intentionally stinky?

jumper

Thread about original heating fuel got me thinking when I'm going to sleep.

Is heating fuel intentionally stinky for safety?

Also in the olden days why did some people purchase Coleman stoves that burned white gasoline? Wasn't kerosene less expensive?

ChrisJ

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/197027/intentionally-stinky

White gas was basically untreated gasoline with no additives.

Kerosene is closer to diesel, but not quite. I think it's in between the two so you get more energy out of a gallon of kerosene than white gas. I'd assume based on that, that white gas was cheaper, probably by quite a bit.

I've never heard anything being added to gasoline, or diesel to make them smell, they smell plenty all on their own. Heating fuel oil has dye added for tax purposes.

Propane and natural gas have a smell added for safety reasons as they have no smell on their own.

Mad Dog_2

I like the smell....not all the time, but here & there..Mad Dog

CLamb

From my observation people use white gasoline Coleman stoves in preference to kerosene stoves because they are easier to light. Kerosene stoves require pre-heating with alcohol.

Jamie Hall

White gasoline — Coleman fuel — contained no lead, and thus did not foul the various catalytic Coleman devices or the stoves. Otherwise it was low octane gasoline. Kerosene has a flash point above that of gasoline — quite a bit above — but lower than diesel, so was used in a lot of stoves and other heaters, but it does need preheating to burn well. It's easier to light. It also doesn't gel as much as diesel.

mattmia2

Kerosene, diesel, fuel oil, other oil products naturally have an odor but do not need an odor for safety. They will not fill an area with a vapor that is flammable or explosive at certain concentrations. In face most forms won't even burn unless you pre-heat them or give them some sort of a wick or atomization.

Gas for lighting and cooking used to be town gas/manufactured gas which was mostly carbon monoxide which was made by heating coal or other fuel in the absence of oxygen. It was odorless and had no odorant added. Since carbon monoxide is poisonous as well as various mixtures with air being flammable or explosive, a leak was very dangerous. This is where the head in the oven trope comes from. Natural gas and LPG is not poisonous so the odorant is to allow it to be detected to prevent exposions.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Isn't "white gas" the same as unleaded??

Jamie Hall

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1800888#Comment_1800888

Kinda… but back when Coleman fuel and "white gas" was a thing, you really couldn't buy unleaded gas in any other form. It was pretty special stuff.