Kerosene heaters are a great option for heating interiors, but you might wonder if they’re safe.
The short answer is – yes.
Still, you must take certain precautions to use a kerosene heater inside your home safely.
You’ll discover all the tips to guarantee safety for everyone in your home, but let’s first reveal what you might not know about kerosene heaters.
What Is A Kerosene Heater?
The kerosene heater isn’t quite your typical heater.
It produces heat by burning kerosene drawn from a tank using capillary action. Use only water-clear 1-K grade kerosene, never gasoline or any other fuel.
Although older kerosene heaters weren’t efficient or strong, technological advances have improved them, and they can quickly heat bigger rooms now.
What’s interesting about kerosene heaters is that they don’t need electricity, so you can start them manually even if the ignitor fails.
Kerosene heaters cost far less to buy than wood-burning inserts, but check the price of K-1 kerosene where you live before you count on cheap heat. Our propane vs kerosene heater comparison shows the kerosene price at which it beats propane.
The heater below is a radiant wick heater rated for indoor use; it still needs fresh air and a carbon monoxide alarm.
Best Kerosene Heater for Indoor Use: Sengoku HeatMate 110
Sengoku HeatMate Portable Kerosene Heater, 10,000 BTU, Cordless, White
The Sengoku HeatMate 110 is a 10,000 BTU radiant kerosene heater that Sengoku rates for indoor and outdoor use. Its 1.2-gallon tank runs for up to 14 hours, and it lights with a push button, so you need no matches and no electricity.
It has an automatic safety shut-off, a tip-over switch and a protective grille. Sengoku lists it for spaces up to 400 square feet, which suits a large room, a garage or a poorly insulated space.
Run it with a window cracked and a working carbon monoxide alarm nearby, as with any unvented fuel-burning heater, and read the manual for the clearances it needs.
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How To Safely Use Kerosene Heater Indoors
Always frequently service your heater
This might sound obvious, but you would be surprised how many people forget to maintain their kerosene heaters.
If there’s any kind of leaking or error, you’ll quickly notice and fix it before it can cause severe damage.
You should maintain it regularly because kerosene heaters release carbon monoxide and other pollutants into the room while they burn.
My advice is to service it every 4-6 months. Refuel only when the heater is off and has cooled; CPSC says never to refuel while it is operating or hot.
Air out the room
Whether heating a smaller or bigger room, you should always allow fresh air.
You can open windows occasionally, but we suggest always leaving the door open so the air can come through.
It’s not recommended to heat the rooms that don’t have windows. A carbon monoxide alarm, not a filter, is what warns you if the air turns bad.
Never place it close to furniture
As with other heaters or electric fireplaces, you should never place it close to furniture that can catch fire – such as sofas, beds, curtains, etc.
Also, never put anything over a heater. This is common sense, yet many times, the most essential things are what causes a fire. Keep anything that can burn at least 3 feet away.
Never blend with other fuel types
Kerosene is a fuel and needs careful handling. Never blend it with other fuels, and never use gasoline, as it can cause fires.
Even when you store the fuel (which we’ll cover later), ensure that the container or tank has not been used for any other fuel type.
When different fuel types are blended, it can damage the heater, making it less efficient and increasing the safety risk.
Install smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
If there’s one thing I’d like you to remember from this article, it would be this one.
A carbon monoxide alarm can warn you when the air has gone bad, and a smoke alarm warns you about fire. CPSC advises carbon monoxide alarms on every level of the home and outside sleeping areas.
I’m a bit paranoid, so I immediately bought this smoke detector when I first got in touch with kerosene heaters. Believe me, it does give you an extra feeling of security at night.
FIRST ALERT BRK SC9120FF Hardwired Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (CO) Detector with Battery Backup
How To Store Your Kerosene Heater Safely in The Spring/Summer?
When storing a kerosene heater in the fall or summer, you must discard all the fuel from the tank. Kerosene changes chemically and spoils over the summer, so you shouldn’t use the same kerosene in fall/winter.
Most likely, the wick will be dirty, so clean it appropriately. Once you’re done with it, clean the heater and discard batteries if you’ve been using it for a while.
Place your unit in a dust-free container and keep it there during the summer. Another thing you can use is the box your heater came in – if you haven’t thrown it.
Remember to fill the tank with fresh kerosene when you take it out of storage in the fall.
I recommend reading the user manual for more safety features the manufacturer mentioned.
If you have friends or family members using kerosene heaters, share this article with them to keep them safe and educated.
Type your kerosene price and see what its heat costs next to propane, gas and electric in your state.
Content writer from Croatia. Dominic studies Information Science at the University of Sarajevo, which helps him research and organize his work.
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