Re: MTD Yardman Transaxle Rebuild
Ron,
One of the characteristics of alcohol is that it's hygroscopic, meaning that it absorbs water. Which maybe an advantage to adding it to a fuel so any water doesn't settle out to the bottom of the tank where it might be sucked up into the fuel line. It is commonly sold as "Fuel Line Antifreeze" for automobiles in the winter.
I have never seen any dyed fuel oil, except that which could be used illegally in on-the-road machinery to power diesel engines. The dye is put there merely as a means of identification, so that tax evading offenders may be caught "red handed"... There is nothing in a wick heater that is anywhere near as demanding (of a clean fuel) as the fuel injectors of a diesel engine! I still maintain that what you are seeing is #2 fuel oil, which I agree is NOT as purely refined as K-1 kerosene. Meaning yes, it will smoke more than K-1 and yes it may well carbon up your wicks, but what the hell, wicks are cheap enough to replace.
The question remains as to whether or not you should burn anything in an enclosed space that consumes O2 and produces CO as well as CO2. And my answer to that is absolutely NOT!!! Never run that type of heater if it does not have access to fresh air. (An open window, etc...) Using a heater of that sort in an enclosed space could very well lead to death! And if you are dead, what you paid for, or saved on the fuel you burned won't matter at all!! Be safe!
Roger
Both local hardware stores received deliveries of inventory yesterday; neither received any heater fuel.
Their supplier is out of stock as well.
So, I added some denatured alcohol to me red kero and the heater burns cleaner now with less fumes and smoke.
I asked the red kero supplier what grade theirs is and, after consulting his documentation he said K-1.
I cannot attest to the truthfulness of that statement, but it is what he said.
I can understand the logic of not burning a kero heater indoors, but.............
what is a space heater for,then?? One would not even think of attempting to heat an outdoor "space" with a space heater........
My shop has a volume of greater than 15ooo cu ft, so I don't think I am in any danger.
However, the heater really doesn't do much to noticeably heat the area, so.....................