Kerosene Question

[CaveCreekRay]

Question for my brothers and sisters in the GWN...

I bought my first kerosene heater this week. Last one on the shelf at Home Depot after the cold snap and the power loss for 12 hours last week. The wife and I figured it would be handy to have a portable convection heater I could use in the barn when we didn't need it up here in the house in emergencies.

They had a pallet of kerosene and I bought some. I asked the guy later how long it lasts and he said, "A loooooong time. Some of that stuff is five years old!" Great...

-Is the stuff that gets packaged in 2.5 gal containers prone to bacterial contamination?
-How long does kerosene last on the shelf?
-Its a Duroheat 26k wick-type convection heater. I grabbed a few extra wicks. Any trick getting the best life out of those?

I'll probably burn this up in the next year or so. The instructions mention you can also burn Jet A in the heater. I have a small airport nearby and have a buddy who used to burn Jet A but I am not sure about trying to buy 10 gallons there. I am trying to locate a place here in Phoenix that sells bulk kerosene you can haul away in your containers... no luck yet. Anyone with bulk available, what are you paying up there a gallon/liter?

Thanks,

Ray

 

[eipo]

I have a torpedo style heater for our garage that I run a 50/50 mix of kerosene and diesel in. I buy kerosene at my local gas station out of a pump like you would get gas or diesel.

I don't know how long kerosene can sit, I only try to have gas on hand for the generator.

First hit for "shelf life of kerosene"

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?p=356791

EDIT: Kerosene out of the pump here runs about $4 per gallon. Thats why I don't run straight kerosene. If it was inside the house, then I would.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Thanks eipo!

Your link looks like another great site I'll have to check out.

Ray

 

[skeets]

RAY DONT USE DIESEL!!! I found out the hard way though I never use mine in the house, I picked up 3 along the road on trash days, when kero got to 4 bucks a gallon around here.. I figured what the heck thats the same as diesel,, NADA!!! ,, it smokes , it stinks, and it will form a hard ridge on the top of the wick that has to be crunched off once in a while and for what every reason dosent give off as much heat as kero,, maybe it just seemed that way at 20 degrees in the garage

 

[Daren Todd]

Using diesel in one would depend on its application, and whether it's set up for duel fuel or not. Around here its almost impossible to find kerosene unless it's purchased in the gallon cans. We have a torpedo heater at the shop that can use either kero or diesel. We run diesel in it. Like skeets said, they do stink and smoke some, so if it's for inside use, i would recommend using just kerosene

 

[D2Cat]

Ray, sometimes you can find kerosene in bulk at rental yards.

 

[Grouse Feathers]

Is there a reason you didn't consider propane for in the house? Propane burns a lot cleaner and is easier to handle. I had a couple of kerosene heaters I used in the garage, and I would never go back to kerosene even in the garage. Is propane just more available up here? Bulk delivered price is running around $1.10 per gallon and heat (btu/gal) is about 2/3 of kerosene.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Ray,
There used to be a station down on Grand and just south of Indian school that had all the different fuels, used to by racing fuel there.

We have kero heaters here and if maintained properly the wicks last a long long time.

I will agree with Grouse Feathers propane heaters are a little easier to deal with and cleaner burning and set up, But hey we use what we can get, I'm still in the dark ages, all I use is wood heat.

 

[ipz2222]

I had a kerosene heater years ago in my first business,,a very uninsulated one at that. Just used it in the office and parts room. Gave me a headache all the time. Finally threw it away.

 

[boz1989]

My new neighbor was using kerosene heaters and had one act up filling the house with soot. $8000.00 to clean up, he hadn't even moved in yet. Personally it gives me a headache, use propane.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Helicopters use jet a also, and if a local heli service is using fuel from a sealed drum, they wont use a previously opened drum. Wouldnt hurt to ask about waste fuel. Some outfits have drums full.

Also may want to consider varsol.torpedo type heaters will burn it without issue.

 

[gssixgun]

Here is what I have read and found over the last 4 years of using a 75k Torpedo style in the shop

They point blank say "Do NOT use last season's Kerosene in the heater it spoils from season to season"

You can find this warning on near every Kero Heater, I never tested it out myself, I heeded the warning and burned off the last of the Kero each season clean and dried the heater and stored it for the next season...

I did some research when Clear Kero up here is now selling at the pump for $5.49

My heater is rated for Diesel also, but I had heard so many horror stories out there, so I started researching it

The new ULSD from the pump is allegedly more pure then any grade of Kero

My first attempt was 50/50 mix with Clear Kero and ULSD honestly the smell was less and the heat output was the same as I could tell

Next Attempt was 2 gallons of Kero and 3 of ULSD I have been running that since and I am happy

The smell starting the heater and shutting down is WAY less,, the ULSD does seem to be cleaner burning...

I have never tried this in a wick style heater so that you have to test yourself

I have also not tried Off Road / Dyed Diesel I was told there is no difference between it and the Road rated ULSD and I have been told that it has a higher Sulfer content, I haven't been able to confirm it either way


That is what I have found so far,,, hope it helps

 

[coachgeo]

Looked into wick Kero heaters about year ago. NOT TORPEDO TYPE. Have got hmmm. 3 used ones. There is a good number of pages out on the web that show you how to run Wick type heaters on diesel. From what I've read/seen it takes very little effort to get it to burn it cleanly. BUTTT... much of this information is from one person who... is not what would you say..... scientific? So take it with a grain of salt. Experiment with it in your barn?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GX_5siUoLGM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6L0l7BMlM8CO2 emissions on diesel. None
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk5hL57Dq-Y use cotton wick? reading elsewhere most all wicks today are cotton on bottom for better capillary action but fiberglass on top. Do not know what his is. I suspect cotton/Fiberglass. Perfection heaters apparently use all cotton wicks and are still available but they were designed in the mid 1800's). Cottons are available for others too on Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Kerosene-Heater-Models-cotton-Moonlighter/dp/B006CTZ15M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3dJ5aHAiT8 This person running on diesel hits the hint about dry burning a wick. As you see in below link they say do not burn dry "cotton only" wicks. You can also break up carbon on wick when cold with pliers. Then brush it with a tooth brush or even a copper wire brush.this is why I suspect fellow in previous vids has had a Fiberglass top wick all along or his previous dry burns would have burned cotton and destroyed the wick. Anyway Here is how you do dry burn http://www.milesstair.com/Kero_Heater_wicks.html

here is few others person
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nqb8aieVr3s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhwJoRtZ8Bc c02 test

 

[CaveCreekRay]

Great info! Thanks!!!

 

[Grouse Feathers]

I finally understand this thread it’s not about cheap heat or emergency heat, it’s about burning diesel! And the best way to burn diesel (diesel not fuel oil) is in a kerosene heater so you can preserve the ambiance (smell). No one should believe a diesel tractor owner who is also a regular contributor to a diesel tractor forum, when he tells you diesel doesn’t smell. He could be swimming in diesel and not smell it. If his wife spilled some on herself, he would be overwhelmed with passion. Come clean how many of you burn diesel soaked incense?

 

[D2Cat]

When gssixgun posted this quote, "They point blank say "Do NOT use last season's Kerosene in the heater it spoils from season to season" it got my attention.

I have a 50,000 BTU Reddy heater. I bought it at an auction about 15 years ago, in like new condition. It had some fuel in it, and I probably used the heater for a hour or two right after I took it home.

I then found it under a work bench wrapped in a plastic trash bag last winter.

Got it out to see if it would work. I ended up replacing two air filters, and one other part, because it wouldn't stay on.

It worked for a few hours last winter. Haven't used it this winter.

I've never added any fuel to in since I've owned it! I don't think that fuel spoiled. I'm not sure what fuel was in it, but it is not diesel.

 

[gssixgun]

When gssixgun posted this quote, "They point blank say "Do NOT use last season's Kerosene in the heater it spoils from season to season" it got my attention.

.

I have always wondered about it. but it is in the owner's manuals

This is just a random Google search and boom there it is

Wick Style

Page 6 in here

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/53/53a4a685-b0ce-43b6-9fd7-d2251eb41745.pdf


Torpedo style

page 12 here

http://www.mitm.com/pdf/manuals/heaters/mh-600-0m10-kerosene-portable-heater.pdf




NEVER store kerosene in direct sunlight or near a source of heat.
NEVER use kerosene that has been stored from one season to the next.
Kerosene deteriorates over time. "OLD KEROSENE" WILL NOT BURN PROPERLY IN THIS HEATER.

 

[CaveCreekRay]

I wonder if they mean "opened" kerosene. Closed stuff should last awhile, or at least some 'Net sites indicate.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Heres something to ponder, what kind of engines are used in underground mining equipment?
Diesel. No carbon monoxide.
Gas engines arent permitted underground.
Im thinking getting a wick style heater as a supplement for heating the small garage the kubota sleeps in.

 

[skeets]

Diesels are in fact used under ground,, however the exhaust is run through a scrubber on the old machines which was basically a water bath to remove particulates,, The new one have a DPF and are required to be changed out about every 100 hours. These motors are required to be so freekin clean by the EAP, MSHA and OSHA.