Forester,

Sounds like we’ve taken parallel paths. I have two kerosene space heaters, a combined space heater/cook stove, three Aladdin lamps (one vintage 1930’s I restored), and miscellaneous lanterns and camping stoves that can use kerosene.

The file that Chris provided a link to is good advice, but there are a few things I might add.

When I first started looking into it, I was widely advised to stick with the Kero-Sun/Toyoset brand (same company). The parent company is the same as Toyota, and wicks, igniters and parts are very widely available, more for that brand than any other. In any case, do get spare wicks and igniters.

Check the ones you buy- many use “C” cells for the igniters, and many people don’t routinely have that size in the house. It’s worth stashing some in that case.

Best figures I’ve seen for kerosene storage is that it’s stable for “at least” 15 years. Anecdotal evidence supports the idea that it might remain useful for much longer than that.

Give some thought about getting the kerosene from the “bulk” container into the stove. 5-gallon containers and funnels can be very awkward. You can set up a siphon in a pinch, but that ranges from nasty to worse. Manual and battery-powered pumps can be had, and it might make sense to store the large container currently in use outside, fill smaller bottles from it out there where there’s no real risk, and use the smaller bottles inside.

I bought two battery-powered combination smoke/CO detectors by First Alert and used them to replace two of the smoke detectors in the house (the house is old enough that they’re not hard-wired). They can be removed from their base with a twist, so I can detatch and carry one to any room where we're using the stoves or heaters.

One of the hassles of using these for blackouts is that they advise that you store them empty, with the tank open, to discourage condensation inside the tank (which, besides causing burning problems, can promote rust and eventual leakage- dangerous). The problem is that it takes about 3 hours for a modern fiberglass wick to become saturated… and there’s no way to know at any point in time how much longer a blackout is going to last. This can result in an awkward period of indecision, followed by the hassle of filling the tank, only to have the power come back on.

The Aladdin lamps are great. They are relatively safe, quiet, and the steady, bright light is such that we’ve had neighbors come over and ask why we’re the only house that had power. I won’t use pressurized (Coleman etc.) lamps or stoves inside.