Sig Marine Diesel Heater Issue

Hi all -

We have been enjoying our Sig Marine model 100 heater in the aft stateroom for the past few weeks. Other than two downdraft blowouts, it's been starting/running nicely (I typically start in the afternoon, and turn off in the morning - especially if we're on the move).

However, we have a model 120 heater fwd in the mid-ship stateroom/office. I have tried on numerous occasions to light the thing, and no go. I do everything exactly the same as with the other heater: pour in one ounce of stove alcohol, drop in a small bit of alcohol soaked tissue, and light it. The problem is the flame will not stay lit down in the burner pot. It burns anywhere from a few seconds to maybe 10 seconds or so. Even if I keep the burner door open, the flame goes out. And if I close the door, the flame goes out even quicker.

I have tried it with the draft regulator fully open, fully closed, and different settings in between. I took off the cap on the stove pipe and can see no obstructions. Diesel is right at the burner, ready to flow. I cleaned both heaters prior to using them. The only difference (other than the 120 is a bit bigger than the 100) is I have about 15' of stove pipe compared to about 10' on the aft heater.

I even put a candle in the thing above the ring, closed the door and it burned fine for 10 minutes. I was thinking maybe if I "pre-heated" the stove pipe... But when I tried the lighting procedure again, it went right out.

Anyone have one of these and experienced a similar problem? I'll call Sig Marine tech support tomorrow.

Thanks!
- Darren

Moonfish said:

I do everything exactly the same as with the other heater: pour in one ounce of stove alcohol, drop in a small bit of alcohol soaked tissue, and light it.

Click to expand...

I'm surprised the other one lights off with "stove alcohol" to warm it up.

Twist up a bit of paper towel and dip it in the pool of oil to wet it, light the wet end and push it back down into the pool. It should burn like a candle for long enough to vaporize some oil and get things going.

I have a Sigmar Diesel stove in my trawler. To light it, I have a squeeze bottle (former dish detergent bottle) full of kerosene. squeeze off an ounce or so, twist a bit of paper towel and wet with kerosene, light, close the lid, turn the fan on to low, open the diesel, and it lights perfectly every time. I have about 10 ft of pipe, winding up to the deck head in the galley, then standing straight up on the foredeck.
If there is a strong headwind I turn the fan on high to avoid blowouts.

Yours seems more determined than mine to not light.

I've found I must have the fan running strongly once the stove is first started , with the door/hatch closed so the air is forced to exhaust the chimney.
I also use alcohol as it is much easier to get started than the diesel and also less likely to go out, it seems.
I do have the diesel turned on even while I'm adding the alcohol. That way as the alcohol is burned off there is no chance of there not being a proper flow of diesel to replace it.

The fan is NOT running when I toss in the bit of burning paper. Once I see the alcohol is lit, I quickly close the hatch and turn on the fan. If I'm not quick enough it will sometime go out as I think the oxygen in the burner pot has been used, thus the fan. Your taller stack makes the problem worse as all the cold air above will be more resistant to developing the draft.

Once I can feel the pipe getting good and warm i can then turn the fan down to a slower speed.

I open the door and then turn the fuel up too a high setting. Wait till the fuel can be seen on the feet of the vaporizer. Toss a match in along the side of the bowl. Sometimes it takes a couple of matches. Once the fuel is lit I turn the valve too low setting or off for a bit if the fuel got to the sides of the bowl. Leave the door latched but open untill excess fuel is burned off and the fuel starts to vaporize. Around 5 min or so. Then close the latch on the door for closed. Adjust setting from there.

The unit I have has no fan, gravity feed for fuel, and the chimney is around 9 feet.

Maybee a bit for fuel for start up ?

Thanks for the replies everyone. I sent an email to Sig Marine tech support last night and am waiting to hear back.

As far as suggestions, I wish I had a combustion assist fan on the unit as I think that would help. I might order one, depending on what Sig says. But what's weird is the PO never had this problem lighting it. And, again, basically the same unit aft starts flawlessly each time w/the same procedure.

And as far as lighting a pool of diesel or a diesel soaked rag, that would be even harder. Have you ever seen just the fumes of denatured/stove alcohol ignite? WHOOOOMPF!!!! It lights far easier and quicker than oil, and burns hotter which makes it the preferred pre-heat fuel for Sig heaters. So in this case, if I can't keep an alcohol soaked piece of tissue burning in the pot, I can't light a pool of diesel. Tried that, and I literally can't keep any flame going down in the pot - alcohol or diesel...

We had more problems trying to start w/ alcohol than w/ diesel. Took Dickenson's advice which was to put enough diesel in the base to see a puddle, add tissue paper wick, light and wait until fuel vaporizes, takes several minutes. Seems to work well. We have no fan assist but do have a barametric dampener in the flue pipe. Waiting for the flame to turn mostly blue and burning above the base before adding additional fuel is important.