Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Kerosene heaters indoors?

Some of you guys are thinking of the Knipco style heaters made for heating outdoor work spaces, shops etc.

That isn't what the OP is talking about.

Either way, care should be taken with any kind of gas source, temporary heat. Ventilation is key, even with propane.

This bad boy is what I’m talking about ( or similar). All 10k btu’s of goodness.

Auto strike didn’t work. Had to tilt the globe and light with match.

I had a Sears just like this when my wife and I rented an old farm house back in early 80's.
We always kept windows closed. It was Minnesota!
She died of cancer in 2011 I feel pretty good go figure.
whelennut

These type work well too in the right location where heat can be dispersed 360° safely and also are rated at 23,000btu output now.

If you're thinking of the free-standing ones with a round wick, they're dangerous as hell. Lotsa folks had them in deepest, darkest Appalachia when I was growing up, but all tbe houses around were old and drafty which is probably the only reason no one died. We never had one. We just shoveled more coal into the stove.

A lot of gas stations depending on location used to have both kerosene and white gas (naptha) pumps.

Not one like this:

Kerosene comes in a couple forms/grades. The "at the pump" grade is the least pure and should NEVER be used for unvented indoor heaters even with the window open. People did it all the time as they were/are unaware.

https://staroil.co.uk/what-you-should-know-about-different-grades-of-kerosene/

Indoor heaters Require 1K Kerosene and that "pure" grade is never sold at the pump, it is sold in bottles of gallon jugs and it is very expensive.

But never 1K which is what these heaters require to operate within safety guidelines.

CO detectors are required in new home construction. They are usually a combo unit that doubles as a smoke detector and a CO detector.

One must be placed within 10 feet of bedroom doors and mechanical areas.

In a remodeling situation if a wall is opened up, then code dictates that that floor must now have a Smoke/CO detector installed.

It's easy guys, just go to your local big box store or Washington Post Amazon and purchase a couple Smoke/CO combos to replace your existing single smoke detectors.

Indoor heater or no, it's a good idea to do it now.

I use that kind in my garage when it drops below 20 degrees. It works great and puts out quite a bit of heat.

Why "if running an unvented flame"?

Why not bring your house up to fire/safety codes and put one in regardless if you have an open flame heater or not.

Money well spent.
https://www.amazon.com/Kidde-210260...ative=165953&creativeASIN=B00PC5S0PA

There are no free rides, and with only a few exceptions (like maybe nitro-methane, burning magnesium under water, and explosives) all that burns on our planet consumes atmospheric oxygen. Methane, ethane, propane, butane, kerosene, alcohols, gasoline, wood, coal, etc are all carbon based. If the combustion residues/gases can escape our enclosed space via a chimney or vent of some sort, the bad stuff leaves ones enclosure and atmospheric air of the typical composition seeps in via unsealed avenues with life being good. If there is no avenue of escape, those toxins accumulate in our room until ones flame is literally starved to death. When O2 begins to get short, combustion keeps going, but it will generate CO as opposed to the normal CO2. Life ends.

Put a lighted candle in a jar and screw on the lid. Ones flame does not last long.

That's why with even a wood stove we have a chimney and an intake to bring in outside air.

I'm old and recall a time when power was out for days due to a heavy snow event. The old man brought a burning charcoal grill inside as a heat source. I also remember getting weary and suffering a severe headache. Headaches are an extremely rare event for me. We're lucky the whole family lived through that night.

I use one just like that to heat a small workshop I have when it gets really cold. It's got a big electric heater, but the kerosene heater heats up a lot faster and is warmer. I buy kerosene at the local farm store. It's pricey, but I don't burn much, so it's not too bad.

K-1 grade Kerosene most certainly is sold "at the pump" at gas stations. Not many have it anymore but it still is at some. It is stored in separate tanks and pumped through different independant pumps (clearly marked K-1) than Diesel and home heating fuel oil.



Not many do offer it anymore but below is a link to a list of a few brand name gas stations that offer K-1 "at the pump" at some locations and I know of few more locally owned private branded stations that still sell it "at the pump", as well.

(Matter of fact there were lines of people at local stations with K-1 pumps waiting their turn to fill kerosene cans during the lengthy widespread power outage in winter ice storm of 2009 -- I was one of them.}

https://firstquarterfinance.com/gas-stations-with-kerosene-near-me/

Like I said.

Why not bring your house up to fire/safety codes and put one in regardless if you have an open flame heater or not.

See if it is dyed red?



https://staroil.co.uk/what-you-should-know-about-different-grades-of-kerosene/

The best unvented kerosene heaters still produce noticeable odor and they all produce carbon monoxide. Just my opinion, but it’s only September. I would do whatever is necessary to install an outside vented system of some kind, be it kero, propane or wood, before I went into winter planning on heating with an indoor, unvented kerosene heater.