17 replies to this topic

[mister bridger]

Been using a paraffin heater in the garage to keep the chill off recently but the price of paraffin is outrageous! You don't seem to be able to buy from a pump anymore these days, only stupid bottles that work out more than petrol. Is it possible to use anything else i.e. diesel or something? Rest assured I won't be experimenting with this unless I get a definitive answer!

[Ivor Badger]

Been using a paraffin heater in the garage to keep the chill off recently but the price of paraffin is outrageous! You don't seem to be able to buy from a pump anymore these days, only stupid bottles that work out more than petrol. Is it possible to use anything else i.e. diesel or something? Rest assured I won't be experimenting with this unless I get a definitive answer!

Yes, I can't work out the excessive price of paraffin. There is afterall no road fund duty, it is cheaper to make. So why more expensive than petrol or diesel depending on supplier. You could try aviation kerosene as it can be cheap, but check it will burn safely in your heater. It also tends to be very sooty when burnt.

[mister bridger]

Where would you get this stuff? Even paraffin is not easy to get hold of. There used to be a pump for it at many petrol stations and hardware shops but presumably 'elf and safety has put paid to that.

[pantera2075]

You can still get paraffin from pumps, but it's mostly small independant garages in farming areas - there's no market for it nowadays.
Meths will work in a paraffin heater, but that's probly right expensive nowadays too.

[Mini Man Dan]

the garden centre i used to work at sold paraffin in 5 litre bottles. Was about 4.99 a bottle

[R1minimagic]

Use kerosene (jet fuel). it's the same stuff anyway. In the UK it is used as home heating oil but you would have to order quite a bit to get some!

Don't you know anyone that lives in the middle of nowhere?!

[Retro_10s]

Don't bother trying diesel, It's not very flammable (something in the region of 400 degrees to ignite it if I remember correctly)

[R1minimagic]

That's what I thought until one day i decided to do a test to see whether a tissue soaked in petrol vs diesel gave off the most heat. I didn't think the diesel would ignite but it went up a treat and gave out a lot more heat than the petrol.

[Ethel]

Diesel has a higher calorific value than petrol and paraffin's is higher still.

The properties are quite obvious when you think how they're made.

Best take that back diesel is heavier, than paraffin so more calories.


Burn time depends on how much you burn at one go - just turn the wick down.

[R1minimagic]

Yes but it's how long they take to burn that is more important when you are looking at max T.

[mister bridger]

Diesel has a higher calorific value than petrol and paraffin's is higher still.

The properties are quite obvious when you think how they're made.

Best take that back diesel is heavier, than paraffin so more calories.


Burn time depends on how much you burn at one go - just turn the wick down.

So are you saying you can use diesel?

[adam_93rio]

i would of thought that diesel would be more expensive, depending where you are, its sort of hovering around £1.10 at the moment

i got a 5 litre bottle of parafin for my sump heater for about £4. so to me, its still cheaper

i wouldnt risk using deisel or petrol just for the sake of a few pennies tho

[GraemeC]

Red diesel may be cheaper, if you can get it locally (or find a friendly farmer).

Pre-pack paraffin seems the norm now, can't remember the last time I saw it sold from a pump or bulk stock. There isn't anywhere near as much call for it, only really being used for greenhouse heating these days. You obviously pay a premium for the convenience of it in pre-pack form - if petrol was available the same way I would hazard a guess it would be £7.50+ a gallon.

[Ethel]

Diesel might burn but I think it would be very sooty and might give off dodgy fumes. My only experience of the stuff is in pressurised stoves where paraffin is seen as being the best, giving most heat. Of course you can burn paraffin with just a wick - don't know about diesel, it may go too waxy to flow if it's freezing.

[R1minimagic]

Yes it will as proven by my tissue experiment but, as you say, could be quite sooty.

I would expect paraffin to start waxing in cold weather before diesel as it is the paraffin molecules in diesel that crystallize to form the waxes!