In some of the posts about heating the shop/garage using Diesel from the petrol station was mentioned. Seems like it was a do-able deal if it was well filtered. A little over $3.00 per gallon vs $35. per five gallon can at the hardware store it would be a great savings. Has anyone tried the Diesel in their Turbine Heater? Turbine Heaters also called a Salamander by some. Fwiw, I've been using the Turbine to take the chill off and the dual burner Mr. Heater to keep it warm. It runs on propane which is still reasonably priced at a little over $2. per gallon.
i dont think you want to be breathing diesel fumes , i believe they will kill you. those heaters are supposed to burn heating oil or kerosene only.even the fumes from them are less that nice, the smell tends to linger in your nose for a real long time . thats why i switched to a real furnace in the garage, its cleaner , warmer and safer. mike
I used one of these way back in the '80s to heat my garage while working. I ran pump diesel in it back then with no problem, as I recall though it said that I could use #2 heating oil in it and that is the same distillate as #2 diesel. I went to www.reddyheat.com though because they sell their's as a kerosene heater (and kerosene is slightly different). Their R40 kerosene forced air heater owners manual says: "Use only kerosene, #1/#2 diesel/fuel oil, JET A or JP-8 fuels. Heavier fuels such as No. 2 fuel oil or No. 2 diesel fuel may also be used but will result in: • noticeable odor • additional fuel filter maintenance • the need for nontoxic, anti-icer additives in very cold weather Do not use fuels heavier than No. 2 grade or heavy oils such as oil drained from crankcases. These heavy oils will not ignite properly and will contaminate the heater" http://12.153.20.74/manuals/118536-01A.pdf I would check your heater to see if it will properly burn #2 as this doesn't guarantee that they all will burn it. I would normally burn kerosene from a local heating fuel company, much cheaper than the stuff at the hardware store, but ran diesel if I ran out when they were closed. The diesel does smell much worse and I would be less likely to use it today because of the additives for road use.
I was burning Diesel in mine the last two winters. No problems yet. Newer unit purchased at Home depot.
I know that if oxygen is displaced you could die. One interesting thing the Edison company did with an underground - over 1000' deep in solid granite - hydro generating station as an escape deal, was to station a Ford diesel F-250 in the half mile long escape tunnel. A bit of an grade up the tunnel, but not too bad since you didn't climb the full 1000' to the meadow above the lake. Thinking was the diesel fumes were safer to breathe than gasoline fumes were. As mentioned, I don't run the turbine too long and have more ventilation than the handbook calls for. 10-15 minutes will get the chill off and the propane heater will keep a fairly large pool of warmth going. What I'm really trying to figure out is why all the welding happens in the summer and the wet sanding stuff happens in the winter....
I have been using Diesel im mine for about 5 years. No problems at all. I have never had fumes issue, Matter a fact I am headed to the shop rite now to fill up with some fresh Diesel. So much cheaper Rusty
I Have Used Diesel In The Past, It Seems To Stink A Little More, Heating Oil Is Ok To , But Look Around Alot Of Gas Stations Sell Kerosine You Have Kind Look And Ask Many Truck Stops Do Also If There Is A Smaller Station That Has Big Trucks Coming In They Seems To Have Kerosine Too.
Are they still moth balling a lot of aircraft at Kingman? If so you might want to check with who ever is in charge. We had a hard time getting rid of our sump fuel which was 5 gallons a day per aircraft, it works great in salamanders.
Sorry, I should have mentioned that! When I ran that type of heater the garage was "well ventilated" drafty old garage. I don't think I would run one in my current garage or at least like you say, not very long.
I crack the overhead door a few inches while it's running. They recomend it in the manual......even with K-1.
We used a different type of salamander in the late 80's. This was one of those that had like a 10 gal tank on the bottom with a chimney on top. No fans, no electric gadgets just a tank and chimney you would just light the diesel fuel or kerosene and let it burn. It would heat up a garage. We finally piped the chimney outside so we could burn used oil mixed in because we couldn't afford straight diesel or kerosene.
I burn diesel in mine, but it is labelled for both fuels, do some research, there is a reason some are labelled for both fuels and some are not
I agree, I use our sumped Jet A from work. It's free and Jet A is actually just more refined kero. If you are close to an airport, stop by and ask what they do with Jet A that they drain. They should be more than happy to give it away.
Wow, $7 a gallon. Think I saw some special clean-fuel stuff at Home depot the other day, and it was about that price? Seemed high, but maybe not? Hate those little frickin cancer blowers. Hate em. If that clean fuel stuff works, it may be worth any premium.
The Jalopy Journal
