Again, I have just purchased a new to me (used) Catalina 27 and a Force 10 heater comes equipped with the boat. I have never used one of these, but I am guessing they work kind of like the old Kerosene stoves. First I pump up the pressure, then open the turn cock, some kerosene comes out, I turn off the turn cock, light the cup, let the cup and above burner become heated up then re-open the turn cock; is this correct? There is pressure gauge at the pumping source; how high to pump the pressure up to? Has anyone figured out a lazy way to pump up the tank? I had thought of purchasing one of those small, loud air pumps for cars and having an off and on switch and leaving the pump permanently hooked up to the pressure nipple. Anyone else have a better idea?
Force 10 heater - need instructions and a tip
- Thread starter rsn48
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Force 10 Marine
Force 10 Diesel/Kerosene Cabin Heater Model 10004 This unit runs off a pressurized fuel source and must be preheated with alcohol prior to use. From their FAQ’s: Q: Can I run a diesel/kerosene Cozy Cabin heater from the same fuel tank as the engines of my boat? A: No, the fuel source to the NCH must be pressurized. Force 10 does sell a pressurized fuel tank, part # 40000. Q: I do not want to use a pressurized fuel tank with my heater. Can I use a fuel pump? A: Yes. You want to have a pump that runs about 25-30 psi. Contact Force 10 Marine: http://www.force10.com/company.html 23080 Hamilton Road, Richmond BC, Canada, V6V 1C9 Toll-free 1-800-663-8515 Tel: (604) 522-0233 Fax: (604) 522-9608 Email: sales@force10.com HTH, Gord May
Force 10 Diesel/Kerosene Cabin Heater Model 10004 This unit runs off a pressurized fuel source and must be preheated with alcohol prior to use. From their FAQ’s: Q: Can I run a diesel/kerosene Cozy Cabin heater from the same fuel tank as the engines of my boat? A: No, the fuel source to the NCH must be pressurized. Force 10 does sell a pressurized fuel tank, part # 40000. Q: I do not want to use a pressurized fuel tank with my heater. Can I use a fuel pump? A: Yes. You want to have a pump that runs about 25-30 psi. Contact Force 10 Marine: http://www.force10.com/company.html 23080 Hamilton Road, Richmond BC, Canada, V6V 1C9 Toll-free 1-800-663-8515 Tel: (604) 522-0233 Fax: (604) 522-9608 Email: sales@force10.com HTH, Gord May
Alcohol starter
The kerosene won't light in the cup under the burner. You need alcohol to put in the cup to light and heat the burner first. My experience has been that even with fans circulating air, our Force 10 heater does nothing worthwhile to heat the cabin. Our large trawler lamp does a better job. Stu
The kerosene won't light in the cup under the burner. You need alcohol to put in the cup to light and heat the burner first. My experience has been that even with fans circulating air, our Force 10 heater does nothing worthwhile to heat the cabin. Our large trawler lamp does a better job. Stu
Why not
use one those bottled gas catalytic heaters? They come in all sizes, are small and could be secured to a keel stepped mast, no sweat. My brother-in-law uses one in his ice shanty which is a (mostly) air tight area and he says that he gets about 8 hours of heat out of a 1 lb. bottle. If someone were worried about fumes and Co then opening a port or the scuttle would vent the boat enough for safety. If someone knows of a compelling safety reason not to use this type heater I'd like to hear about it before I go buy one. I'm headed to Lake Huron's North Channel next summer and I'm told it is always chilly at night there. Mike Pitterpat
use one those bottled gas catalytic heaters? They come in all sizes, are small and could be secured to a keel stepped mast, no sweat. My brother-in-law uses one in his ice shanty which is a (mostly) air tight area and he says that he gets about 8 hours of heat out of a 1 lb. bottle. If someone were worried about fumes and Co then opening a port or the scuttle would vent the boat enough for safety. If someone knows of a compelling safety reason not to use this type heater I'd like to hear about it before I go buy one. I'm headed to Lake Huron's North Channel next summer and I'm told it is always chilly at night there. Mike Pitterpat
Hmm our Force 10 propane Cozy Heater
cranks up the temp in our 34 in no time. Admittedly we don't have the same interior volume as a Cat 34 but it still raises the temp significantly. We need a fan or two for circulation but it does a fine job on taking the chill off.
cranks up the temp in our 34 in no time. Admittedly we don't have the same interior volume as a Cat 34 but it still raises the temp significantly. We need a fan or two for circulation but it does a fine job on taking the chill off.
I have a kerosene stove and heater
I think 10 to 15 lbs is the pressure you need. That's what my kerosene stove is, which is the same burner as my Force 10 kerosene heater. I use the starter jelly in the cup and when it burns down, I open the valve. Why not use a bicycle pump and pump by hand every once in a while - its almost summer!
I think 10 to 15 lbs is the pressure you need. That's what my kerosene stove is, which is the same burner as my Force 10 kerosene heater. I use the starter jelly in the cup and when it burns down, I open the valve. Why not use a bicycle pump and pump by hand every once in a while - its almost summer!
More research on the Force 10 heater
Your faithful sleuthing detective has done more research on the Force 10 heater. The BTU's are 6,000 so its not a blast furnace. I have used a fireplace in a sailboat (on a Tanzer 26) and it was fine, except who wanted to keep feeding it cut up presto logs. I have been told that I can convert the kerosene F10 heater over to propane, I might seriously consider that. I have been told only to operate the Force 10 "wide open;" if not, I can expect some major sooting. I have also been told to take it up to 30 lbs pressure.
Your faithful sleuthing detective has done more research on the Force 10 heater. The BTU's are 6,000 so its not a blast furnace. I have used a fireplace in a sailboat (on a Tanzer 26) and it was fine, except who wanted to keep feeding it cut up presto logs. I have been told that I can convert the kerosene F10 heater over to propane, I might seriously consider that. I have been told only to operate the Force 10 "wide open;" if not, I can expect some major sooting. I have also been told to take it up to 30 lbs pressure.
David, that's my point
Needing a "couple of fans" isn't my idea of heating - using the Force 10 to avoid having to use electrical power, when I need to run electrical fans makes NO sense to me. Who needs the noise? Like I said, the trawler lamp does it better without fans. Almost all the Force 10 heat goes up the chimney. If it got any colder, I'd go for the catalytic heaters, available nicely from, say, REI or another sports store with outdoor camping gear. Stu
Needing a "couple of fans" isn't my idea of heating - using the Force 10 to avoid having to use electrical power, when I need to run electrical fans makes NO sense to me. Who needs the noise? Like I said, the trawler lamp does it better without fans. Almost all the Force 10 heat goes up the chimney. If it got any colder, I'd go for the catalytic heaters, available nicely from, say, REI or another sports store with outdoor camping gear. Stu
Not Much Luck With My Force 10
I had a Kerosene Force 10. It didn't give off enough heat to raise the temp more than a few degrees. The 1" flue is inadequate & you get nasty kerosene exhaust in the boat. I converted it over to propane to avoid the smelly exhaust & inconvenience of dealing with the pressure tank & lighting hassle. I bought a simple $20 propane camping burner & replaced the kerosene burner. Less fumes, still not much heat. I finally bagged it & bought a sealed combustion Dickinson heater (P-12000) & yowsa! A heater that heats! Well worth the $ if you need heat.
I had a Kerosene Force 10. It didn't give off enough heat to raise the temp more than a few degrees. The 1" flue is inadequate & you get nasty kerosene exhaust in the boat. I converted it over to propane to avoid the smelly exhaust & inconvenience of dealing with the pressure tank & lighting hassle. I bought a simple $20 propane camping burner & replaced the kerosene burner. Less fumes, still not much heat. I finally bagged it & bought a sealed combustion Dickinson heater (P-12000) & yowsa! A heater that heats! Well worth the $ if you need heat.
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