Hello everyone,

20 to 30 years ago, I had a Kerosun Kerosene heater that I used heavily in the winter. It put out a tremendous amount of heat, was reliable, and of high quality.

The Kerosun company no longer exists and I am in need of a new one. I have tried Dyna-Glo and DuraHeat models, but they are very flimsy and cheaply made; I just brought one home from Lowes, and although the box was sealed, the unit was dented, and I could not get it to even light up successfully. I am taking it back.

My intended usage is to heat up my garage in the winter so I can work on my vehicles, and, as emergency back up heat for the house when there is no power. So models that have powered forced-air need not apply.

Interestingly, on-line ratings for the Dyna-Glo and DuraHeat models are pretty favorable, but I am not impressed. I am looking for anyone that has first-hand experience - Do any high-quality models still exist out there?

I have a DuraHeat model that works pretty well. But what I use most in the garage and is a little more safe (indoor rated) is a Big Buddy Propane heater fed from a 20 Lb tank.

https://www.ruralking.com/big-...bpXU9IYaAqMaEALw_wcB

95flhr - How long does a 20 Lb tank last for you?

I'm getting about 6-7 days, depending on how long I stay out there. Lately I
've not been spending any time during the week in the garage, but 12 or more hour days on the weekends.

I will say this heater is only supposed to heat about 400 Sq Feet. My garage is 2400 Sq. feet, insulated and it takes a while but it does warm it up usually about 10 degrees an hour.

quote:

20 to 30 years ago, I had a Kerosun Kerosene heater that I used heavily in the winter. It put out a tremendous amount of heat, was reliable, and of high quality.

I still have a Kero-Sun Radiant 10 Kerosene Heater that over 37 years old and it puts out more heat than the Dyna-Glo to me. The square box shape would direct the heat to the front and does a great job.

Yes! Those old Kerosun heaters were outstanding! I wish someone made, or would make heaters like those again, I would buy one in a second!

quote:

Originally posted by 95flhr:
I have a DuraHeat model that works pretty well. But what I use most in the garage and is a little more safe (indoor rated) is a Big Buddy Propane heater fed from a 20 Lb tank.

https://www.ruralking.com/big-...bpXU9IYaAqMaEALw_wcB

I bought the same one during a recent power outage. I’ve been impressed and this week I used to heat my garage while working on my car.

Things you didn't know you need until you open SF

I finally got around to using an old Menard's rebate check and picked up a Dyna-Glo a few weeks ago. I think it worked pretty well in a 1300 square foot insulated garage. It was 20-30 degrees outside and garage was 50 degrees to start. Was very comfortable and on the warm side after 30-60 minutes and alternated it off and on every few hours through the day. Probably burned 1-1.5 gallons of kersosene over a 12 hour period that day. I've got several of the Big Buddy propane heaters for deer hunting blinds that would probably work fine but they just don't have the ambience of an old school kerosene unit when friends are gathered around it. Never had one before this so can't compare it with anything else.

If you have the possibility of natural gas then something like this:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Dyna-...d8c12b7&gclsrc=3p.ds
Would work well, also available in propane. I would suggest that any device with an open flame be at least 18" off the floor if used in a garage.

You do realise that any of these heaters that don't exhaust the combustion gases to outside are NOT SAFE in an enclosed environment. Because they do produce Carbon Monoxide.

I mention this because back in the mid 70's when I was young and foolish my brother and I spent many hours working in a garage that was heated by what we called a salamander that ran on kerosene. It stank like an SOB and after 3 hours we'd have to stop working due to the headaches. And YES we did have the door cracked by about 18 inches.

Kerosun... We had a rectangular model, looks like the 36. Had a removable can that had a cap with a spring that when inserted allowed fuel to get to the wick.
It did really well. I do remember hating that thing though as I really dreamed of central heating.

There are a few for sale on eBay. This one looks brand new, old stock. Decent price. Same as I had as a kid.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/KeroS...b:g:ZvwAAOSwxqZf~2Zo

May I suggest that you try Ebay or Craigslist? Oftentimes you can find almost new "stuff" at very reasonable prices.

quote:

Originally posted by btanchors:
95flhr - How long does a 20 Lb tank last for you?

It is based on how long you run it at various settings. I have the Mr. Heater (maker of Big Budddy) tank top single burner heater in the garage, connected to a 20lb tank. The manual has a chart for how long it will run off a 20lb tank:
 
High, 15k BTU, 28 hours
Med, 12k BTU, 36 hours
Low, 10k BTU, 43 hours
 
Big Buddy is a bit higher output on each setting, so probably downgrade those hours for it. One thing you want to watch out for with those propane radiant heaters is not to get too close. They will burn you at <24" or so. I have a 3 car garage, but the heater heats me fine in the area I am working, while the rest of the garage stays cooler. As I'm in AZ, I typically use the low setting only.

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
You do realise that any of these heaters that don't exhaust the combustion gases to outside are NOT SAFE in an enclosed environment. Because they do produce Carbon Monoxide.

I mention this because back in the mid 70's when I was young and foolish my brother and I spent many hours working in a garage that was heated by what we called a salamander that ran on kerosene. It stank like an SOB and after 3 hours we'd have to stop working due to the headaches. And YES we did have the door cracked by about 18 inches.

It stank because of incomplete combustion because the heater was malfunctioning. That was the source of the CO. A properly burning heater will produce very little CO, mostly producing CO2. That said, a CO detector in the vicinity isn’t a bad idea.

If anyone here is crazy enough to try and heat a living space with either a kerosine or gas unvented heater then a CO detector is not just a good idea it is a must.

How many folks will follow the operating instructions which requires you leave a window or door open?

Used to use kerosene space heaters till I was on a job with a propane salamander, HUGE difference!! I now have a Master salamander that is either 200K- or 250K BTU. Makes my 40X40 shop comfortable in a 1/2 hour with no smell.

No advice, but I just wanted to say that when I was in Durango CO a couple of years ago I found a station that sold 100% Pure Gas, no Ethanol.(very rare in Colorado).

Right next to it was an identical fuel pump, same as any other gas station pump, except it had a large sign on it that had KEROSENE printed on it. Price per gallon was a lot cheaper than going to some store and buying Kerosene in individual containers.

You just brought in your containers and filled them up. I thought that was awesome.

I've got a pic but I can't get the pic posting working. Bah!
.

We also used the various Kerosun kerosene heater models in years past. Had them in a number of cabins on the Outer Banks for winter use and kept them for power outages/emergencies.
If you used them regularly you learned how to properly trim the circular wicks in order for them to operate properly.
The wicks had to be even and without heavy carbon buildup. The flame had to be a nice consistent blue color.

If you did it this way (and adjusted the flame height and turned the heater off properly) you would not experience a noticeable kerosene smell.
(This was pretty much the same case for the old school hurricane lamps- proper wick maintenance is essential).
We used all of these units but we were careful, as generally the biggest danger was spills when refilling a hot unit-

Still have one of the round “Omni” and the squarish Kerosun heaters we keep for emergencies. You could even cook on ‘em-

You got to know these well-

quote:

Originally posted by Scooter123:
You do realise that any of these heaters that don't exhaust the combustion gases to outside are NOT SAFE in an enclosed environment. Because they do produce Carbon Monoxide.

I mention this because back in the mid 70's when I was young and foolish my brother and I spent many hours working in a garage that was heated by what we called a salamander that ran on kerosene. It stank like an SOB and after 3 hours we'd have to stop working due to the headaches. And YES we did have the door cracked by about 18 inches.

Now you tell me . Spent most winters in our basement watching TV with one of these next to us. House leaked like a sieve ( hence why it was cold- probably not much risk of CO).

^that siphon pump brings back memories