Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Sounds good Chris

Spoke too soon Scotty. Heater isn't working now. I have to try and find some type of manual/instructions for it. Being in Florida for the last 40 years, I don't know much about heaters. I can fix AC though.
I'm hoping that there's too much water in the burning/fuel pit. The thing sat outside for years. It's weird because it burned beautiful yesterday?? When I drop the paper into the fuel it's not burning. It seems like there's too much water in the diesel fuel? It says on the label that it can't burn fuel with more then 25% water. Maybe adding some kerosene or hotter burning fuel to get it started?

you've found the bane of multi-fuel heaters pretty quick there Coach. Kerosene is a good choice. It burns well. Ever try to light Diesel? Biodiesel is even worse. Used oils need to be heated before they'll burn

Chris i ran a multi fuel on my boat, once it was running it was fine,but it sure was a pain at times to keep it running,we ran this one from the main diesel tank,to get it to start we allowed a little diesel into the bottom then poured a small amount of methylated spirits onto it, then lite the meths,the flame would change colour as the diesel started burning then she was good to go.Our burner had a mesh tube dead centre and this had to get hot to the point of going red,this kept the small amount of diesel that was dripped in burning.
It was a pain in the ass,but it heated the entire boat and gave us hot water when it ran.

Thanks guys. It's a fuel supply problem. Hopefully a filter. If not, than the pump. I had the heater start again, and then go out again last night. Coldest temps off v the winter and overcast last week. Temps were down in low 60s this am. I put a backup heater in, hopefully will get the FH back up in the 70s and water back closer to 70 than 60 before the day is over. Busy with landscape jobs and recruiting jobs. Trying to do a lot of things...sometimes there's just not enough hours in some day.lol

It may be obvious at this point, if not the issue with multifuel heaters is fuel viscosity

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Each fuel burns at different btu and is thicker or thinner. This is usually dealt with by preheating the fuel, which thins most oils to a similar viscosity as diesel. Also, if you know what type of fuel it was used with, that helps. Anything but diesel clogs filter quick, so changing the filter is a good plan Chris


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Yep, that's the plan. Now, just have to figure out where it is. No manual.

Actuator is bad. Unit is over 30 years old. had to get a hold of manufacturer and they gave me specs. Then cross reference to Granger and found this: https://www.grainger.com/product/DAYTON ... late-3M101
We'll get it here on Tuesday. Having to spend $9.00 a gallon for the kerosene heater just sucks. lol

The rabbits are doing what rabbits do...more babies this am.

Plants took a bit of a hit from this week's freeze, but the AP did fine. I have a new hot sauce coming out soon. Logo and name are complete, just need to find time to get label put together. Here's the logo.

Waiting on motor/gear unit from Granger. Coldest temps of the year. Below freezing. Water temp has gone from almost 70 to barely 60 even using the too small kerosene heater. Sunny & cold again today. Keeping heater going. I just need to keep them alive for a few more days till my parts come in.

On the bright side, Nitrates are at zero.

There is the reason I'm growing Catfish. We have only had a hand full of days where the water was too cool for them to be fed and I'm not spending any money/effort on heating.

Koi are doing fine. Right now, due to the multi fuel heater being down, I'm spending $, But once I get that baby put back together(part should be here Tuesday), I'm golden. It heats it up quickly, and is almost free to run. I figure it will cost under 100.00 for the entire winter including fuel and electric to run the small fan. I don't need to keep it at 85", just in the mid 70's. The tilapia and koi seem pretty happy there. The all metal FH has an advantage of heating up nicely...as long as the sun is out. When the water is warm, it's like a large heat sink. When it stays cool and cloudy, then it turns into a large cooler.lol That's when a few days of running the old lanair heater comes in. Very happy to get it for almost nothing and be able to repair it for under $70.00. They are pretty basic, but this unit is from the early 80's and very hard(impossible) to find parts for. I'm pretty sure I'll have to do a little fabricating to get the new motor/actuator to work I'll eat catfish, but prefer tilapia, and I haven't found anyone local that will pay me much for catfish.

A buddy down Texas way is getting this fine looking oil from Nursing homes

I'm hoping to just burn the used motor oil after cleaning. If not, diesel is super cheap now, and that heater burns a long time on a tank(2.5 gallons).There isn't any residue that I can see because the heater is forced air and vented straight out of the FH. I remember a few concerns folks had about burning oil in the Fh. It doesn't look to be an issue from what I've seen so far. This thing is supposed to be used in enclosed shops, work spaces, etc. I usually crack a window just to make sure that I don't get any Co2 buildup, but with the venting outside, that hasn't been an issue either.

Sun is shining now, so today shouldn't be too bad. It will be cold again tonight, but as long as I can get the water temp up close to 68 during the day, it should only drop a few degrees tonight. Tomorrow will be warmer, heater will be repaired by Tuesday. Can't wait. It's never worked right. It just burned the fuel that I dumped in the burn chamber. yet in the 30-40 minutes at a time it worked, it took the temp up 10 degrees. I'm thinking it will be in the 80's after a few hours. Once that water gets up in the high 70's-80, it will then help keep the FH warm.

Boss, I know a buddy who works in the maint. dept at a large nursing home 5 minutes away. Maybe, I'll check.