Safety Tips for Kerosene Heaters
Dramatic increases in home heating costs have resulted in a significant expansion in the sales and use of portable kerosene heaters. If you use a kerosene heater in your home or place of business, you should take precautions against a number of serious hazards.
- Fire could be caused by operating the heater too close to furniture, draperies or other combustibles, by knocking over a lighted heater, or by accidentally igniting fuel when filling the tank. Explosions could be caused by use of the wrong kind of fuel, or by operating the heater in an area where there are combustible fumes.
- Burns could be caused by direct contact with a heater, or by ignition of combustible clothing. Children and pets should be kept at a safe distance from operating heaters.
- Kerosene heaters consume oxygen as they burn. If they are operated in a small room or in an inadequately ventilated area, oxygen in the air could be reduced to a dangerous level. Reduced oxygen supply could lead to incomplete combustion of fuel and the production of carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas which in sufficient concentrations, or if breathed over a period of time, can kill without warning.
- In addition to carbon monoxide, kerosene heaters can emit such pollutants as carbon dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and sulphur dioxide. Breathing these substances can create a risk, especially to such people as pregnant women, asthmatics, individuals with cardiovascular disease, elderly persons and young children.
- Install battery-operated CO detectors to alert you to dangerous levels of CO in any enclosed area where a kerosene heater is being operated.
- Among the dangers in using kerosene heaters are spillage of the highly inflammable fuel, asphyxiation, burns from touching a hot heater, ignition of the fumes from stored kerosene and poisoning from the liquid, which is highly toxic.
- Running the kerosene heater close to furniture, rugs, carpets, or any other combustible or flammable object can cause fires.
- Using fuel other than 1-K grade kerosene and operating the heater near fumes or fuel can lead to explosions. If kerosene spills, clean it up right away.
- Most importantly, never leave the kerosene heater burning and unattended. Extinguish it if you are leaving the area or if you will go to sleep.
- Never use any heater to heat food or water, or to dry wet clothing, and never move it while it's in use.
- Kerosene heaters could be especially hazardous in bedrooms, particularly when units designed to heat large spaces are used in small rooms. Do not use flammable solvents, aerosol sprays or lacquers near the heater.
Kerosene Fuel
- If you add cold kerosene to a heater, the fuel expands as it warms, pushing excess fuel into the burn chamber. This can create a flame larger than the unit can contain and result in a house fire.
- When refueling, do not fill the heater's fuel tank completely. This allows room for expansion. Follow the manufacturer's instructions regarding how long the refueled tank should stand at room temperature before the heater is used.
- Use only clear (1-K) kerosene. Never use gasoline or any other substitute fuel; be sure that the wick is set at the recommended height, and the room is adequately ventilated.
- Store kerosene outdoors, in approved containers clearly marked "Kerosene."
- Always refill the fuel tank outside, and turn off the heater and let it cool before refilling. (Fuel hitting a hot surface could ignite.) Fill only until the fuel gauge indicates "full." When the kerosene heats, it expands. Overfilling can cause spillage.
- Never use kerosene from a previous heating season-it could have spoiled.
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