Force 10 heater

[Desmond]

I want to get my alcohol Force 10 heater ready in case I loose short power. I do not have any operating instructions, looks like it operates like a Coleman Stove. There is a presure gage on the fuel tank, how many pounds of presure should it have to operate effectively. Does this type of heat generate lots of condensation ?

[RayMetz100]

I didn't see a manual here, but maybe you can contact them if it's the same company.
http://www.force10.com

[Faster]

You'll need about 15 psig on the tank, should be enough. The burner requires preheating before it will burn clean. Methods for this vary, but be careful, raw alcohol can flame dramatically; if there's a lot of light it's nearly invisible. Also the fumes are quite irritating until the burner heats up and the fuel properly vapourizes. The only good news here is you can extinguish it with water.

We ran an alchohol stove for many years, got tired of the mess and stinging of fumes so started preheating the burner with a propane torch. This worked well but you then have the issue of having the propane bottle around all the time. We were careful and considered it worth the trouble. By the way - don't burn ordinary Methyl Hydrate in a pressurized system.

This flame WILL create a lot of moisture, especially in a closed space, and the products of combustion are not fully vented outside. Not the ideal situation.

If you are intending a lot of off-season cruising, for least investment vs effectiveness I'd suggest you look at the Dickenson P9000/12000 propane fired cabin heaters. They will fit in the same space as your force ten, fully vented and safe, outside combustion air and a nice looking fireplace to boot. Well under $1000CDN most places.