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Torpedo Heater -- Fuel Type

C

Christopher S.

Member
A few years ago, Dad purchased a new torpedo heater that can run on either kerosene or off-road diesel fuel. We find it is quite convenient to just fill it up from the off-road tank outside.

The torpedo heater in my shop is a little bit older and is made to only run on kerosene. This is the only thing we use kerosene for and it is quite inconvenient to keep a drum of kerosene on hand for this heater only.

My question is, what would need to be done to convert my heater to be able to run on diesel fuel instead of kerosene? Is this a different orifice size, or pump pressure, or do I even have to do anything? Dad's heater can run either fuel without any adjustments from the operator.

Let me know what you guys think. Thanks as always
 
Kerosene is just another grade of diesel. Most all heaters will run on Diesel 1 & 2 --Jet Fuel--Kerosene. I bet you will have no problem with diesel.
 
Mine runs okay on #2 just smells worse. Still works fine for warming up tractors for starting, etc. Just don't want it in a confined area all day. I agree kerosene is a hassle. I've heard the new #1 diesel burns clean but have not tried it.
 
I have 2 90,000 BTU Knipco heaters bought new in the late 70"s and instructions said do not use deisel as it will carbon things up. Never had anything diesel to have ant of that fuel around to try it. Still got a bunch of K1 here that I got cheap just after the ice storm of 2005. Store got it in 5 gal containers but due to regulations could not have in store for sale. So Wife being an employ helped get it cheap, something like $.50 , 50 cents per gal.
 
It will run just fine on diesel but will smell a lot worse than if you burn kero. Jet fuel burns real clean in them also. Some say once you burn diesel in one they never burn clean again.
 

I've never used anything other than diesel. I've never noticed much of a stink either. When it runs out of fuel, then there is a puff of smoke, and a little bit of odor, but it would do that on kerosene also.
 
I have several of these heaters. I recently downloaded a manual for the newest (to me) of them. In the manual was a chart of fuels. The consensus is that you can run it on either #1 or #2 fuels. Manual indicates that there will be more odor when using the #2 fuels. Also cautions against using volatile fuels such as gasoline.
Basically, #1 fuels are kerosene, #1 diesel, and #1 fuel oil.
Similarly, the #2 fuels are #2 diesel and #2 fuel oil. Most heating oil is also #2.
IMHO, the number only indocates the relative viscosity of the fuel, which is mostly determined by the paraffin content. I am also told that the higher the paraffin content, the more energy contained in the fuel - and also the higher the gel/pour points are.
 
I have several of these heaters. I recently downloaded a manual for the newest (to me) of them. In the manual was a chart of fuels. The consensus is that you can run it on either #1 or #2 fuels. Manual indicates that there will be more odor when using the #2 fuels. Also cautions against using volatile fuels such as gasoline.
Basically, #1 fuels are kerosene, #1 diesel, and #1 fuel oil.
Similarly, the #2 fuels are #2 diesel and #2 fuel oil. Most heating oil is also #2.
IMHO, the number only indicates the relative viscosity of the fuel, which is mostly determined by the paraffin content. I am also told that the higher the paraffin content, the more energy contained in the fuel - and also the higher the gel/pour points are.
 
One concern of running #2 diesel is the gel point - if you are in a cold shop like here in MN below zero, the diesel will be gelled up in your heater.

The other concern is that #2 burns dirtier, generally you will have a pretty smelly deal. Fine for thawing something out, but if you are working 5-6 hours a day in there it kinda might build up on a person, long term?

Some brands handle it better than others, just depends I guess.

I have one of those dish heaters val6, cost more but throw infrared heat, not just hot air, very clean burning on #2 diesel, has a heater on the filter to keep #2 flowing.

Paul
 
I borrowed the neighbors when I was a teenager. I put diesel fuel in it after the kerosene he had in it ran out. It ran for a few minutes on diesel and quit. He took it back to the John Dealer where he bought it and he said they couldn't fix it. I'm not sure what was wrong with it. I bought a John Deere after that and have only run Kerosene in it since 1986. I've never had a problem with it other than minor maintenance such as air filter & ignitor. Problem now days is trying to find the Kerosene. I have to drive 9 miles to a station that carries it and it's $4.99 a gallon. But that's all I'll burn in it.
 
After fixing multiple forced air heaters at my job, I can tell you that yes it will burn diesel but it will clog the nozzle and fuel filters faster then if you ran clean kerosene. If you added a second inline filter to it that would help more. But as is it will burn diesel
 
(quoted from post at 09:38:30 02/03/14) After fixing multiple forced air heaters at my job, I can tell you that yes it will burn diesel but it will clog the nozzle and fuel filters faster then if you ran clean kerosene. If you added a second inline filter to it that would help more. But as is it will burn diesel
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Depend on where yer at. I have a dual fuel one. I've only kerosene in it sense new. BIL had an older Kero only one. He does use diesel in it but when it's -10 he has to stay right by it. It will run 5 minutes and quit. So he unplugs itand plugs it back in. Repeats as needed. Mine I plug in then set here on the puter and annoy people. I can get kero 1 mile down the road.

Rick
 
Many a time I had to go out in the winter to do some repairs for a farmer customer. Oh yeah, got heat. Out come the torpedo (most refer to them as knipco heaters around here). Usually so much stink and smoke I just tell them, shut it off. Work fast if small job, wait for better weather if bigger job. I am used to a considerable amount of stink and smoke from working in a shop all these years but some kinds are just too much. When your eyes burn and can't see what you are doing, time to get fresh air.
 
(quoted from post at 10:33:39 02/03/14) I thought any heater that uses kerosene would run just fine on #1 diesel fuel.
Click to expand...

Contrary to popular belief . #1 diesel is not kerosene . #1 diesel is #2 diesel that has had the heavy wax molecular paraffin chains stripped out.
Kerosene is a lighter grade of fuel with shorter molecular chains than diesel . More hydrogen atoms too.
I don't see where the savings are burning diesel in a torpedo heater. Diesel doesn't burn as clean as kerosene.
Local price of Kerosene is $1.59 per litre/$6.01 gallon and 100LL $1.99 per litre.

http://www.kincardineairport.ca/
 
Just had this conversation with a friend who drives
a Semi tanker and hauls for FS-Gro-mark. He had a
load of No 1 died. Just now. He ask the guy in
charge of loading rack at the Refinery at Robinson
Il. The guys answer was. How many XOXO tanks do you
think we have here! All No 1 fuels come out of the
same tank. Any additives or color is added at the
rack. Sorry Vic
 
(quoted from post at 14:36:23 02/03/14) 100LL is gasoline. What does gasoline have to do with this discussion?
Click to expand...

It's been a pretty slow day for you if the best you can do is grip about the price of aviation fuel products. I put the price of 100LL in there as it's also posted at the airport site. It gives a ratio in prices between the two aircraft fuels just as an FYI .there are pilots on this site who maybe curious.
 
Didn't "grip" about any price, and I'm pretty sure the pilots
aren't on a torpedo heater thread looking for avgas prices, but
nice try on covering up your ignorance.
 
Furnace fuel, same as winter diesel I use in the tractors, burns fine in my space heater. But I would not use it for too long in a well sealed building . There is no noticeable smoke or smell but I am sure the exhaust would not be a good thing to breathe for long. Kerosene is supposed to burn much cleaner but I have never tried it. Price of kerosene is pretty wild right now. Saw a 19 litre pail on sale for close to $50.
 
(quoted from post at 17:43:42 02/03/14) Furnace fuel, same as winter diesel I use in the tractors, burns fine in my space heater. But I would not use it for too long in a well sealed building . There is no noticeable smoke or smell but I am sure the exhaust would not be a good thing to breathe for long. Kerosene is supposed to burn much cleaner but I have never tried it. Price of kerosene is pretty wild right now. Saw a 19 litre pail on sale for close to $50.
Click to expand...

That would be $9.95 a US gallon. And somebody got snotty about $6.01 a gallon kerosene from the airport .
 
I got rid of my torpedo heaters. The local fuel cartel sells red kerosene only, but it stinks as bad as diesel. I use an old oil fired forced hot air furnace in the shop I bought cheap and installed correctly. With my asthma, Doc said "good choice". I don't really burn that much more fuel in the furnace than I did in the torpedos and I feel a lot better after several hours in the shop, quieter too.
 
(quoted from post at 14:56:18 02/03/14) I got rid of my torpedo heaters. The local fuel cartel sells red kerosene only, but it stinks as bad as diesel. I use an old oil fired forced hot air furnace in the shop I bought cheap and installed correctly. With my asthma, Doc said "good choice". I don't really burn that much more fuel in the furnace than I did in the torpedos and I feel a lot better after several hours in the shop, quieter too.
Click to expand...

If I ever get my shop closed up tight and fully insulated, I will use the propane furnace that came out of my house 15 years ago. The furnace is already setting in the shop. But until then, the torpedo heater will have to do, and I use it ONLY when I HAVE to be out there. Can't afford the $3.98 diesel fuel if all I am doing is puttering.
 
4 gallons of no.2 and one gallon of straight unleaded gas -- equals better than kerosene fuel its what I use and it works great-- cheaper too!
 
I have the oil furnace in the shop too and I can use it to warm the place up a little if I have a big job to work on. It takes a long time though. And if I want to heat up or thaw out a frozen up piece of machinery you can't beat the "torpedo" heater as it directs all it's heat right on the target for a fast warm up. The furnace could run all day and not even melt the frost off a really cold tractor engine.
 
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