kerosene heater

[pudgybear]

i have tried my kerosene heater in the garage when i am doing small jobs but after a while the smell is almost unbearable, am i doing something wrong, is there an additive that i can put in to clear up the smell, i know a lot of people use these heaters HOW DO THEY DO IT ??????

 

[steve185]

A few years ago I spent the day in the garage using the kerosene heater. My wife came out and noticed I was staggering, tired etc. I was getting carbon monoxide poisoning. So, I would recommend a carbon monoxide detector. Now, I use propane or electric heat.
Steve

 

[Chaznsc]

Exhaust fan I'd presume. Personally I'm scared of kerosene heaters, bad experience one time.

 

[cglasgow]

I know next to nothing about kero heaters, but I can say that mine puts off little to no noticeable smell. It's this style:

My WAG is that you're not getting complete combustion. If it uses a fiberglass wick and you're using dyed kero, your wick is likely plugged up. Try a new wick and white/clear kero....

 

[Lippyp]

Over in France a lot of people still use paraffin/kerosene heaters and they sell different grades of the stuff in supermarkets in 5 gallon containers, the most expensive has had most of the odour removed somehow and the cheapest is the standard stinky old stuff. You might be able to find a better grade of kerosene and also make sure you are getting a good clean burn, it its a wick type make sure the wick is trimmed and also not turned up to high as it tends to burn a bit smoky and smelly and noticeably has a yellower flame.

 

[ratdoggy]

Are you using kero or diesel?
Mine has a very slight odor basically when it starts or stops.
Diesel smells while running.

 

[G McKay]

I used the kerosene K-1 heater for years. If it smells constantly, the wick is probably going bad. And you can't use it in a completely air tight room or it will remove all of the carbon dioxide from the room. You need some type of fresh air inlet.

When the price of kerosene got so high, I quit using them.

 

[signcrafter]

With the price of kerosene I couldn't afford to run mine all day. But I have a bigger torpedo heater and it works pretty good without much smell. Unless it runs out of fuel then it starts huffing and puffing like a dragon and smells horrible. Like already mentioned don't use it all day in an unvented garage. You need some fresh air. I will usually run mine for 15-30 minutes and then shut it off. I just get the chill out of the air and make it comfortable. I don't need it 75 degrees in there and be in a Tshirt. I still wear bibs and a jacket if it's really cold. My garage isn't insulated so it has a lot of air leaks so the heat gets out and fresh air gets in. When it gets really cold again I will fire the heater up for a bit again. If the car is full of snow and it's in the single digits I will pull it into the garage and let the heater run for 30-60 minutes to warm the metal parts up and get some of the snow/ice/water off the car before working on it.

 

[Bondo]

i have tried my kerosene heater in the garage when i am doing small jobs but after a while the smell is almost unbearable, am i doing something wrong, is there an additive that i can put in to clear up the smell, i know a lot of people use these heaters HOW DO THEY DO IT ??????

Ayuh,.... There's 'bout a Bazillion different appliances that burn kerosine,...

Maybe you could be abit more specific as to what yer burnin' kerosine in,..??...

 

[Conductor562]

I heat my 21 x 35 with a Kero heater like the one pictured above. Every other winter it will start to smell a little.

I take it apart, replace the wick, and clean it out real good, and it's good as new for another winter and a half or so. Servicing it take about $15 and around 45 minutes.

 

[Handyman163]

Clean/new wicks are a must. You may be able to burn it dry and recondition the wick you have now (gets rid of the carbon buildup on the wick and makes it burn cleaner). With the 23k BTU one like listed in cglascow's post, I light it inside, but check the flame for the first 10 minutes and then in about 20 minutes to make sure it's burning clean or it will smell. And ALWAYS carry it outside to shut it off or the smell will be terrible. I do get a noticeable odor, but it's not offensive at all. I don't do much work laying on the floor, so Carbon Monoxide isn't much of a problem using it. I've burned it for 6-8 hours in a closed up 3-car garage attached to my house with no issues - other than a 70 degree garage and 20 degrees outside makes for lots of condensation on stuff in the garage. I usually keep it 50-55 in there and then shut it off.

 

[xtremek]

Is it a torpedo or a wick? I finally got my torpedo working properly and now it only smells as it shuts down. It had an air leak. Wick style? Like stated above, clean wick is a must.

 

[TractorJeff]

I have a "KeroSun" brand which burns reddish orange with a little blue occasionally. I run torpedoes only if I am out there a short time with garage door slightly open. Kerosene K-1 is sold locally for $5.50/gallon locally, though I know it Northwest PA at Gas Stations it sells for around $2.50/gallon!

 

[Honest Bob]

I had some burning issues when using year old kero which caused alot of smoke/smell. Maybe try some new kero?

 

[sparelman]

Just like handyman163, I have one similar to the one pictured and do a yearly routine of dry-burning and cleaning the wick if reusing vs replacing. Also if there is moisture in the kerosene a drop or two of denatured alcohol will help allowing it to burn cleaner. the water will clog the wick and cause uneven burning. An informative site about all things kerosene can be found at http://www.milesstair.com/ . He also sells top quality wicks and other parts for kerosene heaters, and has a very thorough listing of information on his website. Hope this helps.