Non-Smelly Burning Kerosene

[Ships_Cat]

On the Pardey's site they mention adding isopropyl alcohol to kerosene (1 oz/ gallon - I assume US gal, but quantity is not critical) so that it is less smelly when burning.

I am not keen on carrying that around on the boat and wonder if anyone knows of any more convenient/less dangerous/more readily available additive that does a similar thing for burning kerosene in lamps (capilliary, not pressure).

{Know about Lamp Oils of course, but they are stupidly expensive compared to kerosene}.

Thanks in advance

John

 

[scuby]

Isopropanol is a pretty safe liquid often used for cleaning, buy from www.cfsnet.co.uk.

 

[Vara]

I dont agree with your "pretty safe liquid"

http://ptcl.chem.ox.ac.uk/MSDS/PR/2-propanol.html

Gives the details.

 

[rjp]

Like Scuby said, pretty safe - if you read the equivalent safety blurb on a bottle of Scotch or Vodka you would probably have a fit! Such information needs careful interpretation.

 

[bob_tyler]

If you observe all today's PC Health & Safety Regulations you wouldn't get out of bed. Mind you, what happens in bed can be dangerous too!!!

 

[BrendanS]

Yes, quite! Just like this
here

 

[matatac]

We have been using Jet A1 aircraft fuel for years. It is very refined, doesn't smell as much (hardly at all) and no soot. It is a bit more expensive but if you can find a local refueler from the airport it is not so bad. They have to check each aircraft that comes in for water condensation in the fuel tanks (the bigger jets, not little ones) which requires samples to be drained from the tanks. A small amount of dye is put in and then the fuel is dumped. Sometimes they have problems getting rid of the stuff and it sits around in 44 gallon drums. We have been filling 20lts drums for a couple of beers and it works a treat!

 

[Vara]

My reply has brought a number of responses,comparing IPA with proprietary drinking spirits.This is not a valid comparison as "spirits" are usually quite heavily diluted which calms them down a bit.(Gordons used to be a a nice gin until they dropped it to 37.5%,Tanqueray is the only way to go nowadays IMHO.)
The point I was trying to make is that the carrying of any liquid with a red flaming symbol on the container is adding unnecessarily to the risks that a chap takes when he goes sailing.

That would also apply to any bottles of pure alcohol.

 

[Joe_Cole]

Sometime ago there was a letter in PBO from someone who said that a few drops of Lemon Grass Essential Oil in the paraffin solved the problem. I don't know if it works (and, for that matter, I don't know why on earth I remember this) but it may be worth trying.

 

[rich]

A little drop of bleach used to stop the smell on parrafin heaters /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[Stemar]

Erm, maybe I'm missing something here, but just how much risk is there from a pint of isopropyl alcohol stored in a closed bottle, compared with several litres of kerosene for cooking purposes?

Don't kerosene stoves use meths to start them anyway? What's the difference?

Incidentally, the little swabs nurses wipe your skin with before injections are soaked in isoprop. (They're brilliant for cleaning tape heads!), and the London Ambulance Service uses a gel containing it for washing hands between patients, so unless you're allergic to it, or have very sensitive skin, I wouldn't worry about it doing you any damage.

 

[Ships_Cat]

Colin, that is my concern. Flammable solvents, thinners, fuels, etc I try to keep off the boat, or limit the different varieties we have to carry as they all live in a vented locker in the cockpit and room is limited.

I did not think of Jet A1 - not sure I can easily get any, but we do have a small secondary airport down the road that services small jets and turboprops, mainly couriers and private aircraft, might see how friendly they are /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

Will try the bleach (which we carry anyway) and the Lemon Grass Essential Oil which I imagine comes in a little bottle. Will experiment next weekend.

Thanks for the suggestions and any more to come.

John

 

[VicS]

Your concern about carrying highly flammable liquids is understandable. In fact propan-2-ol (isopropyl alcohol) has, according to the reference given by colmce, the same flash point as ethanol and presumably methylated spirit. Not only that but once added to the kerosene that too will have a much lower flash point than normal and may have to be regarded as highly flammable!