I've got 2 of these heaters, had them for years. Read the directions on cleaning the wick, that will reduce the K-1 smell, and buy yourself a cast iron kettle, sit on on top of the heater full of water and the air quality will also be better, you can add potpourri liquid to the kettle and make the whole place smell nice.
@@spartacus3608 I don't think gas stations are allowed to sell K-1, that is reserved for hardware stores and Wally World that sell it in clear containers. I know I have never pumped K-1 out of a gas station pump. K-2 is fine in a garage, ice shanty or for use outdoors but I would only use it in my house during an extreme emergency. I have a propane tank and tank top heater that in an emergent situation I can use in my living room, that doesn't smell at all although having a 20 or 30 pound tank of LP (or kerosene for that matter) isn't the greatest thing to have in your home. If it is that or having my pipes freeze I will use the LP tank heater in my home.
I have owned and operated several styles of these kerosene heaters from the older Perfection Heaters to these modern Dyno-glo designs. They are great for back-up, preppies, emergency heating when the grid goes down. They can provide heat, light and a way to boil water or even cook a meal indoors.
@@HeritageAndHarvest I’m glad to see you’re still happy with it. I feel a bit foolish for not getting one sooner. It just popped in my head and started nagging at me. I have one now so I’m happy.
For those who don't know, make sure you dry burn the wick every so often. Dry burning is when you let the fuel tank go completely empty and let the flame burn till it goes completely out and will not relight. That procedure burns off the caked carbon from the wick and makes it last longer. edit: Dry burning should be done outside cause it makes a little smoke in the process.
It should be done after every third tank full and it may take 4 or 5 dry burns to get rid of the carbon bild up and you must allow the wick to get cold between each dry burn!
@@oldmanriver1057 Thanks, I wanted to add all that to my comment to but I thought it would be too big, people tend to not read the huge rambling comments. I knew someone, like yourself would add it in. I think both our comments are info that people need.
@@Al-rs2rr When I was young we had a small kerosene heater in our ice fishing shack. It was a burlap covered wood frame shack with a second layer of burlap on the inside. It was on runner's cut from 4 by 4 that had to be staked to the ice so the strong wind would not blow it across the lake miles from where we had it. It was nice to have especially when the temperature was 20 below zero!
@@oldmanriver1057 I live in the south now but I grew up and worked till retirement in northern Illinois. I could never consider ever facing an Illinois winter without having a kerosene heater for emergencies.. People don't realize how safe they are if they are used right and cared for properly. I think people just assume that kerosene burns dirty but it doesn't.
@@Al-rs2rr where in the south? Texans could have used kerosene for heat during that ice storm that they had and kerosene doesn't go bad like gasoline can over time! It would be a good idea to have some on hand with a kerosene heater just in case you need it someday! Just my opinion, better safe than sorry!
I grew up with one of these. It made life much more comfortable during the many power outages we experienced until we got our coal stove. When I moved to a home with all electric, I purchased one for emergencies as a major snow storm headed our way. That storm ended up being no big deal, and it stayed in the box for six years. But, then the day came when I needed it, and it worked great. I usually only used K1, but the cost of that has become ridiculous. Luckily, I bought a bunch of it years ago, and it still works fine. If I have to, I will use regular kerosene, but it doesn’t burn as clean as the K1. Hopefully, some day, the price will be reasonable again, but given the current circumstances, that seems unlikely. I would highly recommend these units when proper safety precautions are followed: cracked window, carbon monoxide detector. They can literally save your life, and when it’s very cold, and you have no power, you will be fine.
@@nickabel8279 kerosene is an open flame...fire requires oxygen....if you dont open a window you will burn up the oxygen in the house and die....I have a kerosene heater and it can get to a comfy 85 degrees with 2 windows open in 7 degree farenheit temps... freeze or to not freeze....you choose bud
@@nickabel8279 looking at wood stove myself but it can be expensive when u factor on the cost of stove and exhaust pipes....some may not be able to afford it
I found one of these last summer on the metal pile at the town transfer station. The brand is Corona. A quick inspection of the wick and cumbustion chamber revealed that it had never been used. The manual was in a ziplock bag tucked inside the cage. I fired it up a couple weeks ago to familiarize myself with it before the first winter storm power outage. Kerosene heaters show up on that pile a few times a year but never in new condition.
@Muzzle Flash Helped last night - our pellet stove distribution blower seems to be dead. I had three kerosene space heaters to keep it comfortable inside.
We used these back in the seventies when heating a home was expensive for a working family. Back then kerosene was cheaper than regular gas. Now kerosene is higher than gas. They will keep you from freezing if the power goes out.
@@SirenaSpades At current prices I don't know how a poor family can afford to use one of these as a primary source of heat. Kerosene is about $3.50 a gallon and that is the smelly stuff from the gas station (the good K-1 kerosene is about $25 for five gallons at Wally World). I can heat my 750 sq. ft. home with natural gas for at most a third of the price of using one of these (and it doesn't smell). My furnace was about $1900 installed in 2014 (right before the price increased due to new federal regulations) but you can buy a Mr. Heater type wall heater that runs on natural gas for less than $300.
@@mharris5047 If price is the ultimate concern, and one can modify the property as they wish.... I would think that building a rocket mass heater in the center of the house, and then collecting a sufficient quantity of wood (we're talking sticks here) could be done for free throughout the year. Obviously (1) building the rocket mass heater requires some research and skill and (2) would not be something to bet on the first year because you don't know how much would you need. But given time and preparation, a smaller house could potentially be heated for free during the winter with casual fuel gathering during the warm months. (I believe there is a fable about an Ant and a Grasshopper than comes to mind). As opposed to a traditional wood stove where you'd either need a bunch of property for harvesting and processing your own wood logs or having to buy cords of wood.
Kerosene is $8.00 a gallon here in Oregon. I have a kerosene heater that looks pretty much like the one you show. its called dyna glow. I used a temp gun and its 400 degrees on the top. During the ice storm last winter it kept 3 rooms warm. I love it.
@S2 turbine I think he is talking about K-1 like they sell at Wally World and hardware stores. $6-$8 a gallon sounds about right for that. K-2 is what comes out of the pump at gas stations (assuming the owner didn't cheap out and get #2 diesel instead, I have had that happen -- it will work but it is much smellier than even K-2) and is cheaper.
@@mharris5047 Yeah, I found K-1 out of the pump at my local Tractor Supply. It’s was over $7/gal. That was last year (Feb. 2021) when we had the deep freeze here in Houston. I was without electricity for 4 days. It got down to 15 degrees. People died in their homes. I survived by a natural gas fireplace and a kerosene heater.
I have been trying to prepare people for blackouts when you desperately need heat. They just won't listen. We got our Kero heater for standby heat because we used a Kero heater in my childhood days, thankfully.
These things are great to have. This heater can heat my whole two bedroom house, with a full living room dining room and kitchen and bath. im in the midwest.
You have no idea how much I was looking for a detailed information as the one you just provided. Great presentation of how safe the kerosene heaters are, thank you.
I love my heater too! I have the same model in black. I took the safety grate off the top and put a wood stove fan on the top and have it blow where I want the heat to go. you could also boil water in a kettle on the top too if you had to. It is a great item to have in the winter. It does very well with cold and drafty places, because good airflow helps with the smell.
Bought a Dyna Glo Kerosene heater about 10 years ago and I use it every winter to supplement my home's heat. Years ago I was able to get two all metal 55 gallon drums for free where the whole top comes completely off and I make multiple runs to the gas station with my four 5 gallon jerry can to fill up my drums every year for a total of 150 gallons of kero including the jerry cans. Don't run it everyday, but sometimes especially in January or February temps can dip down into the teens all the way down to below zero and I definitely use it then, otherwise my home's furnace will never shut off and it does a great job of keeping the cold out and saving wear and tear on my home's expensive furnace. By the way kero in my area is presently at $3.50 a gallon.
if you place the keroscene heater by your furnace air intake vents, when it is running. The furnace will shut its burner off and keep the heating system's fan running the warm air through your ducts. Because the furnace has heat sensor that shuts its burner down first, then the fan down. After heat exchanger cools downs and the air temperature inside the furnace isn't warm enough to keep circulating. That delay lets you get the last bit of heat off the furnace for your money, This trick also helps spread the kerosene heater's heat around your house more and may pass it through you furnace filter.
When wood-burning heating stoves were common in homes when I was young, the mothers, grandmothers made sure they kept a cast iron kettle or small pot of water on the stove top. The very slow evaporation helped keep the oxygen levels good, and they were always faithful, no matter what all was going on, or how tired they might be, they checked the kettle regularly especially throughout the night, to refill it. And they always made sure a nearby window was open just a crack, just enough you could see a crack of daylight under the sill. It makes all the difference. Set an alarm clock if you have any problems with that routine.
@@richardtiller4147 I remember, picking up the plastic-made combs to comb your hair and WOW! EACH HAIR STANDING STRAIGHT OUT like a Human Dandelion! The hair product to cut the static was never where you saw it last. Oh, Yeah!
@@anombrerose6311 Lol. I remember as a child in the late 70s, and mannn, you could see the blue static shock, and hear it. I use to hate to move around at night, in the sleeping gowns we had, lol. Funny, as a Gen X'r in my 50s now, seems static in the home was heavier back then. Clothes sticking to you and what not. We use to put water in our hair to break up static, when we combed or brushed our hair.
@@goodmeasure777 Yeah, water was good, if you had not just spent hours getting a girl's hair style JUST SO!. We always suffered it the worst when visiting one of the grannies, and there were many other girls there too, Besides me and my sisters - and were were running round spreading the electric shock value to everyone all over the house! And yeah, Those GOWNS, too - they were coming out with nylon, then. For the hair, a spot of Tame or of Suave hair lotion, too.
Well as air temperature drops, it tends to become drier. Dry air can harder for some people to breathe. Simmering a water kettle will add humidity to the air, but it will not increase the oxygen content.
I thought he was going to cover odor tips... I was nostalgic about these heaters too, became poor again and had to revisit these as an adult, and learned a lot about about the odor mitigation. 1. Light and extinguish it outdoors (on the porch or something) most of the smell is released at startup and shut down because the catalytic converter doesn't remain hot enough then. 2. Run it between max and 75-80%, running it too low and it won't be able to burn up the smell efficiently. 3. Use good quality (very clear) fuel, the lower quality stuff has more sulfur and smelly stuff. 4. This type of heater has a fiberglass wick (older cotton wicks need different attention) and every so many tanks you need to let wick burn out instead of just turning it off to extinguish the flame. This burns off built up impurities that have accumulated on the wick and make for incomplete combustion. (Usually every ~10 tanks of fuel depends on the fuel quality. experiment, if you notice a slight increase smell you might want to let it burn of the very end of the tank outside.) 5. Bonus Tip He didn't mention, these things are generally designed in Japan and have a feature not mentioned in the US manuals, you can generally remove the top of the cage and the cage has a lower position it can be put in, the top of the heater removes easily with a slight twist to the left i think and lift. Then you can cook on it with a large wok or a skilet... Nice prepper feature
Years ago I was taught to add 1 ounce (a shot glass) of Isopropyl alcohol per gallon of K1 grade kerosene, to help control odor and eliminate any residual water that may be in the fuel. It also helps to have a fuel funnel filter that can be bought at Amazon or a good hardware store to filter out any dirt or water that may be in the fuel. The best Isopropyl alcohol I have found is the 91 percent stuff I often see at Walmart sold in pints, in the medical and vitamin/toothpaste section. Other companies sell 70 and some even 50 percent grade Isopropyl alcohol. The 91 percent is best.
@@richardanderson6874 I've heard this before and I'm not sure the logic is sound. By adding the Isopropyl Alcohol you are adding water... The percentage that isn't "ipa" is water. Also water is heavier than fossil fuel and it may suspend in but will not mix with it so it will tend to settle out in the container you dispense into.
@@Bill-v650 Sound reasoning that deserves a thorough analysis. Home Depot sells scented additives for this purpose. Not sure if they are actually polluting the tank then.
Oh my goodness I hope you do that all the time. For safety and health purposes, a person should never start one of these units indoors or shut one of these off while indoors. Always fire one up outdoors for at least 5 - 10 minutes before bringing it in. Always take the unit outside when shutting it down.
@@edwardmmanns7454 so you take it upon your own thoughts to say that this person smokes cigarettes and you also seem to know that this person smokes indoors. You also seem to have the knowledge that starting and stopping a kerosene heater indoors is the same as smoking indoors. Trying to inflict your intelligence upon others with your comment actually did the complete opposite🤪
I bought my first one in the early 80's when they didn't have the safety cage around them. They throw some great heat . Also a great back up when the power goes out in the winter. A must to have.
I want one of these newer ones. I have an old Perfection 730. It’s an antique. It doesn’t have the safety cage. I was running it on the back patio to give my daughter some warmth while she was playing. Well, she accidentally bumped it and got a small burn. So the Perfection is up for sale and I want one of these newer, safer designs.
@@totallyfrozen The cage was a great safety feature added to the newer ones. Some used to put a tea pot on top the older ones as a humidifier but found that's a fire hazard. Water and kerosene don't mix well if spilled inside the heater. Even with the cage, I wouldn't put anything with water on top. Stay safe. Thanks for the reply.
I'll second that..ko...is $8.. I got tired of wick replacement...and having to ensure fresh Karo every fall... I sent mine to the recycling in working condition....
@@Saint696Anger which is great....just plan on having fresh Karo on hand when that emergency hits....oh....don't forget to drain and burn dry the wick afterwards....
@@jonjacobjingleheimerschmid3798 I have 25 gallons of kerosene and two back up wicks, I read that the wicks go bad if you let them burn out without fuel
I have had a wood stove in my basement and my covered back porch is stacked with 4 cords of firewood. Been at this for over 35 years and prefer wood. Great to have chili or soup cooked on it, too!
I had a really old furnace style wood stove years ago, I lived well out of town then and wood was less than a tenth of the price per BTU than of kerosene. I much preferred that over kerosene. I always had a backup propane or fuel oil furnace just in case the wood stove burned out in the middle of the night or while I was at work (I lived alone, yeah -- I lived alone in a three bedroom house on a lake that I paid cash for less than $20K in 1981) but in my younger days wood didn't seem like that hard of an option. I used aged, pre-split wood, ten cord would last a whole winter and it was about $50 per cord (I would pay the delivery kid an extra $10 per cord to stack it for me so it came to $60 per cord) back then whereas fuel oil was about $350 per month and propane not much cheaper (this was about 1981). I knew someone that sold un-aged wood in the late 1980's for $20 per rick (1/3 cord) to poor people that couldn't afford a full cord at a time but they had to split and transport the wood themselves, a pickup truck would hold about a rick to a rick and a half. Now wood is about $150 a cord delivered, IDK how much to have them stack it for you as I haven't burned wood for heat in 27 years. Nowadays you can even have an outdoor wood stove that connects to a boiler system or forced air furnace to heat with, when I used wood those didn't exist and my stove was in my basement.
@@HeritageAndHarvest I do understand that. We have a total electric house, to heat pumps…very efficient until temps drop below 40 F., then is when we burn wood…keeps the inefficient heat strips from turning on!
I had a kerosun Omni 105 in 1982 and heated my house for 3 years with it,, great heaters just don't turn them down on low to long and keep your wick clean and change it every season.
I have the same heater and I love it. I bought it brand new and just had to use it went my heater crapped out. I made sure I had kero on hand as well and after I get my new heater I am going to refill all my kero cans for another emergency. It's a must have!
I bought.one.of these about 7 years ago because we were supposed to have an ice storm (yeah, even here on the MS Gulf Coast). Pulled it out a few months ago, cleaned it up and lit right up. Now to get more kerosene.
I own two of this exact heater. It is very reliable, and, with a bit of experience, I found it a good heat source for my house. I always kept a window open about 2 inches. I would use one heater at a time, until it's wick needed maintenance, then I'd switch heaters. Unfortunately, they are illegal in some states. Massachusetts does not believe people are smart enough to use these properly. Some people aren't, but at least they only get one chance to get it wrong? Too dark? Sorry.
My dowstairs furnace distribution pump failed a few years ago, heat upstairs none down, 2 of these in the basement kept the pipes and basement warm enough for the repair guy to make it here on Monday without pipes freezing or bursting. All weekend minus 20 something. Northern Maine
I have the square heater. I built a mobile platform to sit it on. Board 10 inches larger than heater base with wheels and tile top. Lifts it off floor and rope on metal handles let me safely move it. Also they now have additives that cut the kerosene smell.
The grill protector on mine is made so that you can heat a pot on the top of it. Otherwise pretty much the same. It’s great in an emergency. By the way, you had 999 like so I had to hit it to make it 1000🙂. Mine is also easy to light with regular matches, which is a good thing, because the electric start died
I gave all of my kerosene heaters away. And Installed infrared propane heaters for back-up heat sources. Plumbed into the same 500 gallon tank as the furnace. Cleaner cheaper and safer than kerosene. I leave the controls set just below the furnace thermostat. If the power goes out the heater takes over. It is also nice if I’m chilly.
Big problem with this heater is it throws off a lot of humidity along with the heat. You also need to make sure you're letting fresh air in to your place, and run a Carbon Dioxide/Carbon Monoxide alarm while burning.
I just bought one of these from Atwood's. Had it probably a little over two months. Haven't had to just make use of it just yet here in the South. However, did go through the basics of preparing it for that needed moment. I have let it run a bit and burn off some of that newness and get familiar with it's features. Nice unit for unforseen circumstances in my opinion. Thanks for the review.
Thank you for a thorough and thoughtful review of this kerosene heater. I especially appreciate your discussing ways to minimize waste (of wick and kerosene) through wick soaking and proper wick length and also how to minimize emission odor. Primarily based on your review, along with some other reading on this unit elsewhere, I'll be purchasing one from Home Depot here in Omaha (Nebraska) tomorrow. The listed price is $149.00 (sales tax here is 7% so total will be about $159.43).
That's a good price in this unit! I've been very surprised at how well this heater works for the money spent. Let me know what you think after you've been using it for a while!
You can also add 3 oz's of 99% rubbing alcohol per gallon if the smell bugs you, it helps even further. Also if you got a new wick, soak it in White vinegar (clear) then let it try befoere installing the wick. Burns cleaner and you can get a higher flame before you break soot.
I've got one, the Dyna-Glo kerosene heater. They are great for supplemental heat, or in power failures. I have a small home, and it will heat my whole house. A grill lighter is good if your batteries or ignitor goes out for lighting it, keep a window cracked about 1", I light and turn it off outside. Great heaters. Just allow it space away from curtains, etc.
Those heaters are excellent, but it looks like you have the grate on backwards there should be a gap in the cage to allow opening of that little door on the front.
Im buying one tomorrow to heat my mobile home this winter. I had a different brand of the same size several years ago and it kept my home toasty warm, even on the coldest days
Last winter, even here in sub tropical Louisiana, we had an ice storm, lost power, and had to leave and find heated shelter... we were sick with fever and chills of covid! After that experience, I will RUN, not walk...to get an alternate source of heat for my house! Thank you!!
Before buying one of these heaters make sure you have somewhere to buy kerosene from the pump. If you buy it in gallon or 5 gallon jugs from Home Depot you will pay $10 or more per gallon. In that scenario propane is cheaper.
We live in tropical Townsville Queensland Australia. We purchased our Kero heater because if a Polar Vortex gets up our way, then we will also be needing heat.
PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING! FIRST: Please ensure that you have proper ventilation when using a kerosene heater and read your user manual all the way through! Do not rely only on this video or any other RUclips video for all safety instruction. SECOND: This is not a comprehensive review. This is just an introduction. There are some great videos on RUclips about how to change the wick, clean the heater (Like this one: ruclips.net/video/U_AEJs3cWQE/видео.html ), store fuel, and many other important kerosene heater related subjects. THIRD: I realized that I had the cage on backward after I had already uploaded that video. Thank you for reading!
I'm so glad you shared that this can be started with a long match. I've never seen that on other reviews and may never have known. I'm considering purchasing this type of heater. Thank you for the entire review!
Thanks for the information it's so important to know how to treat that toy I already bought one of those but I have never used I have it for buck up we never know what's gonna happen in the future 👍👍
I have one of those I bought back in 88 when I was stationed in Korea, I used it last knight and this morning to take the chill off! K-1 is $4.75+tx here in southeast Ohio.
I've owned three of these units. {Actually, four, one still in the box.} Been in use for 15 years on and off. Live in the country. Use electric heat normally, but when power is out, or not available ... these work very well to heat a room or two. One heats my 500 sq ft shop. From 40 deg to 65 ... in about half an hour. The built-in 'lighter' quit working in first year ... been using long-length 'cigarette' lighters ever since ... works just fine. Dealing with the wicks is the real pain ... aggravating ... but worth the effort, once every couple of years. For no-AC, simple, 'spot', fast heating, they can't be beat. Expensive to operate. Kero now at about $4.50 gal.
Great heater (puts out alot of heat); used these in Japan ages ago (mine didn't have starter and batteries). Just be careful to keep your eyes from drying out (it will hurt and difficult to keep eyes open so use eyedropper to keep eyes moist).
Dyna-Glo WK95C8 23,800 BTU Portable Indoor Kerosene Convection Heater Operates 11 hours on one full tank of kerosene or 1.9-gallons Crown 1-K Kerosene, Clean Burning Fuel Costs = $8.97 / Gallon One tank full (1.9 Gallons) or 11 hours = $17.04 or $1.55 per hour 24 hours x $1.55 per hour = $37.18 per day 30 days x $37.18 per day = $1,115.54 per month Average winter months in USA = 4 -5 Months 4 Months = $4,462.16 5 Months = $5,577.70
WE grew up using a much bigger unit in the house. I don't remember any conversation or concern about venting. Now that I'm older and being a certified gas tech, I shake my head in disbelief at what we and others did. So now I am interested to know the PPM emissions given off this thing. Something for me to look up. Thanks
Crack a window , it doesn’t take a genius to use simple safety measures. Ever heard of a carbon monoxide detector? I was a certified HVAC tech for years . That included “gas” . The only people spreading fake info about kerosene or any fossil fuel for that matter are the mean green tree huggers. Let them freeze!
@@buzz2bug534 Soo Buzz, you want to heat the house in the dead cold of winter and you open the windows. Only an educated but dumb HVAC tech would come up with that answer as regular folks have no clue or thoughts on such issues. Carbon Monoxide Detector? What the hell is Carbon Monoxide??? The salesman didn't say anything about Carbon Monoxide. Maybe there is hopefully mention of it in the owners manual. HOPEFULLY! >> Ohh shit I have to drive 20 miles back to the store and buy a Carbon Monoxide detector. I'll do that tomorrow! Then a week or two goes by and all's forgotten as the heaters seems to work and feel real nice! >>> ..... As an HVAC Tech, you know (or should know) very well that emissions may well be high before the detector alarms if at all! And even then, it all depends on where the detector is placed and are there even batteries installed?? HUMANS ARE VERY IGNORANT CREATURES AT THE BEST OF TIMES!
This happened because these heaters are unvented: All the combustion products are released into the space that's being heated, which includes water. You need a _vented_ style heater which will exhaust this water outdoors. Such heaters are available, both for kerosene and of course, natural gas and propane. Their only downside is they have to be permanently installed (not portable).
i had these burners back in the day but if you use it in a house, they take alot of maintence and burning off the wicks! went to a wood stove, kerosene is going to go up!! get ready!!
Started using the dura heater 28000 BTU about a month ago, we like it a lot , run it every day almost it’s cheaper than trying to keep this old house warm than propane it’s 4.13 a gallon here for kerosene. Commifornia
I’ve owned a Kerosene unit like yours for a few years. The only problem I encountered is the metal cylinder that gets a sticky residue buildup near the wick after a prolonged time for usage. Please share how to clean or replace metal cylinder. Otherwise, a good machine.
Yesterday I traded a air fryer for one of these heaters. Fired it up today, the igniter doesn't work, so I use a long lighter. I will replace the igniter tomorrow. Sure could have used this last February when San Antonio got all that snow, and we had power outages.
I think I am going to pick one up just for a back up heat source . A lot of people use this system to heat there houses . Was looking at the dealer heater , if the omash use it its got to be safe thanks for your video it help me make up my mind .
You need to look at the newer inverter kerosene heater that originated in Japan. They are fan assisted, but that's all, so can run off a battery. We are using these in Scotland and have not had to turn on our gas fired central heating once this winter.
I just got one. My daughter got it for me from TSC. There were none, locally. I am sure it will be ok when I get it in a couple of days. I already have the kerosene for it. It is a Dura Heat in black.
@@HeritageAndHarvest I got mine and got it going. I accidentally overfilled it and had a smoker- it sooted up the top cover. I siphoned out about a quart and it ran fine, afterwards. The igniter would not work. The technical support folks told me to replace the batteries with el Cheapo batteries because DuraCells will burnout the igniter. I have not tried it since I replaced the batteries. I put CVS Alkalines in it. I only use DuraCell batteries, but I had these left over from some grand kids toys.
We are about to stock kerosene here and pick one of these up. We also have Aladdin lamps and some center draft lamps for light and heat. Kero is 4.40 here a gallon. I think these are making a comeback but the government is against them. Coleman kero lanterns are never in stock anymore either.
I use a torpedo heater in the Winter. It has a thermostat and it doesn't smell and it comes on when it gets cold and then when it warms up it automatically goes off on top of that it uses diesel which is cheaper by far than kerosene.
Which type, propane or kerosene consumes less oxygen and can be used inside? Is this type safe to use indoors? Also, I missed, how do you reduce the smell?
Used 2 of these for years in Maine. Just bought a Kero-sun 150 yesterday at a thrift store. Like new and cost $8.00 (not a typo). Been looking to buy one for a few months and happened across it. Girlfriend can't understand why I was so excited by a heater or the price lol. This will keep my workshop heated next winter. Plus the slight kero smell and pinging from the metal in the heater expanding and flexing as it warms should be pretty nostalgic.
Bought 3 in Black - all are still in the box with extra wicks, bought the K-1 Kerosene at Tractor Supply in 5 gal cans, have not used one yet just wanted to be prepared for winter if the Grid goes down again which I suspect it will. Probably won't ever use more then one but this way we will have backup if needed. Learn to make a cooking source such as a Arizona penny can alcohol stove and if Kerosene is not an option try a little buddy heater with propane. Always vent and use a CO Meter, stay warm and safe, prepare now while you can because everything might be getting difficult to get !
Jimi, pour some fuel into one of those heaters and get it burning before you need it. The best time to learn how to use it is not when the power is out and you're holding a flashlight in one hand while trying to light it with your other hand.
I did the same thing. Others said they suggest lighting it outside and then taking it outside to turn it off. Also don't turned up so high that you got black smoke. Good luck
@@KevinMooreFan33 Some unpainted parts of new heaters are coated with oil at the factory to prevent rust. The first time you fire up your new heater those oils will burn off with some smoke and odors. Doing your first burn outdoors will keep that smoke from stinking up your house.
I have two of the 9000 BTU camping model kerosene heaters. They don't have all the modern features as yours does but they are rather basic and simple to light out up and turn off. I only use mine as supplemental heat in my 17ft x14ft seating room when the temperature is below 30 degrees and when the temperature is above 30 I use 4 kerosene lamps and /or lanterns to stay comfortable in my seating room. I just ordered a third kerosene heater on Ebay a few days ago. I don't really need a third kerosene heater but the price was so low that I couldn't not walk from it.
Kerosene and kerosene heaters was the main source of heat in Japanese homes in the late 80s when we lived there. We ran them indoors windows closed without issue. Japanese homes then even in snow areas we not well sealed or insulated. They produced an enormous amount of heat indoors. 20 gallons a week in 1988 . 1 dollar a gallon.
Just bought one of my neighbor. 30 bucks. He used it only 2 tanks in 10 years then he got a turbo heater. Still full of fuel lit right up. Ordering a new wick to be safe.
I have an old KeroSun from 1980. still works great. even survived my idiot friend pouring water on it because he didn't know how to set the wick, and couldn't get it to extinguish.
I had one for when we lost power. Worked awesome. I could heat the small rambler we had to comfortable in just a couple of hours when power went out. I cooked on it a few times. When I didnt need it any longer, I donated it to a local Union Gospel Mission. They use it in their warehouse.
Seems about $4 a gallon. It's used as jet fuel is why it's so high. Those heaters are great. The smaller square ones are even better. 10,000 BTU. They burn 99.999% efficient so it's safe in your house. Just crack a window in a modern house. I guess. They're so sealed up. It will pull in some oxygen with convection. I've not smothered to death yet and we've used one all my life for 40 years.
I beg to differ. Kerosine is more refined than jet fuel. #2 oil is what’s used as home heating fuel. JP 4 is jet fuel. Kero is further refined than JP 4. Kero, being more refined is used as home heating fuel in cold country where the fuel supply is outside…reason being, it won’t gel as lesser refined fuels will. Diesel trucks have some type of fuel heater to keep diesel fuel from gelling in cold weather…it’s less refined than kerosine. Keep warm!
@@thehunter3386 There are some kerosene heaters that advertise they also work with Jet A and diesel. These are the fan forced torpedo heaters, though. I have never used one of these so I can't speak to how well alternative fuels work in them.
Like you I remember them from my childhood had not thought of using one again till now don't know what is available here in the UK as a lot of what we can cannot buy still comes down to eu regulations
In parts of the country these heaters and the kerosene are not readily, or available at all because of the past accidental asphyxiations that took place due to ignorance and poor ventilation. Consequently they have become outlawed by states or greatly discouraged. I believe this is an ignorant reaction to an uncommon problem. I however have one that is over 30 years old and hold them in high regard when used properly. I lived for many years in Japan, in the 60's, 70's, 80's and the units were used in much of the private homes, shops and restaurants during the winter, and without incident. It's quite amazing how comforting the little things can be. Sadly even when you can find it kerosene is going to cost you more than premium gasoline, I assume because of lower demand. I'd say, buy one, store some kerosene in the shed and you'll be ready to face one possible future problem while others are bundled, shuddering and damning life . . . if properly designed you can cook on it and boil water, too.
It's just one of those things where they try to protect stupid people from themselves but all it does is breed more stupid... I mean shit look how many warning labels are slapped on everything now days! I don't need a warning my coffee cup has hot coffee in it or I shouldn't stick my finger into a spinning blade.... Than again I'm not an idiot. My friend's family had to use a kerosene heater in North Carolina in the 90's and that thing would get most of the small house toasty as hell (The landlord refused to hire someone to fix the boiler till one day he came in started it up when they weren't home and it exploded and caught the place on fire)
Little add on to improve heat range/ circulation, eco fan... fan that runs off of heat. You can set it on top and it blows the heat coming off of the heater in turn increasing the flow and range....
Had one of these up North and brought it with me when I moved to Florida. Heating demand here is small, usually two months or so. But K1 kerosene is not sold except in one gallon cans at camping supply stores at a prohibitive price.
Call around your local gas stations usually at least one will have kerosene at a better price than the big box stores. Also check with the company that supplies gasoline and diesel fuel to the local stations they will have kerosene and metal barrels of various sizes .and this will also be cheaper than the service station prices.
@@williambeasley2582 Gas stations were the first places I checked and none had it. I found a supplier of heating fuel and the guy said they rarely had K-1. While kerosene would make a good heat source it appears the mild winters do not make enough demand for them to stock it.
@@edwardcnnell2853 I have 1 service station and a commercial dealer that both sell kerosene in my home town and know of several more that sell in south Alabama. Try a quick check on the internet to try and locate nearby outlets.
great heaters, I bought a used Kero Sun(popular in the ?70's-80's?; Shatner was on the commercial for it:P) branded heater of the same style and was able to heat a 2 car garage alright; one up'd it with a forced air diesel/kerosene heater but definitely kept it around as a backup:).... reason for going forced air was Diesel is about half the price of Kerosene but for the occasional use these heaters can be found for a lot cheaper than the forced air
I live in a rural area and I'm amazed at how many people don't have any backup form of heat . Years ago people realized that the electricity can go out anytime wind , ice , snow any number of reasons . Be prepared !
I have a virtually identical Redstone heater. The door on mine is more accessible. I light it with a butane lighter stick. Every few tanks I burn it down and clean the wick with a course nylon brush. It's 6 years old and on the original wick. If I was using it inside a house I would replace the wick often because I notice it is a bit more smelly on startup and shutdown compared to very minimal odor when it was new.
Very good tips! About the door...I noticed after I had recorded and edited that I had the cage on backward. I never open the door so I never noticed before. LOL
Wife picked mine up at Costco, she always buys two of anything she thinks I may like from there because often times, when they’re gone, they’re gone, clothing wise. Nice video, can still remember my neighbors using one of these back in the seventies.
I get it. At the time I recorded this video I was able to get it at the pump and the price of fuel was much less than now. I still recommend that people consider a kerosene heater, but not to use all day long, every day as a primary heat source. It can be great for daily supplemental heat and definitely in an emergency. It's case-by-case. Propane is a great option!
I always start mine outdoors, AND shut it down outdoors. That eliminates 98% of the odor.
I've got 2 of these heaters, had them for years. Read the directions on cleaning the wick, that will reduce the K-1 smell, and buy yourself a cast iron kettle, sit on on top of the heater full of water and the air quality will also be better, you can add potpourri liquid to the kettle and make the whole place smell nice.
Great ideas!
All sounds good, but if you have kids or animals. You must have to be very alert.
@@ceo2436 And very PERSISTENT and STEADY to make them HELPERS to protect others at all times...
Anyone seen clear K-1 being sold at the gas station? All I been seeing is the dyed kerosene
@@spartacus3608 I don't think gas stations are allowed to sell K-1, that is reserved for hardware stores and Wally World that sell it in clear containers. I know I have never pumped K-1 out of a gas station pump. K-2 is fine in a garage, ice shanty or for use outdoors but I would only use it in my house during an extreme emergency. I have a propane tank and tank top heater that in an emergent situation I can use in my living room, that doesn't smell at all although having a 20 or 30 pound tank of LP (or kerosene for that matter) isn't the greatest thing to have in your home. If it is that or having my pipes freeze I will use the LP tank heater in my home.
I have owned and operated several styles of these kerosene heaters from the older Perfection Heaters to these modern Dyno-glo designs. They are great for back-up, preppies, emergency heating when the grid goes down. They can provide heat, light and a way to boil water or even cook a meal indoors.
My gut has been telling me to get one of these for the last few days. I always trust my gut. Home Depot closes in two hours. I’m buying one tonight.
Nice! No regrets here! I’m about to pull my heater back out and prep it for the season.
@@HeritageAndHarvest I’m glad to see you’re still happy with it. I feel a bit foolish for not getting one sooner. It just popped in my head and started nagging at me. I have one now so I’m happy.
You can get kerosene at tractor supply too
For those who don't know, make sure you dry burn the wick every so often. Dry burning is when you let the fuel tank go completely empty and let the flame burn till it goes completely out and will not relight. That procedure burns off the caked carbon from the wick and makes it last longer.
edit: Dry burning should be done outside cause it makes a little smoke in the process.
It should be done after every third tank full and it may take 4 or 5 dry burns to get rid of the carbon bild up and you must allow the wick to get cold between each dry burn!
@@oldmanriver1057 Thanks, I wanted to add all that to my comment to but I thought it would be too big, people tend to not read the huge rambling comments. I knew someone, like yourself would add it in. I think both our comments are info that people need.
@@Al-rs2rr When I was young we had a small kerosene heater in our ice fishing shack. It was a burlap covered wood frame shack with a second layer of burlap on the inside. It was on runner's cut from 4 by 4 that had to be staked to the ice so the strong wind would not blow it across the lake miles from where we had it. It was nice to have especially when the temperature was 20 below zero!
@@oldmanriver1057 I live in the south now but I grew up and worked till retirement in northern Illinois. I could never consider ever facing an Illinois winter without having a kerosene heater for emergencies.. People don't realize how safe they are if they are used right and cared for properly. I think people just assume that kerosene burns dirty but it doesn't.
@@Al-rs2rr where in the south? Texans could have used kerosene for heat during that ice storm that they had and kerosene doesn't go bad like gasoline can over time! It would be a good idea to have some on hand with a kerosene heater just in case you need it someday! Just my opinion, better safe than sorry!
I grew up with one of these. It made life much more comfortable during the many power outages we experienced until we got our coal stove. When I moved to a home with all electric, I purchased one for emergencies as a major snow storm headed our way. That storm ended up being no big deal, and it stayed in the box for six years. But, then the day came when I needed it, and it worked great. I usually only used K1, but the cost of that has become ridiculous. Luckily, I bought a bunch of it years ago, and it still works fine. If I have to, I will use regular kerosene, but it doesn’t burn as clean as the K1. Hopefully, some day, the price will be reasonable again, but given the current circumstances, that seems unlikely. I would highly recommend these units when proper safety precautions are followed: cracked window, carbon monoxide detector. They can literally save your life, and when it’s very cold, and you have no power, you will be fine.
Very well said!
Cracked window means bringing in cold air. Seems really inefficient for daily use.
Granted fumes are no good either..
@@nickabel8279 kerosene is an open flame...fire requires oxygen....if you dont open a window you will burn up the oxygen in the house and die....I have a kerosene heater and it can get to a comfy 85 degrees with 2 windows open in 7 degree farenheit temps... freeze or to not freeze....you choose bud
@@spartacus3608 I ended up going with an indoor wood furnace.
@@nickabel8279 looking at wood stove myself but it can be expensive when u factor on the cost of stove and exhaust pipes....some may not be able to afford it
I found one of these last summer on the metal pile at the town transfer station. The brand is Corona. A quick inspection of the wick and cumbustion chamber revealed that it had never been used. The manual was in a ziplock bag tucked inside the cage. I fired it up a couple weeks ago to familiarize myself with it before the first winter storm power outage. Kerosene heaters show up on that pile a few times a year but never in new condition.
@Muzzle Flash I refurbish antique Perfections as a hobby.
@Muzzle Flash Helped last night - our pellet stove distribution blower seems to be dead. I had three kerosene space heaters to keep it comfortable inside.
@@Jollyprez
Do you make videos?
I’d like to watch you restore some old Perfections.
@@totallyfrozen No - no time, but I'll see if I can take some pix. I gave the last one to my brother. But I have a "new" one I just got....
We used these back in the seventies when heating a home was expensive for a working family. Back then kerosene was cheaper than regular gas. Now kerosene is higher than gas. They will keep you from freezing if the power goes out.
Kerosene is available in Walmarts. Burned by low income families, and people in camps.
@@SirenaSpades At current prices I don't know how a poor family can afford to use one of these as a primary source of heat. Kerosene is about $3.50 a gallon and that is the smelly stuff from the gas station (the good K-1 kerosene is about $25 for five gallons at Wally World). I can heat my 750 sq. ft. home with natural gas for at most a third of the price of using one of these (and it doesn't smell). My furnace was about $1900 installed in 2014 (right before the price increased due to new federal regulations) but you can buy a Mr. Heater type wall heater that runs on natural gas for less than $300.
@@mharris5047 If price is the ultimate concern, and one can modify the property as they wish.... I would think that building a rocket mass heater in the center of the house, and then collecting a sufficient quantity of wood (we're talking sticks here) could be done for free throughout the year.
Obviously (1) building the rocket mass heater requires some research and skill and (2) would not be something to bet on the first year because you don't know how much would you need. But given time and preparation, a smaller house could potentially be heated for free during the winter with casual fuel gathering during the warm months. (I believe there is a fable about an Ant and a Grasshopper than comes to mind). As opposed to a traditional wood stove where you'd either need a bunch of property for harvesting and processing your own wood logs or having to buy cords of wood.
@@SirenaSpades
I’ve only ever seen kerosene in Walmart at $10/gallon.
Those things are great! I was stuck for a week in Oklahoma during an ice storm. It was all we had for heat. It would heat the whole house. Great unit.
Kerosene is $8.00 a gallon here in Oregon. I have a kerosene heater that looks pretty much like the one you show. its called dyna glow. I used a temp gun and its 400 degrees on the top. During the ice storm last winter it kept 3 rooms warm. I love it.
@S2 turbine I think he is talking about K-1 like they sell at Wally World and hardware stores. $6-$8 a gallon sounds about right for that. K-2 is what comes out of the pump at gas stations (assuming the owner didn't cheap out and get #2 diesel instead, I have had that happen -- it will work but it is much smellier than even K-2) and is cheaper.
@@mharris5047
Yeah, I found K-1 out of the pump at my local Tractor Supply. It’s was over $7/gal. That was last year (Feb. 2021) when we had the deep freeze here in Houston. I was without electricity for 4 days. It got down to 15 degrees. People died in their homes. I survived by a natural gas fireplace and a kerosene heater.
Is it cheaper to run propane heaters or kerosene?
I have been trying to prepare people for blackouts when you desperately need heat. They just won't listen. We got our Kero heater for standby heat because we used a Kero heater in my childhood days, thankfully.
These things are great to have. This heater can heat my whole two bedroom house, with a full living room dining room and kitchen and bath. im in the midwest.
Did you need to keep a window cracked open?
You have no idea how much I was looking for a detailed information as the one you just provided. Great presentation of how safe the kerosene heaters are, thank you.
You're very welcome! Thank you for the comment!
I love my heater too! I have the same model in black. I took the safety grate off the top and put a wood stove fan on the top and have it blow where I want the heat to go. you could also boil water in a kettle on the top too if you had to. It is a great item to have in the winter. It does very well with cold and drafty places, because good airflow helps with the smell.
Those are great ideas!
I have a friend who has a Kerosun heater in his ice fishing shack. Many meals have been cooked on the top of that heater.
Bought a Dyna Glo Kerosene heater about 10 years ago and I use it every winter to supplement my home's heat. Years ago I was able to get two all metal 55 gallon drums for free where the whole top comes completely off and I make multiple runs to the gas station with my four 5 gallon jerry can to fill up my drums every year for a total of 150 gallons of kero including the jerry cans. Don't run it everyday, but sometimes especially in January or February temps can dip down into the teens all the way down to below zero and I definitely use it then, otherwise my home's furnace will never shut off and it does a great job of keeping the cold out and saving wear and tear on my home's expensive furnace. By the way kero in my area is presently at $3.50 a gallon.
if you place the keroscene heater by your furnace air intake vents, when it is running. The furnace will shut its burner off and keep the heating system's fan running the warm air through your ducts. Because the furnace has heat sensor that shuts its burner down first, then the fan down. After heat exchanger cools downs and the air temperature inside the furnace isn't warm enough to keep circulating. That delay lets you get the last bit of heat off the furnace for your money, This trick also helps spread the kerosene heater's heat around your house more and may pass it through you furnace filter.
@@ablemagawitch What a good idea as I'll have to try that.
When wood-burning heating stoves were common in homes when I was young, the mothers, grandmothers made sure they kept a cast iron kettle or small pot of water on the stove top. The very slow evaporation helped keep the oxygen levels good, and they were always faithful, no matter what all was going on, or how tired they might be, they checked the kettle regularly especially throughout the night, to refill it. And they always made sure a nearby window was open just a crack, just enough you could see a crack of daylight under the sill.
It makes all the difference. Set an alarm clock if you have any problems with that routine.
The kettle of water over the stove kept the humidity from becoming so dry that static shocks was a problem, always hated that.
@@richardtiller4147 I remember, picking up the plastic-made combs to comb your hair and WOW! EACH HAIR STANDING STRAIGHT OUT like a Human Dandelion! The hair product to cut the static was never where you saw it last.
Oh, Yeah!
@@anombrerose6311 Lol. I remember as a child in the late 70s, and mannn, you could see the blue static shock, and hear it. I use to hate to move around at night, in the sleeping gowns we had, lol. Funny, as a Gen X'r in my 50s now, seems static in the home was heavier back then. Clothes sticking to you and what not. We use to put water in our hair to break up static, when we combed or brushed our hair.
@@goodmeasure777 Yeah, water was good, if you had not just spent hours getting a girl's hair style JUST SO!.
We always suffered it the worst when visiting one of the grannies, and there were many other girls there too, Besides me and my sisters - and were were running round spreading the electric shock value to everyone all over the house! And yeah, Those GOWNS, too - they were coming out with nylon, then.
For the hair, a spot of Tame or of Suave hair lotion, too.
Well as air temperature drops, it tends to become drier. Dry air can harder for some people to breathe. Simmering a water kettle will add humidity to the air, but it will not increase the oxygen content.
I've been using one in my Home and Garage for over 25 years. I haven't had a single problem. Just keep your wick up to par 👍
I thought he was going to cover odor tips... I was nostalgic about these heaters too, became poor again and had to revisit these as an adult, and learned a lot about about the odor mitigation.
1. Light and extinguish it outdoors (on the porch or something) most of the smell is released at startup and shut down because the catalytic converter doesn't remain hot enough then.
2. Run it between max and 75-80%, running it too low and it won't be able to burn up the smell efficiently.
3. Use good quality (very clear) fuel, the lower quality stuff has more sulfur and smelly stuff.
4. This type of heater has a fiberglass wick (older cotton wicks need different attention) and every so many tanks you need to let wick burn out instead of just turning it off to extinguish the flame. This burns off built up impurities that have accumulated on the wick and make for incomplete combustion. (Usually every ~10 tanks of fuel depends on the fuel quality. experiment, if you notice a slight increase smell you might want to let it burn of the very end of the tank outside.)
5. Bonus Tip He didn't mention, these things are generally designed in Japan and have a feature not mentioned in the US manuals, you can generally remove the top of the cage and the cage has a lower position it can be put in, the top of the heater removes easily with a slight twist to the left i think and lift. Then you can cook on it with a large wok or a skilet... Nice prepper feature
Years ago I was taught to add 1 ounce (a shot glass) of Isopropyl alcohol per gallon of K1 grade kerosene, to help control odor and eliminate any residual water that may be in the fuel. It also helps to have a fuel funnel filter that can be bought at Amazon or a good hardware store to filter out any dirt or water that may be in the fuel. The best Isopropyl alcohol I have found is the 91 percent stuff I often see at Walmart sold in pints, in the medical and vitamin/toothpaste section. Other companies sell 70 and some even 50 percent grade Isopropyl alcohol. The 91 percent is best.
@@richardanderson6874 I've heard this before and I'm not sure the logic is sound. By adding the Isopropyl Alcohol you are adding water... The percentage that isn't "ipa" is water. Also water is heavier than fossil fuel and it may suspend in but will not mix with it so it will tend to settle out in the container you dispense into.
@@Bill-v650 Sound reasoning that deserves a thorough analysis. Home Depot sells scented additives for this purpose. Not sure if they are actually polluting the tank then.
I've always found if you light them and shut them off outdoors the smell isn't ever an issue.
Oh my goodness I hope you do that all the time. For safety and health purposes, a person should never start one of these units indoors or shut one of these off while indoors. Always fire one up outdoors for at least 5 - 10 minutes before bringing it in. Always take the unit outside when shutting it down.
That is because you are used to it like cigarettes.
@@edwardmmanns7454 so you take it upon your own thoughts to say that this person smokes cigarettes and you also seem to know that this person smokes indoors. You also seem to have the knowledge that starting and stopping a kerosene heater indoors is the same as smoking indoors. Trying to inflict your intelligence upon others with your comment actually did the complete opposite🤪
@@hurtfultruth3903 Okay, troll. I just tell it like I found it over the years in construction and some used the kerosene.
I bought my first one in the early 80's when they didn't have the safety cage around them. They throw some great heat . Also a great back up when the power goes out in the winter. A must to have.
I want one of these newer ones. I have an old Perfection 730. It’s an antique. It doesn’t have the safety cage. I was running it on the back patio to give my daughter some warmth while she was playing. Well, she accidentally bumped it and got a small burn. So the Perfection is up for sale and I want one of these newer, safer designs.
@@totallyfrozen The cage was a great safety feature added to the newer ones. Some used to put a tea pot on top the older ones as a humidifier but found that's a fire hazard. Water and kerosene don't mix well if spilled inside the heater. Even with the cage, I wouldn't put anything with water on top. Stay safe. Thanks for the reply.
I'm looking at buying one of these today, I highly recommend people get heating sources in the current climate we are in
Small propane cylinder and shop heater. Much less expensive. Kerosene price is outrageous. Don't purchase. You will be sorry.
I'll second that..ko...is $8..
I got tired of wick replacement...and having to ensure fresh Karo every fall...
I sent mine to the recycling in working condition....
It heats up large spaces it's just for emergencies. I have two mr buddy heaters already
@@Saint696Anger which is great....just plan on having fresh Karo on hand when that emergency hits....oh....don't forget to drain and burn dry the wick afterwards....
@@jonjacobjingleheimerschmid3798 I have 25 gallons of kerosene and two back up wicks, I read that the wicks go bad if you let them burn out without fuel
You have a pleasant, relaxing presentation style. Thank you.
Thank you!
Excellent presentation. Just bought one thinking about emergency heat in a power outage.
Thanks.
Buy them in the summer or watch for them with spring sales.
I have had a wood stove in my basement and my covered back porch is stacked with 4 cords of firewood. Been at this for over 35 years and prefer wood. Great to have chili or soup cooked on it, too!
Where are you located at?
Wood stove would be my first choice too! That's not an option for many though. Maybe some day!
I had a really old furnace style wood stove years ago, I lived well out of town then and wood was less than a tenth of the price per BTU than of kerosene. I much preferred that over kerosene. I always had a backup propane or fuel oil furnace just in case the wood stove burned out in the middle of the night or while I was at work (I lived alone, yeah -- I lived alone in a three bedroom house on a lake that I paid cash for less than $20K in 1981) but in my younger days wood didn't seem like that hard of an option. I used aged, pre-split wood, ten cord would last a whole winter and it was about $50 per cord (I would pay the delivery kid an extra $10 per cord to stack it for me so it came to $60 per cord) back then whereas fuel oil was about $350 per month and propane not much cheaper (this was about 1981). I knew someone that sold un-aged wood in the late 1980's for $20 per rick (1/3 cord) to poor people that couldn't afford a full cord at a time but they had to split and transport the wood themselves, a pickup truck would hold about a rick to a rick and a half. Now wood is about $150 a cord delivered, IDK how much to have them stack it for you as I haven't burned wood for heat in 27 years. Nowadays you can even have an outdoor wood stove that connects to a boiler system or forced air furnace to heat with, when I used wood those didn't exist and my stove was in my basement.
@@HeritageAndHarvest I do understand that. We have a total electric house, to heat pumps…very efficient until temps drop below 40 F., then is when we burn wood…keeps the inefficient heat strips from turning on!
I had a kerosun Omni 105 in 1982 and heated my house for 3 years with it,, great heaters just don't turn them down on low to long and keep your wick clean and change it every season.
I bought one of these with 2 jugs of kerosene at a yardsale this year for 20bucks. 🙂
I have the same heater and I love it. I bought it brand new and just had to use it went my heater crapped out. I made sure I had kero on hand as well and after I get my new heater I am going to refill all my kero cans for another emergency. It's a must have!
I bought.one.of these about 7 years ago because we were supposed to have an ice storm (yeah, even here on the MS Gulf Coast). Pulled it out a few months ago, cleaned it up and lit right up. Now to get more kerosene.
If you orient the protective grill differently, there is a cutout for the door in the front. Hope that makes sense.
It does! I noticed that a few minutes after I had uploaded the video. I had never used the door, so it was never an issue! LOL
I own two of this exact heater. It is very reliable, and, with a bit of experience, I found it a good heat source for my house. I always kept a window open about 2 inches. I would use one heater at a time, until it's wick needed maintenance, then I'd switch heaters. Unfortunately, they are illegal in some states. Massachusetts does not believe people are smart enough to use these properly. Some people aren't, but at least they only get one chance to get it wrong? Too dark? Sorry.
My dowstairs furnace distribution pump failed a few years ago, heat upstairs none down, 2 of these in the basement kept the pipes and basement warm enough for the repair guy to make it here on Monday without pipes freezing or bursting. All weekend minus 20 something. Northern Maine
Good ole maine. U can always count on cold weather here.
I have the square heater. I built a mobile platform to sit it on. Board 10 inches larger than heater base with wheels and tile top. Lifts it off floor and rope on metal handles let me safely move it. Also they now have additives that cut the kerosene smell.
Well that's cool. Last time i had one if u weren't careful it would go out before u could get it outside. They r heavy. I gave up on them.
The grill protector on mine is made so that you can heat a pot on the top of it. Otherwise pretty much the same. It’s great in an emergency. By the way, you had 999 like so I had to hit it to make it 1000🙂. Mine is also easy to light with regular matches, which is a good thing, because the electric start died
or use a piece of spaghetti
I gave all of my kerosene heaters away. And Installed infrared propane heaters for back-up heat sources. Plumbed into the same 500 gallon tank as the furnace.
Cleaner cheaper and safer than kerosene. I leave the controls set just below the furnace thermostat. If the power goes out the heater takes over.
It is also nice if I’m chilly.
They are fine if you just follow the directions, I used 1 several years ago with no problems.
Big problem with this heater is it throws off a lot of humidity along with the heat. You also need to make sure you're letting fresh air in to your place, and run a Carbon Dioxide/Carbon Monoxide alarm while burning.
I agree good value, I bought it mostly to have a back up heat source for power outages this winter.
I just bought one of these from Atwood's. Had it probably a little over two months. Haven't had to just make use of it just yet here in the South. However, did go through the basics of preparing it for that needed moment. I have let it run a bit and burn off some of that newness and get familiar with it's features. Nice unit for unforseen circumstances in my opinion. Thanks for the review.
Thank you for a thorough and thoughtful review of this kerosene heater. I especially appreciate your discussing ways to minimize waste (of wick and kerosene) through wick soaking and proper wick length and also how to minimize emission odor. Primarily based on your review, along with some other reading on this unit elsewhere, I'll be purchasing one from Home Depot here in Omaha (Nebraska) tomorrow. The listed price is $149.00 (sales tax here is 7% so total will be about $159.43).
That's a good price in this unit! I've been very surprised at how well this heater works for the money spent. Let me know what you think after you've been using it for a while!
You can also add 3 oz's of 99% rubbing alcohol per gallon if the smell bugs you, it helps even further. Also if you got a new wick, soak it in White vinegar (clear) then let it try befoere installing the wick. Burns cleaner and you can get a higher flame before you break soot.
@@cleverusernames Great tips! Thanks!
Going to home depo today to get one thanks for the hard work in the video.
I've got one, the Dyna-Glo kerosene heater. They are great for supplemental heat, or in power failures. I have a small home, and it will heat my whole house.
A grill lighter is good if your batteries or ignitor goes out for lighting it, keep a window cracked about 1", I light and turn it off outside. Great heaters. Just allow it space away from curtains, etc.
Those heaters are excellent, but it looks like you have the grate on backwards there should be a gap in the cage to allow opening of that little door on the front.
LOL Yeah, I realized that after I had posted the video. 😬
Im buying one tomorrow to heat my mobile home this winter. I had a different brand of the same size several years ago and it kept my home toasty warm, even on the coldest days
Last winter, even here in sub tropical Louisiana, we had an ice storm, lost power, and had to leave and find heated shelter... we were sick with fever and chills of covid! After that experience, I will RUN, not walk...to get an alternate source of heat for my house! Thank you!!
Before buying one of these heaters make sure you have somewhere to buy kerosene from the pump. If you buy it in gallon or 5 gallon jugs from Home Depot you will pay $10 or more per gallon. In that scenario propane is cheaper.
We live in tropical Townsville Queensland Australia. We purchased our Kero heater because if a Polar Vortex gets up our way, then we will also be needing heat.
Dad had one of these heaters and I am considering getting one for a back up when the power goes down this winter, thanks for the review.
PLEASE READ BEFORE COMMENTING!
FIRST: Please ensure that you have proper ventilation when using a kerosene heater and read your user manual all the way through! Do not rely only on this video or any other RUclips video for all safety instruction.
SECOND: This is not a comprehensive review. This is just an introduction. There are some great videos on RUclips about how to change the wick, clean the heater (Like this one: ruclips.net/video/U_AEJs3cWQE/видео.html ), store fuel, and many other important kerosene heater related subjects.
THIRD: I realized that I had the cage on backward after I had already uploaded that video.
Thank you for reading!
I was reviewing this one and it seems they are problematic
@@ipman4715 like what problems???
Would you mind telling approximately how long the wick lasts?
Get a me buddy. For indoor use
Kerosene smells the house up I had this one & stopped using it.
I'm so glad you shared that this can be started with a long match. I've never seen that on other reviews and may never have known. I'm considering purchasing this type of heater. Thank you for the entire review!
You’re welcome! I’m glad it was helpful!
Thanks for the information it's so important to know how to treat that toy I already bought one of those but I have never used I have it for buck up we never know what's gonna happen in the future 👍👍
I have one of those I bought back in 88 when I was stationed in Korea, I used it last knight and this morning to take the chill off! K-1 is $4.75+tx here in southeast Ohio.
I've owned three of these units. {Actually, four, one still in the box.} Been in use for 15 years on and off. Live in the country. Use electric heat normally, but when power is out, or not available ... these work very well to heat a room or two. One heats my 500 sq ft shop. From 40 deg to 65 ... in about half an hour. The built-in 'lighter' quit working in first year ... been using long-length 'cigarette' lighters ever since ... works just fine. Dealing with the wicks is the real pain ... aggravating ... but worth the effort, once every couple of years. For no-AC, simple, 'spot', fast heating, they can't be beat. Expensive to operate. Kero now at about $4.50 gal.
Great heater (puts out alot of heat); used these in Japan ages ago (mine didn't have starter and batteries). Just be careful to keep your eyes from drying out (it will hurt and difficult to keep eyes open so use eyedropper to keep eyes moist).
Dyna-Glo WK95C8 23,800 BTU Portable Indoor Kerosene Convection Heater
Operates 11 hours on one full tank of kerosene or 1.9-gallons
Crown 1-K Kerosene, Clean Burning Fuel Costs = $8.97 / Gallon
One tank full (1.9 Gallons) or 11 hours = $17.04 or $1.55 per hour
24 hours x $1.55 per hour = $37.18 per day
30 days x $37.18 per day = $1,115.54 per month
Average winter months in USA = 4 -5 Months
4 Months = $4,462.16
5 Months = $5,577.70
when SHTF, you will be hard-pressed to find fuel. they work great. even cooked on them when the power went out.
No doubt... they are very versatile.
@@mistymangham4410 to get thru a 2-3 yr power outage, one would need 5..... 55-gallon drums to survive the Appalachian mountains.
Used for years safely on a vessel when a live aboard- like others have said, need proper ventilation
WE grew up using a much bigger unit in the house. I don't remember any conversation or concern about venting. Now that I'm older and being a certified gas tech, I shake my head in disbelief at what we and others did. So now I am interested to know the PPM emissions given off this thing.
Something for me to look up.
Thanks
I’m more concerned with processed food than using kerosene heat as a supplemental heat source .
@@buzz2bug534 Until you die in your sleep of asphyxiation! But don't fret yourself on it....YOU WILL NEVER KNOW IT!
Crack a window , it doesn’t take a genius to use simple safety measures. Ever heard of a carbon monoxide detector? I was a certified HVAC tech for years . That included “gas” . The only people spreading fake info about kerosene or any fossil fuel for that matter are the mean green tree huggers. Let them freeze!
@@buzz2bug534 Soo Buzz, you want to heat the house in the dead cold of winter and you open the windows. Only an educated but dumb HVAC tech would come up with that answer as regular folks have no clue or thoughts on such issues.
Carbon Monoxide Detector? What the hell is Carbon Monoxide??? The salesman didn't say anything about Carbon Monoxide.
Maybe there is hopefully mention of it in the owners manual. HOPEFULLY! >> Ohh shit I have to drive 20 miles back to the store and buy a Carbon Monoxide detector. I'll do that tomorrow! Then a week or two goes by and all's forgotten as the heaters seems to work and feel real nice!
>>> ..... As an HVAC Tech, you know (or should know) very well that emissions may well be high before the detector alarms if at all! And even then, it all depends on where the detector is placed and are there even batteries installed?? HUMANS ARE VERY IGNORANT CREATURES AT THE BEST OF TIMES!
Had one of those in my workshop. The water output is crazy, my tools all had a thin layer of rust, Lathe bed rusty made my blood run cold.
That’s not possible
This happened because these heaters are unvented: All the combustion products are released into the space that's being heated, which includes water. You need a _vented_ style heater which will exhaust this water outdoors. Such heaters are available, both for kerosene and of course, natural gas and propane. Their only downside is they have to be permanently installed (not portable).
i had these burners back in the day but if you use it in a house, they take alot of maintence and burning off the wicks! went to a wood stove, kerosene is going to go up!! get ready!!
Started using the dura heater 28000 BTU about a month ago, we like it a lot , run it every day almost it’s cheaper than trying to keep this old house warm than propane it’s 4.13 a gallon here for kerosene. Commifornia
I’ve owned a Kerosene unit like yours for a few years. The only problem I encountered is the metal cylinder that gets a sticky residue buildup near the wick after a prolonged time for usage. Please share how to clean or replace metal cylinder. Otherwise, a good machine.
Yesterday I traded a air fryer for one of these heaters. Fired it up today, the igniter doesn't work, so I use a long lighter. I will replace the igniter tomorrow. Sure could have used this last February when San Antonio got all that snow, and we had power outages.
A single match is all that is needed. The igniter causes more problems than it solves.
@@mrmicro22 oh my god, all I would need is a match!
Those igniters never work right, even when new.
I had one, they heat well, but are expensive to operate due to cost of kerosene.
Got an old perfection kerosene heater!
I put two ECO-fans,(non electric heat powered), side by side on top of the cage, and they help move the heat quite well. Stay warm.
That’s a great idea!
It's fab! Supli,emts particularly on cold nights. Just a great bit of kit
I think I am going to pick one up just for a back up heat source . A lot of people use this system to heat there houses . Was looking at the dealer heater , if the omash use it its got to be safe thanks for your video it help me make up my mind .
Thank you for the comment, Gary. They’re not going to be right for every situation, but they’re a solid solution in the right context.
You need to look at the newer inverter kerosene heater that originated in Japan. They are fan assisted, but that's all, so can run off a battery. We are using these in Scotland and have not had to turn on our gas fired central heating once this winter.
I will definitely check it out! Thank you!
Great review. Just bought one today for the coming winter.
Nice!
I just got one. My daughter got it for me from TSC. There were none, locally. I am sure it will be ok when I get it in a couple of days. I already have the kerosene for it. It is a Dura Heat in black.
They had a huge stack of them locally at Lowe’s, but they went fast! I hope that yours works well for you!
@@HeritageAndHarvest my daughter got it for me. I build and repair chainsaws I should be able to get it to work, correctly.
@@HeritageAndHarvest I got mine and got it going. I accidentally overfilled it and had a smoker- it sooted up the top cover. I siphoned out about a quart and it ran fine, afterwards. The igniter would not work. The technical support folks told me to replace the batteries with el Cheapo batteries because DuraCells will burnout the igniter. I have not tried it since I replaced the batteries. I put CVS Alkalines in it. I only use DuraCell batteries, but I had these left over from some grand kids toys.
Nice! I’d definitely like to get one. I can certainly see the necessity of having one.
We are about to stock kerosene here and pick one of these up. We also have Aladdin lamps and some center draft lamps for light and heat. Kero is 4.40 here a gallon. I think these are making a comeback but the government is against them. Coleman kero lanterns are never in stock anymore either.
I use a torpedo heater in the Winter. It has a thermostat and it doesn't smell and it comes on when it gets cold and then when it warms up it automatically goes off on top of that it uses diesel which is cheaper by far than kerosene.
Which type, propane or kerosene consumes less oxygen and can be used inside? Is this type safe to use indoors? Also, I missed, how do you reduce the smell?
Used 2 of these for years in Maine. Just bought a Kero-sun 150 yesterday at a thrift store. Like new and cost $8.00 (not a typo). Been looking to buy one for a few months and happened across it. Girlfriend can't understand why I was so excited by a heater or the price lol. This will keep my workshop heated next winter. Plus the slight kero smell and pinging from the metal in the heater expanding and flexing as it warms should be pretty nostalgic.
Wow! That's a great deal! And yes, I understand the nostalgia. LOL
In the welding dept. you can get a butane lighter. Even better than long matches!
Bought 3 in Black - all are still in the box with extra wicks, bought the K-1 Kerosene at Tractor Supply in 5 gal cans, have not used one yet just wanted to be prepared for winter if the Grid goes down again which I suspect it will. Probably won't ever use more then one but this way we will have backup if needed. Learn to make a cooking source such as a Arizona penny can alcohol stove and if Kerosene is not an option try a little buddy heater with propane. Always vent and use a CO Meter, stay warm and safe, prepare now while you can because everything might be getting difficult to get !
Absolutely agree.
Jimi, pour some fuel into one of those heaters and get it burning before you need it. The best time to learn how to use it is not when the power is out and you're holding a flashlight in one hand while trying to light it with your other hand.
I did the same thing. Others said they suggest lighting it outside and then taking it outside to turn it off. Also don't turned up so high that you got black smoke. Good luck
@@KevinMooreFan33 Some unpainted parts of new heaters are coated with oil at the factory to prevent rust. The first time you fire up your new heater those oils will burn off with some smoke and odors. Doing your first burn outdoors will keep that smoke from stinking up your house.
Use only in a ventilated space. Don’t fall asleep with this running. A great garage or pole barn option.
I have two of the 9000 BTU camping model kerosene heaters. They don't have all the modern features as yours does but they are rather basic and simple to light out up and turn off. I only use mine as supplemental heat in my 17ft x14ft seating room when the temperature is below 30 degrees and when the temperature is above 30 I use 4 kerosene lamps and /or lanterns to stay comfortable in my seating room. I just ordered a third kerosene heater on Ebay a few days ago. I don't really need a third kerosene heater but the price was so low that I couldn't not walk from it.
That’s a great idea regarding the lamps! Many Amish will use multiple lamps as supplemental heat in small areas.
You can light these with one of those long-necked butane lighters one uses for lighting gas grills.
Absolutely!
Kerosene and kerosene heaters was the main source of heat in Japanese homes in the late 80s when we lived there. We ran them indoors windows closed without issue. Japanese homes then even in snow areas we not well sealed or insulated. They produced an enormous amount of heat indoors. 20 gallons a week in 1988 . 1 dollar a gallon.
That’s very interesting. I wonder if they’re still popular there today?
Mine is a Dyno Glo, it’s a great furnace !
Just bought one of my neighbor. 30 bucks. He used it only 2 tanks in 10 years then he got a turbo heater. Still full of fuel lit right up. Ordering a new wick to be safe.
Wow! That’s an incredible deal!
Might have some water in the tank. Good idea changing the wick
I have an old KeroSun from 1980. still works great. even survived my idiot friend pouring water on it because he didn't know how to set the wick, and couldn't get it to extinguish.
I had one for when we lost power. Worked awesome. I could heat the small rambler we had to comfortable in just a couple of hours when power went out. I cooked on it a few times. When I didnt need it any longer, I donated it to a local Union Gospel Mission. They use it in their warehouse.
Wow this video has blown up, this is so awesome, we use a propane fireplace in the winter, electricity goes out, we still have heat.
Seems about $4 a gallon. It's used as jet fuel is why it's so high. Those heaters are great. The smaller square ones are even better. 10,000 BTU. They burn 99.999% efficient so it's safe in your house. Just crack a window in a modern house. I guess. They're so sealed up. It will pull in some oxygen with convection. I've not smothered to death yet and we've used one all my life for 40 years.
I beg to differ. Kerosine is more refined than jet fuel. #2 oil is what’s used as home heating fuel. JP 4 is jet fuel. Kero is further refined than JP 4. Kero, being more refined is used as home heating fuel in cold country where the fuel supply is outside…reason being, it won’t gel as lesser refined fuels will. Diesel trucks have some type of fuel heater to keep diesel fuel from gelling in cold weather…it’s less refined than kerosine. Keep warm!
No. Jet fuel is dirty, junky fuel that can be obtained wherever anywhere in the world.
@@thehunter3386 There are some kerosene heaters that advertise they also work with Jet A and diesel. These are the fan forced torpedo heaters, though. I have never used one of these so I can't speak to how well alternative fuels work in them.
$200 max? You can't really put a price on staying warm! Great video!
My Dura heat has a cutout section of the cage where the door is. I am surprised yours does not. I bought mine about 4-5 years ago.
Mine does too. I just didn't realize it until shortly after posting this video. I never use the door and so never thought about it. LOL
It's there if you need it, lol.@@HeritageAndHarvest
Like you I remember them from my childhood had not thought of using one again till now don't know what is available here in the UK as a lot of what we can cannot buy still comes down to eu regulations
That little thing inside of that spray thing at the move back-and-forth it help light. Up
In parts of the country these heaters and the kerosene are not readily, or available at all because of the past accidental asphyxiations that took place due to ignorance and poor ventilation. Consequently they have become outlawed by states or greatly discouraged. I believe this is an ignorant reaction to an uncommon problem. I however have one that is over 30 years old and hold them in high regard when used properly. I lived for many years in Japan, in the 60's, 70's, 80's and the units were used in much of the private homes, shops and restaurants during the winter, and without incident. It's quite amazing how comforting the little things can be. Sadly even when you can find it kerosene is going to cost you more than premium gasoline, I assume because of lower demand. I'd say, buy one, store some kerosene in the shed and you'll be ready to face one possible future problem while others are bundled, shuddering and damning life . . . if properly designed you can cook on it and boil water, too.
It's just one of those things where they try to protect stupid people from themselves but all it does is breed more stupid... I mean shit look how many warning labels are slapped on everything now days!
I don't need a warning my coffee cup has hot coffee in it or I shouldn't stick my finger into a spinning blade.... Than again I'm not an idiot.
My friend's family had to use a kerosene heater in North Carolina in the 90's and that thing would get most of the small house toasty as hell (The landlord refused to hire someone to fix the boiler till one day he came in started it up when they weren't home and it exploded and caught the place on fire)
Little add on to improve heat range/ circulation, eco fan... fan that runs off of heat. You can set it on top and it blows the heat coming off of the heater in turn increasing the flow and range....
Love mine, works great and transformed my garage work space.
Had one of these up North and brought it with me when I moved to Florida. Heating demand here is small, usually two months or so. But K1 kerosene is not sold except in one gallon cans at camping supply stores at a prohibitive price.
Call around your local gas stations usually at least one will have kerosene at a better price than the big box stores. Also check with the company that supplies gasoline and diesel fuel to the local stations they will have kerosene and metal barrels of various sizes .and this will also be cheaper than the service station prices.
@@williambeasley2582 Gas stations were the first places I checked and none had it.
I found a supplier of heating fuel and the guy said they rarely had K-1.
While kerosene would make a good heat source it appears the mild winters do not make enough demand for them to stock it.
@@edwardcnnell2853 I have 1 service station and a commercial dealer that both sell kerosene in my home town and know of several more that sell in south Alabama. Try a quick check on the internet to try and locate nearby outlets.
great heaters, I bought a used Kero Sun(popular in the ?70's-80's?; Shatner was on the commercial for it:P) branded heater of the same style and was able to heat a 2 car garage alright; one up'd it with a forced air diesel/kerosene heater but definitely kept it around as a backup:).... reason for going forced air was Diesel is about half the price of Kerosene but for the occasional use these heaters can be found for a lot cheaper than the forced air
I live in a rural area and I'm amazed at how many people don't have any backup form of heat . Years ago people realized that the electricity can go out anytime wind , ice , snow any number of reasons . Be prepared !
Absolutely!
I have a virtually identical Redstone heater. The door on mine is more accessible. I light it with a butane lighter stick. Every few tanks I burn it down and clean the wick with a course nylon brush. It's 6 years old and on the original wick. If I was using it inside a house I would replace the wick often because I notice it is a bit more smelly on startup and shutdown compared to very minimal odor when it was new.
Very good tips! About the door...I noticed after I had recorded and edited that I had the cage on backward. I never open the door so I never noticed before. LOL
I have that same flannel shirt (the outer one), got it a Tractor Supply, I have that heater and a smaller one, (10,000 BTUs). Great video.
Haha! It's been a good shirt! And a good heater!
Wife picked mine up at Costco, she always buys two of anything she thinks I may like from there because often times, when they’re gone, they’re gone, clothing wise. Nice video, can still remember my neighbors using one of these back in the seventies.
Been using the one we have for over a month now and we use it daily we are thinking of getting a in door propane heater
I get it. At the time I recorded this video I was able to get it at the pump and the price of fuel was much less than now. I still recommend that people consider a kerosene heater, but not to use all day long, every day as a primary heat source. It can be great for daily supplemental heat and definitely in an emergency. It's case-by-case. Propane is a great option!
I gave this type of heater up 10 years ago for a Big Buddy heater