Mr heater multi fuel ?????

[876wheelhorse 46]

Hey picked up a mr heater multi fuel heater up this weekend. it is a 75000 btu. i have a 2 car garage so it should heat it. i am running diesel duel in it cause it is cheaper than kerosene. ok my ? is should there be a little flame coming out of the end of the chamber? it wasnt heating very well so i started to modify. there is a pump? on it and the instructions said you may have to adjust the screw for the psi. so i cranked it up some it got hotter but i just wanted to know where the flame was suppose to be. it is considerable better than when i took it out of the box. at first it smelt pretty bad i got a scratchy throat slight headache and it wasnt getting very warm. now since i messed with the screw it is better and can't hardly smell anything. one of the reasons i went with diesel instead of kerosene. let me know on the flame thing thanks

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

If this is a salamander type heater, cranking up the outlet pressure of the air pump just aspirates more fuel from the tank and sprays more fuel into the combustion chamber - so more BTU's. There will be a flame inside the burner assembly - usually you will only see the red hot front deflector glowing during use of the heater - no real flame is seen.

Diesel is MUCH MUCH more irritating to burn than Kero. I can hardly smell kero in my heater but Diesel will give me a headache in short order.

[876wheelhorse 46]

yeah it is a salamander type heater. my friend had a diesel powered salamander last year at the shop and i couldnt never smell the fuel. this is about the same after i messed with the screw...... maybe i will try kerosene after this tank. or i may take it back and get a propane powered one......

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

my salamander is a REDDY HEATER brand from the late 70's maybe early 80's

works great, never fails but does stink on diesel - indoors

maybe in a larger area like a shop or outdoors it would be acceptable.

and I'm sure the newer models probably are cleaner burning too

[876wheelhorse 46]

yeah that may be my dad was telling me that grandpa gave him a salamander and that thing really stunk. but he has a newer one now and that doesnt stink as bad. but you would have to know how old that one was.....

[VinsRJ 721]

My Reddy Heater salamander also stinks with diesel but, I find as long as I have a window cracked open (like the directions state) it burns cleaner and the stink level goes way down.

[Duff 206]

Diesel, kero, heating oil, stink or no stink, just PLEASE be careful to provide adequate ventilation!!!!! Carbon monoxide poisoning really sucks, and we'd hate to lose any members!

Just 'cuz I care.......

Duff :thumbs:

[876wheelhorse 46]

geez the more i read what people have to say about this the more i want to take it back and just get a propane one.

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

until you empty out your first propane cylinder in a few hours , then you'll be back to kero again.

In NW Ohio, maybe you have access to natural gas. A direct plumbed heater in the garage would be a good way to go. I wish I had access to NG.

And all the warning these folks give - that also applies to propane heaters as well - no escaping the CO2 and CO issues with combustion type heaters.

[dunk50 6]

geez the more i read what people have to say about this the more i want to take it back and just get a propane one.

I have a Coleman 45K single element heater on top of a 20# LP tank. Problem for you is they don't make it anymore. I am very happy with it. NO stink, heats great and once the insulated garage is warm I can turn it down to idle. I also have a 55K salamander. I absolutely hate to use it but keep it for backup. It stinks and it's loud and it's either 55K or nothing. Hands down no competition. I'm staying with LP. COST? LP here is $18 for a 20# tank and Kerosene is $3.60 gallon. I would say kerosene is more expensive but don't care. LP is clean, quiet, and I can keep it turned on and turned down. No brainer!!

:thumbs:

[linen beige 14]

down to idol.

You really DO worship that thing don't you.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

I'm with you on the propane, natural gas would be even better. For those that are using the 20# tanks, you may look into the larger 50 or even 100 gallon or larger cylinders. Less time spent running for refills, and likely cheaper in the long run.

[dunk50 6]

Uh, whacha talkin bout Willis! :thumbs:

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

In my area, Kero K1 is about 2.70$ a gallon and propane is around $3.00 per lb. in small(er) quantities.

When you calculate the btu conrtent, the Kero comes to about $20 per million BTU vs propane which is around $32 per million BTU.

Propane - clean and convenient, but in my area - much more expense.

[876wheelhorse 46]

well diesel and kerosene are about the same price here. i was talking to dad and he said where i can buy a 100 pound propane tank and to have it filled would be 70 bucks. i dont know if that would be a good deal or not. still debating on if i want to take that back. i may just keep it and deal with it.

[Save Old Iron 1,563]

Most 55k btu heaters will run 14 hours on a 20 pound tank - so 100lbs = 70 hours - about 8 - 10$ per 8 hour session

not bad

[Herbl 10]

If I use your numbers it works out to a dollar an hour but that is only if you don't need to adjust the heat and you need to run it at full operation which I imagine would not be the case once the room is warmed up, I hope you all agree.

[pbradley68 1]

geez the more i read what people have to say about this the more i want to take it back and just get a propane one.

I use my Propane more than Kerosene since it works when the electric is out and that's mostly when I need a heater. Fuel cost isn't much of an issue since it's mostly for emergency backup and the power seems to come back on without fail about 15 minutes after I fire it up . I picked up a 200K BTU Propane for $50 on sale at Home Depot last year. Home Depot and Lowe's mark down their heaters 50-75% off mid winter in preparation for spring items. Like this one ..

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xie...catalogId=10053

The tank top heaters like below are also handy for warming tractors or melting ice on car doors (and easy to move). I think I paid $28 for a new one like this ...

http://www.drillspot.com/products/577918/p..._lp_tanktop_htr

[876wheelhorse 46]

wow you got some good deals. i will be looking for a propane heater like a salamander. i called tractor supply last weekend cause mine was acting up and there isnt anything to be found around here.