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Safe Indoor Use - Coleman lantern vs Aladdin Genie Oil Lamp?

43K views 33 replies 29 participants last post by  ncbill 
#1 · (Edited)
I hear all the time that coleman lanterns(propane or coleman fuel type) are not safe to use indoors during a power outage. I have never used an Aladdin oil lamp but they seem a bit similar in function to a coleman.

Are the Alladin oil lamps safe for indoors? If so, how are they different than a Coleman that makes them safe?

Thanks
BIH
 
#3 ·
I'm not sure exactly what kind of lantern you're referring to,oil? I'v purchased two Coleman 4D lanterns from Wallyworld-about $20 each. They are totally safe around kids or whatever and they get the job done.They use 4D batteries. Just re-read your post and see you're talking about oil lamps. We also have a couple of oil lamps made by who I'm not sure. I've heard the trick is to not let the flame get too high so as to avoid smoke and such. Good luck!
 
#4 ·
Why would you think they would be unsafe? We have several kero lamps, some aladdins, some Rayos, and some plain single wick and lantern type, and have used them to light the house on occasions with no issues. The Amish use only kero lamps to light their homes and barns.

The Aladdins and Rayos give more light then the others but also a lot more heat. My mom uses an Aladdin lamp to keep the chill out of her kitchen in the winter, and has for years.

You do need to know how to trim the wicks properly and the different wick heights to burn cleanly with no smoke but that isn't really that hard. Aladdins can be tricky cause they need to warm up and then be turned down or they will smoke and soot up the mantle.
 
#5 ·
The Coleman gas lanterns aren't generally accepted as safe indoors. Probably because of the fuel they use. It produces CO. Their propane lanterns are probably a different story, but I'm not sure. I don't have one.

Aladdins and other oil lamps are safe to use, though they do give off products of combustion and can effect air quality.
 
#7 ·
I don't know if the Coleman is safe or not. I know growing up as a kid, every power outage, my parents would light up a Coleman Propane lantern and hang it from the ceiling in the family room.

That house had relatively low ceilings because it was in a colder climate, yet nobody ever died of CO poisoning and nobody had any symptoms, either. We just didn't worry about it back then.

Also, we cooked with our camp stove indoors as well... again, no problems!

***************************************

Fast Forward 1996 they bought a home in Southern California and we had a permanent natural gas cooking range. Sometimes, things would be cooked on that range and simmered for 18+ hours! Other times, all 4 burners would be fully going cooking dinner for 4. No Carbon Monoxide detectors were in there, and it was NEVER a problem.

Fast Forward 2012... They still have a natural gas range and use it every day. They have a CO detector now, but it never goes off and reads 0 PPM on the LCD display.

*********************************

Now, I have a Coleman Propane Camp stove and it says DO NOT USE INDOORS! Why the heck not? They are two 10,000 BTU burners. In contrast my parent's range had a 7,500 BUT, two 15,000 BTU, and a 20,000 BTU burner... That is as much heat as about 3 Coleman camp stoves, but I can't use one in doors?


That is my question. Why is it okay to use a 4-Burner Viking Natural-Gas Range indoors but not a little 2-Burner Coleman Propane Camp Stove???
 
#32 ·
Propane is heavier than air and can 'puddle' in a low spot/basement of a house. Not good, esp if it reaches the LEL.
Gasoline (Colman pressure lamps) fumes is also heaver than air.


Natural gas is lighter than air
If natural gas escapes into the atmosphere, it dissipates rapidly. A heavier-than-air gas, such as propane or gasoline fumes, would settle and accumulate near the ground.

About Natural Gas
Natural gas is nontoxic
Natural gas contains no toxic poisonous ingredients that can be absorbed into the blood when inhaled.

Natural gas is colorless
When mixed with the proper amount of air and ignited, invisible natural gas
burns with a clean, blue flame. It is one of the cleanest burning fuels, producing primarily heat, carbon dioxide and water vapor.

Natural gas's narrow combustion limits
This helps ensure predictable, safe use. Natural gas will only ignite when there is an air-and-gas mixture of between 5 and 15 percent natural gas. Any mixture containing less than 5 percent or greater than 15 percent natural gas will not ignite.

And that's the difference between propane, gasoline and natGas
 
#28 ·
You can recharge batteries with a solar panel. As far as I know, you cannot recharge kerosene. Practically speaking (and unless you live in a cave or the arctic during the winter) the battery powered lantern will likely last longer.
Of course you do lose that rustic CO and oxides of nitrogen aroma... People who use Coleman lanterns indoors are perennial Darwin award top 10 contestants.
:)
B
 
#10 ·
Back in the 80s I landed my C-180 on a lake in Alaska and had a nice conversation with a guy living in a cabin there. I was surprised to learn shortly thereafter that he and his wife died from CO poisoning from a Coleman lantern. I would be really careful using anything generating CO without lots of ventilation. You can even say to yourself...well, I'll turn it off before I go to bed, BUT the CO will gently put you to sleep without you even realizing it. A peaceful way to die at least.
 
#11 ·
From my understanding this is the same concept as a vent free gas fireplace, the only difference is the standard to which the product is held to. A stove or fireplace is designed and tested to put off few enough emissions so that under a normal household condition it will not cause a problem. The lanterns are not designed with the same efficiency so they can put off a greater amount of harmful gases. From a liability standpoint its just easier for the company to slap a label on it and say dont use indoors. However for relatively short term usage in a large room i would worry about it. Although as i think about it there are just a wide range of reasons it would be a bad idea. Poisonous off gases and risk of fire are the first two that come to mind.

If i had to choose between having nothing at all vs being a bit more careful with the lantern, i think i would choose the lantern.
 
#13 ·
I have always been told not to use a Coleman lantern in an enclosed area, because of the fumes. Earlier this year we bought a Sea Anchor Lantern. This is a remake of the Petromax Lanterns. They burn kerosene or lamp fuel and are suppose to be safe indoors. They are suppose to put off about 400 watts of light and burn about 12 hours on a quart of fuel. They also generate enough heat to heat a room. They look like a Coleman lantern but are more expensive.
A few years ago my father told me when they lived on the farm, they had oil lamps they used for lighting. They bought an aladdin lamp. He said it made a world of difference in their lighting.
 
#14 ·
the main issue with a combustion light and heat sources is carbon monoxide production and oxygen depletion, which was not a problem in the leakier homes of the past, but certainly can be in our hermetically-sealed modern dwellings
make sure you leave a window cracked open about an inch in the room in which you're burning your outdoor-rated lamps and cookers, and you're good to go

and as for the op question, coleman lamps and aladdins both produce light from a rare-earth mantle, but colemans are pressurized gas lamps and aladdins are unpressurized kerosene burners
 
#15 ·
In a home a fuel lantern is not as big a concern by itself, but add multiple CO emitting devices in cold weather and it can be a big problem.

The main problem with fuel lanterns is long term use of anything putting off CO especially in a tent. The problem is the confined area and tents tend to be very tight to keep out wind and rain. That is what most of the warnings are for on fuel lanterns.
 
#16 ·
For those asking why indoor burners can be dangerous: A quick google search for people using propane heaters and death came up with quite a few hits and safety websites about burning propane. About 80 people have died since 1990 from CO poisoning from using propane burners/heaters.

Specifically, the websites mention coleman heaters being responsible for most of those deaths as they don't have a safety shutoff sensor if the CO levels get too high.

http://www.air-n-water.com/propane-heater-safety.htm

http://www.carbonmonoxidedeaths.com/


Here is a study on the levels of CO produced by various types of heaters/burners:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11769918
"All of the fuels created a high level of CO in a short period of time. White gas burned the cleanest and would be preferred to unleaded gasoline or kerosene in the event that the unvented use of a camp stove was necessary."

Keep some air flow in your home if you have to use fuel heaters. When we've had power outages, I've kept a couple windows cracked to create a flow when using our kerosene heaters. Also kept the CO alarm with fresh batteries close to the heaters. Never set off the CO alarm yet.
 
#20 ·
I have 2 Aladdins and they are great lamps and equal to about a 60 watt incandescent lamp. You should never leave an Aladdin unattended at high output because you could end up with a smoke stack if it decides to run a little rich over a long time.

My Aladdins put out approx 3000 btu of heat each and do not set off my co sensor even if directly over top one of the lamps.

My white gas lantern sets off my co alarm after an hour in the same 12 x12 room.
 
#22 ·
We use coleman lanterns while camping, often. I just got back from a 3 night trip with about 10 guys (fishing). there were 2 gas lanterns (old 200A models) and 2 propane. I love the light from the gas lanterns and they are much more efficient on fuel.

With that said, we now cook by the light of a 12V incandecent bulb. One 25 watt incandecent in a utility fixture puts off more light than any of the lanterns, even outside in the pitch dark. I would say that with the new LED lights, you could do the same with very little draw and never have to worry about CO poisoning. I use incandecent because I have has the bulbs and fixture for many years and they last 2-3 days without issues. I also have an inverter but had issues with it outside in the damp locations. (that's a whole different discussion)

It seems that every few years I hear about some poor soul on the infield of a race tack such as Daytona or Talladega (or in a nearby campground) that died because they lit a coleman lantern in a tent for light and heat. This is a bad idea no matter the situation.

For short term usage, you would probably be fine with Coleman stoves or lanterns inside a large home, same with the oil lanterns but there just seems to be so many other good options out there now that I can't see why you would need that as an option unless you just like the idea of having the warm glow of a flame. Maybe a candle or two would work for you as well.

Good luck.
 
#26 ·
Not to mention you can't get NG in my neck of the woods. So its propane water heaters, stoves, and your what knots. Is a propane lantern really going to be an issue?
Not to mention the Colman camp stoves. Does propane produce more CO when it is burnt in a Colman made product?

?
 
#27 ·
OK, there are at least three separate safety issues concerning the use of fuel lanterns indoors. They are separate, and each needs to be addressed differently.

First is fire. No lamp will say that it is OK to burn lanterns, because people accidently burn their houses down with lanterns. I think that anyone with half intelligence is able to mitigate fire risks.

The second problem is oxygen depletion and carbon dioxide build up. Complete burning of fuel produces carbon dioxide, CO2, at the expense of oxygen. Although oxygen depletion is a problem, the build up of CO2 is a bigger problem. CO2 is mildly toxic at 1%, and at much higher concentrations can kill. To combat this you need to make sure that the area is sufficiently well ventilated.

The third problem is carbon monoxide, or CO. CO is very toxic. You can get headaches even at 30 ppm, loss of judgment at 200 ppm, death at 0.5% in a couple of minutes. Ventilation may not be enough as it is with CO2. Normally, burning fuel produces CO2 but CO occurs when there is incomplete burning of the fuel. Thus, you need to make sure that the lamp is running hot enough and lean enough to complete the burning.

As always, don’t risk your life based on what some unknown person writes on the internet….
 
#29 ·
I might only resort to live flame light, if I loose all DC power .
Which is highly unlikely.
LED lighting is a world best, for illumination .
Any live flame is a liability .
In the old days fire due to live flame light were very common. Even as much as they used it disciplines for handling live flame light are poor.
If your not accustomed to using live flame light , this means you are far less skilled in the disciplines of having it than your ancestors.
 
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