oil lamp fuel

[jott]

The discussion on Aladin lamps in the homesteading section got me thinking, lots have said that they can’t get clear K-1 and have to burn red. I can get clear at the local gas station but it is like $3 a gal and I’m sure it will go higher, and who knows what you could get if there where some sort of emergency. I have a lot of oil lamps both flat wick and with kosmos and matador burners, so I was wondering what can you use as fuel? I have heard many people say they use mineral sprits but I never tried it since that always cost more, and is also unlikely to be available for any long term emergency. In case of a long term thing will all my oil lamps become useless? Maybe bio diesel would work? what could you make yourslef?

Any thoughts?

[John_P]

My thought is that if you can buy clear K1 for about $3 a gallon, go ahead and buy it. You probably won't find any suitable fuel that is much less expensive.

Here in Southern Oregon, I recently bought four 50-gallons drums of clear certified K1 and had to pay $3.75 a gallon from our local oil distributor. This is at at time when red K1 was $3.29 a gallon, in 50-gallon drums, and clear K1 at the hardware store in 5-gallon buckets is more than $5 a gallon. For our local distributor, they say that price for clear is so high because it is certified and they have to bring it in drums from San Francisco, rather than tank truck quantities. Maybe that situation is better where you are.

I've never tried burning red K1 in lamps, but only because I have been advised that the fumes from the red die can be toxic indoors. But I don't know if that is true.

[kawalekm]

Hi Jott
Consider yourself lucky that you can get kerosene at the pump for only 3$ Wish I could. I've been substituting diesel fuel and it has been burning OK, though I notice that it doesn't seem to wick as well. Same with my kerosene heater. It's a Corona, and it does burn diesel, but with a smaller maximum flame.

Since bio-diesel is even thicker than regular diesel I would guess that it's performance is even poorer.
Michael

[WRTN]

Have you tried driving out to a local airport and pricing the Jet A or Jet A1 or Jet B? Not sure if it would be any cheaper but it will burn cleaner than K-1 and put out more heat. With the exception of Jet B, the others are kerosene based fuels just much more highly refined.

[annabella1]

bio-diesel will work in anything you use kerosene in.

[kawalekm]

I'm sorry Annabella, but is that statement based on you actually USING biodiesel and SEEING it work, or is that just your opinion? I HAVE tried substituting petrol diesel for kerosene, and I do notice the somewhat decreased performance. In William Kemp's book "Biodiesel, Basics and Beyond" he specifically tried it in a kerosene heater and found it doesn't work. Biodiesel did burn somewhat, but put out dangerous levels of carbon monoxide. Don't make recomendations about something you haven't actually tried. It could put someone's life in danger!
Michael