Soot!

[jaykay]

I've been using two parasene cold frame heaters inside a plastic greenhouse inside the glass greenhouse. Earlier this week I refilled the paraffin container at the local hardware shop (cheaper than large diy chain by £2) and topped up the heaters. I've started to see a large build up of soot inside the grill above the flame at the top of the heater. Can anyone explain why? Is the cheaper paraffin just not suitable for this type of heater?

I've brought the seedlings (just visible after 10 ish days) into the house overnight and will clean the heaters tomorrow and refill with the more expensive paraffin, but I'm puzzled as to why this should have happened.

Thanks.

[Snadger]

The wick may need trimming?

[jaykay]

Hi Snadger,
That was my first thought, and I cut a good half inch from the wick yesterday, then cleaned the grill, thinking that would do the trick, but I've come in tonight and found another sooty cap. It even looked like a black stalactite growing down from the grill!

[Snadger]

Hi Snadger,
That was my first thought, and I cut a good half inch from the wick yesterday, then cleaned the grill, thinking that would do the trick, but I've come in tonight and found another sooty cap. It even looked like a black stalactite growing down from the grill!

I've had that happen now and again but have always used the same cheapo paraffin so I would rule out a change in paraffin. Too much wick exposed can cause sootiness? Mine burned through the grill because I had it running too hot............at least I can't get any more stalagtites forming on it!

[jaykay]

The wick was just above the metal shroud it comes out of, but I'll try it as low as I can tomorrow. I don't want it to go out during the night because it's too low. The flame was a different shape to how it was with the pricey paraffin - more a M than the fan shape that I had before.

I suppose it could be a bit like the car 'liking' one type of petrol over another. My zafira runs better on BeePee than T**co!

[Gwen11ian]

Could be the quality of the fuel. There are supposed to be limits to the impurities in the fuel.. but very few people are going to go to the trouble of sending it off to be tested (at a cost of £150 for the test) when it does cause them problems. If you do rule out the wick, go back to the other type for a few weeks and see if the problem sorts itself out (without you changing anything else).. then you'll know.

[Elaineb]

hmmmm? would a parasene/kerosene heater work for a plastic greenhouse, I have a fear of waking up in the morning to a melted mess on the patio floor! I'm looking into heaters for my plastic greenhouse. It's 6' x 4' any ideas?