PREP Kerosene heaters, K1 prices and availability

[BH]

I have assisted my heat pump with kerosene heaters for many years. In the past few years (thanks and FJB), the cost of K1 has become almost prohibitive for heat. Last year and this, our local K1 supply has been in the $6.50 / gallon range. In addition to the cost, the availability locally has gotten quite sparse. Using up to a gallon a day for supplemtal heat has gotten tough to justify (and find). I searched for K1 alternatives for heaters and found a lot of links like the following.

Our closest gas station / grocery has off-road diesel for 20 cents less than the vehicle pump price. Yesterday I bought 4 gallons for $15 instead of the $26 I have been paying. I brought it home and added 160ml of 91% isopropyl to the can (40ml/gal). I filled my oldest heater with the new mix. There was K1 in the bottom and in the wick, so it lit normally. After a couple of hours the heater glowed normally although the heat output seemed a little less. We let it run for hours and the living room and bar got real comfy (about 75-76 degrees w/no heat pump - outside was 40's). After maybe 6 hours I shut it down and the tank still felt almost full (moreso than with K1 for the same amount of time, IIRC).

This morning, I lit it again (this time no K1 remained). It took longer for the normal glow to appear, but once it did it feels like it did last night. It actually seems to burn cleaner and the old smoky, petrol smell just isn't there. We have both smoke and CO2 detectors, don't think I would have tried this without them.

Aside from the cost savings ($6.50 for K1 vs yesterday's $3.91 for the mix), the diesel is available from any gas station that has vehicle diesel (everywhere) and the 91% alcohol is $4.00 a quart at Walmart (a quart of alcohol will do almost 24 gallons at 40ml/gal - 17 cents for the alcohol). I know this will shorten the wick life, but how much it shortens it will be determined (don't see that as a show stopper).

Not recommending or endorsing this for anyone, YMMV of course, but then again, kerosene heaters aren't for everyone. This appears to have addressed my immediate concerns for my aux heat. If any detrimental effects are uncovered, I'll update this thread.

Can You Use Diesel in a Kerosene Heater? (How To Mix)

Yes, diesel is supposed to be a reliable and safe alternative to burning kerosene. The trick is to make sure you mix the diesel fuel well with another...

thecampingadvisor.com

Can You Use Diesel in a Kerosene Heater? The Comprehensive Guide - PREPAREDNESS ADVICE

Diesel fuel is a popular choice for powering vehicles, but can you use diesel in a kerosene heater? In this comprehensive guide, we will clear up all the

preparednessadvice.com

Can You Use Diesel in a Kerosene Heater? [Solved]

What you need to know to use diesel in a kerosene heater safely, including fuel additives, wick burning issues, sulfur and fume risk.

www.primalsurvivor.net

Can I Use Diesel in A Kerosene Heater?

What do you heat your house with?While many people use natural gas or outdoor propane tanks, some like the variability of space heaters like a kerosene heater.With the rising prices of gasoline and kerosene, you may be considering using diesel fuel in your kerosene heater.This can potentially...

upgradedhome.com

Can Diesel Fuel be Used in a Kerosene Heater? Risks and Benefits

Yes, diesel fuel can be used safely in kerosene heaters as an alternate fuel to normal kerosene. Find out how to do it here.

www.survivalsullivan.com

Can You Mix Kerosene And Diesel In A Heater: Safe or Not!

Are you unsure about using mixed fuels in your heater? You're not alone, and you might be surprised to learn that mixing kerosene and diesel in a heater is an

heatingsystemwiki.com

 

[Macgyver]

Take a look at this guide.
At 6.50 a gallon electric resistance heat might be cheaper depending on your kwh rate.

I know electric is not reliable or a prep item but might save you some labor for normal day to day.

Fuel Cost Calculator | AMSEnergy

Directions for Fuel Cost Calculator: Enter the costs in Column "Unit Price" for the various fuels or use the default values as listed

www.amsenergy.com

 

[smokin]

Spilling kerosene on you or your clothes makes you smell sexy!

 

[West]

IIRC, Diesel has more BTUs per gallon than kero. Just need to burn it hotter.

Keep on keeping on. Clean both coils on your heat pump system and blower cage. Keep thermostat set at a vary conservative setting so it still cycles now and then to help distribute the diesel heat through out the house.

Best of luck. We use a wood stove to help out our heat pump.

 

[West]

Also look for distributors of diesel for heating and farm fuel. Save about+- a dollar a gallon. But may need to buy a storage tank of at least 220 gallons. Totally legal and highly recommended.

That's a super asset! As a prepper imho a must have.

 

[Southside]

Aah, a wood stove. We will fire ours up this week, as it is cold enough to use as our primary heat source.
Only used it 10 days last year. 0 so far this season. It just gets too hot in the house if it is higher than 32 degrees F outside.

 

[West]

The Differences Between Gasoline, Diesel, and Kerosene – Captain Patio

There are many differences between the three most common types of petroleum based fuels. Find out the nuances between gasoline, diesel, and kerosene!

captainpatio.com

Just a interesting piece above.

Snip, more at link....

"Gasoline, kerosene, and diesel are essential fuels used for drastically different purposes. I’ve personally used all three to various degrees around the patio (as I’m sure you have as well), each for their own unique task.

Most of us know that you can’t use gasoline in diesel engines, kerosene in gasoline engines, etc. However, fewer know the advantages, disadvantages, and specific uses of each fuel type.

Luckily, Captain Patio is here to shed some light on this topic. Put on your seatbelt, and come with me to explore the differences between gasoline, kerosene, and diesel.

Heat Output​

All three fuels are meant to be ignited. So what burns hotter — gas, diesel, or kerosene? To measure their heat outputs, we’re going to use British Thermal Units per gallon, or BTUs/g (we wrote a full guide on fire pit BTU outputs if you’d like a reference point).

Fuel Type	Heat Output
Gasoline	120,286 BTUs
Diesel	137,381 BTUs
Kerosene	131,890 BTUs

As you can see, diesel burns hotter than gasoline and hottest of the three. While gasoline barely surpasses 120,000 BTUs, diesel boasts over 137,000 BTUs per gallon! Kerosene falls a bit short of diesel, burning at almost 132,000 BTUs per gallon."

End snip, good stuff.

 

[kyrsyan]

Only warning I was given on using kerosene with a central is that, supposedly, pollutants from it can somehow damage the central unit.

But I learned a long time ago that if the heat pump was having to continually run, pull out the kerosene heater. I set it in the same room as the air intake and let the central unit distribute the heat through the house. And it keeps the heat pump from running the emergency could so often. Even at $6/gallon, kerosene is cheaper than the bill that will hit for letting it use the electric backup.

 

[Publius]

Have to know what your buying when it comes to K-1 and many are buying kerosene and don't understand why the K-1 heater smells up the house and and may put out soot and its because they are burning N0#2 oil and by law they have to sell K-1 that has 20% or more of N0#2 heating oil in it as kerosene and not as N0#1 heating fuel I.E. K-1 and K-1 is water white or clear.

 

[Knighttemplar]

Look at the small diesel space heaters, there was a thread on them not long ago.

 

[hiwall]

Why not just use propane? It's like $3 per gallon.

 

[cat killer]

I walked by a K-1 pump last week and it was $7.65 gal.
Really dating myself, my dad would give me a dollar bill and usually a nickel.
I would load a 5 gal. can on my bicycle trailer.
The dollar would buy 5 gal. of kerosene and the nickel was for me to spend.

 

[Border Collie Dad]

The K-1 specification has to do with the amount of sulfur.
That is what causes the odor in kerosun heatrs.
I don't remember, anymore, what that is but there is a K-2 also.
I think K-2 has 500 PPM.

Current on-road diesel has (I think) 15 ppm sulfur.
Some off road is like k-2 kero.

 

[WalknTrot]

I'd personally be real reluctant to be messing around with burning alcohol. Mixing it in....maybe I'm not understanding, but seems to me the stuff would evaporate off real quick. Don't see it being much of an "additive" for very long before it's gone. Maybe it's intended to only get the burn started?

 

[BH]

I'd personally be real reluctant to be messing around with burning alcohol. Mixing it in....maybe I'm not understanding, but seems to me the stuff would evaporate off real quick. Don't see it being much of an "additive" for very long before it's gone. Maybe it's intended to only get the burn started?

An update on my experiment.

I agree with WT, and thought this myself, about the alcohol evaporating quickly, especially mixing it with multiple gallons in the can to be used days later.

After witnessing slow starts between lighting and glowing, I tried a tank with appropriate alcohol mixed in the tank itself at the time of fill up. The period between lighting and glowing was greatly reduced, even in subsequent lightings on the same tank. I guess this is why the articles discussed the mix in ml per pint instead of ml per gallon.

The diesel mix seems to burn cooler and produces a more even heat in the room. It also seems to almost double the burn time on a tank of fuel. I use to get about 12 hour burns on a tank of K1 and seem to be getting about 20 hour burns on the diesel mix. From a cost perspective, the K1 was costing about $0.54 / hour whereas the mix is costing about $0.19 / hour. Until something changes my mind, I will continue to use the mix and add the alcohol on a tank for tank basis.

 

[WalknTrot]

An update on my experiment.

I agree with WT, and thought this myself, about the alcohol evaporating quickly, especially mixing it with multiple gallons in the can to be used days later.

After witnessing slow starts between lighting and glowing, I tried a tank with appropriate alcohol mixed in the tank itself at the time of fill up. The period between lighting and glowing was greatly reduced, even in subsequent lightings on the same tank. I guess this is why the articles discussed the mix in ml per pint instead of ml per gallon.

The diesel mix seems to burn cooler and produces a more even heat in the room. It also seems to almost double the burn time on a tank of fuel. I use to get about 12 hour burns on a tank of K1 and seem to be getting about 20 hour burns on the diesel mix. From a cost perspective, the K1 was costing about $0.54 / hour whereas the mix is costing about $0.19 / hour. Until something changes my mind, I will continue to use the mix and add the alcohol on a tank for tank basis.

Appreciate the update. As long as you are getting enough heat for your needs, even if it isn't optimal output, run with it!

You will no doubt be careful and understand how volatile the alcohol is. Don't know if it's a good idea for the Average Joe unless they are real careful.

BTW..how is your wick holding up?

 

[winodog]

Why not just use propane? It's like $3 per gallon.

I have been using these for years. Safe and effective unlike the jab.

https://www.basspro.com/shop/en/mr-heater-big-buddy-propane-heater?ds_e=MICROSOFT&ds_c=BPS%7CShopping%7CSmart%7CCamping%7CGeneral%7CNAud%7CNVol%7CNMT&gclid=154900bcf40c1eb4a38a651e549b161f&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=154900bcf40c1eb4a38a651e549b161f

 

[Border Collie Dad]

Not sure using alcohol is the best and safest thing.
You could put a little gasoline in and that would warm things up some.
.

Sorry for being a wise a**.

 

[BH]

Look at the small diesel space heaters, there was a thread on them not long ago.

I saw that thread and will definitely check them out as a grid down and supplemental heating option.

I have been using these for years. Safe and effective unlike the jab.

I have used the portable propane heaters in my pop-up camper days. Worked very well with the 1lb bottles, became awkward with larger bottles and associated hoses. Spec shows a runtime of about 11 hours on 2 x 1lb bottles, which would put the cost per hour right up close to K1.

Why not just use propane? It's like $3 per gallon.

We cook with propane and our tank keeps the stove running for close to 18 months. To get that $3 / gallon price point requires a scheduled delivery by truck or physically taking your larger tank to a propane filling station. Blue Rhino tank swaps are the only bring home option and locally are more than $3 / gallon.

Appreciate the update. As long as you are getting enough heat for your needs, even if it isn't optimal output, run with it!

You will no doubt be careful and understand how volatile the alcohol is. Don't know if it's a good idea for the Average Joe unless they are real careful.

BTW..how is your wick holding up?

Since starting this experiment we have had highs in the 40's and lows in the mid 20's and our needs have been met nicely. We have colder weather coming next weekend, low's close to single digit and highs remaining below freezing for a couple of days, that will be the big test. The wife will definitely cook a big meal using the oven, that is always good for raising the house temp a few degrees.

I have not inspected the wick specifically since the switch. I'm on my 2nd tank and have lit the heater 6 or 7 times. On this test heater, the push button igniter has not worked for years. I use a grill lighter and actually touch the wick with a flame. So far, the wick has lit evenly and the flame has spread around it consistently although slower than it did with K1. The orange glow evenly covers the entire globe and does not have any dim spots, so at this point I'm assuming the wick is holding up OK.

Agree on maybe not the best idea for the average Joe, at least at this point, but maybe these conversations will expose and address the potential issues. For me, a K1 heater user since the mid-70's, I was looking for a more reliable supply and lower cost than what has happened over the past few years with price increases and most of the service stations that had a K1 tank dropping the product. I am unaware of any service station that does not have a diesel pump.

 

[Dobbin]

Owner has used both propane heaters and kerosene heaters in his man-cave. His problem with both is "moisture." The man-cave has Owner's desk and computer - but also has all his machinery/tools. And any unvented heater tends to create "moisture" as part of the combustion process. And moisture causes rust on the tools.

He says with the unvented heater "my windows all fog up."

As it is now he has a small electric heater under his desk. It is a mean sounding thing and I can hear its fan rattling even at this distance. He'll use this in the fall and the spring for quick work at the desk.

The rest of the heating season he uses a wood stove. This would be an airtight stove with adjustable damper - but not "automatic." (i.e. doesn't have its own temperature set-point)

For some areas and applications more moisture may be a good thing. Owner says he keeps a pot of water on the woodstove in the house all winter long. But the house is bigger, probably more "permeable", and winters are normally "dry" here in Cow Hampshire.

Today promises to get progressively colder - and before Owner went to let the chickens out, he started the wood stove in the Man-Cave. The wood stove in the house has been in use since about Thanksgiving.

Dobbin

 

[Millwright]

Woke up to frozen water line coming in the shop this morning.

It happens, Takes a few minutes to thaw. I have the water line in a chase with the dryer vent. Disconnect dryer vent and let it blow up the chase. Usually about 5 minutes...no beer wasted on morning tooth brush routine.

I remembered having a kero heater in the barn. somebody gave it to me 20+ years ago, IIRC.

Went and dug it out, disassembled and cleaned the dirt daubers out. Not hard, but a pain.

I guess I'll find some K-1 today and put it into service.

Great...another set of procedures to learn.

 

[Millwright]

Considering BTUs, these kerosene heaters are in the same neighborhood as the chicom diesel heater.

They both dance around the 24K BTU rating.

That's about the same as 2 tons of heat.

 

[rob0126]

Woke up to frozen water line coming in the shop this morning.

It happens, Takes a few minutes to thaw. I have the water line in a chase with the dryer vent. Disconnect dryer vent and let it blow up the chase. Usually about 5 minutes...no beer wasted on morning tooth brush routine.

I remembered having a kero heater in the barn. somebody gave it to me 20+ years ago, IIRC.

Went and dug it out, disassembled and cleaned the dirt daubers out. Not hard, but a pain.

I guess I'll find some K-1 today and put it into service.

Great...another set of procedures to learn.

walmart here has 2.5 gal 1-K jugs for 30.00, so it might be there too.

Robot or human?

 

[BH]

I have had the 23-24K BTU convection heaters before. They cook, but also have a large tank and drink the fuel. I currently have 2 x 10K BTU radiant heaters that get much better fuel mileage and if I need upwards of 20K BTUs I can light both of them. Going down to 14 here tonight, so it may be a 2 heater evening. I don't burn them while sleeping, heat pump works hard overnight.

Reading more articles about diesel in kero heaters, some talked about using a mix of D and K. My last tank was mixed 1:3 K to D (1 qt K and 3 qt D). It lit evenly and quickly and is producing heat more like when I used 100% K. The first burn seemed to get fuel mileage similar to what I saw with the D and alcohol. The alcohol worked OK, but a K & D mix seems to work better for me.

In 7 days I have used 4 gal diesel for about $2 a day, instead of almost $4 a day for K and less burn hours. I'm refilling a 5 gal can today and will pre-mix a 1:4 (K to D) ratio for the next week. This will make the cost about $4.30 / gal instead of $6.50 / gal for just K and still get longer burns.

 

[Millwright]

Jet juice k1 is running about $10/gal here.

Diesel is $3.50.

Still getting some kero in case the diesel heater throws craps.

Gelled diesel in tractors is a problem.

 

[Millwright]

A coupla stations had pumps bagged off.

Diesel had gelled in the system.

 

[Toosh]

I did not know this! Great info. Thanks for posting.

 

[Millwright]

Member business that specialized in kero parts.

Miles Stair's Wick Shoppe

Found another place that does kero heater parts.

Kerosene Heater Wicks | Kerosene Wicks

Kerosene Wicks: Large selection of Kero-World kerosene heater wicks, kerosene heaters, and accessories. Low prices, fast shipping.

www.kerosene-wicks.com

 

[WalknTrot]

For wicks and much helpful info, our own member, Miles Stair has a great website also. All things kero and oil. Heaters, lamps. No affiliation except that I have bought from him for many years.

Link:

Miles Stair's Wick Shoppe

 

[Millwright]

For wicks and much helpful info, our own member, Miles Stair has a great website also. All things kero and oil. Heaters, lamps. No affiliation except that I have bought from him for many years.

Link:

Miles Stair's Wick Shoppe

I forgot about Miles.

What a great resource.

Support member businesses.

Edited my post to add his site.

 

[BH]

We were in the low teens last night and back to upper teens tonight. Ran out of my test mix. Took 5 gal can and got 1 gal K1 and 4 gals off road diesel (1:4). That mix lit and heated like regular K1. I ran 2 heaters and put the air handler on circulate (runs on slow about 15 minutes every hour). Had the whole house about 76 like in the old days of cheap K1.

When I went for the diesel, there was a guy filling up a 5 gal blue can. I asked, you getting that for a heater, he said yep.

Thanks for the Wick Shoppe link, will hang on to it.

 

[Millwright]

We were in the low teens last night and back to upper teens tonight. Ran out of my test mix. Took 5 gal can and got 1 gal K1 and 4 gals off road diesel (1:4). That mix lit and heated like regular K1. I ran 2 heaters and put the air handler on circulate (runs on slow about 15 minutes every hour). Had the whole house about 76 like in the old days of cheap K1.

When I went for the diesel, there was a guy filling up a 5 gal blue can. I asked, you getting that for a heater, he said yep.

Thanks for the Wick Shoppe link, will hang on to it.

Do you get any stink off the diesel?

My worry is that it will smell like a deuce & a half, idling in the house.

 

[BH]

Do you get any stink off the diesel?

My worry is that it will smell like a deuce & a half, idling in the house.

Actually, the wife and I both agree that the DK mix smells significantly less than straight K during lighting, burning and shutting it down. Now with the 1:4 mix, the heat output is back up close to that of pure K.

I'm curious to try real automotive D instead of the off-road D. Apparently, the off-road does not necessarily have to meet the low sulfur standard as the on-road, neither does the K. Not sure about sulfur content of the off-road D I've been buying, regardless we're OK with the smell and performance.

 

[Millwright]

Does the biodiesel content make a difference?

Hard to tell what it really is, but some are posted at the pump.

I've seen more problems with red diesel in injector pumps and assume it's higher bio.

 

[BH]

I read one article that basically said that lots of things can be substituted for D, peanut oil was one and things going into bio-D were others. From a heater standpoint, keeping the wick functional and not gumming up the mechanisms would be desirable as well as burning good enough to produce acceptable heat. Functioning properly in an engine would be much more complicated than burning in a heater.

We've got 3 more nights in the low to mid teens starting tonight. Glad we have 2 heaters that will keep the house warm for less than $6.50 per tank per heater. Latest mix (1:4) was $4.17 per tank.

 

[Quiet Man]

I have assisted my heat pump with kerosene heaters for many years. In the past few years (thanks and FJB), the cost of K1 has become almost prohibitive for heat. Last year and this, our local K1 supply has been in the $6.50 / gallon range. In addition to the cost, the availability locally has gotten quite sparse. Using up to a gallon a day for supplemtal heat has gotten tough to justify (and find). I searched for K1 alternatives for heaters and found a lot of links like the following.

Thank you, very much, for putting this information up and sharing your experiences.

This adds an extra dimension to my preps.

 

[West]

Heat pumps are great! If installed and maintained correctly. Plus having a great back up, like wood, gas or oil secondary source to help them out when temperatures drop below freezing!

Don't get me wrong, heat pumps still work great even at temperatures below freezing. Just not as good.

All the best! Go oil back ups!

 

[Millwright]

@BH are you seeing more carbon build up on the wick with a D/K blend?

 

[BH]

The newer heater got kinda stiff moving the wick, the older heater is fine. I let it burn out on its own. Looked at and felt the top edge of the wick and it seemed fine. Ran it up and down a few time before refilling and it has been fine. I think letting it burn itself out at least every other tank may be necessary.

 

[West]

Of note...

I've installed many oil burning forced air heaters and water heaters.

The best and most efficient systems where retention oil burners. Not like a smudge, drip or wick system. But I found that putting a oil line heater on the feed line to the burners and a higher/hotter voltage spark worked great to get the most efficiency out of a gallon of oil.

Also mixing a bit of good kerosene with the number 2 diesel of at least 5 gallons of kero to 100 gallons of #2 diesel oil, works best for the cleanest and most efficient oil burning.

So with a wick systems that I think you all in this thread is talking about, try heating the oil up before burning it.

Easy to do if you have a large tank and a 3/8 to 1/2 inch copper oil line to feed to the appliance....

Beckett 51621U Start Helper Nozzle Line Heater

Beckett 51621U Start Helper Nozzle Line Heater

www.afsupply.com

Another option could be some kind of electric pad heater, like the ones we use in the dog house(spoiled rotten). Put one of those under you wick oil heater?

IDK? About wick burners.

But I know that if the oil is preheated, efficiency climbs by 4% +-.