Has anyone got or ever used a paraffin inverter heater

fitzykev

Has anyone got or used a paraffin inverter heater to heat there home. they  seem to be very popular in france and japan.

QrizB

Yes, 40+ years ago!

Paraffin is a rather expensive fuel these days. A similar price to standard rate electricity. Plus any unflued heater poses challenges with condensation and air quality.

fitzykev

QrizB said:

Yes, 40+ years ago!

Paraffin is a rather expensive fuel these days. A similar price to standard rate electricity. Plus any unflued heater poses challenges with condensation and air quality.

Not if you use normal kerosene and mix one egg cup full of dipatane to each five litre fill of the drum for the inverter heater.

QrizB

fitzykev said:

QrizB said:

Yes, 40+ years ago!

Paraffin is a rather expensive fuel these days. A similar price to standard rate electricity. Plus any unflued heater poses challenges with condensation and air quality.

Not if you use normal kerosene and mix one egg cup full of dipatane to each five litre fill of the drum for the inverter heater.

I think you've been taken in by snake oil.

There's no additive that will reduce the water vapour or carbon dioxide from burning paraffin in an unflued appliance.

fitzykev

QrizB said:

fitzykev said:

QrizB said:

Yes, 40+ years ago!

Paraffin is a rather expensive fuel these days. A similar price to standard rate electricity. Plus any unflued heater poses challenges with condensation and air quality.

Not if you use normal kerosene and mix one egg cup full of dipatane to each five litre fill of the drum for the inverter heater.

I think you've been taken in by snake oil.

There's no additive that will reduce the water vapour or carbon dioxide from burning paraffin in an unflued appliance.

What do you mean? 

QrizB

fitzykev said:

QrizB said:

fitzykev said:

QrizB said:

Yes, 40+ years ago!

Paraffin is a rather expensive fuel these days. A similar price to standard rate electricity. Plus any unflued heater poses challenges with condensation and air quality.

Not if you use normal kerosene and mix one egg cup full of dipatane to each five litre fill of the drum for the inverter heater.

I think you've been taken in by snake oil.

There's no additive that will reduce the water vapour or carbon dioxide from burning paraffin in an unflued appliance.

What do you mean? 

Paraffin is a petroleum distillate fuel, made from crude oil.

It consists almost entirely of hydrocarcons - chemicals composed of carbon and hydrogen.

When you burn hydrocarbons, assuming you do it right, they react with oxygen and release heat. The carbon ends up as carbon dioxide and the hydrogen ends up as water.

1kg of hydrocarbon fuel, when burned, will typically form about 3kg of carbon dioxide and 1.3kg of water. with an unflued heater, those end up in the air in your house. Unless you provide adequate ventilation, the carbon dioxide will make you feel drowsy and may have other health effects while the water will condense on cold surfaces, causing dampness.

There is nothing you can add to paraffin to prevent this happening; the only way to stop generating carbon dioxide and water vapour is to stop burning it.

If you do provide sufficient ventilation, your warmed air will be vented to the outside and replaced with cold air, which you'll then need to heat.

Meanwhile, paraffin is around £2.50 a litre. Each litre contains about 10kWh of heat which means each kWh costs 25p - which is the same price as mains electricity on the standard flat-rate variable tariff.

You would be much better off with a cheap electric heater, or with proper central heating. The only real use case for a paraffin heater is in a place where there's no electricity - a shed, a garage, a tent, or as a standby in case of power cuts.

fitzykev

QrizB said:

fitzykev said:

QrizB said:

fitzykev said:

QrizB said:

Yes, 40+ years ago!

Paraffin is a rather expensive fuel these days. A similar price to standard rate electricity. Plus any unflued heater poses challenges with condensation and air quality.

Not if you use normal kerosene and mix one egg cup full of dipatane to each five litre fill of the drum for the inverter heater.

I think you've been taken in by snake oil.

There's no additive that will reduce the water vapour or carbon dioxide from burning paraffin in an unflued appliance.

What do you mean? 

Paraffin is a petroleum distillate fuel, made from crude oil.

It consists almost entirely of hydrocarcons - chemicals composed of carbon and hydrogen.

When you burn hydrocarbons, assuming you do it right, they react with oxygen and release heat. The carbon ends up as carbon dioxide and the hydrogen ends up as water.

1kg of hydrocarbon fuel, when burned, will typically form about 3kg of carbon dioxide and 1.3kg of water. with an unflued heater, those end up in the air in your house. Unless you provide adequate ventilation, the carbon dioxide will make you feel drowsy and may have other health effects while the water will condense on cold surfaces, causing dampness.

There is nothing you can add to paraffin to prevent this happening; the only way to stop generating carbon dioxide and water vapour is to stop burning it.

If you do provide sufficient ventilation, your warmed air will be vented to the outside and replaced with cold air, which you'll then need to heat.

Meanwhile, paraffin is around £2.50 a litre. Each litre contains about 10kWh of heat which means each kWh costs 25p - which is the same price as mains electricity on the standard flat-rate variable tariff.

You would be much better off with a cheap electric heater, or with proper central heating. The only real use case for a paraffin heater is in a place where there's no electricity - a shed, a garage, a tent, or as a standby in case of power cuts.

My father has been using kero for a few years In his corona inverter heater. There is only a slight smell when it ignites. The CO monitor on the heater has never went off nore has the standard CO monitor in the same room. No condensation in the house apart from when using the cooker. I know he uses one of these but not 100% sure why. Would this be to cause less condensation 
https://dieselpartsdirect.co.uk/flotool-mr-funnel-fuel-filter-funnel-rff1c-2-5-gal-min.html

in_my_wellies

Sorry my comment is completely off topic but this has reminded me we owned a paraffin fuel fridge in the late 50s to early 70s. Brings back memories of filling a can at a self service machine at the local garage and watching him fill it every Saturday morning. When I was a bit older I was allowed to ride down to the garage on my Chopper bike with 10p to collect it myself 

QrizB

fitzykev said:

My father has been using kero for a few years In his corona inverter heater. There is only a slight smell when it ignites. The CO monitor on the heater has never went off nore has the standard CO monitor in the same room.

Carbon monoxide - CO - is only produced when the flame is starved of oxygen. It's what you get when you have a yellow flame not a blue one. It's a different chemical to carbon dioxide, with different properties and different effects on the body..

fitzykev said:

No condensation in the house apart from when using the cooker.

It's either forming in places that aren't visible, or he has enough ventilation that it's not causing problems (apart for the loss of heat from the house with the hot air he's venting).

fitzykev said:

I know he uses one of these but not 100% sure why. Would this be to cause less condensation 
https://dieselpartsdirect.co.uk/flotool-mr-funnel-fuel-filter-funnel-rff1c-2-5-gal-min.html

That's a tea strainer for paraffin, and keeps dirt, dead flies and random dust out of the heater. It has no effect on the carbon dioxide or water vapour formed by the heater.

fitzykev

QrizB said:

fitzykev said:

My father has been using kero for a few years In his corona inverter heater. There is only a slight smell when it ignites. The CO monitor on the heater has never went off nore has the standard CO monitor in the same room.

Carbon monoxide - CO - is only produced when the flame is starved of oxygen. It's what you get when you have a yellow flame not a blue one. It's a different chemical to carbon dioxide, with different properties and different effects on the body..

fitzykev said:

No condensation in the house apart from when using the cooker.

It's either forming in places that aren't visible, or he has enough ventilation that it's not causing problems (apart for the loss of heat from the house with the hot air he's venting).

fitzykev said:

I know he uses one of these but not 100% sure why. Would this be to cause less condensation 
https://dieselpartsdirect.co.uk/flotool-mr-funnel-fuel-filter-funnel-rff1c-2-5-gal-min.html

That's a tea strainer for paraffin, and keeps dirt, dead flies and random dust out of the heater. It has no effect on the carbon dioxide or water vapour formed by the heater.

It would form on the windows first and thats not happening. He has been doing it a few years now and no alarms going off, slight smell when ignites but none when burning. I didnt want to mention any of this at the start as i wanted to see what others thought. I didnt want to influence others to agree with anything i said, i wanted an honest opinion like you have given.

dunstonh

I have a workshop full of paraffin lanterns in various stages of restoration.      When I am in the workshop, I use a bialaddin fire bowl which gives off great heat and a nostalgic ambience of hissing and paraffin smell along with one of the lanterns to give additional light.    But the window and door remain open.    

I did have an old Aladdin paraffin heater, but I rarely fired it up and managed to sell it for a healthy profit.

I also have a tractor that runs on TVO, which is a paraffin mix.  Lovely smell and noise come from that, compared to the petrol version that I also have.    

The cost of the paraffin doesn't matter to me because of the enjoyment and nostalgia.  But for indoor heating, not a chance.