Kerosene Heaters, Stoves and Lanterns.

 
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EarthWindandFire
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Post by EarthWindandFire » Mon. Apr. 29, 2013 4:27 pm

With the cool Spring weather and the Hitzer shut down for the season, I needed an alternative heating source for the shoulder seasons. After some research I decided that kerosene may be a good solution for these cold nights during the late Spring and early Fall when running a coal stove is simply uneconomical. Other fuels were explored, but the initial investment in equipment and the high cost of fuel made the other options cost prohibitive.

Kerosene requires very little in the way of an initial investment and operating cost. Kerosene is no longer cheap, but its relative safety when stored and long shelf-life due to its chemical stability makes kerosene a viable alternative to propane heating equipment.

Just like coal stoves, not all kerosene equipment and not all sizes are right for every situation. You must size the kerosene heater for your needs, they are not adjustable in BTU output without negatively impacting efficiency. Therefore, I have bought three different kerosene heaters, each with a different BTU output. From my research and asking questions from people who restore kerosene heaters, they all seem in agreement that the Japanese made kerosene heaters are the best. Kerosene is the fuel of choice in Japan and is common for them, whereas constant litigation here in the United States has made the Japanese manufacturers withdraw from the american market.

These are my current kerosene heaters. I would like to add a vintage Perfection or Barler kerosene heater to my inventory. The Perfection brand heaters were originally financed by John D Rockefeller and heated my great-grandparents 4,000 sq ft farmhouse, the one pictured in my avatar, for nearly one hundred years.

1). Futura (Sanyo) FH-21, 7200 BTU room heater.
2). Kero-Sun Omni 15, 8700 BTU room heater.
3). Kero-Sun Omni 105, 21000 BTU house heater.

Does anyone here own, use or restore kerosene heaters or have a favorite stove they want to talk about?


 
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Post by Poconoeagle » Mon. Apr. 29, 2013 7:05 pm

I have the omni 105 and also a radiant 10. Then I have a corona. The shop I worked at as a kid sold the corona's. they were top dog in thier day. I have a few perfection heaters. Gt me at the Amish flea markets. The excessive collection of Aladdin lamps helps as they put out 2500 BTU at 60 watt lumens..... 8-) kero is 4 bucks a gal!!!!!!! ;)

 
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Post by franco b » Mon. Apr. 29, 2013 7:19 pm

Consumer Reports killed off kerosene heaters with their report documenting the air pollution the unvented heaters added to the room. I think they were right that unvented heaters are not the best idea.

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Mon. Apr. 29, 2013 7:40 pm

I like the Toyotomi OM22s and the Laser 73s (forget Monitors). Air comes from the outside and gets returned there. Never a smell of kerosene, good shoulder month stuff and great microprocessors but not antiques.

 
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Post by Poconoeagle » Mon. Apr. 29, 2013 7:43 pm

yes indeed they are very good and efficient heaters. till the lister gives up the rod's.... :roll:

the back up to back up are centrally plumbed LP gas wall units. a blue flame as well as a 5 panel ceramic to spread the wealth around the fossil fuel world!! :lol:

 
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EarthWindandFire
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Post by EarthWindandFire » Wed. May. 01, 2013 7:10 pm

After some further investigating, it's clear that the Japanese have advanced the technology of burning kerosene over the last thirty years from what we remember and learned as kids and now as adults. The kerosene heaters we currently use were designed by Corona, Toyotomi/Kero-Sun and others in the 1970's. The latest units sold at Sears, Home Depot and Lowes are all cheaply made Korean and Chinese clones. However, the Japanese continue to design and manufacture the very best kerosene heaters but no longer export them to the United States.

The current batch of high quality Japanese made kerosene heaters are manufactured by three main companies; Corona, Toyotomi and Dainichi. There are many websites that discuss life in Japan and how they heat their homes and apartments using just kerosene heaters and Kotatsu tables which are simple tables with an electric heater suspended under the tables top.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotatsu

I've watched several videos about the new Japanese kerosene heaters and read reviews of the heaters written by americans living in Japan. The thought has crossed my mind of importing a brand new kerosene fan heater from Japan. The shipping cost alone would be about two hundred dollars, so this idea is shelved for the moment. They look just like a modern dehumidifier and operate the same as your window air-conditioner or microwave does at home.

http://www.corona.co.jp/en/products/heat.html

http://www.kt70.com/~jamesjpn/articles/heating-ho ... japan.html

http://ishikawajet.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/how-t ... ne-heater/

 
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Post by EarthWindandFire » Fri. May. 03, 2013 8:56 pm

Here's a photo of my smallest kerosene heater. It is just 7200 BTU's but is very well made and rare. Futura made several models in different sizes and I'm looking to get a larger model. Let me know if you have a Futura which was made by Sanyo.

According to the Wick Shop's website, Futura made seven different kerosene heaters.

http://www.milesstair.com/by_make/FUTURA_Kerosene ... aters.html

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Post by McGiever » Fri. May. 03, 2013 9:49 pm

Hey EWF, Do any of these unit get vented to the "out of doors"?

How does the cost of Kerosene Fuel compare with the cost of other fuels in the "Fuel Calculator"?

One thing for sure, kerosene sure stinks if/when you drip some when refueling or where ever it is stored. :sick:

 
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Post by EarthWindandFire » Fri. May. 17, 2013 3:01 pm

McGiever,

I just bought some kerosene from the local gas station and paid 4.99 per gallon. Kerosene is not cheap, however the heaters require no elctricity to operate and pair very well with people who use coal. The kerosene heaters are great for the shoulder months and require very little maintenance. They are unvented appliances and have very little smell if lit and extinguished outside. They do smell when first lit and when shut-off, which is why lighting them outside is best.

 
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Post by EarthWindandFire » Mon. Apr. 28, 2014 10:39 am

I've had the coal stove shut-off for a few weeks now. I went to buy kerosene at my local gas station this weekend and paid $ 5.50 per gallon. The price just keeps going up. The kerosene I buy is undyed A1 clear which is the recommended fuel for kerosene heaters. The dyed kerosene clogs the wick.

Next year I will buy 4 tons of coal and plan to use the stove until May 1st.

 
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Post by Lanure » Tue. Aug. 14, 2018 6:44 am

I apologize for bump the old topic, but I have some interesting observations that I would like to share, maybe this will help someone in the future because once I was on the lookout for useful advice.

Remember to keep them WELL away from curtains, flammable materials, combustable stored fuels (including the spare kerosene or oil), and on a sturdy platform where kids and pets can't reach it, tip it over or break it.

Even though I have a full house gen-set for emergencies, I also keep several LED lanterns with rechargable batteries (and a few solar chargers), 2 Aladdin and 1 Petromax lanterns https://bestoutdooritems.com/best-kerosene-lanter ... -oil-lamp/ that burn kerosene and give off a nice white light for reading or detail work, a half dozen smaller kerosene lanterns and plenty of spare wicks, probably around 8 or 9 oil lamps (I don't use 'em much because they smoke pretty bad even with the best grade of oil and wick I can buy), two Coleman duel fuel white gas/unleaded gas lanterns with spare mantles and plenty of , and a dinky 1 lb propane fueled lantern that I bought for some reason or another years ago. I have a ton of the little 1 lb cylanders so it should last a long time if I need to use it.

Best advice I can give about the kero and oil lamps is to NOT cheap out on the grade of fuel and the wicks. They will determine whether you have a reasonable amount of light and a breathable atmosphere in your house or if you will get a weak yellow flame with little light and so much smoke the neighbors might call the fire dept to put out your house! Get the best you can afford. The lamps are just fuel recepticles and a dial for moving the wick up and down. Spend the money on the fuel and wicks and you won't be sorry.

 
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Post by franco b » Tue. Aug. 14, 2018 9:45 am

When coal was king, those kerosene heaters were popular in spring and fall, all US made. All those nice Japanese built heaters have mostly been junked with the rise in fuel costs.

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Mon. Aug. 20, 2018 1:35 pm

I have kerosene lanterns and ultra pure oil but this is the way to go now.

https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Portable-Camping- ... dpSrc=srch

Even pure oil emits lots of carbon and pollutants into the room and in my view the product of a past age.

For chit and giggles I would like to try candle (candel?) coal in my mica stove ... now that would be spectacular. Anybody got an angle on that one?

 
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Post by Pauliewog » Mon. Aug. 20, 2018 2:51 pm

Simon ...... I think this guy still sells cannel coal. He has a short video on it.
http://www.buycoalonline.com/site/fc0917dc2cdf43d ... .html#3053

I burned some in my open fireplace years ago and it pops quite a bit. It might be a little rough on the mica if you put in too much at a time.

Paulie

 
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Post by coalnewbie » Tue. Aug. 21, 2018 4:43 am

I know, I know, there is a pooper in every party ... Remember our houses in winter are pretty shut down so air quality is important. Kerosene lamps pose significant health impacts, due both to chronic illness resulting from inhalation of fumes and to risk of injury due to fire. There is evidence that exposure to the lamps, which are used indoors and in close proximity to people, impairs lung function and increases the risk for respiratory disease, cancer, eye problems, and infectious disease, including tuberculosis.

On a lighter note .. when used to xs 'high in the Poconos' your mind can get stuck in the Victorian era. Your life degenerates into 100 year old coal stoves, Victrolas for sound and eulogizing 70 year old jazz records. Even your phone is 100 years old. It's really scary. I wonder how the ol' bastard is doing.


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