Kerosene

[Gewehr-Guy]

I've been using a kerosene heater lately to take the chill off the house, and am really quite impressed at how well they work. I even bought a couple off Ebay to give to the kids, just to have some heat when the power is out. My favorite is a Kero Sun Moonlighter, that looks like an oversize lantern,provides a decent amount of heat, and a nice mellow light like a small campfire, all in the comfort of your living room !

Also bought a couple extra wicks from a site called "Miles Stairs Wick Shoppe". If you have any interest in kerosene heaters or lamps, be prepared to spend hours reading links on his site.

Anyone else here use kerosene , and have any experiences with it, either good or bad ?

[Jake McCracken]

I run one. Not bad for the first couple years. After that they start having a smell. Changing the wick seems to help.

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

[smithnframe]

I still use kerosene as a parts washer! When I lived in Pennsylvania I lived in a place that had an oil furnace but the fuel tank was outside so I used kerosene cause it wouldn't freeze/thicken!

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

In the early 1980s, I worked at a hardware store while going to HS...and then college.
We sold Kerosun, and then Toyostove...which was same manufacturer (I believe?), but sold for cheaper.
I learned how to repair/replace the wicks...they build up with carbon and then burn inefficiently, and can be cleaned with a small brass brush the size of a toothbrush...after doing than, they need to be trimmed so all fibers are equal length.

I still have a couple stoves, I used to use them regularly in the livingroom for extra heat in winter time, until I started burning wood in 1998...since then the stoves have just been sitting in storage.

[trebor44]

Awesome! Thanks for the link. As a very long time user of kerosene appliances (lanterns, lamps, stoves etc.) this is a welcomed site. My Aladdin heater (made in the USA) came with a "wick cleaner" (metal) and does a good job of cleaning and trimming the wick. The nice thing about the kerosene heater is the by product of water vapor, not a big issue unless you are in a small trailer and a high humidity environment. The wick is the important part of the appliance, keep it trimmed, and keep the carbon build up down for a perfect 'blue' flame!

[osteodoc08]

Be sure to have CO detectors that are functioning in the home.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

What ever you do never put STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer in your Kerosene heater my Son put it in ours we use to heat our Garage well we found ever spider web in it I not only had to change the Kerosene but the wick too

[Mytmousemalibu]

I also use kero heater! I actually collect them along with Coleman and other gas pressure appliances. I love my kero wick heaters. When operated properly, they are very safe and reliable.

If you have the wick properly fitted and trimmed, good clean, and fresh fuel, properly tuned during operation, these heaters basically don't produce carbon monoxide. They can if the above item's aren't correct. I would highly recommend Miles Stairs Wick Shop also, great guy with a lot of knowledge! Read up on the info on his page.

A kero heater will operate essentially odor free when properly tuned and water clear, fresh kerosene is used.

[Tom W.]

I've had a few over the years. I've used them to warm up the garage, and ran one in the kitchen. After a while I noticed that the odor of the heater embedded itself into our clothes. That was back in the late 70's and early 80's. I suspect the boys may have been trying to adjust the flame, and I know full well that their mother...well, nevermind....



Since I've quit smoking about 25 years ago my sniffer has gotten very sharp. I may not be able to hear as well as I could, but my current wife is well aware of the ability I have to smell things that others cannot.

[30calflash]

I've used by necessity a couple off and on the past few winters. An older Sears unit works great with minimal fuss, the other one had the wick changed but it will get an odor going in a day.

I usually let them burn out in the basement after a few light ups, I've been told it helps keep things cleaner.

Also find that newer fuel helps in the functioning and fume categories, stuff a year old isn't the best for clean burning.

[MaryB]

Heated with one for years before I replaced the old 1950's space heater with a real furnace. Make sure you use water clear kero, the red dye they add destroys wicks and stinks when it burns. I had a small 300 gallon bulk tank I used to have the co-op fill in fall. From that I filled a 5 gallon can I used to fill the heaters. Used the round style heaters but modified the guard screens so I could cook on top of one of them!

[Geezer in NH]

Unvented kerosene, propane or whatever are illegal in many states. Where I was a fire investigator a portable one would be removed to outside. If it goes back into the building if there was 1 other resident an arrest would be made for that.

They WILL kill you and that is the reason. CO detectors help but they can go off after you or some one else is dead.

[Petrol & Powder]

Kerosene heaters are awesome ! When properly maintained and operated they are very efficient and safe. Most of the complainants come from people that don't know how to run them or fail to maintain them. MaryB's advice about using clear kerosene is spot on. Good clean kerosene is essential to good operation and that goes for all kerosene fueled devices (heaters, stoves, lamps and lanterns)
When stored properly (dry, tightly sealed containers - preferably full) kerosene has a very long shelf life.

Kerosene heaters make excellent heaters for supplemental heat. In rural Japan, kerosene is the predominant fuel used for residential heating.

[Remmy4477]

Been collecting and using kerosene lamps and heaters for almost 40 years now. Always have a window open somewhat for the fumes. Never had any issues.
Miles Stairs, great web site and a wealth of info and hard to find wicks for about every thing old and kero powered.
We just stocked up on kero a week ago, buying it by bulk from a fuel company is cheaper than the box stores. Think we use about 40 gallons a winter running a lamp or two daily and a old heater in the evenings. We picked up a decent Ivanhoe two burner stove last season and use it on cold days to make hot chocolate in the evenings.
Collecting lamps and heaters can get addicting! Be careful!
Attachment 249468
Attachment 249469

[10x]

I grew up in poverty with Kerosene lamps, no running water, weeks of -35F or colder. And the subtle soot on the ceiling that comes from a kerosene lamp.
I detest the smell of kerosene - to me it is the smell of poverty
Also if you have a kerosene heater and something goes wrong it can produce enough Carbon monoxide to kill you.

[tja6435]

I have an Aladdin 5000 that will run nicely with kerosene from the hardware store ($12/gal) but will not run and will require a new wick if I run kerosene from the pump in town ($2.70/gal) So I do not use it now.

[Mytmousemalibu]

Unvented kerosene, propane or whatever are illegal in many states. Where I was a fire investigator a portable one would be removed to outside. If it goes back into the building if there was 1 other resident an arrest would be made for that.

They WILL kill you and that is the reason. CO detectors help but they can go off after you or some one else is dead.

A properly operated kero heater in good condition with clean fresh fuel will produce carbon monoxide in such a tiny amount as to be considered negligible. That does require that a person be competent and knowledgeable about it which immediately excludes a lot of people theses days. These appliances were designed to be used in residential housing. On the other hand, gaseous fueled appliances like normal household furnaces, water heaters, etc, produce copious amounts of carbon monoxide even when running optimally.

On a personal note, I was poisoned by carbon monoxide quite badly by a leaky flue on small wood burning furnace at a relative's house as a kiddo. I am more susceptible to its effects now. I regularly use a little kero heater in my home during the winter and i trust it more than anything else. My father, a retired firefighter used to be against them as well. He had never responded to a call because of a kero heater because they never got one. He assumed they were a carbon monoxide danger till i convinced him to try one of mine. His way of thinking came around and my folks like them now. They aren't for everyone but they are great if you are compatible with one. I get all the free kerosene I can take so for me they are an excellent option.

[Texas by God]

We used kerosene space heaters in the winter when I was a teenage drywall hanger. I'd rather work cold than endure those fumes. It didn't bother the others as much.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using Tapatalk

[bob208]

i used one for years never a problem then about 6 years ago can not get good kerosene any more, have to change the wicks every year also have to get a treatment for the kerosene. get it a home depot. years ago the kerosene was some of the best you could buy at $1.30 a gal. but then the gov. said you had to have the short hose of red dye in it. so it could not be used in deasil trucks. we still use one when it gets so cold the wood - coal stove can not do the job.

[David2011]

My only experience with a kerosene heater was bad. It was purchased for $10 at a yard sale and I had no knowledge of how to make it work right. I bought clear bulk hardware store kerosene for it. A few minutes after lighting it I noticed smoke developing in the shop. They were not common where I lived at the time so no help was available so it ended up being thrown out. Reading this it’s apparent that it probably just needed a wick and tuning. Moved to a subtropical climate so I can get by with an oil filled electric radiator now.