This time, we will be discussing the best kerosene heaters that are available on Amazon. A kerosene heater is typically a type of portable heater that fuels up on kerosene. It’s typically used in Japan as a main source of heat during cold weather. In other western countries, kerosene is more likely used during emergencies.
Kerosene heaters are also commonly known as paraffin heaters and are generally unvented. It is categorized as one of those heaters that operate without electricity and burns on fuel. Thus, whenever you’re stranded somewhere, or if there’s a room that you want to heat but is lacking in electrical power, gas heaters are effective in heating up space for you.
However, kerosene heaters require further attention and this also depends on how effective your heater is burning the fuel and the ventilation system of your house. There’s also how big of an area on how long you plan to operate your heater.
Table of Contents
- Top 5 Best Kerosene Heater Reviews in 2020
- 1. Dura Heat DH2304 Review – Best Kerosene Heater For Indoor Use
- 2. Dyna-Glo RMC-95C6B Review – Best Indoor Kerosene Convection Heater
- 3. Dura Heat DFA50 50K BTU Kero Forced Air Heater Review – Best Kerosene Heater
- 4. Sengoku KeroHeat 10,000-BTU Indoor/Outdoor Review – Best Portable Radiant Kerosene Heater
- 5. Mr. Heater F270270 MH75KTR Contractor 75,000-BTU Forced-Air Kerosene Heater Review
- Things to Consider Before Buying a Kerosene Heater
- FAQs About Kerosene Heater
- Kerosene Heaters Safety Tips And Maintenance
- Kerosene vs. Propane Heater
- Final verdict
Advantages of A Kerosene Heater
- It fully operates on kerosene and does not need electricity.
- A kerosene heater is the most effective heater and produces a good amount of heat, leading it to still be the main space heater in Japan and many countries.
- Being effective also means it does not burn through the fuel and wicks as fast as others.
- Saves you from cold weather wherever you are, as it does not depend on electrical power and is pretty portable.
- Very affordable when compared to an electric heater. Even when compared with another type of gas heaters, kerosene still costs considerably less.
- Produces an insignificant amount of byproducts when ventilation is well kept and high-quality fuel is used.
Top 5 Best Kerosene Heater Reviews in 2020
Below, we’ve reviewed various types of the best kerosene heater you can get on Amazon. They vary from 10,000 BTU to 75,000 BTU. Find out which one is made for your needs!
1. Dura Heat DH2304 Review – Best Kerosene Heater For Indoor Use
Dura Heat DH2304 deserves to stand among the best gas heaters as it gives out energy as high as 23,800 BTU, enough to heat up more than 1,000 square foot home! It has been decided as Amazon’s Choice and verified purchasers have sounded their satisfaction.
Key Features
- Automatic heat raising that does not need you to reset it from an emergency shut-off.
- Powerful heater. 23,800 BTU that will heat up the entire house!
- Long-time usage. Stores up to 1.9 gallons of kerosene. Use it overnight without having to wake up in the middle of the night freezing up.
- Sturdy construction of the tank and steel frame.
Cons
- Several people were disappointed in how fast the starter or extinguisher fail to operate after a few uses.
As for others who received proper products found the heater operating effectively throughout the house. Some have reportedly used it for 10 years before getting a new unit.
2. Dyna-Glo RMC-95C6B Review – Best Indoor Kerosene Convection Heater
This is another capable kerosene heater that heats up to 23,000 BTU. This will warm up 1,000 square feet area just right. Dyna-Glo kerosene convection heater is one of the most recommended heaters for many users. Dyna-Glo themselves have been manufacturing different types of heaters and this is just another one that works miraculously well.
Key Features
- Powerful heater. With up to 23,000 BTU produced when operated, warms up an area of 1,000 square feet in no time.
- Use it anytime, anywhere! Perfect during emergencies.
- Kerosene is always famous for being cheaper compared to other types of heaters. Saves bill by heating up enough space within budget.
- One-button shut-off and automatic ignition.
- No more worries on fire incidents from knocking over the heater. Auto shut-off if the heater is knocked over.
Cons
- Several people complained about how the fire seems to burn smaller after a few months of use.
- Its one-button shut-off is also not the preferable way for many. Manually pulling the wick down is safer as it means completely shutting down the fire.
3. Dura Heat DFA50 50K BTU Kero Forced Air Heater Review – Best Kerosene Heater
This air heater is able to operate on various types of fuels. It’s one of the best kerosene heaters as it has received none zero-star review on Amazon! Not to mention that 50,000 BTU means that it will heat up the house in no time!
Key Features
- Multi-fuel capable. Works with 1-K Kerosene, diesel, #1 & #2 fuel oil, JP-8, as well as Jet-A fuels.
- Instant start. Only one touch to turn on your heater.
- 50,000 BTU output will heat up at least 1,500 square feet of area.
- Runtime gauge. Tells you how much is left and how much longer it can warm up the house.
- Fuse protector. Fuse is protected by the electrical system.
- High capacity sealed fan motor. No more crappy fan in your air heater.
- Heavy-duty igniter.
Cons
- There are little to no drawbacks from verified purchasers. All problems are solved by the customer support team. Whenever you purchase this kerosene air heater and are sure that you are operating it according to the manual, let the customer support deal with it. One of the buyer’s advice is to ‘Read the manual’. Maybe this is the best kerosene heater for you!!!
4. Sengoku KeroHeat 10,000-BTU Indoor/Outdoor Review – Best Portable Radiant Kerosene Heater
The Sengoku has more than half a century of history in manufacturing heaters. Sengoku KeroHeat was marketed with cost-saving and safety in mind. Don’t let the 10,000 BTU discourage you; heats up the room with minimal cost! As one reviewer commented, 5 degrees on the increase in within 15 minutes.
Key Features
- This heater is packed with a lot of safety measures, such as automatic shut-off switch, safety protected guard and tip-over switch. Remember, safety first!
- Long-time usage. Warm up the room for 14 hours straight with only 1.2 gallons of kerosene needed.
- Runtime gauge. Easy to read gauge.
- UI approved
- Moves this into any room you want to warm up. Bring it with you anywhere you go.
- Great customer support. Whenever you are in need of replacement parts, contact the support as they have no problems in sending you a new one.
Cons
- This heater is pretty small and emits 10,000 BTU, which will take a long time to heat up a bigger room. It does operate mainly on kerosene only without electrical power, so that’s a great thing. You will also want to know if this thing is different from HMN. No, because they both are of the same brand, simply with a different model.
5. Mr. Heater F270270 MH75KTR Contractor 75,000-BTU Forced-Air Kerosene Heater Review
Welcome the strong 75,000 BTU Forced-Air Kerosene Heater by Mr. Heater. This is the best kerosene heater that many people are talking about. Steadily chosen as Amazon’s choice, this product received more than 80% 4-star and 5-star reviews on the platform.
Key Features
- Glove-friendly Wearing gloves while you redecorate the house? Not much hassle in operating the heater with it on!
- Big power. 75,000 BTU output will heat up to almost 2,000 square feet of area.
- Big capacity, longer run time. It stores up to 6 gallons of kerosene fuel and will keep burning for the next 11 hours.
- Work anytime. Even in the most extreme weather, it will heat up space just as well.
- CSA certified.
- Strong construction. The structure is made of rough steel and is produced to last for years with its durable form.
- Full information on the amount of fuel left, lighted on/off button, and six-function LED diagnostics.
- Shows temperature and will control the heater
- It does not require wick. Unlike smaller kerosene heater, this does not need a wick, although you need a power outlet to ignite it.
Cons
- There can barely be a drawback to this product. It does need electrical power for starting up, so maybe that’s one. Other than that, this thing has received tremendous applause and praise from those who bought and used it. Heats up very well and efficiently in a large area.
Things to Consider Before Buying a Kerosene Heater
Buying a heater that continuously burns and producing emissions will mean that there are things you need to know before using one in your living room.
Follow safety precautions strictly and make sure that doors, windows or any ventilation open whenever the heater operates. Humans are unable to sense the danger of excessive carbon monoxide and will die before realizing it.
At the same time, it is also important that you don’t open too many ventilators as the heat produced won’t be efficient. Try to go in moderation.
So, how much do you need to heat up your house? One of them is to know how big your house is. And by how big, it means the volume, not width (length x width). So, multiply the length, width, and height and you’ll get your house size.
Per square feet, you’ll need around 20 BTU. So, assuming you have 500 square feet space you want to heat up, you’ll need around 10,000 BTU.
Kerosene heaters also come with only one type of power. So, if you bought with a 10,000 BTU heater, then you’re stuck with that only.
1-K kerosene smells less and costs cheaper. You’ll find yourself saving more after using this for a long time, especially because it prevents parts of the heater to be wasted faster.
If you are planning to use other types of fuel, do check out the risk, side effects and drawbacks, not just the advantages. They can be cheaper but might produce more smoke or dangerous byproducts. Sometimes, they might not even perform as well as the Internet might have claimed as it depends on your heater and also your ventilation and wick.
Do check before buying a kerosene heater. Different places will sell different prices of kerosene, so you need to do your own research.
Learn to pull down the wick manually instead of using the automated feature. This is one of the reasons that heater may appear not completely shut-off as the wick fails to be completely pulled down.
FAQs About Kerosene Heater
Kerosene Heaters Safety Tips And Maintenance
Most, if not all, kerosene heater comes with a user manual. Pay attention to this and do use only genuine parts of the heater if you do not have the necessary knowledge on it.
Always have a few inches of a crack in the room to allow carbon monoxide to flow out and oxygen to flow in. Do not leave the heater on when you sleep, as many manuals would suggest, but if you must, you can combine the usage with an electric heater. That is by turning on the kerosene and put it off to let electric heater continue the job. Make sure that the window or door is open to let oxygen flow.
Turn it on and off outside the house.
Regularly clean the wicks and heater from the gas byproducts. This will help with the smell and carbon produced. Always have spare wicks left and change whenever it’s burned out.
Use only high-quality kerosene. This will also affect the odor of your heater. High-quality kerosene will also mean healthier wicks. Try as much as possible to not use other types of fuel as the burner is only meant to burn oil of certain oxidation number. Never mix and match as this will increase the chance of explosion.
Place it somewhere people don’t pass by frequently. Place it away from pets or children’s reach. It may be caged to prevent anyone from accidentally bumping into it. Get kerosene heaters that automatically shut-off when bumped if this is your biggest concern.
Portable kerosene heaters accidents caused mostly by improper use of fuel, knocking down the heater, and asphyxiation. These can all be prevented by heeding the instructions mentioned here.
Kerosene vs. Propane Heater
There are lots of things to compare between these two. If you are wondering how kerosene can be better compared to propane here are things to consider:
- Fuel price. As per gallon price, it depends on the area you live in. In some places, it may cost $2.25 to $2.80. But generally, it costs less than propane from $.3 to a dollar.
- Fuel storage. If you are planning to keep the fuel for quite a while, kerosene is much easier to keep compared to propane. Kerosene is less flammable compared to propane (highly flammable. If you want to store propane properly, you need to buy a tank. These tanks are specially designed and made to keep the propane from exploding and in good quality, but the price for one is pretty high. It’s not really convenient.
- As of the energy potential, kerosene is 50% more powerful than propane.
- Both gases produce dangerous carbon monoxide and dioxide. Both also evaporate, but kerosene produces more water vapors.
- Depending on what you mainly use your heater for. Is it space, indoor or garage heater? Kerosene is definitely a cheaper choice to go if you want to heat up the house or shop. Several users mentioned that propane is too precious to use for heaters.
Final verdict
Kerosene heaters are generally the emergency heater many will want to have. It’s still pretty easy to find and safe to store. Again, you will need to be sure what is the main purpose of your heater. Pay attention to your building’s structure and if indoor usage will be safe.
Fuel availability should also be made sure. If you have access to kerosene, make sure that the quality is 1-K. This is the best commercial kerosene you should get. The result of burning this is lesser byproducts, smell, and longer wicks life. That saying, you still need to have a few spares of the wick and regularly maintain the heater.
If you are comparing between kerosene and propane, pricing and smell will be your main consideration. If usage is mainly in the garage or other rooms where people don’t generally stay in, kerosene makes a great space heater. It is considerably cheaper by around $.7 cents compared to propane (price is subject to changes) and propane can cost slightly higher than electric heater depending on your state’s rate.
What’s most important is to pay attention to the user manual, warnings, and also our maintenance tops. This will make sure that your kerosene heater will last longer and prevent wicks from burning out too fast. You’ll also have a safer environment with lesser by-products from your kerosene heater.
Best Kerosene Heaters Comparison Chart
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Be safe always with your heater at home. Feel free to contact us anytime if you have queries.
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Hi, This is Luis. Author at “TheHeatersGuide”. I am a graduate in Mechanical Engineering. Currently researching on heating technology. However, I have learned many home heating techniques and still learning the home heating technolgy. And I love to share my research and reviews.
I’m biased against drafty windows. We had troublesome room for years growing up. Fixing the windows – was the key for that room. All that time buying extra blankets and space heaters.
Nice blog. It will surely help beginners update their knowledge. The efforts you have put in to create the posts are quite interesting. Looking forward to seeing you soon in a new post.