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Wallas kerosene stove

7K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  Westlake2 
#1 ·
Thinking about spending next years entire boat budget on a Wallas kerosene stove with blower lid heater. Sealed combustion chamber with combustion air and combusted air direct vent.

Any comments or experience with Wallas stoves welcome.
 
#4 ·
"Paraffin" in the UK is "Kerosene" in the US.
 
#5 ·
It is assumed that paraffin and Kerosene are the same here but here they are not here and in the Pacific, which would cause confusion for people crossing the Pacific and visiting Pacific island, NZ and OZ along the way.

I have had to fix a few Paraffin appliances that have used Kerosene from boats that sailed here to NZ from the USA and South America. The problem is always smutting. Because the smutted fuel is unburnt there are volatile compounds still present which when mixed with salt water, exacerbates the corrosion inside the burner pot. The salt water should not be in there either but Pacific passages are sometimes very exciting and not all installations are perfect.

Maybe those owners bought kerosene in the Pacific islands on the way here? It would pay to check anywhere you buy is my suggestion. Diesel appliances are more expensive but you can buy diesel anywhere and the small regional differences in content don't seem to make any difference.
 
#6 ·
Wallas kerosene products

Wallas heating and cooking products can effectively be separated into two groups - those that burn kerosene and those that burn diesel.

Wallas kerosene devices: 1000 cooker, 800 Mini Cooker, 1300, 1800 and 2400 furnaces.

Kerosene, used here as a generic name, is also known as 1-K (graded kerosene) or paraffin in Europe. Wallas kerosene products can also burn other fuels specifically made for use as a kerosene replacement in burner devices, including Klean-Heat. Good, clean, fresh kerosene is excellent fuel for Wallas® products. Unfortunately, some of the properties of kerosene make its handling and storage very important when using it for heating and cooking fuel.

If you are located near to an airport or seaplane float, you may be able to find turboprop or jet fuel in the form of Jet A, JP4, JP6 or JP8. If the facility is willing to sell it to you, these are excellent fuels for any of the Wallas kerosene products, since they amount to high quality, well documented and handled kerosene.

From the moment kerosene is distilled, it is chemically changing, with paraffin precipitating out of the solution into suspension and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) evaporating into the atmosphere and formation of paraffin in the container. As this happens, the fuel becomes less and less suitable for use in forced air heating and cooking systems like Wallas® products. The following conditions can accelerate the rate at which kerosene breaks down:

-The presence of water (typically condensate) in the fuel
-Light, particularly sunlight passing through the fuel
-A large surface area (fuel air boundary)
-Large changes in storage temperature, extreme temperature

Some tips on handling kerosene:

-Buy small quantities from volume suppliers in opaque containers that are full to the cap, preferably with a date of manufacture.
-Store in a cool, dry place in an opaque container, filled to the cap.
-Replace kerosene fuel when it is more than 12 months old.
-If fuel is in question, empty and flush the tank, and replace with new fuel.
-If in doubt about its age, get new fuel. At the cost of repairing a unit clogged with bad fuel, it is worth buying new fuel.
-Klean-Heat has a longer expected storage life than 1-K kerosene. Please consult the manufacturer for their specifications on storage and life expectancy.
-If fuel is subjected to conditions that might bring about condensation, or if some condensation has occurred, you may add 3% to 5% isopropyl alcohol by volume to the fuel and mix it fully before using. This will help convert the water into a burnable substance and reduce the water's effect of accelerating paraffin dropout. Adding isopropyl alcohol will not "fix" fuel that already has paraffin dropout problems.
-Be aware that if you choose to burn bad kerosene, it may indeed burn, but it will contaminate your combustion chamber very quickly, potentially within hours.

Using bad kerosene can bring about several problems in forced air heating and cooking products:

-High rate of soot deposition in the combustion chamber
-Low heat output
-Fouling internal components (fuel pump, fuel injector)

Any of these issues will precipitate the need for servicing by our service department.

Since diesel or kerosene can develop gum deposits if left for a long time, the best maintenance you can provide for your Wallas products is to run them at least once every month or two. This will purge the old fuel from the system.
 
#7 ·
Most enlightening information on Kerosene thanks. I have a similar cut on it as a result of regional differences. Kerosene in New Zealand is just not suitable for Wallas Paraffin burners. I don't know enough about the aviation fuel aspect but here in NZ it may be fraught because of access difficulties.

In fact we have seen many people coming here from the USA, UK and European countries with Wallas Paraffin burners who tell us that by bitter experience that the UK, Europe and some parts of the USA are where the only sources of paraffin are located. Many have tried lamp oil and doctored Kerosene only to end up in our workshop with a smutted up burner pot.

Paraffin appliances have a lower capital cost however the advice is clear - if you are sailing internationally, buy a Diesel burner as you can buy diesel in any country.
 
#8 ·
We certainly would tend to agree, although we can't comment on availability of kerosene globally, virtually every Home Depot in the U.S. carries or can get it, along with Klean-Heat. Our emphasis tends toward diesel systems. These are the most capable, flexible and modern in the Wallas product line.
 
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