Fuel for the Wallas

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It seems like the general population prefers Kleen Heat for the Wallas. Has any one tried pure liquid paraffin? (lamp oil) Thats all, just looking for input. The new guy (Alasgun) Mike on Huda Thunkit.
 
Alasgun":stwgakib said:
It seems like the general population prefers Kleen Heat for the Wallas. Has any one tried pure liquid paraffin? (lamp oil)
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I think the Kleen Heat guys are just more vocal than the majority. The stuff obviously works very well for them. Me, I tried it once and had a flame out and smoke filled boat. Now I am sure that it was not caused by the fuel, but being the superstitious sort, I went right back to K1 kerosene. It works great every time all the time.

Paraffin works well, I am told, unless the fuel itself gets cold. It will gel up something awful if it gets close to freezing. I do have a jug of it that a friend gave me, but when I got around to wanting to try it, the stuff was cold and just a blob in the jug.

Until the Kleen Heat gets cheaper than kerosene (which could happen because it is synthetic and not oil), I will be sticking with the kerosene.

I have nothing against the KH, but I have never been one to want to improve upon perfection. K1 gives off a slight odor when it first ignites, but it only lasts for about a minute. The KH has a startup smell too, and although it is not quite as noticeable as the K1, I find the K1 smell to be more pleasant. There, I said it. I like the smell of diesel exhaust, too.
 
Mike, I think you're right about the Kleen Heat folks being very verbal on the site. I was totally sold on using it before we got the boat....but when we picked up the boat, I asked the dealer about using it, and he said I needed to call the manufacturer to find out if we could use it instead of diesel. We were given half a fill of diesel with the boat, and have used it several times, for cooking and for heating. There is no smell, there is no black sooty material inside nor outside, and we'll continue to burn diesel as long as it doesn't go to $100/gallon :lol:
 
When I sent mine in I went through the fuel options with Karl (Scan Marine) and was told the fuel pump, etc., was designed to run and be lubricated with diesel. "Run just the diesel" he says. Also recomended to dump the diesel if not using it right away (keep it fresh or don't use it).

My stove always had a smell on startup and a bit of white smoke would come from under the counter and in taking it out I learned there was a pinhole leak in the foil exhaust tube right at the Wallas exhaust pipe where the clamp was. When it goes back in I'll use foil muffler tape (AKA heater tape) on the whole exhaust joint area and another where the exhaust exits the hull.
 
Maybe this is a case where I was better off not knowing the general consensus. I've ALWAYS run just plain diesel. I use the boat at least once a month all year long (usually 2-4 times/month) and have never had a problem. My sense from seeing about 2 years of posts on the Wallace is that there seems to be a correlation between problems and the use of fuels other than diesel but I must admit this is simply anecdotal and is affected by the bias in fuel use (e.g. more brats seem to use kleen heat so if the problems are independent of fuel type, it might just be that the "correlation" of problems with Kleen Heat is not real). Just my 2 cent's worth but diesel has always been fine for me (going on 3 years now) and it readily available at gas stations and marine fuel docks.

Roger on the SeaDNA
 
Thanks guys for getting Karl's name back up on here. I'll be going to LAX on Dec28 and will pack my wallas for a trip back to the west coast. Had the little "slip nut" .....slip down...and back up and back down causing air/exhaust flow issues... so Karl asked me to prior to taking her out and shipping back cross country....to try supper glueing the little "slipping-nut" in the up position....but not to far up....as that is a problem too. Well, I got a 70% solution...and have been "limping" aloung... Things I found. It is real hard to super glue up and against gravity...and that simple open new tube with pin-hole and sqeeze real hard caused a "blob" to form on one side....sort of like a drive shaft being a bit out of balance.....a bit noisey...and I either have her too high or too low....cause she will not run real long, real smooth on the lowest setting.....which is a great spot for overnight sleeping in the cooler southern nights... and of course great for slow cooking stews/soups n stuff.... So
Would someone please email me Karl's phone number... I left it on the boat....under the cabinet, next to the wallas. I want to let him and his folks know I will be bringing her back for a visit.
Byrdman on FreeByrd
 
This would be a good one to have a poll on. Three questions:
1) Have you ever had problems with your Wallace heater?
2) What fuel do you use?
3) Did the problem occurr immediately after more than a month of non-use?

That might provide enough data to get a better sense if fuel choice is related to problems.

Roger on the SeaDNA
 
As one of the KH fanatics, I stick with it for a pretty simple reason - in liquid form, it's odorless.

Last thing I want to smell in my cabin is diesel fuel, and being the klutz I am, I'd eventually spill some while filling/installing the tank. Getting rid of diesel smell is not easy...
 
My wallas is almost 11 years old and gets lots of hours per year.
Had it overhauled two years ago (bad fan) other than that no problems.
Twist the knob hit the switch and it always starts
It's a kerosene only model so I use kerosene
99% of the time it's on high with the lid down in heater mode

stevej
 
DoD -

I can't believe it!! :smileo An oil industry guy using phony stuff?? That's like me using plastic toilet paper. I just hope your fuel choice doesn't chap you in the same place the plastic TP would me.
 
I've checked every Home Depot around here in So Cal (about 4), none have Klean Heat and never heard of it, some have Kerosene (not 1-K). Is this product stocked on "northern" shelves only?

Steve
 
Steve-
The Home Depot in Oxnard has the KleanHeat. The Low's store in Ventura has the K1 Kerosene. Both are made by Klean Strip, both burn good in my Wallas.
 
Thanks Roger, I'll be in Camarillo for awhile tomorrow, I'll pick some up in Oxnard. THEN, I'll have to get a Wallas to be able to burn it... :D
Steve
 
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