My Dickinson stove is acting up

[redhead]

Equipment: Dickinson diesel Atlantic model (30+ years old). Has been working like a charm since last year. Now I can't keep the fire going.

1) It's very windy, but I'm using the combustion fan and have a hatch open
2) Usually burn it on fuel level 1 (low) and the literature says that can cause
excessive soot build up.
3) After lighting and turning on fuel feed the fire quickly goes out and there is no
puddle of fuel in the bottom of the burner so I'm assuming my problem is
fuel supply. I checked my gravity fed day tank and it has 20 gals.

Question: I "assumed" (I know) soot buildup would affect draft, but does it also affect fuel supply? I've never trouble"shot" this type of thing before.

I'm on my own for the next couple of weeks and of course it breaks on a weekend. I'll call Dickinson on Monday but any ideas pop into your collective minds? Thanks.

[robert644]

Two things. One, if soot build up, buy a small vacuum cleaner and use this to vacuum out the combustion chamber. Two, there is a gasket under the stovetop, if this fails or has deteriorated the stove isn't going to burn properly.

I don't know about Dickinson, but my with my Olympic I had to cement the burner pot in as well. Try 'Furnace Cement' in google. It isn't difficult but I have no idea how to explain in text.

[Panope]

Sometimes carbon deposits will fall down into the burner pot and make their way down into the fuel supply line and plug it up. There should be a clean-out plug in the fuel supply line under the burner pot.

Steve

[deblen]

Is there a ram rod in the fuel feed pipe going from carb to burner?
Clean the fuel pipe going into burner pot with a rod of some kind.

[redhead]

Thanks everyone. Turned out to be contaminated fuel, but I'm going to print your suggestions and keep them with the manual. The good thing that came of this is that I learned exactly how the stove works, and how to bleed the lines - it's no longer just something I light and expect it to work as if by magic.

My learning curve is sometimes steep.

[Gypsy Rose II]

I have an Atlantic, and I agree, it must be cleaned at the fuel inlet to the burner with a ram rod, chain saw file size. Hard "clinker" will form at the inlet and start to block the fuel supply to the burner causing the setting to be increased to overcome the blockage, it all goes down hill from there, stop and clean, vacuum, put in a barometric dampener and leave the fan assist alone or disconnect it. Setting 1 WILL perk coffee, and drive you out of the pilot house with sweat on the brow! Hint… the fire must be ABOVE the top ring, yellow flame, and almost hit you in the face when you peak in the burner lifting the top plate,…. then you know it's right.

[redhead]

The funny thing is, all the systems on this boat have been neglected for about a decade but when we moved on last year we lit the stove and it took off and never gave us a minutes problem (until today).

We have a smaller model. the Arctic, back in the aft section where we sleep but I don't expect to use other than the very coldest nights because they put out so much heat.

Even now, it wasn't the stove, it was the fuel that was bad. After a year and a half of repairing everything else on this old boat I have no complaints for Dickinson.

[GordMay]

Dickinson Operation & Installation Manual
➥ http://www.dickinsonmarine.com/Manua...ual-2011-2.pdf