No heat and kerosene heater won't stay lit

[huskres]

I have a keroheat model cv-2230. I had a mishap with my bill with ong and they shut my gas off with no notice on Thursday. Won't be able to get the gas turned back on until Tuesday so I have been using my kerosene heater for the time being. Now it won't stay lit. Has anyone changed one of the wicks out? Is it hard?

Now for the fun part, I dont have a spare wick and I am doubting I can find one until tomorrow....Anyone in Tulsa have one?

 

[tyromeo55]

Id ditch the Kerosene heater and try and borrow an Oil / radiator type electric heater that is much safer.

 

[HMFIC]

found this on maintenance if it helps to get it running...

http://www.endtimesreport.com/regular_maintenance.html

In regular use, tar will accumulate on the top of the wick and inhibit the burning efficiency. You will notice a decreased flame height, and you can feel an obvious resistance or drag as the wick is moved up and down. That signals it is time to burn the wick dry and restore its efficiency. If you are burning a heater for 12 hours a day, it could require the wick to be burned dry weekly. If you try to run the appliance on a low heat setting, the wick will become carboned very quickly.

To burn the wick dry, turn off the heater, let it cool, then take it to the garage or designated draft free burn-out area. Siphon all the fuel from the tank. Next, remove the catalytic converter unit. Raise the wick to its maximum height. Then go around the top edge of the wick squeezing it between thumb and forefinger. You will feel a "crunching" as you fracture the tar particles. This only takes a minute, so go around and pinch the wick again. The smaller the tar particles the more complete they will burn up. If you have arthritic fingers, you can use paddle bladed pliers with smooth faces (Ace Hardware, "B-1", for example.) to pinch the wick. The fractured tar balls will burn completely.

Reassemble the appliance, raise the wick to maximum height, and light it. Let it burn completely out. First the fuel in the wick burns, then the tar, and in a couple of hours the wick is again in pristine condition. Now the appliance will burn at maximum efficiency for a hundred hours or more until the wick again needs to be burned dry.

If the tar ball buildup is so severe that the wick cannot be withdrawn, use the paddle bladed pliers and crunch the wick flat. If someone has installed the wick too high and burned it too long that way, it is possible to have a tar buildup inside the wick, looking like a black ring about 1" below the top of the wick. In that case, remove the wick, then use the paddle bladed pliers to crunch the wick flat. That will regain some capillary action, and then the wick can be washed with alcohol, reinstalled and burned dry, then wetted with kerosene and burned dry again. Often that will salvage a damaged wick so the appliance can be used until a new wick can be obtained.

If you use a kerosene heater as your main heat source, the wick should be replaced annually. You're saving enough on your winter heating bill to justify a new wick.

and here is the manual for your model:

http://www.sengokula.com/products/manuals

Good luck!

 

[huskres]

Id ditch the Kerosene heater and try and borrow an Oil / radiator type electric heater that is much safer.

Kerosene heaters are plenty safe, they have been using them forever. I have a co2 detector and it has been perfectly fine. I dont run it all day. With my house being drafty and cracking a door I am good. Just here and there to keep the temp up. The electric heaters are good for one room. My heater can heat my whole house and keep it above 65 degrees.

 

[huskres]

And thanks HMFIC, I will try that tomorrow but also buy a spare wick just to have for emergencies.

 

[tyromeo55]

Kerosene heaters are plenty safe, they have been using them forever. I have a co2 detector and it has been perfectly fine. I dont run it all day. With my house being drafty and cracking a door I am good. Just here and there to keep the temp up. The electric heaters are good for one room. My heater can heat my whole house and keep it above 65 degrees.

Not trying to come off the wrong way but your heater is not keeping anything 65 degrees
Yea. Kerosene heaters are fine. I just thought since you didn't know what was wrong with yours you might not be the most qualified person to be repairing one hurriedly. And. borrowed electric heaters might be easier to come by on a days notice.

 

[huskres]

I couldnt find the manual, I was just wondering if it was hard or anything. I have seen people talk about them on here before. Actually it will get my house well above 70 if I keep it on high. Normal kerosene heaters give off almost 5x the amount of btu's then an electric radiator does. I also have one of those but it is only adequate for a single room.

 

[pinkhamr]

Try Google for info ...... JMO

 

[ttown]

Here's the owners manual:

http://www.sengokula.com/sites/default/files/manuals/convectionheaters.pdf

 

[hipshot]

I have a small electric heater you can use if you want. Call me at 918-695-3808, D.Alan