I've notice over the last couple of years that the quality of the kerosene from our local refinery has gone from marginal to trash. Left to stand long enough, and you can clearly see the moisture and contamination in it. I can't afford the Stoddard solvent from the other refinery that is bone dry and burns very well. Has anyone else in the States noticed a decline in the quality of kerosene? It's gotten bad enough that I'm installing a profane heater on our porch to replace the kerosene one. I was replacing wicks twice a season because of fouling.
What I do If I think the quality is iffy ( not so good) I add into my Aida a cap full of Fuel injector cleaner, or Dry Gas. the Dry Gas will rid the Kero of any moisture. They will burn nice and hot and keep the insides and Jet clean Hope that helps.
I remember reading recently about a profane parrot annoying neighbours - I think they had an ASBO taken out against it. Be careful the same doesn't happen to your heater Al.
Hi Al, That's a real bummer about your kerosene problem. Seems like a vendor storage/distribution problem as it's probably OK from the refinery (you have a local refinery?) If enough folks complained, they might fix the it. Anyway, I'm a bit amazed that propane would be less expensive to use than kerosene as it's a more expensive fuel just about anywhere. Just for interest sake, I like to check here for the latest normalized prices for common fuels. There's also nice historical data there going back quite a few years. Perhaps the cost of your wicks and the general poor performance and aggravation also factor into your decision, but propane is not cheap. Have you considered trying one of these Mr Funnel fuel filters . They have a larger size one which will enable you to repour a 5 gal can very quickly. I can't vouch for it's operation though. Like Echo6, I add some alcohol to my kerosene (while still in the 5 gal can) just in case. Dan
I've got one of those and it seems to work OK, although I haven't tried it with badly water-contaminated fuel. I'm almost sure it's designed to remove liquid water only and not any that's held in suspension within the fuel. The only real problem with mine is that the outlet is such a large diameter, it won't fit directly into a lamp tank...
I buy Jet A without additive ( antifreeze)it is military grade pure, no water and it burns beautifully on my lanterns and Perfection 525 heater, no foul up, you can buy it at your local airport if you bring your 5 gallon jerry can, around six dollars a gallon, I have been using it on a Coleman frankenstein with a 201 generator, a Petromax 829 and a Hipolito 500, I did a clean up on my lanterns after 9 months of daily use, and the generators were squeaky clean, no residue. I will not go back to kerosene unless it is an emergency.
Profane is coming from the house bulk tank under contract price, so not so bad. We only use it at night when the wood stove doesn't have a fire going. Cost of kerosene was undone by having to replace wicks several times a winter, and the remarkably strong odor. I do use a drying agent in the kero, but it never was enough. I will look into a Mr. Funnel since I still use kero as a back up. Yes, the refinery is right in town. There is another refinery a ways away, and I've heard more than one comment that our kero is a poorer quality. Our refinery gets crude from Canadian tar sand, and the other refinery uses Pennsylvania sweet crude. I suspect that has something to do with things. I've been tempted to drive the distance once just to fill my 5 gallon jugs and see for myself, but the price of fuel is too high for my curiosity.
Hi Dan, Looking at the chart makes me feel a lot better about having wood as the primary heat fuel for the house! I do my own cutting, so I guess it doubles as exercise. The house is on the propane boiler right now since the days are warm but the nights are cool. It's a waste of time and wood to fire up the big boiler only to dump the excess heat into the garage. Yes, the cost of wicks, stink, and lame fuel have all driven me away from kerosene heaters. I do have a classic Aladdin Blue Flame that I'll use the costlier kero in just for giggles. I also ordered a Mr. Funnel for kero and diesel since I have issues with that fuel too. I suspect a lot of the problem is damp creeping into tanks and accumulating.
Hi Al, I do like that Vermont website, especially how it normalizes the heat value of the various fuels. I fully understand the aggravation you must go through. The cost of the wicks is bad enough, but the maintenance (constant dry burning) and smoke/smell could drive me away also. Currently I go through about 50 gal of kerosene over the heating season, just doing the main living area of the house and my wick easily lasts the season. As my heating system is natural gas, which has come down dramatically in price, I'm not sure I'm saving any money any more. I'll keep doing it though, as I like the whole kerosene heating experience. (I collect wick based kerosene heaters too). What sort of propane heater are you considering getting? vented? ventless? I'd use the "good stuff" for the Tilley heaters and lamps also. Those vaporizers are expensive. Dan
We have two Kozy World radiant catalytic heaters with adjustable thermostats. They're rated at 10,000 BTUs and do a nice job of keeping the chill at bay. They are ventless and run very clean. My wife has one in her studio, and the other is on our 4-season porch. I have a 22,000 BTU radiant overhead heater in my cider mill, but the space is so tight that I only run it when the door is open because I'm pressing cider. The room is so well insulated that a 2000W electric space heater does the job nicely without breathing all my air!
