Price of paraffin - strewth!

macd said:
I'm no chemist but I do know that in most countries the name for paraffin is "kerosene". The UK is one of the few that uses the word "paraffin". I have some aboard and it smells and burns precisely like paraffin.

Isn't this the nub of it (from Wiki):
"In the United Kingdom there are two grades of heating oil...Premium Kerosene (more commonly known in the UK as Paraffin) BS2869 Class C1, the lightest grade which is usually used for lanterns, wick heaters, and combustion engines; and Standard Kerosene to BS2869 Class C2, a heavier distillate, which is used as domestic heating oil."
Click to expand...

OK :), the "kerosene" I was referring to is heating oil (C2 kerosene) which is what I think you'll get if you ask for "kerosene" in the UK. I know from experience that this *doesn't* burn cleanly in a "paraffin" heater. It doesn't smell like "paraffin", either.

I'm not convinced that even the more refined kerosene is technically "the same as" paraffin, but I'm sure it'll burn just as well, and don't want to argue about it :)

To add confusion, Caldo oils [1] sell a grade of kerosene for heaters, which they claim is "better than paraffin"

The NEW MODERN Variant of PARAFFIN The MODERN Fuel For ALL Paraffin Heaters & Lamps WITHOUT the smell of Traditional Paraffin!! Ideal for Indoor Use

This is a specially modified Kerosene that significantly improves burning characteristics with virtually no odour or taint. A typical Sulphur content below 5 parts per million and extremely low aromatic content makes PARAFFIN EXTRA user friendly and sympathetic to the environment. PARAFFIN EXTRA has a minimum Flashpoint of 70°C, making it safer to use than traditional Paraffin.

* All the characteristics of Traditional Paraffin - but BETTER:
* No Paraffin Smell or Taint - Ideal for indoor use
* Ultra Low Sulphur - Kinder to the environment - particularly kind to greenhouse plants
* Improved Burning Characteristics - a more advanced fuel in all respects
* High Flashpoint - Safer to store
* User Friendly



No matter - Just don't use UK kerosene heating oil is what I should have said :o

Andy

[1] Branch 10 minutes off the A55 in Rhuddlan for all N. Wales commuters - I'm not on commission, but I should be.
 
misterg said:
OK :), To add confusion, Caldo oils [1] sell a grade of kerosene for heaters, which they claim is "better than paraffin"

[1] Branch 10 minutes off the A55 in Rhuddlan for all N. Wales commuters - I'm not on commission, but I should be.
Click to expand...

This is almost certainly the kerosene I bought, which was in Abergele just down the A55 from Caldo. Good stuff that does what it says on the bottle.
 
Up until ten years ago we used to use kerosene heaters at home.
Very little lecky and no city gas supply, every winter there was a kero shortage as we called it, this would force the price up, then the guys at the airport would start entering the market flogging off any spare they could get their hands on.

Luckily we now have city gas supply, and a gennerator to keep the central heating working when power goes off here in Tbilisi.
 
B&Q price today 5.93 for 4 litres (including 15% discount).

Bit better than the £10 at 'my friendly neighbourhood hardware shop '.

(He has to be friendly, otherwise no one would go there!)
 
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