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Posted: 1/12/2011 1:17:10 PM EDT
We're one of those families that burns our lamps a lot this time of year and have for decades, actually generations. When you do that, you typically buy in quantity and keep your good lamp fuel for specific tasks. It also means, you continually buy fuel of one type or another.
Recently we picked up some Walmart Florasense brand lamp oil. Name sounds nice huh? Well it isn't. Though the color is nice and clear and by shaking the bottle it appears to have the proper mix of liquid paraffin and kerosene, the stuff burns, smells, and blacks like pure kerosene. It burns nice and even like a good lamp oil, but that's about it. In every other way, might as well buy kerosene and blend your own lamp oil for a lot less bucks. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Just so you know, because I didn't buy much, I broke out my liquid paraffin stash and it appears about a 50/50 blend brings it in line with a fair lamp oil. Most lamp oils are about a 70/30 mix, paraffin to kerosene. In short, I paid about twice as much as regular kerosene to get those smaller plastic bottles. 
Tj |
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Posted: 1/12/2011 3:00:28 PM EDT
[#1]
thanks
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Posted: 1/12/2011 4:08:44 PM EDT
[#2]
What is the country of origin of this product?
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Posted: 1/12/2011 4:54:22 PM EDT
[#3]
Odd, I just tried some of this a couple weeks ago and didn't find any K smell. I had been burning the deoderized K from Lowes before. That stuff did smell.
Maybe I just need to be less "thrifty" and buy some decent lamp oil to see what I'm missing. |
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Posted: 1/12/2011 5:15:05 PM EDT
[#4]
My local walmart has the lamplight brand on sale for $1 less than the new florasense or whatever its called.
TJ, could you check out my kerosene heater thread. I have just discovered burning mineral spirits. |
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Posted: 1/12/2011 5:36:09 PM EDT
[#5]
Quoted:
My local walmart has the lamplight brand on sale for $1 less than the new florasense or whatever its called. TJ, could you check out my kerosene heater thread. I have just discovered burning mineral spirits. Careful with that. Mineral Spirits has a lower specific gravity, much lower flash point, and way higher noxious fumes content. Though I have known folks to burn it for years, I avoid it like the plague or only as a last resort. Even if you ignore the fumes aspect, its way more of a fire or kaboom hazard. Its really on many peoples "Not Recommended" list for lamps and heaters. Give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Dietz recommends no fuel with a flash point less than 124 degrees F. Kerosene is around 150 degrees F. Mineral spirits is 110 degrees F. Its not as bad as alcohol or gasoline, but that's getting very close and absolutely no room for error or accident. The specific gravity around 80, ten points lower than kerosene. What that means is its not going to wick as well, more fumes in the wick, and a much lower flash point so more potential for fume boom, and any spill more prone to flash and burn. I have a lot of fuels laying about I can use in a pinch, including mineral spirits/paint thinner, but no thanks for normal use. Tj |
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Posted: 1/12/2011 5:41:47 PM EDT
[#6]
Quoted:
Quoted:
My local walmart has the lamplight brand on sale for $1 less than the new florasense or whatever its called. TJ, could you check out my kerosene heater thread. I have just discovered burning mineral spirits. Careful with that. Mineral Spirits has a lower specific gravity, much lower flash point, and way higher noxious fumes content. Though I have known folks to burn it for years, I avoid it like the plague or only as a last resort. Even if you ignore the fumes aspect, its way more of a fire or kaboom hazard. Its really on many peoples "Not Recommended" list for lamps and heaters. Give you an idea of what I'm talking about. Dietz recommends no fuel with a flash point less than 124 degrees F. Kerosene is around 150 degrees F. Mineral spirits is 110 degrees F. Its not as bad as alcohol or gasoline, but that's getting very close and absolutely no room for error or accident. The specific gravity around 80, ten points lower than kerosene. What that means is its not going to wick as well, more fumes in the wick, and a much lower flash point so more potential for fume boom, and any spill more prone to flash and burn. I have a lot of fuels laying about I can use in a pinch, including mineral spirits/paint thinner, but no thanks for normal use. Tj I may have to be more careful of it in my oil lamps, but it is burning 1000 times cleaner in my Kerosene heater. Flawless. More about that in my kerosene heater thread. |
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Posted: 1/19/2011 5:30:26 AM EDT
[#7]
TJ, I am burning up some of the two 1/2 gallon bottles of Florasense lamp oil I bought. I am not seeing any big difference with this oil save one, the light flickers and moves more than the other lamp oil. I can't smell anything and am not getting any soot on the chimney. It is very interesting that it the flame is more dynamic. Its actually slightly annoying, but livable. First time I have noticed this.
My wick has only a tiny amount of charring since I have learned about keeping the font full. I can still see cotton on top. |
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Posted: 1/19/2011 7:18:14 AM EDT
[#8]
I read this post, then bought this exact product anyway. I went to my Walmart and that was all they had. Plus I couldn't remember exactly what the issue was.
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Posted: 1/19/2011 7:34:00 AM EDT
[#9]
Quoted:
I read this post, then bought this exact product anyway. I went to my Walmart and that was all they had. Plus I couldn't remember exactly what the issue was. Its pretty much just Kerosene which you can buy $3 a gallon instead of $3 a small bottle.
What I bought was high sulfur so very little liquid paraffin mix to take the smell away. Tj |
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Posted: 1/19/2011 7:40:14 AM EDT
[#10]
Quoted:
Quoted:
I read this post, then bought this exact product anyway. I went to my Walmart and that was all they had. Plus I couldn't remember exactly what the issue was. Its pretty much just Kerosene which you can buy $3 a gallon instead of $3 a small bottle.
What I bought was high sulfur so very little liquid paraffin mix to take the smell away. Tj It may be different for various batches. The straight pump kerosene fogged up the glass of my oil lamp so bad it looked more like a florescent light. This stuff is not doing that and does not stink at all. You may have gotten a bad batch. It is nice to have other stuff to mix in to help fix a bad batch. ETA: I changed my mind. It is stinking a little bit. It was just hard to discern between this and the kerosene heater. When I blew it out it smelled like regular kerosene. |
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Posted: 2/2/2011 2:16:48 PM EDT
[#11]
The more I run this florasense lamp oil the more I notice the smell on lighting and extinguishing. I will not be purchasing any more of this oil. The Lamplight medallion doesn't stink as much. Not even close.
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Posted: 2/5/2011 10:14:19 PM EDT
[#12]
It doesn't seem to smell while burning, but like the poster above me, I notice the smell on extinguishing.
So far, I haven't been in a situation where I'm trying to secretly burn my hurricane lantern, so the smell hasn't been a big deal. |
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Posted: 2/6/2011 10:21:20 PM EDT
[#13]
Where does one even buy kerosene or liquid paraffin these days? Back in th' day, we could pick up kerosene, white gas (naptha) and paraffin at pretty much any hardware store and many gas stations (at least in Central Wisconsin). Been years since I saw any of any of it.
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Posted: 2/7/2011 5:51:05 AM EDT
[#14]
Quoted:
Where does one even buy kerosene or liquid paraffin these days? Back in th' day, we could pick up kerosene, white gas (naptha) and paraffin at pretty much any hardware store and many gas stations (at least in Central Wisconsin). Been years since I saw any of any of it. Its available online all the time but in most areas its seasonal, all through winter. I just keep an eye open and buy when I find something good. The problem with this stuff is looked good but it is no better than kerosene and at twice the cost. Tj |
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Posted: 2/7/2011 10:56:22 PM EDT
[#15]
I noticed the smell more after I was in this thread again. If kerosene smells the same, I'd consider just buying that.
Can you burn the Citronella oil indoors? The tiki torch stuff? I assume you can't, but thought I'd ask anyway. |
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Posted: 2/7/2011 11:26:18 PM EDT
[#16]
Hmm... I got some of this stuff and have burned it a few times and didn't smell anything at all. I bought more after the first few times of that... Still haven't smelled anything. I know the kerosene smell, and this doesn't have it.
Maybe you got a bad batch? My stuff has been GTG so far. |
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Posted: 2/8/2011 3:51:48 AM EDT
[#17]
Quoted:
I noticed the smell more after I was in this thread again. If kerosene smells the same, I'd consider just buying that. Can you burn the Citronella oil indoors? The tiki torch stuff? I assume you can't, but thought I'd ask anyway. Its not even close to the same as straight pump kerosene. The pump kerosene was so bad I had to dump it out and go back to lamp oil. It stunk up my whole house in a few minutes. The florasense crap just stinks on lighting and extinguishing with a slight odor while burning. This crap is 100 times better than pump kerosene for smell. |
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Posted: 2/8/2011 8:37:40 AM EDT
[#18]
Quoted:
Hmm... I got some of this stuff and have burned it a few times and didn't smell anything at all. I bought more after the first few times of that... Still haven't smelled anything. I know the kerosene smell, and this doesn't have it. Maybe you got a bad batch? My stuff has been GTG so far. Florasense is a trademark, its not a brand. There aren't Florasense refineries. About anyone can buy a Florasense trademark. Other countries do not have the low sulfur requirements for diesel so they won't probably no chance in hell for kerosene. In the US kerosene is not controlled via EPA for sulfur content but diesel is. What that means is in an area where there is a tank farm, not refineries then they blend so a good chance the blend will be low sulfur because they will use the same base for Diesel blends which is controlled. Some areas are naturally high sulfur oil, some aren't. NOT ALL KEROSENE FROM THE PUMP IS THE SAME. It varies company to company and area do area. Yes, one batch say from the US can be good but the next batch from China crap. Though I've had good luck at Walmart over the years in the past, this time around the kerosene I get from the pump is as good as this Florasense in the stores here. This is why when I can find it, I buy liquid paraffin. Even if I don't burn it straight, I can use it to blend to cut the sulfur content down. Tj |
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Posted: 2/8/2011 7:15:53 PM EDT
[#19]
Hell, when I find a cheap source for liquid parrafin I'll jump on it. In the meantime, I'll not hesitate to burn the wallyworld stuff. So far it is burning clean and without any bad odors.
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Posted: 2/9/2011 3:20:32 PM EDT
[#20]
Quoted:
We're one of those families that burns our lamps a lot this time of year and have for decades, actually generations. When you do that, you typically buy in quantity and keep your good lamp fuel for specific tasks. It also means, you continually buy fuel of one type or another. Recently we picked up some Walmart Florasense brand lamp oil. Name sounds nice huh? Well it isn't. Though the color is nice and clear and by shaking the bottle it appears to have the proper mix of liquid paraffin and kerosene, the stuff burns, smells, and blacks like pure kerosene. It burns nice and even like a good lamp oil, but that's about it. In every other way, might as well buy kerosene and blend your own lamp oil for a lot less bucks. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Just so you know, because I didn't buy much, I broke out my liquid paraffin stash and it appears about a 50/50 blend brings it in line with a fair lamp oil. Most lamp oils are about a 70/30 mix, paraffin to kerosene. TJ, the Alladin lamps recommend K-1 or the Alladin brand oil only... not sure of the contents of the Aladdin oil? do you know? I recognize the Aladdin design is quite different from the typical lamp as it includes a silk mantle as well as a wick.... I defer to your knowledge on lamps and oils..... IMHO you are to lamps, what Protus is to BOB's... Jeff |
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