When you receive your new kerosene heater wick replacement the instructions for installing it will come with it. There are heaters that use unpinned wicks, mostly radiant heaters, which may prove difficult for the person who is new to kerosene heater wick replacement. Luckily, there are standard instructions that can be followed roughly for a successful wick installation. Keep in mind the details vary as the wick adjuster assembly will lock a little differently, the base and cabinets may be attached a different way, etc.
For all heaters, the wick must be raised and lowered and this movement is controlled by a gear shaft and turning knob.
These instructions have been written in the hopes that you get a general idea of how to replace your wick with a new one.

• You must burn your heater dry, which means there will be no more kerosene in the pump or old wick.
• Allow your heater to cool.
• Take out the fuel tank, batteries and wick adjuster knob by pulling them straight out.
• Open the front grill and gently remove the catalytic converter. Be careful. Do not to break its glass chimney.
• Unscrew and remove the screws that fasten the cabinet to the heater base and lift the cabinet straight up. Keep these screws handy.
• Remove the mica windshield over the burner.
• Unscrew the wing nuts, which secure the wick assembly to the base, and raise the entire assembly straight up.
• Remove the wick and wick holder by lifting them straight up the draft tube part of the wick holder assembly.
• Before the next step - With a marker, draw a line on the old wick where it meets the collar of the wick holder, this will make installing the new wick easier.
• Grab the old wick and fold it in on itself to free it from the teeth that connect it to the wick holder.
• Compare the line you've drawn on your wick to the black line on the replacement wick. If the lines are not in the same place, draw a new line around your replacement wick to match the old one. This shows how much should be inserted in the wick holder.
• Fold the replacement wick in on itself and insert it into the holder to the depth you marked. Then release it and let it pop back into shape, engaging with the teeth inside the collar of the holder.
• Slide the wick and holder back onto the draft tube. Spin it around the tube while pressing against its sides to make sure the teeth in the holder engage fully with the wick.
• Place the wick adjuster knob back onto the shaft. (removed in step 3)
• Move the shut-off switch on the adjuster assembly so that it lowers all the way down.
• Rotate the adjuster knob 3/4 of a turn clockwise and hold the latch attached to the knob shaft in that position.
• Engage the pinion on the inside of the wick-raising shaft into the latch so that the wick holder and wick are near the top of the shaft.
• Replace the entire wick adjuster assembly onto the base and test the mechanism.
• Screw the wing nuts back on loosely. Once loosely attached, steadily raise the wick using the knob.
• Now tighten the wing nuts. Adjust the height of the wick using the knob so that about 3/8 of an inch is showing at the top of the shaft.
• Finally, replace all the other parts of the heater in the opposite order from when you took them off in steps 3-6.
• Congratulations on replacing your wick!