Omg! I Can Finally Rant About Kerosene Heaters!

Discussion in 'Energy & Fuel' started by Michael Santi, Jun 17, 2017.

  1. Michael Santi

    Michael Santi Veteran Member
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    I have a strange desire ... I imagine a classroom. Adults shuffle in and head to their seats . I stand near the greenboard adjusting the lineup of square and round kerosene heaters and mason jars filled with colored and clear fuels ..... The bell rings to start class ....

    " Class ! .... See this Mason Jar full of red liquid ??? ... Don't use this ever !!! Throw this away ! Stop going to the gas stations that sell this stuff ! Stop writing kerosene heater reviews online about how your new Keroheat and Dynaglow both suck ! YOU caused that suckiness ! YOU decided what possible harm could using cheap off road dyed fuel do ? I'll TELL YOU !!!! It makes wicks stiff ! It causes hard as a rock carbon edges to the wicks top edge ! It changes how the heater burns from minute to minute .... NO KEROSENE HEATER ON THE MARKET LIKES THIS STUFF !!!! Don't you dare tell me what the gas station attendent lied to you about ... FIND CLEAR $3 A GALLON PURE KEROSENE .... IT MUST SAY LESS THAN 500 PPM OF SULPHER .... YOU WILL BE HAPPY FOREVER AFTER !!!! ... AND FOR GOD'S SAKE DRY BURN YOUR WICKS EVERY 5TH BURN !!! OR BETTER YET USE ONLY ENOUGH FUEL FOR THE TIME YOU WANT A BURN AND LET IT BURN ITSELF OUT TO COLD EVERY TIME !!!!

    CLASS DISMISSED ! GET OUT !
     
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  2. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    Ha ha ! I like !
    But I won't 'get out' :p
     
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  3. Michael Santi

    Michael Santi Veteran Member
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    No Patsy, you can stay after class .....
     
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  4. Michael Santi

    Michael Santi Veteran Member
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    I should have added that red dyed fuel WILL burn effectivily in only one thing ... A 'Torpedo' construction man's bomb shaped heater ..... those are noisy, loud, and usually 25,000 BTU and even much larger ... not what anyone would use where quiet or noise considerations are a necessity ...
     
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  5. Patsy Faye

    Patsy Faye Supreme Member
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    I remember when I used to get very bad headaches and a friend told me to go get some Propane !
    I said that's a gas ain't it - how's that gonna help o_O
    She said - no, that's the name of the tablets and they're very good
    She was right - very good ...............then they stopped making them !
     
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  6. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I have never seen red dyed kerosene, @Michael Santi , and the only red off-road fuel I have had any experience with was the off-road diesel, and diesel is different than kerosene, right ?
    The kerosene that I have used was either that kind of pale yellow-orange color, or the expensive kind that comes in quart-size containers at the store, and it is usually scented .
    I have used the red off-road diesel when I had a big Lister generator, and it ran on the red fuel as well as it did on the regular diesel.
    I can understand the red dye in off-road diesel, since it was usually a little cheaper than regular diesel, and they didn't want truck drivers using this instead of the regular diesel. But kerosene is not used in any kind of vehicle that I know of, so why would they dye it red to begin with ?
     
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    Last edited: Jun 18, 2017
  7. Ken Anderson

    Ken Anderson Senior Staff
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    We burn kerosene in our home boiler (heater) during the winter because it doesn't freeze as easily as the fuel oil we use in the summer. It is red in color, I thought to differentiate it from the fuel oil, which will freeze in the coldest part of winter.
     
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  8. Yvonne Smith

    Yvonne Smith Senior Staff
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    I can see that with a heating oil furnace. However I have never heard of "off-road kerosene ". What ORV uses kerosene as fuel ?
     
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  9. Joe Riley

    Joe Riley Supreme Member
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    I don't think they are talking about off road vehicles, Yvonne, But of off road usage. When I worked, we used heaters, outdoors in the winter, that ran off diesel. Unlike that used in vehicles, it was untaxed. We toasted our sandwiches on them as well!;) We called the salamanders.
    [​IMG]
     
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    Last edited: Aug 28, 2017
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  10. Hoot Crawford

    Hoot Crawford Veteran Member
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    Note to OP - tell me more about making your wick stiff.....
     
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  11. Chrissy Cross

    Chrissy Cross Supreme Member
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    Ha ha! Sadly the OP has left the building......maybe he'll come back one day.
     
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  12. Frank Sanoica

    Frank Sanoica Supreme Member
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    @Ken Anderson
    As with "propane", the fuel vendors "blend" hydrocarbon fuels, gas, oil, and the like, based on the least costly mix (to them) throughout the year. Several commonly used fuels, propane and "heating oil", are subject to "freezing", with the result flow is interrupted to the user, who immediately feels the "chill".

    Propane is blended with Butane, which is cheaper. Unfortunately, based on weather predictions, the supplier continues to "weight" the blend more heavily with Butane, and occasionally gets caught in a bind, an unpredicted cold "snap", and customers become faced with frozen feed lines; no heat.

    Same is true for "home heating oils". The number of "oils" available to the supplier is amazing, and he attempts to enhance profit accordingly. In my mind, I've always felt that if I buy Propane, I ought to get PROPANE. Not the case, unfortunately.

    Story told before, but illustrative: our plant in Indiana, Dana Corp., operated on Propane during winter months due to curtailment of natural gas by the supplier. One day, the boilers "went out". Frozen propane feed lines. As Facilities Engineer, the burden of solution fell on my shoulders. First, I talked the gas company into allowing a period of gas usage. Then I learned the blenders had miscalculated the propane/butane mix, as it turned much colder than predicted. They needed and wanted the huge industrial business, so agreed to feed our plant 100% propane.

    What an education I got after college!! Frank
     
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