Snarley Bill Posted November 28, 2008 Share #1 Posted November 28, 2008 got a question. i have a 50,000 btu salmander, and two kerosene heaters. i use k-1 kereosene in them. will diesel fuel work in place of kereosene? it's alot cheaper and easier to get. i use them in my garage, with ventilation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoomerCPO Posted November 28, 2008 Share #2 Posted November 28, 2008 I don't think diesel fuel will burn as cleanly as kerosene..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FROG MAN Posted November 28, 2008 Share #3 Posted November 28, 2008 My question is why is kerosene so high. I paid $3.99 a gallon last weekend. Gasoline prices have dropped by 50 % and diesel is down also but not kerosene. I use kerosene as a added heat source at the camp last week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlh3rd Posted November 28, 2008 Share #4 Posted November 28, 2008 if the instructions say no ,then no..........i did try kerosene in my " kerosun" heater.the round ones that stand up , no fan......it clogs the wick.....you have to use k1 in those......the torpedoes,..i think you can use plain kerosene.....but i repeat, if the instuctions say no or only..that's what you better use......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snarley Bill Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share #5 Posted November 28, 2008 if the instructions say no ,then no..........i did try kerosene in my " kerosun" heater.the round ones that stand up , no fan......it clogs the wick.....you have to use k1 in those......the torpedoes,..i think you can use plain kerosene.....but i repeat, if the instuctions say no or only..that's what you better use......... i have two kerosun heaters. haven't used them for a couple of years. put k1 in them and they still work great. whats the difference between diesel and kerosene? bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahoutzer Posted November 28, 2008 Share #6 Posted November 28, 2008 I wanted to make some wise crack about y'all northerners having it so cole that you're contemplating running kerosene heaters on your bikes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlh3rd Posted November 28, 2008 Share #7 Posted November 28, 2008 i'm no expert....but different grades of kerosene are "heavier" than others..they go through different stages of "cracking".....have more "contaminants"....i don't know if that's the correct word to use.....it's like why i can't use motor oil in my home furnace...it isn't designed for it...nozzle design, pump pressures. etc. are designed for specific oil " weights "....the wick heaters have to use a lighter oil.............the torpedoes or other heaters may be able to use the heavier kerosene......whatever the instructions say most people don't know that the crude oil that comes out of the ground isn't all the same......it also can be heavier, dirtier, takes more to refine........the stock market always gives the price, and says," for light, sweet crude"...ever wonder why they say that...thats because that's the best that comes out of the ground...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlh3rd Posted November 28, 2008 Share #8 Posted November 28, 2008 diesel is just a heavier grade of refined crude oil than kerosene....there are different grade of kerosene also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squeeze Posted November 28, 2008 Share #9 Posted November 28, 2008 i have two kerosun heaters. haven't used them for a couple of years. put k1 in them and they still work great. whats the difference between diesel and kerosene? bill http://www.querycat.com/faq/4885ea56995c5afa1d5621ae0876b773 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tx2sturgis Posted November 28, 2008 Share #10 Posted November 28, 2008 You can go to your local airport and buy JET-A...its really just a finer blend of kerosene...and sometimes cheaper than 1K kerosene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snarley Bill Posted November 28, 2008 Author Share #11 Posted November 28, 2008 http://www.querycat.com/faq/4885ea56995c5afa1d5621ae0876b773 lutz, very good info. thanks, bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heatonmt Posted November 28, 2008 Share #12 Posted November 28, 2008 Bill you should only use k-1 fuel. It will burn cleaner and is a lot safer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got2mnytoys Posted November 28, 2008 Share #13 Posted November 28, 2008 diesel will burn in the salamander but NOT in the regular heaters will mess up the wick and supposely not safe I use salamanders with #2 diesel in houses when I have work in the winter to keep it warm it just doesn't burn as clean If you have the manuals somewhere it says you can use #2 diesel it will puff smoke on start and when you shut it down Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
got2mnytoys Posted November 28, 2008 Share #14 Posted November 28, 2008 My question is why is kerosene so high. I paid $3.99 a gallon last weekend. Gasoline prices have dropped by 50 % and diesel is down also but not kerosene. I use kerosene as a added heat source at the camp last week. [/quote better watch posting about fuel prices someone might get on there soap box again and get this thread deleted just ask Dragonrider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozark Posted November 28, 2008 Share #15 Posted November 28, 2008 I have a kerosene heater that said to only use "white gas". When I was growing up, I could get that but haven't seen any lately. Is that just a better grade of kerosene? I been using standard kerosene but it does puff a little smoke when starting it or turning it off. Only use it in the shop so it's not a big concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestarmedic Posted November 29, 2008 Share #16 Posted November 29, 2008 When I was growing up, my dad referred to Coleman Lantern fuel as "white gas". There used to be a lot of catalytic type camping heaters designed to run this stuff. It is a very close derivative of unleaded gas without the additives. Don't think I would use unleaded though!! I have repaired torpedo heaters for years. Used to do it for the farm store I worked at. Most of them are made by Koehring. Different outside shapes, same guts. We always suggested using clean kerosene. Typically sold as K-1. It stays thin longer in the cold and lights better. The nozzles in these heaters pull fuel up by creating a vaccum across a supply tube. (Atomizer effect) If you use heavier stuff, it might clog. Also K-1 has less contaminants and burns cleaner. I have an old 70,000 around just in case. It will probably get some use when we move out of town. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mini-muffin Posted November 29, 2008 Share #17 Posted November 29, 2008 Hey Froggie our K1 has gone down all the way to 3.50 last week. You're right it shouldn't be this high with gas as low as it is. Looks to be coming down though slowly. Margaret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kurt Posted November 29, 2008 Share #18 Posted November 29, 2008 I will only use kerosene in my torpedo or Knipco. These heaters will burn #1 or #2 fuel oil or diesel just fine. The reason I use only kerosene is the odor. They stink like h--- with fuel oil. It also can get hard to breath with that odor. When I was at home dad always bought #1 fuel oil for the Knipco. He used it to warm up a tractor or thaw a waterer outside and it was fine for that. I used it to work on my snowmobile in the garage. Big difference there. After a while the eyes would water and breathing was tougher. Another added bonus is the clothes you wore while doing the repairs would retain the odor for days if not hung outside. Spend the money on k1 kerosene or go to propane. Better yet install a hanging gas furnace that is vented out and just turn it on when needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flb_78 Posted November 29, 2008 Share #19 Posted November 29, 2008 We burned diesel in our salamanders when I worked at the truckstop. It does stink and it will smoke at startup and shutoff but we had our doors open to let trucks in and out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipshot Posted November 29, 2008 Share #20 Posted November 29, 2008 Bill. in the shop, we burn k-1, because the boss is afraid of the fumes. the torpedo heaters WILL work just fine on #1 diesel, as long as you have a little ventilation! that stuff ain't cheap, either. just jt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
autopilot Posted November 30, 2008 Share #21 Posted November 30, 2008 I have a kerosene heater that said to only use "white gas". When I was growing up, I could get that but haven't seen any lately. Is that just a better grade of kerosene? I been using standard kerosene but it does puff a little smoke when starting it or turning it off. Only use it in the shop so it's not a big concern. The only "white gas" I've ever heard of was gasoline from Amoco, right at the pump. It bore no resemblance to kerosene though, other being liquid and petroleum based. I know BP acquired Amoco, but I believe the fuel is still Amoco (at least around here it is) I'd have to re-read & go with whatever the directions said! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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