HOW TO MEASURE TO DETERMINE THE WICK SIZE REQUIRED
he diameter of the draft tube determines the wick required by the heater. The draft tube is easier to measure if the burner is removed, which leaves the draft tube as the only thing protruding from the tank. You can see right through the draft tube to the floor, rug or drip pan beneath the fuel tank (font) so it is easy to identify. In the illustration below, left, the draft tube on this heater measures 2.696''. The draft tube on a Perfection heater measures 2.50'' so a Perfection wick or wick #3L will not fit this heater; in this case the measurement is typical for a European heater using a 71mm diameter wick.
If there is a fragment of wick existing, please remove the wick from the wick sleeve or wick carrier. Lay the wick flat and press it flat, then measure ACROSS the flat so I can have that measurement. A Perfection clone that uses wick #3L will be 4 3/8'' wide flat measurement.
A wick to fit the wick sleeve above left must be a solid tube - no tails on the wick, and the wick fits on the outside of the draft tube. The wick above right extends below the wick sleeve and must have ''tails'' on the wick, as shown. In this case the wick is 4 3/8'' wide and wick #3L will fit inside the wick sleeve.
It is important to note if the wick fits on the inside or outside of the wick sleeve and the diameter of the wick sleeve. A wick fitting on the outside of a wick sleeve must be larger in diameter than a wick fitting on the inside of a wick sleeve. See the photo illustrations below.
Some sample measurements of the outside diameter of draft tubes:
Perfection 500 draft tube: 2.5''
Florence models 81-21, -24, -25; 82-21, -24, -25; 83-12, -24, -25; H-81, -82, -83 -84, -85, -86 -87, -88: 2.5'', same as a Perfection heater.
Florence Model 10 draft tube is 3 1/16'' diameter.
Florence H-124 draft tube is 3 3/4'' diameter and the wick sleeve is 4 1/4'' in diameter.
Acme No. 215, 4.705'' draft tube diameter.
Aladdin B-61, C-10.C20, S-1 & S-2, 3'' diameter.
Buhl No. 11, 3'' diameter.
Puritan #44, 1.910" diameter.
Standard New Process 40B, 3.031".
