ATOM KEROSENE STOVE
Installation and Operating Instructions
Installation
The Atom Kerosene Stove kit comprises the brass stove, stainless steel gimbaled potholder, U-
bracket mount, preheat wick, kerosene and alcohol bottles and assorted spares. The stove gimbal
assembly bolts to the galley countertop or stove locker using a stainless steel U-bracket. An
optional L-bracket and bulkhead mount plate or two slotted flat bulkhead mount plates are
available for custom installation. Overall dimensions are 12 3/8-inch to top of U-bracket, 12 3/4-
inch side to side at end of gimbal pins and 11 3/8-inch front to back, plus 7-inch swing room for
gimbal. Your new stove’s burner is discolored because stove is tested prior to shipping.
1.
Stove location
may already be fixed by the layout of your existing galley. If possible, it’s
desirable to install the stove near the companionway with burner about 18 inches below a
fiberglass, wood or Formica headliner. This is the best area for ventilation and quick access
to the cockpit. Having heat from the stove run up the cabin headliner and directly out the
open hatch will please the cook on hot days. Also, it will be less messy if soot from an
occasional flare-up can rise out the hatch. If the stove is not near the companionway,
consider installing a hatch or vent above the stove in the coach roof. In any case, vinyl or
other fabric headliners above the stove should be avoided as they are difficult to clean and
a fire hazard. A sheet of stainless can be attached to the overhead with stand-off
clearance, if needed. A stainless steel serving tray drip pan can be installed on the
countertop under stove, but Formica is flame resistant enough for brief spills of burning
fuel. Orient stove to gimbal side to side, not fore and aft. P
ump slightly left of front center is
standard position and should work for most installations. Tank is filled from above or rear with
the supplied Kerosene fill bottle or a fuel funnel with a short hose leading to the tank filler.
2.
If using U-bracket:
Install the U-shaped bracket with 5/16-inch stainless steel bolts
thru-bolted to the countertop. If there is some framing or obstruction under the
countertop, use heavy lag screws instead of thru-bolts. There will be some spring in the U-
bracket sufficient for you to pull the bracket arms outboard until the gimbal pins snap into
the 1/4-inch holes in the ends of the bracket. Cotter ring clips in the ends of the gimbal
pins ensure a secure fit. Certain installations may require the U-bracket mount on the port
or starboard cabin trunk side or a fore and aft cabinet face. This will work, but requires a
different gimbal lock mechanism.
3.
If using L-bracket:
If one end of the stove is against a cabinet or other vertical surface
you can use one upright L-bracket bolted to the countertop and one flat plate with a hole
in the center for the gimbal pin to insert in, screwed to the vertical cabinet side or aft end
of the coach roof. If there is no metal heat shield on the vertical cabinet side then to
prevent scorching, a stand-off block of at least 1-inch hardwood should be placed under
the flat mounting plate.
4.
If using two slotted flat bulkhead mount plates:
If the stove is set down into a
narrow locker and you prefer not to use the U-bracket, then two drop-in slotted brackets
screwed to the vertical cabinets can be used. In that case, you need to build out the width
of the cabinet with hardwood blocks, to the correct width for the gimbal pins to insert into
two slotted flat bulkhead mount plates. A pin or bolt to lock the gimbal should be fit to at
least one of the blocks. Don't mount the support brackets so close together that they bind
the gimbal action.
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