Round portable Kerosene Heaters

[robs400]

I have taken some time trying to find any info I could on the site, and most of what I am finding is about the dayton G73 type heaters or reddy heaters.

I currently have a normal size 2 car garage that is now insulated, I live in Mass. where temps are already in the single digits at night and are reaching 20's during the day.

I was initially looking at the birdcage looking type kerosene heaters that can be picked up about anywhere for around 100 bucks. I did some reading on here tho and is seems that combustible fuel burning units create moisture with the propane heaters and the reddy type heaters, however I have not found much info on the birdcage looking heaters. The pamphlet at home depot shows it useable for indoor use as opposed to a reddy type heater which they state is for outdoor use.

I dont mind the cold too much, so I am looking for something to take the chill off while I out there. I dont need to work in a t shirt. I am not out there every night, maybe a night or 2 during the week and a few hours on the weekends. The upfront cost between the G73 and a birdcage heater is around 150 bucks, and I dont have to mess with running power for the G73. Not trying to beat a dead horse here, but like I said I did try and find info on this and didnt come up with much. Input is welcome, thank you!

 

[holland_patrick]

I've use one in the past I was painting the garage at the time and it kept it quite nice..

 

[sixball]

I'd like to hear some feedback on the fumes and the carbon monoxide feedback on these as well. I use a radiaint torpedo heater to bring my garage up to temp, but I have to leave the man door cracked to vent and alot of heat goes out the door.

I'd like to be able to get the garage up to temp with the torpedo, then shut the door and use a kerosene heater like your talking about to maintain the temp. With the door shut my garage could stay warm instead of keeping the man door craked and the torpedo running.

Sixball

 

[robs400]

I'm surprised there is not more feedback on here about them. It seems like they are available just about anywhere and reasonably priced. If you go to home depots website and read the reviews, they make them sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread....not sure how much faith I have in those reviews tho...

 

[flybynight]

All combustion produces water.
I use a torpedo in my out gargae also.
I can't afford kerosene. ($5.95 a gal) So I use #! diesel.
And just put up with the fumes.

 

[sixball]

I run diesel in my torpedo too, and find the fumes are less noticeable with the diesel vs kero, actually I can only smell it upon startup and shutdown.

The kerosene "birdcage" heaters have to be run with kero because of the wicks I believe, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can only run kero in those.

I don't have a problem buying kero to run in that "birdcage" style heater, since I won't be burning as much in it. I just don't want to buy one if I have to keep my man door craked while running it, that would defeat the purpose of owning one for me.

Sixball

 

[kywildcat]

I have used the bird cage type kero heater for years, and they do fine. I have left mine running 24 hours a day when I need to and never had any problems with them. The mosture thing is not a big deal in my opinion. Well worth the money!!

 

[Cwood8656]

Agree with Wildcat. I heated a 24x30 insulated garage with two of the round kerosene heaters for about 10 years. It took them a couple of hours to bring the shop from 40 degrees up to 65 or so, but once there it was very comfortable. I never noticed the fumes at all, or any water issues. The kerosene can get expensive if you work in your shop for long periods often. I bought kerosene 15 gallons at a time.

Chris.

 

[robs400]

Any estimates on how much kerosene one will burn thru? i realize it is largely dependent on temps, etc...

 

[kywildcat]

Agree with Wildcat. I heated a 24x30 insulated garage with two of the round kerosene heaters for about 10 years. It took them a couple of hours to bring the shop from 40 degrees up to 65 or so, but once there it was very comfortable. I never noticed the fumes at all, or any water issues. The kerosene can get expensive if you work in your shop for long periods often. I bought kerosene 15 gallons at a time.

Chris.

I fire up the torpedo and birdcage heater in my 24x36 shop at the same time when its cold, and then turn the torpedo off after about 15 or 20 minutes and it stays just right for working.

 

[kywildcat]

Any estimates on how much kerosene one will burn thru? i realize it is largely dependent on temps, etc...[/QUOT

My 23,000 BTU Dyna-Glo burns about 4 gallons in a 24 hour period if running all the time.

 

[427]

I,ve used one of the round kerosene heaters in my basement when it got really cold out. It did a great job my heat pump never kicked on at night. As far as fumes I didnt notice any and my basement has carbonmonoxide detectors and they never went off either. Takes a while for them to get a big area warm but they are totally quiet. Only drawback is kerosene aint cheap.

 

[robs400]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I may just go this route instead of getting the electric heater for the time being. My biggest concern was the moisture as I didnt want my car to start getting any rust as well as tools, etc...

 

[Charles (in GA)]

All combustion produces water.
I use a torpedo in my out gargae also.
I can't afford kerosene. ($5.95 a gal) So I use #! diesel.
And just put up with the fumes.

I paid $3.79 gal today for K1, and another place was also $3.79. Most places are around $4.25 however.

Charles

 

[NovaRacR]

I use a "birdcage" kerosene heater to help my 2 5000 watt electric heaters.

I have the electrics set on low, and usually the kerosene runs for about 2 - 3 hours and it's around 60 degrees in there. Those electrics are 20+ yrs old, and one of them is starting to trip the circuit breaker, so I may be buying some new ones.

The shop is 24 x 28 8.5 ft ceiling, with only the ceiling and the rear wall insulated....the new garage doors I put in 3 yrs ago are insulated and I plan to insulate the rest of it and put up sheet-rock one of these days....

Sometimes I use only the kerosene. I can use it for 4 - 5 hrs a night, and it takes about 6 - 7 days to go through 5 gallons of kerosene....sometimes longer. For me, the smell takes some getting use to. If I'm out there on a Saturday, I usually turn off the kerosene after a few hours and let the electrics run. Usually its not that cold here in NC, but the past week has been brutal.

I keep my race-car in the shop in the winter, and we do our own engine work and some other people's engine, trans. work, and I have not seen any moisture problems.

Good luck with your decision.
WB

 

[hoffman912]

Hey guys resurrecting this to see if there is additional info/feedback.

I live in Ohio and want to do some winter projects. My detached garage is 19x25 or so, not insulated, and I want to warm it up to reasonable working temperatures from say 20 or 30 degrees. Right now it is in the single digits - that would be a crazy up hill battle to heat.

How well do the bird cage heaters do in colder climates? Can you use pump kerosene or do you have to use the 'clean' expensive box store pre bottled stuff? Does it leave an oily residue?

The one I am looking at is a 99% efficient indoor rated kind used for trailer homes. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dyna-glo-238k-btu-indoor-wick-kerosene-heater-ivory

or would i be better off with one of these propane units?

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Dyna-Glo-50K-80K-BTU-LP-Convection-Heater-RMC-LPC80DG/202895381


I am reluctant to use the bullet/jet type heater because i dont want to burn paint off the car or catch the garage on fire

If i wanted to use it for dual purposes, like heat the house in a power outage, would the propane kind i posted or a bullet/jet kind be too dangerous in the house?

thanks,
Harry

 

[clutchee]

Same one I use in my garage when I was in TN.
It was 24x24 and worked great.

Now I’m in tx and have 2400 sq/ft shop. It will help little but due to space isn’t enough. In a garage it did great and would warm it to working in shorts.

I do though say, keep space away from anything and also I kept anything combustible outside while I was warming space up

 

[Tica]

The smaller panel type heaters have a removable fuel tank while the round ones do not. I have both. K1 here in the mid-south this week is $3.26 a gallon.

So for safety's sake, I always extinguish the round heater before refueling it with a long snout funnel. You can leave the panel heater going while you remove the tank to refill.

There was a kerosene heater sold a few years ago called a Monitor which was a large panel heater that offered an external fuel tank and an external vent. There are still places that sell and service them and they pop up on ebay from time to time, and they remain very popular, especially in the northeast.

Figure on a new wick every two years. Plenty of videos on how to swap them out. Lastly, I would never use a red gas can for Kero, just too big of a chance of a inadvertent mixup.

 

[rowerwet]

I used one of the birdcage ones as the backup heat for my house.
I'd put it in the basement when the power went out, and leave the cellar door open. The heat rose and kept the first floor warm, it also kept the second story bedrooms warm.
This got us through the first 6 years we owned our house in Maine.
I burned jet fuel it it (kerosene ) that I got free at work.

 

[rlitman]

The smaller panel type heaters have a removable fuel tank while the round ones do not. I have both. K1 here in the mid-south this week is $3.26 a gallon.

So for safety's sake, I always extinguish the round heater before refueling it with a long snout funnel. You can leave the panel heater going while you remove the tank to refill.

There was a kerosene heater sold a few years ago called a Monitor which was a large panel heater that offered an external fuel tank and an external vent. There are still places that sell and service them and they pop up on ebay from time to time, and they remain very popular, especially in the northeast.

Figure on a new wick every two years. Plenty of videos on how to swap them out. Lastly, I would never use a red gas can for Kero, just too big of a chance of a inadvertent mixup.

I have a Monitor heater. It is NOT a panel style heater (it has a metal burn chamber), and it doesn't use a conventional wick. Though Monitor is out of business, some current Toyostoves offer essentially the same thing.

Monitor heaters have a sealed combustion unit with a co-axial vent. An internal blower forces the venting, and an external fan forces air over the heat exchanger to heat the room. But unlike the options mentioned above, a Monitor heater does not exhaust any fumes inside, so there is no added humidity, CO, CO2, or odor.

As for wick based kerosene heaters, there are more than just the round (omni) and directional (panel) types.

I grew up with Aladdin blue-flame kerosene heaters. These were basically a lightened steel version of the "Perfection" cast iron heater (both pre-date the safety cage). A cotton wick draws kerosene up to a burn ring, and the heat from the flame warms the body of the heater, which radiates the heat to the room.

The first big improvement to these, was the introduction of a fiberglass tipped wick that would run for much longer without fouling than an all cotton wick.

The next big improvement over that is catalytic burning. I've got a Tototomi Omni 105 that has the same type burn ring as the previous generation of heaters at the bottom, but above that sits the catalytic burner. The burning wick heats the catalytic burner until eventually the blue flame goes out of the wick, and the combustion takes place as a glow around the catalytic screens. In my omni convection heater, the catalytic section is made from steel, and the improvement in burn efficiency can easily be detected by your nose.

But when catalytic section (and the area surrounding it) is made from quartz (which is transparent to infrared), the heater operates in a much more radiant vs convective mode. This allows for a reflector to be put behind the burner, which then lets you make a directional heater that can be placed near a wall.

 

[Squ1d]

I use this to heat my two car garage ( got it for $15 at a thrift store). Outside temps were between 20-30 degrees F. My garage was 40F when I lit the heater. It was able to get the garage up to 60 degrees and keep it there all day (my garage is drafty). It did take about an hour and a half to get it there. I used about 2.5 gallons in 8-9 hours.

I use the Kerosene from the pump which is higher in my area than I’ve seen elsewhere. The fumes are negligible. I like the heater’s portability, the dogs appreciate its radiant heat as well.

 

[NUTTSGT]

The round style you linked work pretty good and many people use those inside their homes. That propane one, not so much.

I believe the first Winter project I would do is insulate that garage. Not having any insulation, it's going to be a bear to heat, especially right now. Pay for the insulation right now or pay for more kerosene.

 

[TractorJeff]

In my machine shed, I have what I believe the other guy mentioned as an Aldaddin? Mine has a wick with a metal assembly above it that glows red hot. It doesn't really add moisture but the room is slightly drafty. I'm surprised the safety Nazi's haven't chimed in and poo-pooed you for using these. I buy furnace grade "pump" kerosene in all my heaters. Dad had the uncaged version of the round types which worked ok. Diesel is the stinky one in my opinion.

 

[D.J.]

I like the looks of the propane one better than the Kerosene one. But have you considered the round two burner Mr Heater style that attaches to the top of a 20 to 40 pound cylinder of propane. Less fumes in my opinion. Years ago I used K1 to heat with a panel type heater in a mobile home and a very drafty old home in my youth. Wouldn't do that again unless I was in that situation again. Hope to never be again. With NUTTSSGT +1 on the insulation.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I have two of them that we used to use in the race shop. I fire'em up at the same time as I start my salamander, then go back into the house. When I hear the salamander shut down on the t-stat, I go out to the garage, unplug the salamander and it's fine after that. The two round heaters keep it very reasonable. My garage is pretty "loose" and not insulated, other than the 3/4" blue foam between the original cedar shakes and the siding.

Tommy

 

[Tica]

Another advantage of the round heaters is you can put a pan of water on and slow cook some hot dogs for lunch or dinner. Delicious.

 

[Bretny]

With out insulation you are going to loose that up hill battle. I use to have a totaly un insulated garage. Now all the walls and 90 pecent of the ceiling is insulated and wow the difference. My 24x24 will still take 3hrs to gain 20* with one of those kerosene bird cage heater. There not made to change the temp quickly and most of the heat goes streight up. Prety much any ventless heatet is going to ****. Its either breath or be warm.

What ever heater you decide on put plastic on the ceiling if your not going to insulate. Keeping the heat away from the cold roof and down closer to the ground makes a big difference.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I have one of the kerosene convection heaters that I still use as a backup occasionally. I ran it in the garage last week when it was 5 degrees outside, got the garage up to 66 and humidity topped out at 44%.

When our oil furnace went out a few years ago I bought the kerosene heater to heat the house for a few months until we had natural gas run to the house. Kept the whole house at 73F, had a CO detectors 10 and 20 feet away and never went off, never had to crack a window either.

I always used clear #1 kerosene and never had an issue with fumes or smoke except when dry burning it to clean the wick, then I just move it outside for the last half hour as it burns out. Kerosene is up to $3.30 a gallon here now, so it pretty much only gets used as an emergency source as we have natural gas in the house and wood stove in the garage.