Forum home Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Why is my parffin heater making my greenhouse full of soot?

Please can any one help, the paraffin heater is new.

It keeps coating the whole of my greenhouse, is slightly open the window,

What I am doing wrong?

I need to sort it out now because I have just put my seeds in!

Thanks

Jackie

Posts

  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286

    Hi Jackie, either it is not assembled properly, or you are burning it with the wick set too high. Turn the wick down and see if that helps first. image

  • PalaisglidePalaisglide Posts: 3,414

    Jackie, the wick is far too high, it needs to be just showing above the wick holder. The wick should also be trimmed each time you light it, cut the charred bit from the top of the wick turn it up to light it then down to burn.

    unless you have a large stove with double wick consider it as a frost guard, it will not heat the full greenhouse. Standing under a staging with covered seed trays should however give enough warmth to germinate most seeds. Hope this helps.

    Frank.

  • I have tried many times to get my parafin heater to behave. As per instructions light it and get it nice and low to minimise smoke etc then return later to check again. Always seems to need turning down again, repeat a bit later and turn it down again. Return a bit later again and its gone out!   Then I give up

  • ElusiveElusive Posts: 992

    I ended up returning mine for this problem, it just wouldnt work properly. I just use fleece now if it gets too cold

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,023

    I have 2 the same, one works well the other makes soot no matter what you do to the wick. OH has now rigged up an electric cable and I have a little electric heater, so much easier.

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,384

    To tell you have it burning right, the flame should be blue.  If it is yellow, then that colour indicates Carbon (soot) is being released and you need to trim the wick and/or turn the wick down a bit. image

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Sign In or Register to comment.