Kerosene in place of "white fuel"?

[panzerman1944]

Hello all,

Does anyone know if you can use standard K1 kerosesne in the old style coleman camp stoves that burn white fuel or lantern fuel? Kerosene is about half the price of white fuel, and right now every penny counts.

Thanks.

[RangerRick]

Yep, no doubt about it and welcome to the board.

Rick

[jott]

I think white gas is more like gasoline, not kero. At least all the camping stoves and lanterns I have will use white gas or gasoline but not kerosene. One stove I have will use just about anything but for kerosene I have to swap out the generator tube and the jet.

[otterbob]

White fuel was “White Gas” not kerosene !

Below is a piece of a page from the Coleman website.

Their site has parts and owner manuals.

Otter Bob

http://www.coloradojingjing.com/bob/office/bobspictures/post-white.jpg

[jim]

I'd guess that Regular unleaded would work well.

[MooseToo]

way back when - the only gasoline you could substitute for coleman "white fuel" was amaco supreme - it was totally color-less -

[otterbob]

I'd guess that Regular unleaded would work well.

It will,,, but it will also burnout and/or plug up your generator much more quickly.

Coleman does offer an unleaded fuel generator for most of the products.

Another concern to be aware of, is that unleaded fuel has a very short shelf life and is "Blended for ambient temperature".
For this reason I only use Coleman fuel.
If you are using your Coleman lantern or stove on a "REGULAR" basis and with fresh fuel you will have less problems, but most users let it set in the shed until needed, then the fuel is bad and/or the generator is gummed up and needs to be replaced, when you need the item.

You will pay much more for a gallon of Coleman fuel but if you seldom use the item it will work when needed !

Otter Bob

[jim]

Makes sense! I'm going to try a little regular in the cook stove, but that will be all.

[storm_trooper]

does anybody know how long you can store kerosene? I was looking at getting a couple of five gallon cans of it or can you use paint thinner instead of kerosene?

[otterbob]

does anybody know how long you can store kerosene? I was looking at getting a couple of five gallon cans of it or can you use paint thinner instead of kerosene?

DO NOT USE PAINT THINNER IN PLACE OF KEROSENE !!!

IT WILL EXPLODE !!!

If you purchase the five gallon cans from a store like home depot , lowes , truevalue ECT. I would not store more then a year or two.
If you purchase 5 gallons from a station pump no more then one season.

Otter Bob

[RangerRick]

Here is a synthetic kerosene substitute - it has an unlimited shelf life and is even safer to store. It is more expensive, but if you purchase 100 gallons or more they will discount the price and ship for free (e-mail the supplier for details): http://www.msiwix.com/Klean-Heat.htm

[RangerRick]

If you Google it you'll find that 1 year is considered normal shelf life.

From my experience Kerosene can and does last for severals if kept in a dry and dark environment in plastic containers. *It can get a little moldy if kept in a metal container as it is more apt to sweat and rust to develop as water separates from the kero over time (though less likely with K-1), so a plastic container is better. * Consequently, I recommend you pour off the good stuff and discard the rest when you hit water/mold which can be sceen in a clear plastic container. *

If you add some (diesel) Stabil to K1 as an added bit of insurance I've had it keep in excess of 5 years with never a problem.

Rick

[WRTN]

As far as a long life readily available fuel you can use in place of kerosene that has a very long storage life, Jet A, Jet A-1 are good substitutes. They are treated with an antimicrobiocidal and are a much more refined version of kerosene. For folks with military access, JP-8 and JP-5 are even better (pretty much a military verson of Jet-A)

NONE of these including kerosene are a subsitute for the Coleman lantern/stove fuel.

[cubcadet]

panzerman1944, We were running a Coleman stove indoors for about 3 years because my old man wouldn`t replace the kitchen stove. It burned great on gasoline. Kerosene will fire up in those stoves, but, will not produce a hot, blue flame. Thay`ll just smoke alot.

[mtdrtbag]

Jet A is an excellent substitute for K-1 kerosene. this is about all I use anymore because I have access to alot of it and it doesn't cost me anything. This works great in Aladdin lamps. Not all Jet A has microbicidal in it. And you should not use it if it does. The additive called "Prist" is extremely bio- hazardous. it is actually an anti-ice agent that absorbs water molecules and is injected into the fuel stream as the fuel is pumped into the aircraft. If you go to your local airport (that sells jet A. not all do) and ask them if they have any jet A "sump fuel" they will either give it to you or sell it a very reasonable price. Per FAA standards all fuel trucks must be inspected for water contamination daily. This fuel that is taken from the sump cannot be put back in the fuel tank. A gallon of kerosene right now is about 9.00 dollars. A gallon of Jet A is about 4.65 if you pay the full price for it. Diesel Trucks and Generators will also run on Jet A. Some say that you need to add some oil to it to do that, but we don't. Jet A will keep for a very long time. Store in dark containers. It may turn a little yellow and smell a little varnishey but it will still burn fine. Jeff