# Is it diesel, fuel oil or kerosene?



## Brian Hay (Oct 24, 2020)

I'm not sure if this is the right forum but......

I have 12 gallons of something I think is kerosene in good clean blue cans but the stuff smokes like crazy in my wick-style heater. The heater looks good so I'm wondering if something other then kerosene was inadvertently put into the cans. 

Does anyone know a method for confirming that it's kerosene as opposed to a similar fuel?


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## Hoodoo Valley (Nov 14, 2006)

Kerosene is clear unless color has been added to it. It might just be old fuel or it's contaminated. Your wick could be smoking if it's not adjusted correctly too.


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## Ed Williams (Jun 13, 2019)

10-4 on the wick. My Kerosun heater has a page in the manual describing when the wick needs trimming and the procedure and specs for proper trimming. When mine starts smoking, I trim the wick and it cures the problem. With a cold winter, I usually have to trim it twice during the heating season. The other half will not tolerate ANY smoke coming off the heater, but the same rule does not apply to the kitchen.


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## Brian Hay (Oct 24, 2020)

Thanks, I'll pull some out and take a look.


Ed Williams said:


> 10-4 on the wick. My Kerosun heater has a page in the manual describing when the wick needs trimming and the procedure and specs for proper trimming. When mine starts smoking, I trim the wick and it cures the problem. With a cold winter, I usually have to trim it twice during the heating season. The other half will not tolerate ANY smoke coming off the heater, but the same rule does not apply to the kitchen.



At my house the dinner bell is actually the smoke alarm


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## bmaverick (Feb 20, 2014)

Brian Hay said:


> Thanks, I'll pull some out and take a look.
> 
> At my house the dinner bell is actually the smoke alarm


IF you can not tame the smoke in the heater, you could mix it 50/50 with diesel to run in a diesel tractor before it gets too cold out.


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## pogobill (Jan 31, 2012)

Actually, if you get caught in the winter with a tank of summer fuel, you can mix in Kerosene to thin the fuel and burn it up til your next fill up.


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## marc_hanna (Apr 10, 2017)

Kerosene, furnace oil and diesel fuel are basically interchangeable, with diesel fuel having additives for engines. But as mentioned above, I think its your wick too.


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