Kerosene in MA

ztargetshooter

ztargetshooter

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Kerosene lasts longer than a decade. It burns slow. I read somewhere that a gallon of kerosene can power a regular Mantle style wick lamp for 50 hours and that you could rig up a contraption to help you to use the lamp as a heat source for cooking.

That being said I can't find kerosene in MA. Err or more than a little jug of it at walmart. I called a few local oil companies and none of them have it. On some other forum I found, a guy refering to MA as the PRM thought that Kerosene pretty much doesn't exist in MA because kerosene heaters are illegal. WTF? Is this true?

I'm looking to get 50 gallons at cost and not the pay the inflated pre-canned lowes 5 gallon drum price. (roughly $40 on their website). I think a gallon of Kerosene costs some change more than $3.00.

Do the residents of MA have to drive to a free state to get Kerosene or does anybody know a guy?
 
I dont know what area you are in but May and Hally in Groton has real kero but you can also use off road diesel fuel as well. Off road has red dye in it and does not have the road use tax included in the price, just dont put it in your car. Quite a few places around Groton have off road diesel right at the pumps.
 
You really want to use clear kerosene. It is nt dyed so pay tax on it but it wont gum up your wicks. It is very hard to find. There is dyed kero all over around here but the only place I could find with clear was in Portsmouth nh.
 
IIRC, the Hess station on US-1 in N. Attleboro had it a few years ago when I was looking for the stuff.
 
Call rental houses local to you: Taylor, Grand Rental, whatever... Chances are they rent kerosene heaters (lord knows we always did), and if they rent the heaters, you can bet they either know where to buy kerosene, or will sell it to you.
 
anyone know any places in the New Bedford/Fall River area that sells the clear kerosene?

also why not just use mineral spirits. I have stocked up on some in addition to lamp oil. I have read a lot about the mineral spirits being just as good but cheaper than lamp oil.
 
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cstockwell said:
anyone know any places in the New Bedford/Fall River area that sells the clear kerosene?

also why not just use mineral spirits. I have stocked up on some in addition to lamp oil. I have read a lot about the mineral spirits being just as good but cheaper than lamp oil.
Click to expand...

Country Hardware on Main St and Perry Hill Rd. in Acushnet carries the type with red dye. He's out of it though until this weekend.

Newport Hardware has the clear $3.49 per Gal.

Newport Hardwares 401-847-7224
130 Broadway
Newport, RI 02840
 
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Johnny's Oil in Plainville, MA usually has it at the pump but call first. Johnny's is on South St. (Rt. 1A) on the right just past the Rt. 106 intersection.

From Wrentham center (Rt. 140 & 1A), it is a 7-10 minute ride and close to the Wrentham outlets.

I can't find an image of their building online but you'll know it when you see it.

http://www.johnnysoil.com/jos/
 
Thanks for the tips guys. I'm in central MA. I would prefer the clear kind. Like someone suggested, the dyed stuff can gum up the lantern wicks and smell more (so i've read).

I'm curious about the mineral spirits. I'll have to look into that. I'm more willing to pay the price and drive to NH for kerosene, but if I can get something just as good for less money here in MA I'm all for it.

I would also love to have it before the first long term power outage of the winter. (none here yet knock on wood).

cstockwell said:
anyone know any places in the New Bedford/Fall River area that sells the clear kerosene?

also why not just use mineral spirits. I have stocked up on some in addition to lamp oil. I have read a lot about the mineral spirits being just as good but cheaper than lamp oil.
Click to expand...
 
yep

Hess station on Cove Rd in New Bedford. Clear Kerosene. I just bought 25 gallons last week. It's the lonely pump by itself with a gas line about 3 feet long so you can't fill anything but a container. [smile][smile]

cstockwell said:
anyone know any places in the New Bedford/Fall River area that sells the clear kerosene?

also why not just use mineral spirits. I have stocked up on some in addition to lamp oil. I have read a lot about the mineral spirits being just as good but cheaper than lamp oil.
Click to expand...
 
Gas station in Warren, MA (approx. 1280 Main Street/Rte. 67) has a pump for K1 clear kerosene.

http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&rls=en&q=1280+main+street+warren+ma&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=1280+Main+St,+Warren,+MA+01585&gl=us&ei=ED9GS_2oPJG3lAfN8-AD&sa=X&oi=geocode_result&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ8gEwAA

In addition to lamps, kero is good for kerosene cook stoves: http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?ref=Miles&action=store&item=SixteenWick This particular stove is cool because the wicks aren't anything special... a string mop can be cut apart and used in a pinch.

There's an oven for the top of the cook stove so you can bake stuff, too: http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?ref=Miles&action=store&item=Oven

They also sell a funnel which separates water from fuel: http://www.stpaulmercantile.com/index.php?ref=Miles&action=store&item=MrFunnel
 
kriggity said:
Hess station on Cove Rd in New Bedford. Clear Kerosene. I just bought 25 gallons last week. It's the lonely pump by itself with a gas line about 3 feet long so you can't fill anything but a container. [smile][smile]
Click to expand...

Cool. Thanks for the info. And thanks to everyone else for the other options. I think I will head to Cove Road and fill up a couple of jugs.
 
In case anyone is looking for some lamps I just ordered some from this site below Vermont Lanterns. From the kerosene section they have some nice looking solid brass lanterns and they are buy 2 get on free. For the small lamp you get the same one but for the 8" desk lamp they give you a 9" desk lamp free. So for 3 small lamps and 3 desk lamps plus shipping it was $59.

https://www.vermontlanterns.com/catalog/kerosene-antique-lanterns

Not huge lamps but will compliment some larger ones I already have well and look nice if you want to just leave them in the house for decoration for now.
 
Out of season now but yard sales are great for kero lamps. I found (2) Dietz Monarch railroad lamps with wicks for $5 this fall. The globes were red but got (2) clear Dietz "Fitz-All" ones for $8 shipped.

Old Dietz lamps are great and they pop up cheap at flea markets & antique shops too. Heavy gauge steel construction meant to take abuse and the wide wick throws a lot of light.

You can also find them new for still very reasonable prices -

Dietz
 
ztargetshooter said:
Thanks for the tips guys. I'm in central MA. I would prefer the clear kind. Like someone suggested, the dyed stuff can gum up the lantern wicks and smell more (so i've read).

I'm curious about the mineral spirits. I'll have to look into that. I'm more willing to pay the price and drive to NH for kerosene, but if I can get something just as good for less money here in MA I'm all for it.

I would also love to have it before the first long term power outage of the winter. (none here yet knock on wood).
Click to expand...

I don't know about "clear" kerosene (never heard of it before here), but Hess at Webster Square has it.
 
Keep in mind that clearKerosene is the only safe kind to use in kerosene heaters. (According to the directions that come with the heaters.) Also, kerosene heaters are ilegal in MA. Good for survival, but if you burn your house down, your insurance may not cover the ilegal heat source.
 
I had to make the decision to switch away from the drums. For SHTF I would be leaving my home. Drums weigh too much. Blue Kersone (gas style) cans are the way i'm going. They will be a bigger pain to fill and will cost alot more concidering that I can get 30 gallon drums for free or close to it. However, the mobility will be worth the cost. What good would a 30 gallon drum be if I couldn't lift it by myself in a rush?
Also someone driving through town with hard to hide drums full of fuel would probably be a target if SHTF.

Coyote33 said:
I don't know about "clear" kerosene (never heard of it before here), but Hess at Webster Square has it.
Click to expand...

I know the place. Again, thank you all for the tips.
 
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I may be mistaken, its happened before, BUT doesn't clear kerosene start to go bad after only a few months of being exposed to air? I know the kerosene heater I have for power outages says to replace the kerosene atleast every 6 months or as soon as it begins to get cloudy...
 
The Mobil down on Rte 20 west of 'The Gentlemens Club' sells it. Not sure what town that is, just know I bought some there acouple years back.
 
In case anyone is interested in storage I just bought 4 white 55 gallon drums and 2 blue from a guy in Swansea. All Food grade barrels so you can use them for anything. The white have the two bung holes in the top with screw caps and the blue have the removable covers. $20 each for the white and $25 fore the blue. White are perfect for gas or kerosene storage. Guys name is Jay and number is 508-324-5422. Last I knew he had a bunch more.
 
Dennis Burke in Chelsea sells K-1 kerosene by the 55 gal drum. Last time I checked the price was in the high 300's. They will also deliver for a price
 

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