What is the difference between paraffin oil and lamp oil

Oil is simply pressed from olives, two thirds of which is oil, and strained. Used as a fuel, olive oil is not expensive. In general it is cheaper to burn than most candles. The cost of burning an olive oil lamp will depend on the size of the wick. The size of the wick determines size of flame and corresponding fuel consumption. If you spill your lit olive oil lamp on the floor it will be smothered and not ignite.

Flat wick lamps and lanterns are designed to burn brightest with kerosene fuel, but clear lamp oil works just fine too. A popular lamp oil choice is K-1 kerosene, which is affordable and readily available from filling stations or in prepackaged containers.

Sulfur and other impurities make kerosene smell. Burning a kerosene lamp oil outside takes care of the pungent odor, however the smell is unmistakable if you burn it indoors.

KleenHeat is advertized to burn clean with no harmful chemicals or inputs to incomplete combustion. See our list of approved lamp oils suitable for inside and outside use. Indoor burning of kerosene oil lamps and heaters must be ventilated. If the power is out and the weather is freezing adequate ventilation may be a problem. Burning kerosene fuel oil releases the odorless gas carbon monoxide; which is poisonous to humans and life threatening - read about carbon monoxide here. Kerosene lamps also produce black carbon, a byproduct of incomplete combustion.

Black carbon has serious health effects and contributes more to atmospheric warming than carbon dioxide. Read more about how kerosene lamps impact your health. Using kerosene can stain your oil lanterns and lamps, especially the colored variety ment for industrial equipment. Read about the other types of oil lamp oil ; did you know olive oil was used for thousands of years in oil lamps?

The minimum recommended flashpoint of kerosene is degrees. Kerosene for oil lamps should be between and degrees fahrenheit. If you experience a run-away flame the only way to put it out is to smother it - place a bucket over the lamp or shovel on the dirt to put out the flame.

When it comes to fueling the lamps and lanterns that add that cozy glow to your home in winter months - which is better, common lamp oil or kerosene? Or just skip to the list of lamp oil approved for indoor use. Lamp oil is in the same chemical family as kerosene but impurities have been removed so it burns cleaner. Lamp oil is more expensive than kerosene due to the extra steps needed to purify the oil resulting in significantly less impurities released into the air when burned.

Best quality lamp oils will be virtually smokeless and without an odor. Not all lamp oils are created equally. There are many oil varieties available with varying degrees of purity, viscosity thickness , flash point, and other properties that affect burning. Kerosene is the cheaper option and some old timers will tell you kerosene makes flat wick lanterns burn brightest. It is available in synthetic kerosene, red kerosene and K Red kerosene is dyed for regulation purposes and is meant to fuel industrial equipment.

Never burn red kerosene indoors because the byproducts from the red dye can be harmful. K-1 kerosene should not be burned indoors unless properly vented, you can read more about kerosene lamp oil here. Despite being more of a wallet eater, to keep indoor air clean and healthy, use lamp oil in your indoor oil lamps and oil lanterns.

Due to the refined nature of paraffin oil, the many paraffin oil product versions have no labeling standard.

So what do you need to know about paraffin oil and using it in oil lamps? Here's the -. If a wick has been contaminated with paraffin oil it must be replaced for proper burning to resume. If you must use paraffin oil Although it may be tempting, when picking the oil to use in an oil lamp the best advice is not to experiment; use the fuel designed for use with your product. Learn the approved indoor and outdoor oils for lamps and lanterns. Tiki torch fuel is petroleum-based and meant only for outside use and for repelling insects.

Tiki torch fuel smokes when it is burned. If you must use tiki torch fuel in an oil lamp, it is only safe to do so outside and it can be cut with kerosene to achieve a longer wick life. The tiki torch oils approved for outdoor use in oil lamps are listed in table 3 under approved outdoor oil for lamps.

Finally, lamp oil can be safely used in tiki torches. However, the flame performance and insect repelling smoke will be effectively lessened. According to the National Fuel Gas Code Handbook Carbon Monoxide CO is, "a colorless, odorless", poisonous gas that results from the incomplete burning of "common" fuels such as natural or liquefied petroleum gas LP-Gas , oil, wood, or coal. When CO is inhaled, it enters the bloodstream and reduces the ability of the blood to carry oxygen to vital organs, such as the heart and the brain.

The dangers of carbon monoxide exposure depend on a number of variables like overall health and activity level. CO poisoning can be mistaken with flu symptoms, food poisoning and others.

Some symptoms include shortness of breath, nausea, dizziness, lightheadedness or headaches. High levels of CO can be fatal, causing death within minutes. Becoming informed is step one. Replace the battery in your detector when you change the clocks in the spring and fall. Place the detector where it will wake you up if it goes off, like outside your bedroom door. Black carbon is generated by burning kerosene. Kerosene oil wick lamps produce a very bright flame and black carbon as a incomplete combustion byproduct of burning kerosene.

This carbon must be trimmed off the wick before each use how to trim a wick. This is the same sooty black material produced by coal power plants. Black carbon is an air pollutant, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency, because it comprises a significant portion of particulate matter.

The EPA explains, "Inhalation of black carbon is associated with health problems including respiratory and cardiovascular disease, cancer, and even birth defects. To answer the whole of this question it is important to understand that across the world, many people in developing countries use kerosene lamps every day.

Those without electric lighting carry a huge disportionate health risk exposure. The takeaway: There are personal health implications when burning kerosene. For infrequent oil lamp and lantern users you have nothing to worry about. If you do intend to burn oil lamps and lanterns indoors, use a fuel like kleenheat - a refined kerosene sold for complete combustion and no black emissions. Our list of approved lamp oils includes fuel oils safe to use indoors.

Conventional lamp oil is made from paraffin and kerosene that is refined from petroleum. Petroleum is heated to capture and condense vapors into liquids. Due to numerous lamp oil manufacturers and product lines the proportions of chemicals in lamp oils vary. It would be preposterous to provide one chemical formula to describe lamp oil.

Kerosene oil is a highly flammable oil that is commonly used as fuel. It is created by distilling petroleum through a process involving the heating and separation of the petroleum compounds. While kerosene oil is technically considered a paraffin oil, there are still key differences between the two. Below is a brief history of kerosene so you can become more acquainted with the fuel.

While many petroleum-based items were around thousands of years ago, kerosene was first discovered in by a British physician, Abraham Gesner.

He created kerosene for the first time when he developed an extraction process to separate the inflammable liquid asphalt. Kerosene was essential in the days before electricity, as its discovery developed the compound into an entire oil drilling industry and pushed the development of purification techniques. It held the spot as the most vital refinery product until the early s. Kerosene was regularly used to light oil lamps back in the early s, and is now primarily used for residential heating.

Paraffin lamp oil is a liquid paraffin. While it is chemically the same family as kerosene, the two do have distinctions. Paraffin oil is purified oil that is designed for the cleanest burn possible. Paraffin lamp oil is created through a crude oil distillation process. It is a mineral oil.

Here are a few important things to know about the history of paraffin lamp oil. While working in the mining industry, Young noted oil dripping from the ceiling of the mine—which led him to hypothesize he could extract oil from coal through heating.

He was correct, and he eventually founded the first commercial oil refinery in the world in Paraffin wax and paraffin oils have a wide range of uses such as cosmetics, beauty products, lighting lamps, fuel, and more. Today, paraffin is still a commonly used oil and is considered one of the cleanest burns available. The difference between kerosene vs. As mentioned previously, these terms can be used interchangeably. So, kerosene is often referred to as paraffin. Paraffins are major constituents of petroleum and natural gas.

Those containing fewer than five carbon atoms per molecule are usually gases at room temperature, while those with between five and 15 carbon atoms are typically liquids. Straight-chain versions with more than 15 carbon atoms per molecule occur as solids at room temperature.

As well as a liquid fuel kerosene , paraffin is used in a number of different forms, including paraffin wax which can create everything from crayons to candles and petroleum jelly. It can also be used as a lubricant for machinery and a coolant for electrical systems, as well as a hydraulic fluid and even an insecticide. So, while there is an overlap between the terms paraffin and kerosene, paraffin has a broader meaning and a wider range of applications.

In both cases, you can use the product to power your heating system. However, in certain circumstances there are differences.

Sometimes, paraffin refers to a more refined and distilled version of kerosene, meaning it can be more suitable for indoor uses such as lamps and stoves. This type of paraffin includes additives to reduce its odour. If a supplier uses the term paraffin specifically to describe a premium grade kerosene, this just means that if your appliance will run on kerosene, it should run even better on this paraffin.

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