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intentionally stinky?

jumper
jumper Member Posts: 2,384

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?

Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 16,225

    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.

    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
    bburdMad Dog_2mattmia2PC7060
  • Mad Dog_2
    Mad Dog_2 Member Posts: 7,436

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

  • CLamb
    CLamb Member Posts: 319

    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.

    Mad Dog_2
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,466

    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.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    PC7060Mad Dog_2
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,665

    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.

    PC7060Mad Dog_2
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,237

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

    PC7060
  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 24,466

    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.

    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England