Repair of kerosene heaters

purplepassion

Lovin' Life
Does anyone know a place/person in Calvert Co. who works on kerosene heaters? If not in Calvert, St. Mary's will do. I have one that I need to have cleaned and the wick replaced.
 

Dutch6

"Fluffy world destroyer"
purplepassion said:
Does anyone know a place/person in Calvert Co. who works on kerosene heaters? If not in Calvert, St. Mary's will do. I have one that I need to have cleaned and the wick replaced.
You are obviously talking about portable heaters. Call Burch Oil and ask them. They should know someone if they don't do it themselves.

Aslo it may be cheaper and quicker just to buy a new one.
 

PrchJrkr

Long Haired Country Boy
Ad Free Experience
Patron
Dutch6 said:
You are obviously talking about portable heaters. Call Burch Oil and ask them. They should know someone if they don't do it themselves.

Aslo it may be cheaper and quicker just to buy a new one.

:yeahthat: I switched over to propane because a kerosene heater stinks.

I only use it in the workshop with plenty of ventilation.
 

purplepassion

Lovin' Life
PrchJrkr said:
:yeahthat: I switched over to propane because a kerosene heater stinks.

I only use it in the workshop with plenty of ventilation.

We have a heat pump so we use the heater in the basement and it keeps the house warmer. Heat pumps just never seem to keep a house warm enough.
 

smoothmarine187

Well-Known Member
It definitely will not be cheaper to buy a new one......I just replaced the wick in mine last night......it was like 11 dollars..........but I have no idea how much a shop would cost you.
 

PrchJrkr

Long Haired Country Boy
Ad Free Experience
Patron
purplepassion said:
We have a heat pump so we use the heater in the basement and it keeps the house warmer. Heat pumps just never seem to keep a house warm enough.

:yay: Gotcha... I consider myself handy with tools, but I never could get my K-heater to burn clean after replacing the wick myself.
 

flomaster

J.F. A sus ordenes!
aps45819 said:
Just buy a new wick and replace the old one according to the directions.

Of course you might not have the direction but the internet is a wonderful source and if you might be able to download the manual. Should be pretty simple task if you are mechanically inclined. Calling oil company might just end up costing more than a replacement unit. Loews sells additives for the fuel that cuts down on the stink. Good luck with that.
 

willie

Well-Known Member
purplepassion said:
Does anyone know a place/person in Calvert Co. who works on kerosene heaters? If not in Calvert, St. Mary's will do. I have one that I need to have cleaned and the wick replaced.
DIY is cheaper of course but if you're not comfortable with that, get a price to replace the wick from Matteson's Sunoco or Sneads Hardware and compare it to a new Lowes, Walmart or Target heater. Consider that if you replace the wick, you will still have an old heater with a new wick.
 
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scottrobts

New Member
willie said:
DIY is cheaper of course but if you're not comfortable with that, get a price from Matteson's Sunoco or Sneads Hardware and compare it to a new Lowes, Walmart or Target heater. Consider that if you replace the wick, you will still have an old heater with a new wick.

What manufacturer is it? You can get replacement parts for all the Sears ones from them very easily, otherwise there are quite a few parts companies on the Internet that you can find parts on.
 

willie

Well-Known Member
scottrobts said:
What manufacturer is it? You can get replacement parts for all the Sears ones from them very easily, otherwise there are quite a few parts companies on the Internet that you can find parts on.
I didn't word that very well. Either Matteson's or Sneads could replace the wick, I'm not sure it would be worth it.
 

purplepassion

Lovin' Life
Maybe I'll just try replacing the wick first. It would be a lot cheaper and then if that doesn't work I'll consider other options. I looked them up on Lowe's site and they were around $140 which would probably be cheaper. The other night when I lit the heater the flame was very high and I had to turn it all the way down. My husband came home yesterday and lit it and walked away with the wick up high and apparently it smoked enough to set the smoke detectors off.

Is there just a general size wick or do you have to know the make/model of your heater?
 

Pete

Repete
purplepassion said:
Maybe I'll just try replacing the wick first. It would be a lot cheaper and then if that doesn't work I'll consider other options. I looked them up on Lowe's site and they were around $140 which would probably be cheaper. The other night when I lit the heater the flame was very high and I had to turn it all the way down. My husband came home yesterday and lit it and walked away with the wick up high and apparently it smoked enough to set the smoke detectors off.

Is there just a general size wick or do you have to know the make/model of your heater?
Make and model. Wicks are made in various sizes that will fit numerous heaters. Common problem people find when replacing the wick is they put it on the chimney too high. Tha causes them to smoke and when you shut it down the wick cannot withdraw far enough to snuff out the flame and it smokes.

I found that some "one size fits 30 different heaters" will have directions that say something like "Slide the wick onto the chimney and align the red stitched thread with the 2nd notch" you look and your model doesn't have a notch. :confused: The best rule I found was to thread on the wick so that when it is drawn all the way down, either by hand of if the tip saftey switch is tripped, the wick just disappears from sight. It may take a couple of tries to get it just right.
 
purplepassion said:
Maybe I'll just try replacing the wick first. It would be a lot cheaper and then if that doesn't work I'll consider other options. I looked them up on Lowe's site and they were around $140 which would probably be cheaper. The other night when I lit the heater the flame was very high and I had to turn it all the way down. My husband came home yesterday and lit it and walked away with the wick up high and apparently it smoked enough to set the smoke detectors off.

Is there just a general size wick or do you have to know the make/model of your heater?
Definately do something soon... did you see what's coming next week...:faint:


Sunday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 35. North wind between 15 and 17 mph.

Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 16.

Monday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 28.

Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 18.

Tuesday: Partly cloudy, with a high near 27.

Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 11.

Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 29.

Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 18.

Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 35.
 

annabella

New Member
Roger Armiger located in Prince Frederick repairs Kerosene heaters. He is very resonable on the cost. He does a great job. I know if you call him he'll have it ready for you to pick up the next day. Here is his number. I suggest you call him now. 410-535-6248
 
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purplepassion

Lovin' Life
I went to Ace and got a wick. Now let's see if we can install it correctly. If not I mayh be calling Roger Arminger. I did see what was coming up next week and that's another reason I wanted to go ahead and get it fixed.

Thanks everyone for your help.
 
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