Kerosene Heaters
Increases in home heating costs have helped develop a
market for portable kerosene heaters to provide localized
or emergency heat for homes, cottages and service
buildings. Many questions are being asked about the
safety of these units. This publication answers typical
questions and suggests practices to follow when using a
portable un-vented kerosene heater.
Questions and Answers
#1 How safe are the new un-vented portable kerosene
heaters?
That depends upon who you talk to. Some public health and
safety officials take a cautious view of these types of
heaters. Some manufacturers and dealers, however, do not.
But it is a fact that these types of heaters can be a
potential fire hazard and that the pollutants these
heaters produce may represent a significant health
hazard.
For these reasons, some communities and some states
have banned the use of these types of heaters in homes.
Would-be buyers of un-vented, portable kerosene heaters
should check with building authorities and/or fire
officials and insurance representatives first.
If this type of heater is purchased, be sure to
follow the manufacturer's exact directions for operation.
#2 What are some of the hazards of using un-vented,
portable kerosene heaters?
This type of heater:
--- increases the potential of a home fire loss if it is
placed too close to combustibles
--- paper, curtains and other readily flammable household
material
--- or is used carelessly.
--- increases the potential for personal burns. Tests by
Consumer Reports (Oct. 1982 issue) show that during
normal operation, these types of heaters can develop
surface temperatures from 320 degrees F to more than 500
degrees F. Obviously, keep small children well away from
the heater.
--- produces carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas),
nitrogen dioxide (which may cause throat and lung
irritation), and sulfur dioxide (which can impair
breathing).
#3 Are there portable, un-vented kerosene heaters on the
market that do not produce these gases?
No. Any heating system that burns fuel, and does not have
a chimney, will give off some gases into the room or area
where it operates.
#4 Is there an accumulative "indoor pollution hazard"
from use of several un-vented appliances?
It would appear so, especially in a "weatherized" home or
a unventilated room.
Following tests of 18 types of portable, un-vented
heaters, Consumer Reports states that: "We calculated the
concentration of four gases produced by these heaters ---
carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and
sulphur dioxide --- in a 10x12x8-foot room with normal
ventilation. The levels of each gas were high enough to
be a serious health hazard to high-risk groups, including
pregnant women, asthmatics, people with cardiovascular
disease, children, and the elderly. The levels we
calculated for some pollutants may pose risks for healthy
people."
Hazard from indoor pollution is highest on calm days
when an un-vented heater is used along with an un-vented
gas range, gas refrigerator and a gas clothes dryer;
along with a vented water heater and furnace.
Only heating units connected to chimneys exhaust
products of combustion safely to the outside of the home.
#5 Of the gases that are produced by a portable, un-vented
heater, which is potentially the most lethal?
Carbon monoxide. It is toxic because it interferes with
the blood's ability to carry oxygen to the cells of the
body. It may reach toxic levels in the blood stream
within minutes or several hours. Carbon monoxide may be a
particular threat to persons with heart ailments.
Early carbon monoxide poisoning symptoms include
dizziness, headache, weakness, drowsiness and/or nausea.
Some people could experience impaired judgement and
irritability.
#6 Why is carbon monoxide so deadly?
Carbon monoxide replaces oxygen in the blood until
suffocation occurs. Carbon monoxide mixes with your blood
210 times quicker than oxygen, so even getting fresh air
after poisoning symptoms begin may not help and
suffocation can still occur. It takes from 10 to 24 hours
to rid the blood of excessive carbon monoxide.
#7 Do I really have to open a window one inch or keep a
door ajar to another room to maintain a margin of safety
while using a portable, un-vented kerosene heater?
Yes, especially if the heater is located in a room having
less than 150 square feet. Be sure to read the
manufacturer's instructions about ventilation. The
Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends one square
inch of open window in the room where the heater is being
used for each 1,000 Btu of the heater's rated output.
For example, if the heater is rated at 9,100 Btu per
hour, and the window in the room is 24 inches wide, the
window should be opened almost one-half inch. If the
heater is rated at 20,000 Btu, that window should be open
almost 1 inch.
Obviously, this causes a loss of heat, but it should
help provide adequate ventilation provided that the
portable heater is operating at manufacturer's
specifications.
#8 What grade or quality of kerosene should be used?
Use ONLY 1-K grade of kerosene in portable, unvented
heaters.
Kerosene is generally retailed in two grades --- 1-K,
which is low in sulfur (.04 percent sulfur by weight) and
2-K, which is much higher in sulfur. Use of 2-K grade
kerosene will dramatically increase sulfur dioxide
emissions. Using kerosene other than the 1-K grade may
increase health risk.
However, finding 1-K grade kerosene may be difficult.
just because a kerosene dealer says that the grade of
kerosene is "water-clear" or "clear white" does not mean
it is the 1-K grade. Both grades can look clear. Find a
dealer who can certify that what is being sold is 1-K
grade kerosene.
#9 What happens if other fuels are substituted in place
of 1-K kerosene?
The risk of a fire or an explosion increases
dramatically. In March 1982, the Consumer Product Safety
Commission and the National Kerosene Heater Association
warned against using gasoline in kerosene heaters, citing
a number of serious injuries and deaths from such use.
Other fuels, such as diesel or jet "A" fuel, may be
equally dangerous.
#10 What about storing 1-K grade kerosene?
Storage of any type of liquid fuel requires a certain
amount of care and common sense. All kerosene should be
stored in a metal fuel container clearly marked KEROSENE.
Paint the container green, or some color other than red,
so that it will not be accidently confused with a
container of gasoline.
Don't store kerosene in an old gasoline can. This
will prevent getting it mixed up with gasoline and
inadvertently putting gasoline in the heater. Store
kerosene out of the home in a well-ventilated and cool
area, away from where children play.
#11 What safer choices do I have for spot or localized
heating inside my home?
Portable electrical heaters may also be used to conserve
energy if used to briefly warm persons in one part of the
house instead of turning on the furnace. Use portable
electric heaters rated no higher than 1500 watts to avoid
overloading ordinary outlets in the home. Check for the
"U.L. listed" statement on the nameplate before buying.
Radiant heat types (quartz-nichrome wire enclosed in
clear tubes) are more efficient in providing warmth to
persons within 3 to 10 feet, without heating the entire
room.
#12 Is it cheaper to use a portable kerosene heater or a
portable electric heater for spot heating my home?
It costs about the same to operate either heater when
your electrical rate is 5 cents per kilowatt hour and yo
can buy 1-K grade kerosene for $2 per gallon. A gallon of
1-K kerosene has a Btu equivalence of approximately 40
kilowatt hours. (135,000 Btu and 3,413 Btu/KwHr). To
estimate operating costs, multiply your actual cost per
kilowatt hour by 40 to determine what you could pay for
1-K kerosene per gallon to produce the same number of
Btu's. In addition, consider comparative purchase prices
of electric and kerosene haters, maintenance costs of
both, convenience and related factors. For example, the
operating costs provided above for kerosene units does
not allow for the heat lost by slightly opening a window
for ventilation, as recommended by the Consumer Product
Safety Commission and most manufacturers. Neither is
allowance made for costs new electrical outlets or
circuits that might be needed for a portable electrical
heater.
#13 Should I use a portable, unvented kerosene heater in
my home?
While the choice is clearly yours, consider this:
--- The National Kerosene Heater Association contends
that these units are very safe when used properly.
--- The Consumer Product Safety Commission has twice
rejected petitions asking that kerosene heaters be
banned.
However:
--- Consumer Reports: "CU thinks not. A kerosene heater's
open flame poses an obvious fire hazard. The gases it
gives off as it burns pose a less obvious ---- but no
less serious --- problem. Storing kerosene poses hazards
of its own."
--- Fire officials remain concerned about the demanding
management practices that must be used to avoid making
the heater dangerous.
--- No regulatory, social, or educational agency in
Michigan currently recommends using a portable, un-vented
heater in the home.
Precautions and Suggestions on Use
A portable kerosene heater can be used during waking
hours to take the chill off an area without starting up
the central heating system. Its temporary use can help
remove dampness in a basement or vacation cottage, and
help provide working comfort in a garage, construction
site or storage area if adequate ventilation exists. A
gas or un-vented portable kerosene heater has value for
TEMPORARY use during a power failure, especially in
remote areas.