I've been looking into purchasing a kerosene heater for emergency use in case of power outages (rather common in my area). Unfortunately, I do not have a wood stove at my house and my experience with my fireplace as a heat source for the house has been poor (it's more for looks - more heat goes up the chimney than into the building). The brand of heater I have been looking at is called Dyna Glo. What experiences have other folks had using a kerosene heater as an emergency heat source? Any recommendations?

I've considered some of the safety aspects: I already keep a charged fire extinguisher close at hand and would like to get a CO detector if I end up with this type of heater (I'd appreciate any advice on this as well).

I have some experience with kerosene - a pair of Alladin lamps keep me with plenty of reading light when the power goes out. Any advice on storing kerosene would be helpful. I'm thinking no more than 5 or 10 gallons at a time.

The rest of my home emergency kit is coming together well. We've had some wicked wind storms and winter is just getting wound up. Bring it on!

Forester

Forester,
Believe it or not, there are a few of the Dyna's & similar products in FL. LOL

Not real experienced with them, although I've used them several times. Keep them clean, get spare wicks, batteries and ignitors. The batteries in my experience will last several months. My understanding is that there is a liquid product that can be added to kerosene to reduce sooting. I think that there are also some kerosene alternatives that also burn cleaner, but probably come with a higher $ than kero.

Do a search on the forums for kerosene, kerosene heaters and related words. Seems to me it was about 6 months ago, but I could be mistaken, been a long day and its late for me now. <grin>

I suspect that several other forum members have much more qualified experience with these units than I and that they will probably be happy to share info.

Stay warm & safe. The carbon monoxide detector is a good idea. Read and heed the units installation instructions regarding how close to walls a ceiling mounted unit is placed and likewise how close to a ceiling a wall mounted unit is parked.

Regards,

http://www.com.state.oh.us/ODOC/sfm/pub/Kerosene%20Heaterspdf

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.

Nothing to be very paranoid about kerosene heaters: a good and well maintained one will give many years of reliable service.

The simple ones are just a "stove", with wick, kerosen tank and some cover over the wick to produce that nice glowing red thing .

The more sophisticated ones are are real "heaters", with a good enclosure around the flame, a proper flue, a safety valve,etc- not cheap, but also very reliable and effective.

Re: that remark about "fireplaces"........the one I built at home , some ..hmmm........ almost 20 years back is still going strong , and poor of me if it is not lit on an even a cloudy day (way before the real storm): trouble with wife.
Theheat produced by this thing is much much more pleasant than any other source ( got also a full size air conditioner, just in case.....)

have fun

Forester,
I have a Dyna glo model RMC-95-C2 that has worked great for 3 years. The best advice I can give you is to use the previously mentioned additive. It only takes an ounce or so per gallon, but it keeps your wick from turning crusty and hard. My neighbor replaced his wick 3 times in 1 year and I have yet to replace mine. He didn't want to pay the few bucks for the additive. It also decreases the kerosene smell. Another tip: don't light it or shut it down inside the home; not because of the fire danger, but because of the soot and smell produced during these two times (especially shut down).
Good luck, George

Thanks to everyone for the advice. I'll probably end up with the Dyna-Glo brand but I think I'll shop around a bit just to check out the other brands and features.

It's actually been sunny around here for a couple of days so I haven't been inside on the computer to catch up on things. Right now it feels as if spring isn't far away (although in the Pacific Northwest we refer to weather phenomenon such as this as a "sucker hole" - just nice enough to put away the rain gear then WHAM - the next storm closes in!).

Staying dry and warm,

Forester