Ardic 04-D forced air heater

Hope somebody out there has worked of Ardic heaters.

Took our Ardic diesel, forced air*heater out of the boat and and decided to see if we could get it working in a safe environment.* Set it up on a bench outside and found a loose wire in the controls and another on the pump. Tightened everything up and inspected the hot plug which looked OK, and made sure it was getting fuel and hooked it to a good battery.* The controls seem to work properly, and after the hot plug heated the thing fired off.* It put out a good amount of heat and the*blower motor worked well.* Two things do not look right--first there seems to be an excessive amount of smoke*and there are flames coming out the exhaust for about three inches.* we had the insulated exhaust pipe removed so the flames would not be seen while hooked up.* Is it getting too much diesel causing the flames or is this normal?* And what is causing the excessive smoking? The thing is old but looks like it was used very little--if we can safely use it we can save a bunch on a new heater.

Thanks for any advice. Geezer

*

*

Can you still get parts and nearby servicing done on the Ardic? The overall setup in the vessel reagarding exhaust/intake pipe sizes and runs is worth going over by the "book installation. Treat it as no different than your home furnace, it must meet spec. At least at home you can run out the front door if untold flames appear.

sunchaser wrote:
Can you still get parts and nearby servicing done on the Ardic? The overall setup in the vessel reagarding exhaust/intake pipe sizes and runs is worth going over by the "book installation. Treat it as no different than your home furnace, it must meet spec. At least at home you can run out the front door if untold flames appear.

Click to expand...

*Sadly, the answer is no.* We found one dealer in Seattle that has a few spare parts. I'll get a copy of the code and see where we stand in that regard--point well taken.

After watching what it did yesterday I don't think I'd be too hasty on putting it back in.

*

Had an ARDIC 042-D at one time, around 10000 btu.* This was a 1996 model that a fellow owner couldn't make work for his application.

Finally got it working, but it took a new blower motor from Scan Marine (Seattle ARDIC dealer) along with some creative wiring (had to run a relay and #6 wire direct to the*glow plug from the battery) and creative plumbing (had to install a low pressure FO pump that worked with the dosing pump to overcome sensitivity to fuel supply).

Used it for about 5 years, but then decided we would do more winter cruising, and it just didn't put out enough heat.* Went with an ESPAR D5, around 15000 btu.

The ARDIC was a beautifully made little heater, but it wasn't made to run as hard as we needed it to run.

With Ardic parts being harder to find, and your unit malfunctioning in what appears to be a safety related way, possibly its time for a new furnace?

I just got done installing a Wallas 30DT forced air furnace in our boat. I was amazed at the quietness of this little furnace.

Scan marine's website says that they have a pre-engineered replacement for the Ardic units. I was in their office in Seattle two weeks ago and was impressed by the wealth of knowledge the guys that work there have.