can be a PITA to clean it out if it gets impacted.

the fix it to install a settling bulb... you remove the 1/4" pipe plug in the center at the buttom/underneath the burner assembly, and install the bulb there.

what I did was take a piece of 2" metal pipe, cut a short piece 1.5" long, then weld a cap on both ends to make a sealed "bulb".... then I drilled a hole in one of the caps and welded in a steel 1/4" npt nipple.... this allows the bulb to screw into the stove plumbing....
in addition I welded a fitting in the side of the bulb so that I could have two openings to clean it out from when necessary.

this lets the soot have a place to fall into without plugging the plumbing of the stove... and its a much quicker and cleaner service procedure than it was before.... just shut off the fuel, unscrew the bulb (firmly hand tight with sealer) and empty it out.... then reinstall(with sealer on the threads).

shortly after I installed mine and saw the soot issue, I was disappointed also. but after adding the settling bulb and learning the tricks, im very happy with it, and there is no other heating device around that is so compact, yet will put out so much heat.... I have has mine running red hot for a couple hours at a time, but I dont think its really that healthy for the stove to get that hot for so long... but it still looks new after 7 years of use.
I have cooked the solder out of the safety shut down also, but that was when it got really hot...

a fan blowing over it has a couple good effects.... it allows the heat to be circulated thru the space better, and at the same time it allows the stove to be opened up a bit to create more heat, because with the air blowing over it, it carries the heat away and keeps the stove from overheating.... and the air movement throughout the space keeps all the corners of the space warm and much dryer.

they do put out an impressive amount of heat... the space im heating is almost 1500cf, and uninsulated construction trailer. with a small fan blowing across the stove, it will heat the space to a sustained 70+degrees in 23 degree weather... for a 30-40ft boat, running it full time on 1 or 2 should be all one may ever need.

on my 34, I decided to go with a wallas 30D forced air diesel heater... its clean, dry, warm, efficient, and has electronic one-touch ignition, but it does not compare in any way to the heat output of the newport... but it still works well for the amount of space im heating.
 
#5 ·
a classic symptom of the fuel delivery line obstructed with soot/debris... the little line from the valve to the burner tube feed is the culprit. remove it and clean it out.
this is exactly what I meant in my previous post... it is a high maintenance stove without somewhere for the soot to settle rather than in the fuel line. it can be remedied.
 
#6 ·
It's been stripped, cleaned, adjusted etc etc etc. If the boat hadn't of come with it, I would 100% gone with anything other than a drip-fed diesel. Might be OK for a liveaboard where you can constantly tend it, tinker with it and so on. I just don't like it, I'd take the ease of propane or a forced heat any day.
 
#7 ·
I assume you have called dickenson... they have always been very fair and helpful.
this stove I have is only the second one I have ever been around, which I bought new.... the other one was the heating stove in a boat that I crewed/worked on...

once they get lit, they should not need attention... they dont need to be dinked with or "tended to" and shouldnt be.... but only cleaned every couple of months if they are running full time....

as a stove that gets started up in the morning and shut down later a few times over the course of a week, they dont work well at all.

once they are lit, they need to continue to burn and stay hot, or they will cause problems..... but a faulty or improperly adjusted valve can cause issues also....

I have to agree that the propane is easy, clean and simple but it does not have the heat output that the dickenson is capable of, and is more expensive to heat with.... I like it too, but it just didnt make sense for my needs, which are higher BTU outputs, so ive had to learn how to work the dickenson.
 
#9 ·
It ours works in our cabin well enough, provided it's cold enough outside. I agree it's a stove that likes to get lit and stay lit.

I'll lit it up and let it run all day and night, leave a tea pot on, put some beans on int the morning and they are about right when I come back from hunting.

But we also have electric heat, so if it's just a little chilly or going up and down the I use that and cook on a 2 burner kerosene stove.

I can't imagine having one of these on a sailboat.
 
#11 ·
Because of the amount of heat they put out. Turned as low as it will go it gives us no less than 40F of tmperature rise (40 out =80 in).

That for a poorly insulated 400 sq ft cabin.

How do you keep the heat down in that small a boat? I also find it fussy.
 
#12 ·
They are definitely not the heater for a cool summer night. But for those living aboard or using their boats in colder temperatures they work quite well. They also, as posted, don't like to be run for short periods of time. If it gets too hot you can slide a hatch open is needed.

In this area - B.C. - they say the commercial fisherman light the stove at the beginning of the season and if it gets too hot they open the doors.

They are not light and forget heaters, that's true. I had no issues living on a 35' boat with one during a cold winter.

If you want les fussy on a boat there are forces air heaters thermostatically controlled like Wallas, Espar, and Webasto. 2 to 4 times the price though.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Having both a Dickensen stove in the cabin and two boats with Espars I don't find the Price difference all that great.

I do think folks go overboard with the Espar installation making it more complicated than needed.

But I do understand different solutions for different folks. And we lived onboard, down to 1F, last winter with a Espar D4 on a 44' center console. That's just my preference.
 
#14 ·
Having both a Dickensen stove in the cabin and two boats with Espars I don't find the Price difference all that great.

I do think folks go overboard with the Espar installation making it more complicated than needed.
Heater, exhaust, ducting to each area, dip for fuel tank, and thermostat and power to the unit are all that is required. Not sure how you would complicate that unless you went to hydronic.

The Dickinson sells for just over $1000 and you need a smokehead and stack as well as a fuel supply, say another $500 or so.

An Espar D4 marine heater will be double that at least. As would the Wallas 40DT - a marine heater by design and also the quietest.

All 3 are between 13,000 and 14,000 btu.
 
#15 ·
I had one in my 34' Cal. It did require attention to keep burning clean buy adjusting the fan speed. A Charlie noble did not work well as a strong gust could put fumes in the boat. using 3 SS 3" tees solved this problem. I would clean it out 2-3 times a year and never had a blockage problem. Problems were supply pump failures and drip valve was sent to Dickerson for rebuild and they sent me back a new one for 75% cost of new. They were very good to work with.

I found the heater to work well in fall (late Aug, Sept) to break the chill and remove humidity. With temp's in the 30's (Deg F) made the boat warmer, but fell short of being comfortable. at 0 and below (8" thick ice in my part of the harbor) it, plus 1500 watt elect, 2 portable propane heaters and 3 burners on the stove with thermal underwear and jacket to stay comfortable. My boat had solid FRP hull and deck (almost no insulation. Even in summer time when the water temp was in the high 40's you need warm slippers to keep your feet warm in the evening.

I had a love hate relationship, hated the fiddling, cleaning and lighting, but O Baby was it nice when it was raining buckets and temps in the 40's. light it and make a drink, tinker for the 15 minuets. Then enjoy the heat and feel warmer watching the flickering flames.

2/3 of my diesel usage went up the stack of that heater. The heater was apx 30 years old and still working when I sold the boat. I should of given the buyer the 12V canister wet/dray vac that I used to clean it with.

My .2 cents worth
 
#18 ·
I'm sure they are great when used as designed, i.e. massaged into life gently over the course of a few hours and then left alone to heat for days on end. That doesn't tie in with how I use my boat though, and couldn't use it underway either so not like I could get it going at the start of a weekend and have a warm boat soon after arrival.
 
#19 ·
mitiempo is very correct about having enough stack to draw properly. I also found that after it had run a while I could turn up the fuel leave the fan alone. This would build up excess fuel it the pot. I then would turn the fan on full which would deposit soot on the deck easly washed of the next day.

I could light the heater when I got on the boat. I would turn it down when I was sailing or moving and could turn it up when on the hook or tried up to a dock. The stack temp could be a hazard if left turned up. I did melt something before I learned this lesion.

Dirt in the fuel could cause problems so I installed a diesel filter in the fuel line. this was when I found volcanic ash in the fuel valve bowel with the float.
 
#21 ·
Have a Newport diesel heater but living in Hawaii haven't had much need to get the stove working. One of the things on my to do list before sailing to Alaska is be sure the stove works. One thing I hear if effective to stop back draft flow in gusty conditions is a separate flue to balance the pressure between deck and burner. Enough height of the flue above deck is also critical. Have a filter at the pump to insure clean fuel to the stove so that shouldn't be an issue.

Other than the space taken up by ducting a Webasto type of stove, the electrical usage is a big concern for a cruiser. It takes a lot of juice to force that warm air around the boat and run those types of heaters. Know one boat that had to add a generator to keep the batteries charged for longer overnight sail. They are the only way to get central heating comfort on a boat, though.
 
#22 ·
Other than the space taken up by ducting a Webasto type of stove, the electrical usage is a big concern for a cruiser. It takes a lot of juice to force that warm air around the boat and run those types of heaters. Know one boat that had to add a generator to keep the batteries charged for longer overnight sail. They are the only way to get central heating comfort on a boat, though.
Actually it takes very little current to run a forced air heater. The Wallas 30DT below uses 1.8 amps max, typically less. Fuel miserly as well @ .1 to .3 liters/hour. It is the correct size for your boat.





You may be thinking of a hydronic heater. They can easily consume 8 amps or more.
 
#24 ·
I have used these drip pot heaters for up teen years and I find that by changing from diesel to kerosene it's night and day as kerosene burns so much cleaner. The down side is that you need a day tank that you fill with kerosene rather than the little line and pump from your diesel tank. Preheating them properly helps a lot as well. They work but there is a little art to them but the little fire glow always went really well with a rum and coke. If I had one I'd get it working for sure but we have an Espar and it's fine but on the noisy side.
 
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