Indoor Emergency Heater - Kerosene? (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 12/3/2025 11:57:39 PM EDT
| I am looking for an indoor heater to use in emergencies. Our power goes out regularly and I don't have a generator I can run the house on yet. I'm going back and forth between a larger Mr Buddy heater or a kerosene heater. The kerosene makes fuel storage a bit easier and then I don't have to drag a 20lb propane tank in the house. I'm just looking to be able to heat a small portion of the house when needed, maybe the basement? What are your suggestions? |
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Propane heater I just bought one of these. Works pretty well. But it can really heat up the area directly in front of it, so you have to be careful to not burn the house down. |
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Originally Posted By 3one5: Whole house is 3500sq ft Originally Posted By 3one5: Originally Posted By Cardplayer: How many square ft? Whole house is 3500sq ft |
AMERICA IS BACK!
Selling dime bags of primers.
Selling dime bags of primers.
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Propane is going to burn a lot cleaner than kerosene. Some places sell bulk kerosene, but buying it by the little gallon can in hardware stores is very expensive, and propane is MUCH more commonly available. I regularly use a small propane-fired infrared heater that clamps to the top of a 20 or 30 pound propane tank. I have several, they all work great. No fumes. any of these - single burner incredibly cheap right now $22 |
Feb 2025 It’s 48 to 0 and we’re only 2 minutes into the first quarter
trobertson5-0 I wasn't put in jail for what I did. I was put in it for what I think. There were FBI agents posting in my threads. I've seen the discovery showing this.
trobertson5-0 I wasn't put in jail for what I did. I was put in it for what I think. There were FBI agents posting in my threads. I've seen the discovery showing this.
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Originally Posted By Cardplayer: So, are you trying to heat the entire home with an emergency heat source? Or, are you talking about one space in the home. This will make a big difference. |
Feb 2025 It’s 48 to 0 and we’re only 2 minutes into the first quarter
trobertson5-0 I wasn't put in jail for what I did. I was put in it for what I think. There were FBI agents posting in my threads. I've seen the discovery showing this.
trobertson5-0 I wasn't put in jail for what I did. I was put in it for what I think. There were FBI agents posting in my threads. I've seen the discovery showing this.
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You are just pissing in the wind trying to heat 3500 square feet on portable heaters. A furnace blower doesn't pull that many amps. You should focus on getting a big enough generator to do what you think you need or modifying your electrical wiring so a smaller generator can power the furnace blower and some lights without having to worry about other loads. |
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.
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Originally Posted By BFskinner: You are just pissing in the wind trying to heat 3500 square feet on portable heaters. A furnace blower doesn't pull that many amps. You should focus on getting a big enough generator to do what you think you need or modifying your electrical wiring so a smaller generator can power the furnace blower and some lights without having to worry about other loads. |
Feb 2025 It’s 48 to 0 and we’re only 2 minutes into the first quarter
trobertson5-0 I wasn't put in jail for what I did. I was put in it for what I think. There were FBI agents posting in my threads. I've seen the discovery showing this.
trobertson5-0 I wasn't put in jail for what I did. I was put in it for what I think. There were FBI agents posting in my threads. I've seen the discovery showing this.
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Originally Posted By BFskinner: You are just pissing in the wind trying to heat 3500 square feet on portable heaters. A furnace blower doesn't pull that many amps. You should focus on getting a big enough generator to do what you think you need or modifying your electrical wiring so a smaller generator can power the furnace blower and some lights without having to worry about other loads. I completely disagree. Let’s assume he does get a properly sized generator, and he maintains it correctly. The generator can still fail when needed, and so we are back at the original question. He needs a source for emergency heat. I recommend propane for all the reasons above. Easier to store, transport, cleaner burn, and easier to source. |
Words fall from your mouth like shit from ass.
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Originally Posted By 3one5: Forced air natural gas furnace. A natural gas furnace won’t draw many amps. Have you looked into getting a small inverter generator to run it? Most likely a 2000 watt generator will run it with power to spare. Then you can heat your entire house without a problem. I would make that the primary heat method. For a backup heat, you could look at propane heaters like the Mr Heater Buddy and Big Buddy heaters. You could also run a gas line and add a vent free natural gas heater in the area where you would like to keep warm. I am not a fan of vent free heaters due to the small amount of fumes and the excess moisture generated but, for a backup, they would work. Plus, most back up propane or kerosene heaters are also vent free. Another possibility is to rig up a method to use one of the small diesel heaters. Leave the heater outside and run the air hoses through a window. Might have to make an adapter to run them through the window but it would work. Only negative is you would need a source of 12v to run the heater. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
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I have had several friends who over the years selected Kerosene for shop/garage use with the thought that in a emergency could be used in the house. The end result is kerosene is very expensive when sourced in one or two gallon jugs from the hardware store and difficult to source in bulk. Refiling the heater is a problem . dragging it outside to fill is a PITA and if one refills in place ends up with some minor spills that are difficult to clean or a major spill that is a nightmare . It's not for every one but my choice is a woodstove, For the op the clear suggestion is to source a generator suitable for the furnace with the advantage that it will also cover the refridger freeezer and lights. Could be a whole house set up or a smaller unit that could be cycled to run different loads in turn. |
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If you have nat gas, put a couple of nat gas wall heaters in for emergency. Maybe ventless gas logs if you want it to look nice, add a decorative surround and a mantle. After an ice storm a while back, we put one of these in for emergency. It will knock the chill off most of the house with a box fan moving air around. Attached File |
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Originally Posted By Jodan1776: Propane is going to burn a lot cleaner than kerosene. Some places sell bulk kerosene, but buying it by the little gallon can in hardware stores is very expensive, and propane is MUCH more commonly available. I regularly use a small propane-fired infrared heater that clamps to the top of a 20 or 30 pound propane tank. I have several, they all work great. No fumes. any of these - single burner incredibly cheap right now $22 I'm always surprised posts saying bulk keto can be hard to get. They have a pump at almost every gas station here. LP is cleaner but it makes my sinus burn, some people are sensitive to it. Kero smells, best to fill, light, extinguish outdoors. |
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Propane is clean but it can generate a fair bit of moisture. As an example, running propane in an ice fishing shelter often causes the walls to freeze solid with ice.... Propane tanks can start to be expensive when you are buying 3, 4, 5 tanks at $60 each... Kerosene can work well. If wicks are clean and well adjusted, there is no soot. If you have dirty gummed up wicks, and don't bother to read a manual and fiddle with adjustment, you'll get sooty ceilings. Kero in cans at hardware store is stupid: it's often $15-20/gallon...locally, I can buy it at the pump for about $4/gallon but need to figure cost of buying a few kerosene cans ,( I use diesel cans). A 22,000 btu tower convection kero heater can easily keep a whole house tolerably warm. I've had a 1454sq ft ranch, on the Canadian border, at 74 degrees in a blizzard. Far end of the house was cool. Just move the heater towards bedrooms at night If using any of these, spend $40 on a battery operated carbon monoxide detector. Filling kero heaters will stink if you spill one drop. Fill outside. Carry filled unit inside after filling. You'll get lazy, and cheat , and fill inside. And you'll regret it . |
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Originally Posted By Steamedliver: I completely disagree. Let’s assume he does get a properly sized generator, and he maintains it correctly. The generator can still fail when needed, and so we are back at the original question. He needs a source for emergency heat. I recommend propane for all the reasons above. Easier to store, transport, cleaner burn, and easier to source. Originally Posted By Steamedliver: Originally Posted By BFskinner: You are just pissing in the wind trying to heat 3500 square feet on portable heaters. A furnace blower doesn't pull that many amps. You should focus on getting a big enough generator to do what you think you need or modifying your electrical wiring so a smaller generator can power the furnace blower and some lights without having to worry about other loads. I completely disagree. Let’s assume he does get a properly sized generator, and he maintains it correctly. The generator can still fail when needed, and so we are back at the original question. He needs a source for emergency heat. I recommend propane for all the reasons above. Easier to store, transport, cleaner burn, and easier to source. If he wants to keep one room warm and not turn into a popsicle that would be fine but you are not going to heat or even keep the pipes from freezing in a 3500 square foot house on portable propane heaters unless you have several and then you need to deal with the inherent dangers of running that many at once and not being able to keep an eye on them. If you bought a big wallmount propane heater you could keep a larger space warm but without electricity you wouldn't be able to circulate the heat around the house effectively either. The solution for a potentially failing generator is another generator. In the OP's case, unless his furnace blower is 240v he should get two identical generators and a parallel kit. Two is one and one is none. On top of that he needs a generator anyway if he doesn't have one. |
It’s better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid than open it and remove all doubt.
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1. Get a generator and an extension cord to power the furnace until you get it wired to the breaker box. Store some gas outside in metal gas cans. The generator will give you power for other things like the fridge, freezer, stove and oven if gas, water if on a well. 2. Then also get a buddy heater in case the genny fails and small propane tanks. Yes they are more expensive, but you do not want a 20 lb propane tank in your house. If you need this, you heat one small room and have in that small room 2 battery powered CO detectors and a few spare batteries. 3. If you have a fireplace, then install a wood stove or insert in the fireplace and store wood and a heavy blanket to cover the door opening to the room for insulation. But this takes time to do. If you do not have a fireplace you can have a wood stove installed in a room. 4. Then also get 1 heavy duty winter weight sleeping bag for each person in the house and heavy weight long underwear in case everything above fails including running out of gas. the bags do not have to be expensive, you aren't winter mountaineering with them, they can be heavy which will make them inexpensive. For right now this winter for this week, do # 1, 2, 4 ( you can have those in a few days time ) and when you can get the genny wired into the breaker box and get the wood stove and stainless steel chimney insert installed in the fireplace then order wood. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
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Nobody is coming to save us.
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It has become impossible to find a place with a pump so you can pump your own kerosene around here. That leaves the expensive single gallon cans that are too expensive. My kerosene heater is useless now. I got a Mr Heater from Amazon. https://a.co/d/cU8hmVz It uses the little tanks, but I also grabbed the adapter hose that allows me to use the large tank from my grill. Much more convenient than a kerosene heater. |
| I grew up in an old farm house built in 1912. It was originally coal heated, then converted to hot water radiator heat in the 50's. The hot water radiators were only on the first floor. One year my mom got a big kerosene heater for the basement. We ran it all winter to take the edge off the basement. It did seem to help keep the rest of the house warmer. Still had ice on the inside of the second floor windows in the winter. My current house was all electric until a few years ago and I had Natural Gas installed and swapped out the electric furnace with a NG. I am thinking of getting some NG fireplaces as mentioned above for our first floor. |
Well, I was drunk the day my mom got out of prison....
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I highly recommend getting low level CO Monitors as well. As someone who’s had a brush with CO poisoning, I can tell you that it can be really hard to wake up from sleep, when you’ve been subjected to CO exposure (there are a lot of cases where people never woke up, and expired in their sleep). I don’t know how long the alarm had been sounding before it finally roused me, it I do recall that I was groggy and confused enough, that it took me a minute or two after waking up, to even comprehend what the sound was. These aren’t too expensive, at $99. I recommend getting at least 2. One for the master bedroom, and one for the main living area/room. The difference between a CO detector and a low-level CO MONITOR, is that the specs for a CO Detector state that it shouldn’t alarm at low-levels. It can take up to 4 hours to alarm at 70ppm. In contrast, the first one linked below, will alarm in 60 seconds at 25ppm, and display levels from 10ppm. https://www.forensicsdetectors.com/products/fast-low-level-d001 This one below, at $199 will start beeping once a minute at 10ppm. After my brush with CO poisoning, I want to be alerted as early as possible, so I can take measures before my cognition is compromised. https://www.aeromedix.com/product/co-experts-2017-ultra-low-level-carbon-monoxide-detector/ *** I have 2 Big Buddy heaters for both portable use, and emergency backups, along with a Mr Heater 30,000 BTU blue flame propane heater. I’ve tested those in a winter outage to keep everything warm (using the Big Buddy heaters to warm the basement and pipes, with the 30k BTU unit keeping the main flow warm). Granted, I also have a lot of other things in place for emergencies. For example, I got into the SensorPush suite of products a few years back, so I have the ability to monitor the temps in the Master bedroom, living room and basement, as well as the fridge and freezer, and in the garage freezer. The WiFi gateway allows me to check everything in real time (and get alarm notifications, if anything goes above or below my alarm set points) anywhere my phone can receive data, but in a power outage, with WiFi internet disruption, I can still monitor the sensors via Bluetooth, and still get alarms (and the sensors continuously log, every minute, with their own built in 30-day internal memory, so I can also see how long it takes for temps to rise in the freezers or drop in the basement, to fine tune power usage, or heating in an outage (eg. Fire up the Big Buddy heaters. Heat the basement to 75f. Shut them off, and when the basement sensor hits my alarm set point of 50f, fire the heaters up again). Using the 30k BTU unit along with several battery operated fans to circulate the warm air, it was easy to keep the main floor at a comfortable 72f (mid to low 60s in the bedrooms), and the low level CO monitor 20 feet away stayed at 0ppm. |
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Originally Posted By 3one5: Forced air natural gas furnace. Originally Posted By 3one5: Whole house is 3500sq ft Use an inverter generator that is tri-fuel. Can use gas, propane or NG. Since you have NG, easy install. Install a generator inlet and generator interlock, done. Post pics of electrical panel(s). |
I survived the cockpocalypse of 11/21/2012.
Bacon grease, the Muslim approved .mil lubricant.
Bacon grease, the Muslim approved .mil lubricant.
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Thanks for all the suggestions, I greatly appreciate it. As stated, I only want to be able to keep a small area of my home heated in an emergency, I was thinking the basement as it's fairly deep at 9'. I do have a couple of small generators, one being a tri-fuel which gives me some options. My son is an electrician so I'll talk it over with him this evening and see what the options are there. In the mean time I'll probably pick up the larger Mr. Buddy and look at fabricating a window panel that I can put in to use the diesel heater I have as well. |
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Originally Posted By AR_Dale: I'm always surprised posts saying bulk keto can be hard to get. They have a pump at almost every gas station here. ... I'm happy for your here Unfortunately my here has kerosene like this. Walmart Lowe's Home Depot...in quarts in the paint department and I might find gallon container in sporting goods. Some stores may get 5 gallon containers as seasonal around Thanksgiving to Christmas. Last I looked in 2023 season Price was well over $10 a gallon when I could buy the 5 gallon can. I was able to find a local fuel wholesaler that could sell to me for $8 a gallon in 55 gallon drum. I shelved kerosene for now 3one5 Really look into a quiet generator that will run just your furnace and an extension cord to go from outside to the furnace closet. Probably only need a 2000 watt inverter unit. Might not be prettiest but will do at lowest entry fee and you can pretty the installation up later as budget permits. To decide between kerosene or propane. Go with a heater that is easy to fuel. I have a kerosene heater and a Big Buddy. I've described that getting kerosene is expensive with limited availability where I am. I can get propane at the grocery store just 2 blocks away. |
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Originally Posted By mini14jac: It has become impossible to find a place with a pump so you can pump your own kerosene around here. That leaves the expensive single gallon cans that are too expensive. My kerosene heater is useless now. I got a Mr Heater from Amazon. https://a.co/d/cU8hmVz It uses the little tanks, but I also grabbed the adapter hose that allows me to use the large tank from my grill. Much more convenient than a kerosene heater. If you have Amish around you, you probably have pump kerosene. The Amish are big users of kerosene in many places. If no Amish, pump kerosene becomes more rare. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
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Originally Posted By bluemax_1: I highly recommend getting low level CO Monitors as well. As someone who’s had a brush with CO poisoning, I can tell you that it can be really hard to wake up from sleep, when you’ve been subjected to CO exposure (there are a lot of cases where people never woke up, and expired in their sleep). I don’t know how long the alarm had been sounding before it finally roused me, it I do recall that I was groggy and confused enough, that it took me a minute or two after waking up, to even comprehend what the sound was. These aren’t too expensive, at $99. I recommend getting at least 2. One for the master bedroom, and one for the main living area/room. The difference between a CO detector and a low-level CO MONITOR, is that the specs for a CO Detector state that it shouldn’t alarm at low-levels. It can take up to 4 hours to alarm at 70ppm. In contrast, the first one linked below, will alarm in 60 seconds at 25ppm, and display levels from 10ppm. https://www.forensicsdetectors.com/products/fast-low-level-d001 This one below, at $199 will start beeping once a minute at 10ppm. After my brush with CO poisoning, I want to be alerted as early as possible, so I can take measures before my cognition is compromised. https://www.aeromedix.com/product/co-experts-2017-ultra-low-level-carbon-monoxide-detector/ *** I have 2 Big Buddy heaters for both portable use, and emergency backups, along with a Mr Heater 30,000 BTU blue flame propane heater. I’ve tested those in a winter outage to keep everything warm (using the Big Buddy heaters to warm the basement and pipes, with the 30k BTU unit keeping the main flow warm). Granted, I also have a lot of other things in place for emergencies. For example, I got into the SensorPush suite of products a few years back, so I have the ability to monitor the temps in the Master bedroom, living room and basement, as well as the fridge and freezer, and in the garage freezer. The WiFi gateway allows me to check everything in real time (and get alarm notifications, if anything goes above or below my alarm set points) anywhere my phone can receive data, but in a power outage, with WiFi internet disruption, I can still monitor the sensors via Bluetooth, and still get alarms (and the sensors continuously log, every minute, with their own built in 30-day internal memory, so I can also see how long it takes for temps to rise in the freezers or drop in the basement, to fine tune power usage, or heating in an outage (eg. Fire up the Big Buddy heaters. Heat the basement to 75f. Shut them off, and when the basement sensor hits my alarm set point of 50f, fire the heaters up again). Using the 30k BTU unit along with several battery operated fans to circulate the warm air, it was easy to keep the main floor at a comfortable 72f (mid to low 60s in the bedrooms), and the low level CO monitor 20 feet away stayed at 0ppm. What was the CO source in your close brush with death? |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
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Originally Posted By 3one5: Thanks for all the suggestions, I greatly appreciate it. As stated, I only want to be able to keep a small area of my home heated in an emergency, I was thinking the basement as it's fairly deep at 9'. I do have a couple of small generators, one being a tri-fuel which gives me some options. My son is an electrician so I'll talk it over with him this evening and see what the options are there. In the mean time I'll probably pick up the larger Mr. Buddy and look at fabricating a window panel that I can put in to use the diesel heater I have as well. Why not make your whole house comfortable in an extended power outage? Use the generator and the main furnace! |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
|
Originally Posted By Some_Beach: If you have nat gas, put a couple of nat gas wall heaters in for emergency. Maybe ventless gas logs if you want it to look nice, add a decorative surround and a mantle. After an ice storm a while back, we put one of these in for emergency. It will knock the chill off most of the house with a box fan moving air around. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188897/BF20DG_LS3_180906_750x500_79c5a4a2-d950--3669762.JPG I've got a strange house and I'd like to put on in the basement to heat my office when needed and let it drift up though the open vents (no duct work) in the floors of each room on the ground floor. |
LARUEMINATI
NRA Endowment Life Member
Originally Posted By Boom_Stick:
""AKs are for villagers you have to tell not to shit in their water supply.""
NRA Endowment Life Member
Originally Posted By Boom_Stick:
""AKs are for villagers you have to tell not to shit in their water supply.""
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Originally Posted By smullen: How many SQFT you thing that thing would actually heat? How much propane per 12 hours? I've got a strange house and I'd like to put on in the basement to heat my office when needed and let it drift up though the open vents (no duct work) in the floors of each room on the ground floor. Originally Posted By smullen: Originally Posted By Some_Beach: If you have nat gas, put a couple of nat gas wall heaters in for emergency. Maybe ventless gas logs if you want it to look nice, add a decorative surround and a mantle. After an ice storm a while back, we put one of these in for emergency. It will knock the chill off most of the house with a box fan moving air around. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/188897/BF20DG_LS3_180906_750x500_79c5a4a2-d950--3669762.JPG I've got a strange house and I'd like to put on in the basement to heat my office when needed and let it drift up though the open vents (no duct work) in the floors of each room on the ground floor. They have different sizes. I think the one pictured is the 18k or 20k BTU unit. I have this one  
It’s dual fuel and can run on NG or propane (so you can have it plumbed into your NG, while still having the option to run it off lines run to a 20lb to 500 gallon propane tank or whatever). It puts out a LOT of heat, and that numbered knob on top, is actually a thermostat. It takes a little tweaking (since it’s dependent on placement and other factors), but you can fine tune the setting like a thermostat, and it will run like a furnace (i.e. once you light it with the electric igniter that uses an AA battery, it lights a pilot light that remains lit, and that will ignite the burners, and turn the burners on and off, as needed to maintain the temp around the set point (you’ll hear the bimetal switch ‘click’ if you’re close enough). *** I don’t use it for primary, or even regular heat. I have two Big Buddy heaters, and bought this when it was on sale for barely more than a Big Buddy. I also have two generators, as well as solar. This is an emergency backup heat source, to the backups (or in case the NG gets disrupted in winter, for whatever reason). |
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Originally Posted By smullen: How many SQFT you thing that thing would actually heat? How much propane per 12 hours? I've got a strange house and I'd like to put on in the basement to heat my office when needed and let it drift up though the open vents (no duct work) in the floors of each room on the ground floor. |
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Originally Posted By Mach: 1. Get a generator and an extension cord to power the furnace until you get it wired to the breaker box. Store some gas outside in metal gas cans. The generator will give you power for other things like the fridge, freezer, stove and oven if gas, water if on a well. 2. Then also get a buddy heater in case the genny fails and small propane tanks. Yes they are more expensive, but you do not want a 20 lb propane tank in your house. If you need this, you heat one small room and have in that small room 2 battery powered CO detectors and a few spare batteries. 3. If you have a fireplace, then install a wood stove or insert in the fireplace and store wood and a heavy blanket to cover the door opening to the room for insulation. But this takes time to do. If you do not have a fireplace you can have a wood stove installed in a room. 4. Then also get 1 heavy duty winter weight sleeping bag for each person in the house and heavy weight long underwear in case everything above fails including running out of gas. the bags do not have to be expensive, you aren't winter mountaineering with them, they can be heavy which will make them inexpensive. For right now this winter for this week, do # 1, 2, 4 ( you can have those in a few days time ) and when you can get the genny wired into the breaker box and get the wood stove and stainless steel chimney insert installed in the fireplace then order wood. |
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Yes, they work fine. I've been using them for decades. for backup First suggestion, tower. It's enough heat it will do a house in a pinch. The radiant one's are too finicky. You control the heat like an old pot belly stove by a central location and controlling the heat by door openings. Know where your water pipes are and don't close off those rooms. Understand the principle. that cage works like a catalytic converter in your car. It reburns the unburned fuel thus CO to CO2 and eliminates the Kerosene smell. I light mine outdoors and then after the cage gets hot, then bring it indoors Kerosene indeed lasts; however it will separate with time. I store in 5 gallon containers and then shake before fueling. Those inexpensive bellows primed syphon hoses work fine, just don't depend on the fuel gauge, keep an eye on the hole, and remember when you twist the little knob to clear the hose, more will go into the tank. I get about a week on 20 gallons. How effective depends on your house size and insulation. More difficult applications, you may need to do individual room heat for like the bathroom before a shower, etc. No power at all, I use a little Hieater Buddy. The 1lb cans work fine for limited use but they also hook up to the 20 lbs with an adaptor. I even have a 5lb tank for portability. I camp a lot so have three of those. There are two applications. Total power loss and just the loss of your primary central heat. Electric heaters are another low cost room heat solution. I could write a book on those too. All I can tell you now is none of them is good enough for whole house. There are two goals. Keep you warm and to keep your pipes from freezing. Way better to figure this out before you really need it by doing trial runs. My place is 3,000 sq/ft and good insulation. I place it in a central location my lowest level and then close off the unused rooms with no adjacent water pipes. I narrow the door gap on my bedroom until just before bedtime. It keeps my open rooms about sweater temperatures in typical winter temps but below 20 degrees, the world changes. I get almost no smell. My CO detectors have never gone off. The Blizzard of 93' one of those saved our butt. It was bad one. Trees down everywhere so getting out was impossibles, no power for a week, and temps dropped to below zero. One last tidbit. The wife and I like both candles and oil lanterns/lamps. They are nice mood lighting and will take the edge off a single room. I hope this helps. Tj |
"We prepare so we don't have to go to the Superdome!"
| Miles Stair is "the Guru" concerning Kero items and various lamps. DO some reading prior to making any decisions, please. |
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Originally Posted By smullen: How many SQFT you thing that thing would actually heat? How much propane per 12 hours? I've got a strange house and I'd like to put on in the basement to heat my office when needed and let it drift up though the open vents (no duct work) in the floors of each room on the ground floor. I’m guessing that’s a 30k btu heater. A gallon of propane contains approximately 91k BTUs. So, about 3 hrs per gallon running full blast. Realistically, you’re unlikely to run it at full blast all the time. So, if it’s running at half or 15k btu you’re looking at 6 hrs per gallon. A 20lb propane bottle will hold approximately 3-4gallons (depending on who filled it) so ballpark estimate is 24 hrs per 20lb bottle. Those are ballpark not exact numbers but should be good enough for planning purposes. Kerosene has approximately 135k btu per gallon so if you run a 22k btu heater full blast (and generally kerosene heaters should run close to full blast) you’re looking at roughly 6 hrs per gallon of kerosene. In my area, pump kerosene is about $5.00 per gallon. Propane varies. If you take your propane bottles to the fill station, it’s about $3 per gallon in my area. It’ll be much cheaper if you have a large propane tank and have it filled in the summer. I paid $1.89 per gallon last Sept for propane for 400ish gallons delivered. So, when you compare cost vs btu, at $3 per gallon propane vs $5 per gallon kerosene, propane is a bit cheaper. At $1.89 gallon propane, propane is a LOT cheaper. Unless you have very high electric rates, even resistance heating (the most expensive form of electric heat) is cheaper than kerosene. (Assuming $5 per gallon cost. If you are buying from the hardware store, it will be MUCH more expensive. Some places will be cheaper per gallon than my area for kerosene but I bet not much cheaper) Kerosene is a good backup but it’s not going to be a cheap backup. However, when you are trying to keep from freezing (and keep your pipes from freezing), the cost isn’t a big deal. Generally I would always use propane over kerosene as a backup. Burns a bit cleaner and costs less. I have a kerosene tower heater stashed in my shop building but it’s a last resort. I’d be far more likely to loan it out to a friend or family member before I would use it myself. |
"It behooves every man to remember that the work of the critic is of altogether secondary importance, and that, in the end, progress is accomplished by the man who does things."
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt
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Kerosene is a non-starter. Even bulk kero here is impossible to get and I'm not spending the $$$ for a 5 gallon can. How well ventilated is this basement? You could look at diesel torpedo heaters if you want a LOT of heat fast, otherwise I'd just go with the NG wall unit. |
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I got lucky with the Texas -4 ice storm and 4 days of power black outs in '21 because I had a kerosene heater on hand with a few 5 gallon pails of kerosene I had put back over the years. It wasn't cheap but pales in comparison to the 10s of $1000s in water damage my neighbors suffered with broken pipes. This is the heater I used, definitely buy new wicks from miles stair. Awesome heater that is sold under many names but all have "110" in the part number. The 110 heaters put out 10K btu and sip the kerosene. Theres a simple mod to be able to hot tank re-fill the removable tank while the heater still runs off the fuel its holding, which is about 30-45mins of fuel. This is nice because once you start it burning outside and get it up to temps, the smell is very minor and you dont have to stop/start everytime you re fill. Just pull the tank, re fill in garage or porch then replace tank in heater and youre good for another 12-14 hours easy. https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/redstone-10-000-btu-radiant-kerosene-heater *Note, all the smoke alarms in my house are CO alarms and I have a battery powered CO meter as well. All the times Ive run the kero heater(s) in my house I have never once read an increase on the meter. After the storm I wanted to better my situation, so I bought a small 2K WEN generator, a 50' 12/3 extension cord and made a simple change to my gas furnace, as shown here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EG-s-0s3unc https://wenproducts.com/collections/inverter-generators/products/super-quiet-2350-watt-portable-inverter-generator-with-fuel-shut-off-ultra-lightweight After I tested that and used a meter to verify the inrush load and running loads, I realized a bigger portable battery bank would keep it running a long time, especially if its rolling blackouts and the battery gets a chance to recharge once an hour or so. Added a Bluetti to my supplies for this purpose and made sure it supported a "UPS" like setup where it will power a device when line power drops and recharge when line power is restored. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C1SMJTDT? Lastly, I added a NG heater like this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BX4S5GDV?tag=arfcom00-20 Then I picked up all the connectors and hose required to plumb this into the NG fireplace that the builder installed. Calling it a fireplace is generous, its more of a pretty picture to look at than a heat source. There is an optional blower fan for the NG heater I added as well. So thats 3 ways to keep my house warm without utility power. After that I focused on improving insulation everywhere, sealing doors/windows and adding a pile of quality surplus wool blankets. I may go through another ice storm like '21 but I will not go through it in the same shape I was in the first time. I will be better off for sure. |
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Originally Posted By bluemax_1: They have different sizes. I think the one pictured is the 18k or 20k BTU unit. I have this one www.amazon.com/dp/B08DRWHBL3 It's dual fuel and can run on NG or propane (so you can have it plumbed into your NG, while still having the option to run it off lines run to a 20lb to 500 gallon propane tank or whatever). It puts out a LOT of heat, and that numbered knob on top, is actually a thermostat. It takes a little tweaking (since it's dependent on placement and other factors), but you can fine tune the setting like a thermostat, and it will run like a furnace (i.e. once you light it with the electric igniter that uses an AA battery, it lights a pilot light that remains lit, and that will ignite the burners, and turn the burners on and off, as needed to maintain the temp around the set point (you'll hear the bimetal switch 'click' if you're close enough). *** I don't use it for primary, or even regular heat. I have two Big Buddy heaters, and bought this when it was on sale for barely more than a Big Buddy. I also have two generators, as well as solar. This is an emergency backup heat source, to the backups (or in case the NG gets disrupted in winter, for whatever reason). |
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I have a 30k btu Mr heater, its my second level of back up heat, wood stove being number one. When my oil furnace went out years ago I used one for about 10 days to keep my 2400 sq ft above grade house heated, I got 2 days out of a 20 lb tank. But as an electrician spend the 4xx bucks on a 2k wen inverter gen and just run the furnace. I use a 2k wen for power outages, it runs tv, lights, fridge, sump pump, internet and in the summer a window unit in my bedroom. 1.5-2 gallons a gas per 24 hours is a whole lot cheaper than most other options even accounting for buying the generator. One power outage where you lose a freezer and fridge full of food costs more than the generator. |
"I am gonna laugh my ass off looking out the air vent of the box car watching some of you shot in the head in a ditch when you finally realize it's time to resist." stolen from RR_broccoli
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Originally Posted By nhsport: I have had several friends who over the years selected Kerosene for shop/garage use with the thought that in a emergency could be used in the house. The end result is kerosene is very expensive when sourced in one or two gallon jugs from the hardware store and difficult to source in bulk. Refiling the heater is a problem . dragging it outside to fill is a PITA and if one refills in place ends up with some minor spills that are difficult to clean or a major spill that is a nightmare . Lot of truth to this, but depends on location. I have a gas station 10 mins from home with K1 at the pump. It generally runs 4.50ish a gallon, but haven't checked recently. That's a LOT cheaper per BTU than a propane exchange at $20, but you might have a place that fills 20lbs cheap too. That said despite the downsides I do like my Kero heaters. Personally I find that as long as you operate them properly (be extremely careful not to spill fuel, fully heat up outdoors, shut down outdoors) they bother me less than propane heaters. |
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Originally Posted By bluemax_1: They have different sizes. I think the one pictured is the 18k or 20k BTU unit. I have this one www.amazon.com/dp/B08DRWHBL3 It’s dual fuel and can run on NG or propane (so you can have it plumbed into your NG, while still having the option to run it off lines run to a 20lb to 500 gallon propane tank or whatever). It puts out a LOT of heat, and that numbered knob on top, is actually a thermostat. It takes a little tweaking (since it’s dependent on placement and other factors), but you can fine tune the setting like a thermostat, and it will run like a furnace (i.e. once you light it with the electric igniter that uses an AA battery, it lights a pilot light that remains lit, and that will ignite the burners, and turn the burners on and off, as needed to maintain the temp around the set point (you’ll hear the bimetal switch ‘click’ if you’re close enough). *** I don’t use it for primary, or even regular heat. I have two Big Buddy heaters, and bought this when it was on sale for barely more than a Big Buddy. I also have two generators, as well as solar. This is an emergency backup heat source, to the backups (or in case the NG gets disrupted in winter, for whatever reason). I just bought one of these yesterday from Northern Tool along with the dual regulator w/12' hose. My downstairs heat pump has a failed expansion valve and it was cycling like crazy with pressures nearing 600! . The tech won't be here until Tuesday morning so I got the Mr. Heater to take the edge off. It's been great so far. |
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OK, USA
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I've got a dynaglo 23kbtu kerosene space heater jic. it's a fine heater for limited usage, it keeps heating fine for continual days usage with k1, when clean it has a slight smell while burning, but with continual days usage the smell increases, you'll have to shut it down & clean it every several days. My house has propane central heat. I've got a 30kbtu mr heater ventless wall mount in central area of my house for back up heat jic power outage. It's fine in my 1200sqft house. Since you stated you're on natural gas & 3500sqft. Probably require at least two. dynaglo, bluflame & mr heater makes 30kbtu ventless ng heaters (wall mount & free stand). If you don't want to run gas lines or have ventless heaters it might be easier to get a generator to power your central heat when needed. |
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Originally Posted By zoe17: Use an inverter generator that is tri-fuel. Can use gas, propane or NG. Since you have NG, easy install. Install a generator inlet and generator interlock, done. Post pics of electrical panel(s). Originally Posted By zoe17: Originally Posted By 3one5: Forced air natural gas furnace. Originally Posted By 3one5: Whole house is 3500sq ft Use an inverter generator that is tri-fuel. Can use gas, propane or NG. Since you have NG, easy install. Install a generator inlet and generator interlock, done. Post pics of electrical panel(s). You can always slap a transfer switch on the furnace and heat the whole house. My furnace motor needs about 250w when running. In my case that means we can keep the house warm for about 2 days w/ 3kh of battery. After that I fire up my 2200w Honda and run while charging through the day. BTW, I also do the same with my fridge and sump, if needed. My needs are few, but I have about 12kw of battery backup. If you have a gas furnace, use that. |
"Peace is that brief glorious moment in tiime when everyone stands around, and wise men are reloading." -Somebody that's been there.
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Didn't read all the replies but if you already have nat gas, I would have a line run and install a Mr heater 30k BTU blue flame unit. That's what we did last year to have as an alternative heat source. Our house is small, 1200 Sq ft but it does a pretty good job except for the bathroom on one far end. We mounted it to the wall in the kitchen which is centrally located. Attached File |
| Before our last gothermal system was replaced, we had breakdowns all the time in the winter. I have both, a couple of kerosene heaters and big buddy and little buddy propane heaters, both have their pluses and minuses. While a generator makes sense to keep you running for power outages, it's still nice to have a backup heat system. |
West Virginia born and bred
Joined:
Dec 2022
Posts:
9212
EE: 100% (2)
WV, USA
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Using one of these in my garage right now. Takes a 20lb tank and has 3 settings. I hang out in our attached garage during the winter so I found this was best since kero is over $6/gallon here. Attached File In my other house I installed a fake fireplace and had gas logs hooked to a 120lb tank. Helped a lot since I only had a Heat Pump. Something like this. Attached File |
Montani Semper Liberi
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 ~ Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
| I have a 3400 sqft house that "normal" heat is forced air propane. My backup is large south facing windows on the main floor and a small wood stove in the basement. The main room gets warm enough to open windows when the power is out and outside is below 0F. You don't need to heat all of the 3500, just the main rooms. Blankets keep you warm while sleeping. |
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Originally Posted By Steamedliver: I completely disagree. Let’s assume he does get a properly sized generator, and he maintains it correctly. The generator can still fail when needed, and so we are back at the original question. He needs a source for emergency heat. I recommend propane for all the reasons above. Easier to store, transport, cleaner burn, and easier to source. I think if you want eay to sourse you have to look at kerosene. |
“A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” James 1:8 KJV
"Can a man who's warm understand one who's freezing?" Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
"Can a man who's warm understand one who's freezing?" Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
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My uncle heats his house with forced air propane. For emergency heat, in his basement he installed a wall mounted propane heater directly under his duct work and cut out and installed a grate in the duct. Heat goes into the duct work and distributes through the house and out the vents. Won't heat like the forced air, but definitely keep you from freezing. Personally, I'd put in a wood burning stove if I had a basement to put it in. |
So you can shoot? Come to an Appleseed, let's verify that claim, then start helping me teach others to shoot too!
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Kerosene is really best for a single room. We have one of the towers and I'll use it a few times during the winter here, and often only in the evening before bed and early in the morning a few hours when we get up. Smell can be off setting for some, and they do need a little maintenance. I try to keep 20-30 gallons on hand and rotate half annually. It will easily store for 3-5 years without a stabilizer and up to 10 years with a stabilizer. That makes rotation really easy for short term use annually. Propane is likely more efficient if you don't have bulk kero available (we don't). ROCK6 |
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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OP, if you do go with Kerosene make sure you light it yearly. If you don’t, the wick evaporates the kerosene and the kerosene polymerizes. It will light again, but it will smoke horribly until you burn that off. I did that once when my cabin was just a shell, got there at night and lit it then went to bed up in one of the lofts. My GF woke up and thought the cabin was on fire-the kerosene smell was pretty strong, so I lit my flashlight and couldn’t see the other end of the cabin…. Looked over at her and she/we had the first case of Blackface I have ever seen. She looked like a cartoon character. We had to go to a friend’s and wash up in his shower, it took 20 minutes to get all that black out of my hair and face. The whole cabin had to be swept out, everything had to be washed, cleaned etc. This was from a standard Kero-Sun 23,000BTU heater BTW. |
Never make another person a priority when they merely see you as an option...
"Some People Are Like Slinkies. They're Not Really Good For Anything, But They Bring a Smile To Your Face When Pushed Down The Stairs."
"Some People Are Like Slinkies. They're Not Really Good For Anything, But They Bring a Smile To Your Face When Pushed Down The Stairs."