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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
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    Oz
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    615

    Default Kero shed heaters

    With the weather getting cooler now I've dragged out my kero heater I use in the shed. Diesel at $1.50 a litre appears to be a good alternative to kero at $4 - $5 but for the smell and pollution. I have read on a number of sites that adding isopropyl alcohol and a diesel fuel additive at the rate of 40 – 1 apparently makes kero heaters run cleaner and hotter than using kero, anyone tried this???

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    N.W.Tasmania
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    703

    Default

    I have never heard of this, but adding isopropyl alcohol to diesel fuel would make it darn near the price of kerro. O.K. perhaps a slight exaggeration but isoprop is pretty expensive. I have no idea of the cost of the other un-named diesel additive, but that will also add to cost. An additional concern that I would have is that of the fumes given off by the heater, and I am assuming that the combustion products are just going into the shed, and not being vented out via a flue, but I would be concerned that this could be the cause of severe rusting of tools and other Iron products in the shed, but perhaps my fears in that regard are unfounded, I don't know if the modern reduced sulphur fuels, still have enough acidic content to be a problem.
    Rob

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Mornington Peninsula
    Posts
    2,741

    Default

    If the kero heater is not flued, then do yourself a favour and ditch it.

    In one of my previous jobs, I used to be called out to indoor air quality problems caused by combustion heaters, including a death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

    It really isn't worth it.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    blue mountains
    Posts
    4,882

    Default

    The fire risk is another factor to think about. Those kerro heaters have been cause of so many house fires. Flames and wood shaveings not a good mix.
    Regards
    John

  6. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Oz
    Posts
    615

    Default diesel

    Unflued kero heaters have been used in loungerooms for decades without too many problems, as a matter of fact I can remember my folks heating our lounge with one and it certainly didn't kill me, not from my memory at least.
    I've been heating my shed with a kero heater for years now without any problems, of course modern colourbond sheds are much better ventilated than lounge rooms of old and as I work mainly in metal the risk of the metal catching fire is of no real problem in my shed, my shed is also quite a bit bigger than my folks' lounge too, so a kero heater doesn't represent any real danger as far as I am concerned.
    Obviously diesel, whilst basically similar to diesel, isn't as clean burning as heating kero so the smell and polutants do represent a concern. As I made reference to, some have reported good results by adding isopropyl, at around $10 a litre and at a ratio of 40 to one, I think we can rule out cost as a deciding factor. From what I have read adding isopropyl to diesel seems to make a cleaner burning fuel than kero and with no smell. The diesel injector additive I mentioned is also used at 40 to one and only to stop the wick from clogging. I only use standard kero rather than heating kero in the shed so no smell would be distinct advantage, as far as the wife is concerned at least, it really doesn't bother me.
    What I was asking was, has anyone actually tried diesel as a heater fuel with isopropyl as an additive.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2005
    Location
    Helensburgh
    Posts
    7,696

    Default

    Kero heaters lift the humidity level quite a lot so that maybe a concern.
    CHRIS

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    2,951

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    Anything unflued that burns fossil type fuels will produce water as a by product.

    Simon
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    2,951

    Default

    Also the CO Buildup will be so slow that you will leave way before you fall unconscious at your work bench. Moe of an issue if you lived in there.

    Simon
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2011
    Location
    Melbourne
    Posts
    2,951

    Default

    For $20 you always buy a CO alarm similar to what yachties have.
    Girl, I don't wanna know about your mild-mannered alter ego or anything like that." I mean, you tell me you're, uh, super-mega-ultra-lightning babe? That's all right with me. I'm good. I'm good.

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