[Nadar]

I found a lady (her husband left her) selling a 55gal plastic drum of kerosene that she claims is approx 9-10 years old. I can buy the barrel and kero for $80 which is a great deal, if the kerosene is ok.

My intended uses are as a backup cooking source and as a backup source of heat as I have a couple of primary sources for that.

She has no idea if it's ever been stabilized or not. It appears clear and smells like kero should smell. Been stored in her Ohio garage. High 80''s in summer and low 20's in winter.

Any suggestions?

 

[cck51]

If it burns use it.

 

[Spartan300]

If it was all you had to burn then okay. I would not recommend kero that old however. Quality kerosene has a life of about 3 years before it starts turning bad and can even get a yellow tint to it. If I was going to use that in a fairly expensive heater I would not do it. Get you some fresh product.

 

[Mtnman Mike]

I think it would be a good backup source of heat, maybe cooking also.

Make sure you have plenty of ventilation.

I still have about 30 gallons of kerosene that I think is around 25 years old. It is not too bad but does smoke quite a bit.
I mostly use it to start fires when I burn trash or even if I have to get a fire started fast in the woodstove.

 

[Maxed]

Is the barrel completely full and sealed? If its filled to the top and well sealed then I'd go for it. I have a friend who bought a old combine for the engine in it. Diesel was at least 15 years old and it fired up and ran just fine on it. It did have a stabilizer put in the full tank however though.

 

[cranky1950]

just add an ounce or so of denatured alcohol per 5 gal and use the kerosene with the cheapest heater wicks you can find, if they foul keep cutting them down and replacing them until the kerosene is gone. But use the old stuff first or mix it 50/50 with new stuff and use it up. It's a great cost savings but keeping it around any longer is kind of dumb.

 

[DT1500]

I found a lady (her husband left her) selling a 55gal plastic drum of kerosene that she claims is approx 9-10 years old. I can buy the barrel and kero for $80 which is a great deal, if the kerosene is ok.

My intended uses are as a backup cooking source and as a backup source of heat as I have a couple of primary sources for that.

She has no idea if it's ever been stabilized or not. It appears clear and smells like kero should smell. Been stored in her Ohio garage. High 80''s in summer and low 20's in winter.

Any suggestions?

-------------------
It's fuel---be wary of using something that sat that long. Fuel checked by professionals could tell if breakdown started in container. Small amounts of fuel in plastic I'm ok with, but it seems kinda dicey in large containers.

 

[Hick Industries]

I bought a 55 gal drum of keresene in the fall of 1999. I am still using a few gallons per year in my alpaca stove and my kerosun heater. If your plan are to burn this in a wick style heater or lantern, my experience has been great.

 

[Nadar]

I appreciate the responses.

I think I'm going to pass on it. It's a savings of $100 or so but is it really worth the risk over $100? Probably not. I had decided that unless the overwhelming responses were positive then I was going to pass.

Thanks everyone.

 

[trixie]

I appreciate the responses.

I think I'm going to pass on it. It's a savings of $100 or so but is it really worth the risk over $100? Probably not. I had decided that unless the overwhelming responses were positive then I was going to pass.

Thanks everyone.

good job you let the nervous nellys get to you. you will find there are a few on this site that will always always always play it safe, and by play it safe, i mean they will live thier life by every stupid internet and hillbilly rumor that was ever created.

to these people gas last 2 weeks then its bad, ammo last 2 months then its too dangerous to use, canned food should be tossed 6 months before its expiration date, medicine is poison after the expiration date, etc, etc.

 

[cranky1950]

Actually it's more than $100 savings. 10 y/o kerosene is the same as jet A which sells for $5 a gal, not the $3/gal the red stuff sells for. The red stuff is murder on wicks and the Gov lackeys who brought this bull**** upon us should die a slow miserable death.

If the stuff is still clear and you're going to rotate it out over the next couple of years, you would be dumb not to buy it. If you plan on letting it sit for another 10 years then pass and let someone who needs it get it.

 

[MikeK]

I've burned a lot of old kerosene and had no problems with it. But I sure wouldn't recommend it either. At least not buying that old. Even if it's fine now, it doesn't have much storage life left. I burned mine to rotate it. It beat throwing it out.

 

[Nadar]

Actually it's more than $100 savings. 10 y/o kerosene is the same as jet A which sells for $5 a gal, not the $3/gal the red stuff sells for. The red stuff is murder on wicks and the Gov lackeys who brought this bull**** upon us should die a slow miserable death.

If the stuff is still clear and you're going to rotate it out over the next couple of years, you would be dumb not to buy it. If you plan on letting it sit for another 10 years then pass and let someone who needs it get it.

I have absolutely no immediate need for it. It would be purchased solely for the purpose of storing in case of emergency. I also don't have an easy means to rotate it because we don't use kerosene for anything day to day.

 

[HillbillyBear]

Somebody has probably already said this, Kerosene has an indefinite storage shelf life, it will last forever.
Kerosene does not break down like other fuels.

 

[slingshot]

good job you let the nervous nellys get to you. you will find there are a few on this site that will always always always play it safe, and by play it safe, i mean they will live thier life by every stupid internet and hillbilly rumor that was ever created.

to these people gas last 2 weeks then its bad, ammo last 2 months then its too dangerous to use, canned food should be tossed 6 months before its expiration date, medicine is poison after the expiration date, etc, etc.

I've used kerosene that was over 20 years old in lamps and lanterns with no problems of any kind. Don't know about your kerosene heaters. The older generations went by the belief that kerosene had an indefinite shelf life and never had any problems with old kerosene. But what do they know, they're "hillbillies!"

 

[cranky1950]

I've used kerosene that was over 20 years old in lamps and lanterns with no problems of any kind. Don't know about your kerosene heaters. The older generations went by the belief that kerosene had an indefinite shelf life and never had any problems with old kerosene. But what do they know, they're "hillbillies!"

Hillbillies are also the reason most of us wince when we hear "Hey look what I can do" so go figure.

 

[msc]

I have burned 9-10yr old kero with no noticeable bad effects.

 

[electrdave]

I would get it, just yesterday I lit a Dietz lantern that I know hasn't been used in 15 years. It burned with no problem.

 

[lunarkingdom]

i burned a liter of 25+ year old kero last night and was WARM all night long! it does not go bad if kept out of the sun and at moderatly stable temp. Heck of a deal go buy that sucker now before I do!!!

 

[MikeK]

I've used kerosene that was over 20 years old in lamps and lanterns with no problems of any kind. Don't know about your kerosene heaters. The older generations went by the belief that kerosene had an indefinite shelf life and never had any problems with old kerosene. But what do they know, they're "hillbillies!"

They mostly used it in lamps though. I've burned kerosene in lamps that was decades old and yellow without problems. I wouldn't want to use that same fuel in a heater or my Alpaca cooker. Though I have had no problems using 10 year old kerosene in them. It does have a very long life, but it's not indefinate. It breaks down like all distillates do, just slower than most.