Saving on Coleman Fuel Cost - Substitution with Kerosene

[Mike]

If you like the light of a traditional Coleman lantern, like many people do and if you camp a lot and use your Coleman lantern a lot, like I do, then the cost of coleman fuel is a consideration. With Coleman fuel being around $10.00/gallon many people are looking for an alternative.

I like Coleman products like stoves, lanterns and even the old liquid fuel catalytic heaters. I will probably go through 5 to 10 gallons of Coleman fuel in a year (including use in catalytic heaters), so the cost adds up.

Perhaps more important than the cost consideration is safety. I am always at least a little concerned about having gas (either liquid or bottled) packed in the car with my family as we drive to camping.

Kerosene is a better fuel alternative. It is cheaper (about the same as automobile gas), safer (less explosive than gasoline), and cleaner (won't clog up your lantern as quickly as auto gasoline).

Of course, there are Kerosene lanterns. There are also Coleman Duel fuel lanterns that can use lower cost automobile gasoline, but it is widely known that the use of auto gasoline will eventually clog up even the Duel Fuel lanterns.

THE HARDWARE:

SO... being a cheapskate with several old Coleman lanterns to spare, I thought I would try using kerosene in a 1991 Coleman Dual Fuel lantern. I chose the 1991 lantern because it is not as well made as the older or even the later Coleman lanterns and I was willing to sacrifice it for the sake of experimentation. I did not choose it because its "duel fuel" capabilities.

HOW I DID IT CHEAP-O

You can look on YouTube and find several videos on folks that converted their Coleman lanterns to kerosene. The most professional changed out the generator to a kerosene generator and added a primer cup. Hmm good idea, but I don't want to invest $20 into this. Another dude uses a propane torch to preheat the generator. Cheap, but the guy looked like an idiot and it just seemed dangerous.

SO, what I did was simply soak a cotton ball with alcohol and tucked it around the generator. I lit the cotton ball and used it to pre-heat the generator, then just about when the cotton ball flame is about to go out, I turned the fuel lever on and "ON" the lantern flame/light lighted. Cheap, relatively safe, fun.

THE RESULTS:

1. It works! The kerosene worked just about as good as Coleman fuel. It produced a bright white light, not yellow
2. It SEEMS a little less bright: The Brilliance seemed a little dimmer than Coleman fuel: Even though the mantles burned white, it did not seem to throw off as much light as Coleman fuel. I did not run a side by side comparison which I should do for a fair comparison
3. It needed more pressure: In order to work, I had to make it work well, I had to pressurize the tank more and do it frequently. I could notice the light start to dim after about 20 or 30 minutes and I had to do it more frequently.
4. The light swells after pressurizing. As mentioned above, it runs better/brighter with lots of pressure, but when you pressurize it tight, the light gets a kind of pulse to it.
5. It burns clean: No suet, no strong odor.

THE VERDICT:

1. The safety of kerosene vs gas is still an important advantage of kerosene.
2. The need to pump frequently, the generator-priming, the reduced brilliance are all downsides.
3. The economy of using kerosene IN A DUAL FUEL lantern doesn't really play out that well for kerosene. Probably to run well on kerosene, you should change the generator to a kerosene generator and probably add a primer cup = $20 at today's prices. The price of kerosene is about the same as the price of auto gasoline.

BOTTOM LINE (for dual fuel models):
I think I will just run the duel fuel lantern on auto gas until the generator eventually clogs up and then replace the generator. The economics end up being a wash and the pain-in-the-fannywanny factors with kerosene make the auto gasoline look more convenient.

BOTTOM LINE (for older "Coleman Fuel Only models):
My understanding is that the older lanterns had gaskets that are quickly erroded by the solvent additives in auto gasoline, so you can't just run auto gas or simply replace the generator to a duel fuel generator in older Coleman lanters. So, not having the auto gasoline option, I would strongly consider the kerosene conversion option for older Coleman lanterns. Spend $10.00 to add the kerosene generator, but you can use the cotton ball method just as conveniently as using a primer cup.

[Mike]

Re: Saving on Coleman Fuel Cost - Substitution with Kerosene

After all that fiddling around with kerosene fuel, my gloves still stink of kerosene. It reminds me why kerosene is not ideal. In addition to it being stinky, it does not have the same BTU so it takes more kerosene to get the same job done as gas or Coleman fuel

[Irate Mormon]

Re: Saving on Coleman Fuel Cost - Substitution with Kerosene

Around here kerosene is $6/gallon. Not cheap.

[Mike]

Re: Saving on Coleman Fuel Cost - Substitution with Kerosene

Around here kerosene is $6/gallon. Not cheap.

Around here, K1 kerosen sells for about the same price as premium gasoline. Even with that price advantage, it isn't enough to convince me to use kerosene. To stinky.

I have to say, the Coleman Dual Fuel option is strong. After a lot of experimenation, I find that a Dual Fuel lantern burns bright and long on automobile gasoline. It is econical and efficient. I just can't help it. I like the warmth and the brightness, the functionality, the economy and the nostalgia of the Coleman lanterns.

The way I look at it, run the Dual Fuel on automotive gasoline and when the notorious gumming of the generator comes, either skin-flint it and try to clean the generator OR buy another generator for ten or fifteen bucks. You come out ahead any way you look at it.