Cat Martin—December 3, 2022
Of course you will need K1 kerosene! I went to a local big box store and got 2.5 gallons for $20 which was a pretty good buy I think. Amazon does have kerosene, but the weight, what it is and shipping costs (wrapped into the price even if you are a Prime member) make it too expensive unless that's your only alternative. Anyway, this heater is PERFECT. I did have one of the large round kerosene heaters, but I live in a mobile home - lived for 5 days without electricity during the February 2021 Texas blizzard. At that time I did not have heat, lights, a way to cook/heat food and since then, I have become prepared. The original kerosene heater worked WAY too well - it would have worked in a larger house, but my house, being a single-wide mobile home, it was just putting out too much heat. This one that is "one-sided" makes more sense - it heats my living/kitchen area well. I did "prime" this heater by putting in a few cups of kerosene and burn out the "new stink" so the first time I lit it inside it was a quick and easy lit with no after-smell. If you want to be prepared for days without electricity, get this heater! Price is reasonable, it is fairly lightweight and easy to fill. Last thing - I am older with arthritis in my fingers and wrists, so while this heater came with a syphon pump to transfer kerosene from its container to this heater's pull out container - I just can't do it long enough to fill anything. I purchased an electric syphon separately and would recommend it to anyone who want to get the filling done and over with so they can get the heater up and running fast. Just a suggestion. Again, get this heater! Read more
tjrpt6—February 3, 2025
I have 3 of these Heaters. I’ve heard mostly problems lighting and wick longevity. After 8 years of use, both in home and out in garage. The problem isn’t the wick. The Factory Wick is excellent..!! Using this unit, it is Vitally important to maintain the wick by Not Allowing any buildup of resin. How do you do this..?? All I can tell you is that every wick has a lifespan. The more the unit is used, the more often in requires cleaning and/or replacing. After each 4-5 uses, the wick accumulates resin. Allowing the resin to burn off is Key. I always transfer the unit outside or into the garage while running. Install an empty tank or allow the tank to run dry. It will totally run out, burning off the resin. After it’s cooled off, open the cage, remove the vertical tube heater, set aside. Then with nitrile gloves, feel the wick. If it’s not soft or it’s brittle the wick is going bad. At each 3 tanks fuel, i moisten the wick with a small 1” throw away paint brush. A small pan or cup of fresh fuel. Lightly wet the wick with a soaked brush. With finger n thumb, feel the wick, if the wick softens, I allow it to go down into the off position. Using a small squirt bottle I wet the wick 360 degrees. Do a few up n downs. If the wick is black n crusty. It’s either shot, or was never burned off. When you light it, if it takes more than 20-30 seconds to light 360 degrees. Wick requires replacement. I manually light my burners. Install the glass tube carefully not to disturb the newly cleaned wick. Back n forth wiggle the tube to ensure it’s seated properly. If it sounds like it spooling up, that was a good light. Pre Wetting the exposed wick is very helpful if you want the auto light function to work. I always light and shutdown the unit outside or in the garage. This is when the smell occurs. Of all my burners, the factory wick is better than aftermarket. If you clean the original wick properly it will last so much longer. When replacing the wick. Don’t take everything apart, simply remove the black lever knob by pulling straight off. Remove the glass tube. Unscrew the 5 screws around the bottom. Don’t take off the heat shield, sparked etc. go right to the wing nuts to remove the top assembly and flip over n lay aside still connected. Rotate the outer wick tube to get the pins out of the forks. If it’s dry, Burnt or stuck, wiggle it using your full hand. Sometimes wetting it’s inner surface with fuel will unstick it. Once you get that tube out of the lifting forks, slide it up n out. Remove any residue from the fixed vertical cone with a scotch brite. With your new wick. Align the black line of the wick to the outer shell and carefully allow the holding barbs to punch through the new wick. It’s vital to slowly go around the wick and fully seat it perfectly. Otherwise the flame will not be symmetrical. If you damage the wick, or are not happy how it’s seated, have another wick available. You can try reseating the wick again unless overhandling caused it damage. Reassemble. Wet the wick on bench and move the up down lever. It should smoothly slide up and down fully. Test the up lock and auto retract system. If all appears good, flip the previous removed top burner assembly. Tighten wing nuts gradually. Like a car tire. One nut, the opposite nut, then the other two. Half turn each randomly until the top burner is seated. Using your wet brush, fully lube the wick. Retesting up n down. Put the cage in place and the outer shell top Back on. Inspect the heat shield. Take pictures with you phone as you disassemble so you can look back at everything if needed. Fill the tank n let sit n hour. You’re good to Go. The start system is flawed. It usually only works on a brand new burner. So if your not comfortable hand lighting, this burner is not for you. My first time, it was a bit nerve wracking. But after several wick replacements, it take me 20 minutes start to finish. Key to success is wick health, starting outside and especially shutting down outside. When at temp, it catalyzes and vapor. I use a home air purifier and humidifier. It filters the air well. Only use in home if you have average air leaks to keep co2 ppm low. Never use in a small mobile home. I use mine in my tiled kitchen and it heats my entire first floor. I leave my air handler on circulate. Keeps air moving and fosters convection. Read more
Vlad—December 22, 2012
I got this heater to work in the garage in the winter. My garage is one car garage and it is sprayfoam insulated, although, the garage door is not. The heater works pretty well in this conditions, raises 7 degrees in 30 minutes. The set up was quick, not complicated, but make sure to wait for an hour after you filled the tank and inserted it in the heater. There is kerosene odour during the start up and virtually no odour while it's burning. It makes sense to fire it up outside, but the manual says not to move it while it is burning. I cannot rate the efficiency, I'm still on the first tank. The second reason for purchasing this heater was using it as backup heating device in case of power outage. I tried to heat bathroom before I took a bath, just to try it in the house. Again, odour of kerosene, but there was more than enough heat. I think it will be sufficient for our 1000 square feet house, but, of course, you have to move it from room to room in order to heat the entire house if there is no electricity to power central HVAC fan. With full tank it is not very heavy, but awkward to carry and the wall spacer bracket doesn't make it easier. Overall, a good heater, quality seems to be ok, I need more time for thoughtful evaluation. Kerosene prices are high, but I think it is better than using diesel forced air construction heater which gives a ton of moisture in the air. Read more
S. Colegrove—December 16, 2025
This is really a nice heater for emergency situations or day to day. I bought it for the basement if power goes out (woodstove first floor). I've had kerosene heaters before, and some were okay but this burns so clean you'd think it was gas or electric if no one told you. beautiful even flame and kicks out enough heat for a very large room. Read more