Kerosene heaters have been around for many years and they have also caused serious problems when people don’t use them correctly. This is an important thing to talk about because even though there are millions of units in use there are also hundreds if not thousands of fires every year due to improper use or use of heaters that need repair or replacement.
The first and most important thing you must always do is refill your heater outside of your home. That means you turn it off and physically pick it up and take it outside and refill or fill the tank. Do not store your Kerosene in the same area that the heater is in use. You may want to keep the fuel in a shed or in a small enclosure or trashcan that is stored outside of and away from your home.
Always store Kerosene in its own Blue Container NEVER EVER put gasoline in your Kerosene storage container. If for some psychotic reason you need to use your Blue Kerosene container for Gasoline then it must NEVER EVER used again for Kerosene. This is one of the main reasons that people have fires in their home. A Gasoline truck pulls up and shoots 200 gallons of gasoline into the Kerosenestorage at your gas station and the fuels mix and then people bring it home and fire up their heater and BOOOOOM their home goes up in fire.. NEVER EVER mix Gasoline and Kerosene and always use a Blue container for Kerosene and a Red container for Gasoline. In New Jersey one winter 1 bad fuel delivery at a gas station burnt down 25 homes and about a hundred people had purchased Kerosene that day but luckily they had not yet used the fuel they bought and emergency alerts stopped them before they did.
You should also take care that if you spill the fuel that you do not ignite the heater until you have cleaned and removed all spillage. If you spill the Kerosene inside the home do not light the heater until you have removed all traces of the kerosene and vented the room with fresh air.
Because all heating sources that burn fuel use Oxygen and emit Carbon Monoxide it is important to have proper ventilation when using your Kerosene Heater. Kerosene heaters also produce Nitrogen Dioxide and Sulfur Dioxide which can cause Lung and Eye Irritation and Kerosene Fuel can be a skin irritant so use rubber gloves when filling.
Ok with all the warnings we just talked about you might be rethinking your decision to get a Kerosene Heater but for the most part if you are careful and you treat it just like you would a regular fireplace or wood burning stove then you should be very happy with owning one.
With proper use a Kerosene heater is a great source of supplemental or emergency heat. Since it is a portable heater it can be brought on camping trips or used in remote buildings like barns or sheds.
You should not use a Kerosene heater as your main source of heat because the devices are not designed for continuous long term use. In emergency situations you should always turn the heater off if you are leaving your home or going to sleep.
Heater sizes range from about 10,000 BTU which is enough to provide excellent heat for a 10×10 foot room to over 25,000 BTU which can heat a large garage or part of your home.
Many Heaters have an Electric Start option which is run by a battery supply. This reduces your need for lighting and storing matches.
Most heaters will get very hot 300F to 500F so it is important to keep all flammable items at least 4 feet away from the heater in all directions. You should also consider placing the Heater on a piece of Hardy Cement board or other nonflammable product and do not place it directly on your carpet or vinyl flooring. Also do not let pets or children near them they could be burnt from the hot surfacces or they could tip the heater over causing spillage of fuel and a fire.
A carbon monoxide alarm is also important to use in the same room as the heater. If you place it too close to the heater you might get false alarms but it should be in the part of the room where people will be. Vent the room often with fresh air by opening a door or window for a couple minutes.
Other then our warnings you should follow the directions that come with your Heater.
Some cities and even some states have banned the use of Kerosene Heaters for Residential heating so you should check your local fire codes.
The YouRepair Store sells a full line of Kerosene heaters and other portable heaters.
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