Propane Vs. Kerosene

[bpftc]

High winds knocked our power out last night so I found myself smoking my pipe next to my Aladdin Kerosene lamp, (a very pleasing experience btw.) It got me wondering if any of you on here have backup lamps/heaters for power outages and if you prefer Propane or Kerosene?

 

[agnosticpipe]

I don't know if lamp oil is just refined kerosene or not, but we have a collection of about 10 vintage oil lamps that we use when the power goes out. Just cheap lamp oil does have a little odor but it's not that noticeable. On the down side, they do produce a bit of heat, so in the summer with no power for the air conditioning, it works against us a bit. I really like the light they give out, and you can vary the brightness by adjusting the wick. Still, no power is not something I look forward to.We
We're on propane for gas out in the country, and we have a gas fireplace that will heat about 1500 sq. ft., so we still have heat.

 

[prairiedruid]

Mr. Heater makes a propane "Buddy" heater that burns clean enough that it is recommended for indoor use. Most sunflower propane heaters aren't supposed to be used indoors due to the carbon monoxide they produce. I use a Buddy heater in my computer room that has no heat and my carbon monoxide detector has never gotten above a 2. It will run 96 hours on a 20# tank so is handy when the power fails here in Minnesota.

 

[huntertrw]

Kerosene for back-up lighting. Propane is TOO expensive for heating...
Propane

 

[prairiedruid]

Propane is pretty cheap, never goes bad and needs no stabilizers. Works well for me as emergency backup heat and occasionally heating my computer room. Quite a few rural Minnesotans use propane as their primary heating fuel.

 

[huntertrw]

"Quite a few rural Minnesotans use propane as their primary heating fuel."
I know, I used to live there!

 

[shutterbugg]

I'm fine using fossil-fuel lanterns outdoors, but indoors I use battery-run Coleman lanterns with fluorescent tubes that are bright and last a long time on a set of D-cells.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

No propane nor kerosene, here in Alabama I usually just put my socks on when the heater goes out. ::

 

[davet]

Wood stove in one part of the house and propane kitchen stove in the other, for lights a 7500w generator. The last power outage was just before Christmas, the entire valley was in darkness and our house looked like Times Square :mrgreen:

 

[derfatdutchman]

Oil lamps or an LED lantern for emergency lighting. I have a propane lantern it's good for outdoors as it gives off a very bright light. The bad thing is it gets quite hot, and you need to keep a supply of mantels on hand as they always seem to break when you need it.

 

[jpmcwjr]

We have propane for heat and stove- not much choice!— also a WBF for heat if needed, but mostly lit because we like sitting by the fire and it does save a bit on propane. Just candles and flashlights (torches in England) for emergencies; so far in three years we've not had to go extended time without lights. Please, no jinxes!

 

[woodsroad]

When the power goes out, it's almost always in the winter. So we pull out the propane lanterns and let them do double-duty of lighting and heating. If it looks like the juice will be off for a while, I crank up the genset. It's a 4kw Honda commercial unit, and it runs pretty damned quietly, and provides enough power for the fridge, freezer, well pump and septic. We have a 1950's era propane boiler in the basement that feeds a gravity hot eater system, so we can fire that up on about an amp of power. But we mostly heat with wood, and to be honest, I look forward to the power going out in a snow storm. Everything is so quiet. We forget how much background noise comes from electrical stuff. And it's nice to escape it from time to time.

 

[bpftc]

So true Woodsroad. I was amazed how quiet and peaceful it was. I enjoyed sitting there in the stillness of everything, and Smoking by lamp light. I am going to try and recreate it from now on.

 

[warren]

Natural gas generator, instant on (maybe a second) and it segregates the house from the municipal power grid automatically. Once or twice of three days or so without power in January and it was a "no brainer." The parrot and tropical fish feel much more secure now. No worries about pipes freezing.

 

[crazypipe]

::

 

[ssjones]

I have a Coleman propane heater for my workshop/garage. It does a great job but I have to be careful to crack a window or it will suck all the air out of the garage

 

[tbradsim1]

Kohler Nat Gas 17KW Gen, like Warren power off, count to 10, then BAM it comes on, air cooled never have to worry about anti-freeze for it. Got tired of hooking up cords during Hurricanes, best purchase ever.