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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2015 09:18pm
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Kerosene heaters don't get much love on this site. I used an old one to take the chill off when I worked on the interior over the winter two years ago. I bought a new radiant heater to supplement my wood stove as the cabin got more livable. However, the warnings and horror stories I read here made me regret buying it and I had every intention of selling it at a yard sale this summer.
This evening I needed to go back to the cabin to do some work. It was 35 degrees or so outside and the cabin thermometer read 40 inside. I was going to start a fire and then decided it would be too much of a hassle for the few hours I was going to spend. I resigned myself to working in the cold.
I remembered that I had the darned heater and decided to turn it on. It worked great used in this way. It shot the temp up to 60 degrees in about 20 minutes. I was able to warm my hands by it in the meantime. It was so comfortable I was able to sit for an hour or so and read and think in silence. I shut it down and made sure it was dead out and left for home.
I still respect and fear the kerosene. Will I sleep with it or use it as primary heat? No. Will I maintain a CO and smoke detector? Yes. But to add a little comfort on these early spring days and extend my stay and enjoyment of the short time I'm at the cab, I am going to keep and use it.
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pizzadude
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2015 10:16pm
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Yep.
I think back to last deer season. Getting back to the shack after a day of hunting, the interior can cool down to less than 20 degrees. Just before season started, I was able to find a 19000btu Kero-sun in great shape. I planned to utilize it initially until the propane furnace was able to catch up. It worked fabulously.
But I'm like you rmak. I don't feel comfortable enough to let it run all night, although I'm sure there's little risk, I'd rather not take the chance.
I burn Klean Heat, a kerosene alternative. It's cheaper than kerosene and there's no odor while burning. 🍕
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cabingal3
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2015 11:36pm
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i like them alot.we used some for quite a while in our 100 yr old house.it was so cold and breezy in that old house.no insulation in the whole place.
i love them.wish we had some now.
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BaconCreek
Member
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# Posted: 4 Apr 2015 11:37pm
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We have used Kerosene heaters for years. They work great in certain conditions. Biggest thing is don't let them burn dry. They make a terrible soot mess when that happens.
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AK Seabee
Member
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2015 12:38am
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I use a kerosene heater to get the chill off when I first get to the cabin. I usually run her for half an hour to an hour depending on the weather. I also use a carbon monoxide detecter and have never had an issue. We are in and out so much in the beginning that there is plenty of air transfer and I generally shut her down long before bed time. I would like to get a newer model but they are hard to find here. Like BC said, don't let her run low on fuel.
I also have a direct vent propane non electric heater and a large wood stove. Redundancy is a wonderful thing.
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VC_fan
Member
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# Posted: 5 Apr 2015 08:05am
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Ditto. If you use them like you have half-a-brain they're fantastic. But you're right that they don't get much respect from the site.
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Jim in NB
Member
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# Posted: 7 Apr 2015 08:26am
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I use a Kerosun Omni 105H - has been a very dependable heater and gives me a 20 degree celsius heat up pretty quick (6" insulated walls). I find it alot easier lugging in kerosene than firewood - gives me more time to relax and enjoy the place and my guitar. Keep some windows open and have NO issue with the heater running while sleeping. There is alot more risk getting to the place thru traffic (and this is New Brunswick - hardly any traffic) than from the kerosene heater, in my humble opinion!
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naturelover66
Member
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# Posted: 7 Apr 2015 11:30am
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My mother in law used to use a Kerosene heater . The fumes made people sick. There are some negative health effects.
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 7 Apr 2015 04:13pm
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I don't believe anyone would argue that kerosene fumes are the best thing to breathe. And I don't think anyone would choose to leave these kinds of heaters on for a long time. I am choosing to use mine in certain conditions for a short amount of time to increase my enjoyment of my cabin.
One thing I noticed about the new heater compared to the old one I had is that there are practically no discernible fumes. The burning efficiency has obviously improved over the years.
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JDPugh
Member
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# Posted: 7 Apr 2015 08:32pm
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My son and his family have an older Monitor kerosene heater that is vented. It works very well and is or at least was common in North Carolina mountain homes. I do not think they are available now but I think Toyo still makes a similar unit. They seem pretty efficient to me.
In 1986 I spent the whole winter heating a small cottage with two kerosun heaters. I would only burn them when I was there and when one was almost empty I moved it outside, brought in the other one. Worked pretty good but if you let one burn completely out or tripped the safety cutoff the fumes were pretty bad. A few years later one of my neighbors used one during a power outage left it unattended and it malfunctioned covering the interior of their home in a thin layer of soot. The unvented ones work great but they can make a mess and the fumes are an issue especially if you have asthma or other breathing issues.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 7 Apr 2015 11:27pm
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I kinda miss ours.
Learned to enjoy the fumes.
Made me sleepy.
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AK Seabee
Member
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# Posted: 7 Apr 2015 11:55pm
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You are a funnyman Gary O
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2015 12:32am
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I try...
Y'know, one of the funniest things I saw on this site, is yer thread back in Feb on ipad use.
Seein' PA Bound's post on how to submit pics, where the pooch is sideways and then upside down cracked me up.
Unfortunately, I can't do pretty much anything with the one we just got....for two years.
It's gonna drive me back to the kerosene jug fer sure.
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2015 06:11pm - Edited by: rmak
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Quoting: Gary O Made me sleepy.
Quoting: Gary O It's gonna drive me back to the kerosene jug fer sure.
These are comedy gems and without a doubt Gary O is clearly wasting his enormous talent and best material on this small cabin forum site.
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2015 07:11pm
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Oh, sure...goad me on;
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rmak
Member
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2015 07:37pm
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I don't know what would put me to sleep faster, kero fumes or your jokes!
Just keeeding!
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Gary O
Member
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# Posted: 8 Apr 2015 07:42pm
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nite nite
(taking my late afternooner.....gawd I'm luvin' this retirement gig)
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ClimberKev
Member
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# Posted: 10 Apr 2015 12:32pm
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I burned diesel #1 in a forced air (kerosene) heater all winter while working on a bunk house at our property. I think the diesel has far less smell than kerosene. I also used it to get things warmed up quicker in the cabin while the stove got going. I wouldn't leave it unattended or sleep with it.
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