KEROSENE FUEL PRIMER
Daily reminders by our benevolent leaders on every danger imaginable has created a population afraid of almost everything. So it is with those new to kerosene as a fuel and kerosene-fueled heaters and cookers. But kerosene products have been around for over a century and are safe to use with only the usual precautions required for anything that generates heat.
Kerosene is NOT like gasoline: it is a lubricant, not corrosive, not volatile, and extremely stable in storage. The specific gravity of kerosene is about 0.8, and its ignition point is more than 104 F. If you throw a match into a pool of kerosene it will put out the match. You can hold a match right up to the edge of a teaspoon half full of kerosene and it will not ignite (try that with gasoline and you will need to grow new eyebrows).
http://columbia.thefreedictionary.com/kerosine
kerosene or kerosine, colorless, thin mineral oil whose density is between 0.75 and 0.85 grams per cubic centimeter. A mixture of hydrocarbons, it is commonly obtained in the fractional distillation of petroleum as the portion boiling off between 150°C; and 275°C; (302°F;–527°F;). Kerosene has been recovered from other substances, notably coal (hence another name, coal oil), oil shale, and wood. At one time kerosene was the most important refinery product because of its use in lamps. Now it is most noted for its use as a carrier in insecticide sprays and as a fuel in jet engines.
Thesaurus
Noun 1. kerosene - a flammable hydrocarbon oil used as fuel in lamps and heaters
coal oil, kerosene, lamp oil
fuel - a substance that can be consumed to produce energy; "more fuel is needed during the winter months"; "they developed alternative fuels for aircraft"
hydrocarbon - an organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen
paraffin oil, paraffin - British usageCLEANING THE KEROSENE SMELL OFF YOUR HANDS
Handling kerosene means some will get on your hands, and it has a distinctive aroma. Because kerosene is an penetrating oil, regular detergent often does not completely eliminate the aroma. Thick, cheap hair shampoo, or a women's facial cleanser, will dissolve the kerosene quickly and easily. Any lingering kerosene aroma can be removed by using the new "hand sanitizer," which is an emulsified solution of glycerin, alcohol and water. When your hands are still damp and rinsed from using the shampoo, put on some "hand sanitizer," rub your hands together, then rinse and dry, leaving your hands smelling nice and fresh.
KEROSENE STORAGE
Kerosene may be safely stored in plastic containers, oil drums, old diesel tanks -- just about anything that doesn't leak. Kerosene should be stored in blue containers, as red indicates gasoline. Kerosene does expand and contract slightly with ambient temperatures, so steel tanks should be vented or have some "head space" left in the tank. Plastic containers are designed to have room for expansion, so they may be filled to the lowest edge of the fill hole safely.
Ideally, kerosene should be stored under cover in a ventilated tank. Five gallon containers should be on secure shelving in an outside shed or barn. Obviously you should not store flammable liquids in the home, as that would violate every fire insurance and code regulation that exists and a few new ones as well. [Caveat: You better have a couple of five gallon cans of kerosene ready to bring inside during the three days of darkness (3DD), or you will be COLD and in the dark. Code violations won't matter then.]
The grade of kerosene required by modern kerosene appliances is No. 1-K, which can be either red or clear. The red dye was added by a Clinton Administration edict in July, 1998, so people using kerosene to fuel their diesel engine vehicles would be easy to spot by the police for not paying the road tax on motor fuels. Sure. Like a cop is going to siphon fuel out of your tank to check what color it is. It is just one more idiotic, unconstitutional edict (see the Tenth Amendment) we are stuck with.
Red dye or clear...is there a difference? Yes. Without a doubt. Red dye kerosene is usually delivered in bulk quantities by a fuel oil supplier, and is known in the trade as #1 stove oil. Clear 1-K kerosene in bulk quantities is very difficult to find in most areas, AND it often costs at least a dollar a gallon more than red dye #1 stove oil (kerosene).
If you are using kerosene only for lamps, clear 1-K kerosene can be purchased in hardware stores for $4 or more per gallon -- and you will not be using enough of it to make much of a difference in cost. The clear will burn cleaner in lamps, and the wicks will last a little longer, but wicks are cheap.
Kerosene heaters burn at 90% or greater efficiency and at 90% or greater maximum setting, so the "flame front" is just above the top of the wick and tar ball deposits build up more slowly. Using clear 1-K kerosene, the wick in a kerosene heater may only have to be "burned dry" once or twice a month, and it was common for wicks to last for a decade. When burning red dye #1 stove oil, the wick must be "burned dry" to remove tar deposits once a week or so, and wicks can last for only a season or two, depending on the wick and catalytic converter design. There is no doubt: burning 1-K clear kerosene instead of #1 stove oil in a kerosene heater is more convenient and results in much longer wick life.
Now we must consider the economics involved. The most economical method of heating is with kerosene space heaters -- if #1 stove oil is purchased in bulk, delivered to your tank. On January 14th, 2003, I had red dye #1 stove oil delivered to top up my tanks because I knew we were going to war with Iraq, and oil prices would be skyrocketing. It cost me $1.29.8 per gallon, for a total price of $176.65. I could have had clear 1-K kerosene delivered instead, but the cost would have been $2.34 per gallon, or $318.24. In one-half of one winter heating season, I saved $141.59 by using red dye kerosene!!!
Those who use clear 1-K in kerosene stoves do not have to burn their wicks dry as often as I do, granted, and their wicks last longer than my wicks, saving them at least $4.00 per year on wick costs when amortized over a decade, and there is the added advantage of the not having to burn the wicks "dry" so often - but how much more per year do they spend on burning 1-K clear?
On March 11, 2003, a friend in New Jersey told me that clear 1-K kerosene was available there in bulk for $1.60. Almost made me cry, as that is about half the current price of red dye kerosene in Oregon. Obviously, there are regional price differentials that you should factor into which fuel to burn. My personal cut-off level would be about 25 cents per gallon more for 1-K clear, strictly from an economic point of view.
COMMENT FROM A READER ON "JET A" FUEL
Very few people know that common jet fuel is nothing but more highly refined (read: cleaner) kerosene. It works wonderfully in kerosene heaters, stoves, lamps, and lanterns. I'm an old retired aircraft mechanic and I've handled thousands of gallons of jet fuel. At airports large enough to service jets, you will find that jet fuel is very commonly available. Since the large fuel tanks and fuel trucks at an airport are "sumped" almost daily to remove moisture that can collect at the bottom of a tank, the few gallons drained off frequently is considered waste or close to it. Ask the right people and you might be able to get a few gallons for free. Just check it for a layer of water at the bottom in case it's present. NOTE: Jet A is not the same as JP-4. Do not use JP-4 in a kerosene heater.
WoodyEd: In northern climes, anti-icing additives are often added at the pump nozzle instead of being pre-mixed with the fuel: Don't get the additives when obtaining Jet A for kerosene heater use.
WATER IN KEROSENE
Water can contaminate kerosene, saturate the cotton bottom portion of heater wicks, and then the stoves do not work correctly. You can remove water by pouring it through a chamois cloth, or with the use of a proper filter. If kerosene is cloudy, that is water contamination.
"Remove water and dirt from your fuel before it gets in your tank Filter waters and solids down to 0.005-in while you refuel. A life saver used initially in the aviation industry to remove water and solids from aviation fuel that could cause an engine to stall. Helps keep diesel oils from gelling by removing water and protects your engines from solids in the fuel. Made from military standard electro-conductive polypropylene. Filter screen in the funnels is made of stainless steel coated with Teflon. The funnel and filter are designed to have the dirt and water that cannot pass through the filter collected in the bottom receptacle. No cleaning or replacements needed. Designed to work with gasoline, kerosene and diesel oils only. 5.5" diameter. USA made." The filters are sold by www.Gemplers.com, Item No. G57883, $19.95.
INSTALLING AN OLD OIL TANK FOR KEROSENE STORAGE
Standard oil tanks are oval and hold 220 gallons. The fitting on the front bottom is for 3/8" threaded pipe. The felt filters for sludge and some water are also 3/8" pipe thread, so it is relatively easy to attach them and have filtered fuel (Many hardware stores sell fuel oil filter units for about $20). To make filling kerosene containers easier, a 3/8" to ½" adaptor is placed on a 3/8" pipe leading to the edge of the tank, so a boiler valve with 3/4" garden hose threads on the outlet can be used. Then a short length of clear ½" hose can be made and attached to the boiler valve, and bottles or other containers filled directly without spilling.
There are fittings on the bottom corners of the tanks that take 1 1/4" pipe for legs, but they are relatively fragile. The tank can be sat on the legs, but it can't be rocked upright on them, so it must be carefully lifted, and that means two strong men. I had only me, so I used pulleys, levers, winches, etc, to carefully lift and move the tank over the holes I dug for the legs...and still it was hard.
I used 2 foot long pipe legs. The fittings are 2 inches above the bottom of the tank. I dug 6 inch deep trenches for each set of legs, put a 1 inch piece of concrete in the holes for the legs to stand on, and then took 1 gallon tin cans with both ends cut out, slid them up over each leg, taped them up in place, then lowered the tank into the trenches. Then I leveled the tank so the legs were solidly on the bottom (but level with a ½" drop toward the outlet end), filled the trenches with concrete, then worked the gallon cans down about an inch into the concrete and filled the cans with concrete too. That made the legs very strong, anchored securely, and with the concrete extending up the pipe legs for about 8 inches, even the pipe legs are strengthened. The outlet valve is about 16" above ground level, so filling small containers is easy.
Most oil tanks are installed lower than that for gravity feeding into a basement. I installed mine high enough to fill a tall bottle with kerosene right from the tap I put on after the filter.
I cleaned the inside of the tank by using a pressure sprayer and diesel, spraying through the bungs on top of the tank, and draining it out by removing the bung at the bottom, right behind the 3/8" outlet on the end. What little diesel remained is not enough to contaminate 220 gallons of kero.
Then I had the local oil company come out and deliver me 220 gallons of #1 Kerosene stove oil, not furnace oil or #1 diesel, and it had the red dye, of course. It works perfectly. I use it in all of my oil lamps and kerosene heaters, and it burns perfectly.
USING OTHER OLD TANKS FOR KEROSENE STORAGE
It is sometimes possible to find other old tanks which are perfectly useable for kerosene storage. They may be of an odd shape, but they can be used with a little ingenuity. I found two old Mack truck saddle tanks, each holding 110 gallons. They made fine storage tanks after some modifications and building cradles to hold them. To get the kero out, I removed the 3/4" drain plug at the bottom of one end and replaced the plug with a boiler valve, then made up a short hose from clear 1/2" tubing and a garden hose female replacement end, and that makes filling bottles or jugs very easy indeed (see below, barely visible on end of tank at left).
All of the tanks I use were old, a little rusty, did not leak, and were free. I cleaned the outside of the tanks with rags and solvent, applied a thin film of Ospho to neutralize the rust, let the Ospho dry in the sun for a day, then painted the tanks with an automotive (metal) paint. New tanks cost about $1.00 per gallon...$220 for a 220 gallon tank, and they still need installation. If you have the time and inclination, free tanks are worth the effort and trouble.
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Kerosene heaters:
Heaters a list of heaters and the wicks that fit them. generic for Radiant Heaters build something with wheels! egular maintenance for kerosene appliances Kerosene Stoves, Lanterns and Ovens:
- (stoves in general)
Butterfly #2418 two-burner stove: Information and Operating Instructions
Butterfly #2412 Pressure Stove: Information and Operating Instructions
Butterfly #828R lantern: Information and Operating Instructions
Butterfly #2421 Oven for use on Butterfly kerosene stoves
- and installation.
- Setting Up A Butterfly Multi-Wick Stove
Kerosene, The Fuel, and Storage Tanks
