KEROSENE HEATER WICK
REPLACEMENT
GENERIC INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNPINNED
WICKS
Instructions for
wick replacement are packaged with the replacement
wick. There are, however, a lot of older heaters to
be found with spare wicks but no clue as to how to
install new wicks. Because most of the older
heaters use an unpinned wick, and many of them are
radiant heaters, what follows could be considered as
generic instructions. Details will vary; some
cabinets are attached to the base in different ways, the
wick adjuster assembly will look a little different,
etc. But the basic design philosophy must remain
the same - there is a wick, it must be raised and
lowered, the usual method of wick movement is via a gear
shaft and turning knob, etc. These instructions are
simply give you a clue to what to look for as you
disassemble your heater to replace the wick. The
illustrations are thumbnails: click on the
illustration to see a full size image, then use the
"back" button on your browser to return to this
page.
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First, burn the heater "dry" to have a dry
wick and sump, then make sure your stove is
cool! Remove the fuel tank, the batteries
(usually in the back), and all the knobs and levers
in the front panel which are too wide to fit the
slot in the cabinet. Open the grill and
remove the catalytic converter, then set it
carefully away from your work area so it won't be
hit or tipped over and break the glass
chimney.
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Unscrew the retaining screws that hold the
cabinet to the base of the heater. They can
be plastic knurled knobs or Phillips screws,
usually one on each side and one in the back.
Lift the cabinet toward the front to clear the
lever shafts, and remove it from the
base.
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If there is a wind shield, remove
it. If the ignition unit is fastened to the
assembly, carefully remove it (2 screws) and set
aside on the base. Finally, unscrew the wing
nuts (usually 4) holding the wick adjuster assembly
to the base. Now the entire wick adjuster
assembly can be removed by lifting it straight
up.
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Mark
the wick to be removed at the top edge with a
laundry market, right around the wick using the
sleeve as a guide. Remove the wick from the inner
wick holder sleeve by folding it inward. Free it
from the sharp teeth that keep it in place, then
slide it out. Remember, those teeth are VERY
SHARP!
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The replacement wick should have a
black line around it. Compare that line with the
one you drew on the old wick to be sure it is the
same height from the top. If it doesn't, draw a new
line. Fold the wick, then insert it into the
sleeve, with the black line just above the top of
the sleeve, then press it smooth and into the sharp
teeth to keep it in place.
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Slide the wick and sleeve back
onto the draft tube. Rotate around and press
hard against the draft tube to fully insert the
sharp teeth into the wick. Make sure the wick
slides freely around the draft tube in the
center! Make sure the gasket is in place on
the top of the fuel tank - the gasket that fits
between the wick adjuster assembly and the tank.
The wick adjuster shaft should be toward the
front.
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Put the wick adjuster knob back on
the shaft. Check to see if the spring tension of
the adjuster assembly is free of tension.
Move the manual shut off or tip-over switch so it
lowers all the way. Rotate the knob about 3/4 turn
clockwise, then hold the latch in that position.
Insert the pinion on the inside of the wick raising
shaft, with the wick holder slot with teeth near
the top. Lower the unit onto the base, then make
sure the wick will raise and lower easily, and
there is spring tension on the shaft. Put the wing
nuts back loose, then move the wick all the way
up.
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Tighten
the wing nuts, then check the height of the
wick. There should be about 3/8" (5/16" min,
7/16" max) of wick showing, and the gap between the
wick holder and draft tube should be uniform all
around. Use the base of a 5/32" or 3/16" drill
bit as a gauge. Loosen the wing nuts and adjust if
necessary. Then remove the wick adjuster
knob. |
Congratulations! You have installed a new
wick in your kerosene heater. Now all that is left
to do is to find all the screws you took out during
assembly, and reassemble the heater. First the
electric igniter is replaced, then the wind shield (if
any) is installed, and the base of the unit is ready for
the cabinet. Lower the cabinet GENTLY over the
base, with the top tilted toward you (the front), and
settle it down onto the base. Look around the base
of the unit: sometimes there will be tabs for the base
screws, and you need to make sure those tabs are on the
INSIDE of the cabinet - not showing! Now the screws
can be reinstalled to hold the cabinet to the base.
Next, put the wick raising knob back on - plus any other
knobs you may have had to remove.
At this point, stop
everything and try out the wick raising assembly and the
safety tip-over switch. Check to be sure the wick
raises the proper amount (about 5/16" to no more than
1/2"), then shut off the heater to make sure the wick
retracts by spring tension down inside the wick tube -
that is your safety device! Make sure the igniter
moves into the wick and glows. Everything
work? Great. Now you can open the grill and
replace the catalytic converter. Put the fuel tank
back into the cabinet - full of fuel up to half way on
the sight level - and sit back and admire your
work.
DO NOT attempt to light the heater for at least
20 minutes, as the wick you installed is completely dry
and needs to suck up fuel via capillary action before you
can light the heater!
A half hour
up? Now you can test your handiwork. Light the
heater and wait for it to heat up completely. If
you have installed the wick to a uniform height all
around, the flame will be uniform. If one edge of
the flame is too high, you can trim the wick a little
lower at that spot when the heater is cool. If half
of one side of the flame is considerably higher than the
other, you will need to reinstall the wick again, making
sure that side is installed lower.
Notice that the
flame is a little too high? That is because you are
burning a brand new wick that has no carbon build-up on
the top surface. In a week that problem will be
solved. In the meantime, burn the heater with the
wick turned to the lowest setting, and the wick height
should be ideal. After a week or so of use and
burning dry once or twice, the wick will be all "settled
in" and maintain that capillary action for a whole
season, so you won't need to take the heater apart and
raise the wick for a whole season of use, and the highest
setting on your control knob should have the flame at
precisely the right height for efficient, clean, odor
free burning for a long time. You did
it!
These generic
instructions also apply to convection heaters - only the
cabinet is different. With a convection heater, the
tower is removed with 3 or 4 thumb screws at the base of
the tower, lift it straight up and off, and the wick
adjuster assembly is essentially the same as with a
radiant heater.
