[Jarred Santos]

Kero Heater​

Winter is right around the corner, and what better way to remember the good old days than with something most of you may remember: kero heaters!

These little gasoline or kerosene-powered heaters were quite the treat on chilly days (if you could stand the smell of the fuel), with the rather scary side effect of being a fire hazard.

Image Credit: Facebook/Australia Remember When

I was told more than once that these set fire to many household items if you didn’t watch what you placed near it (or on it), so much so that they give off the impression that they’re remembered just as well for causing small fires as they are for giving warmth.

On that note, there are stories of huddling around these heaters for a warm and toasty spot, which is a heavenly experience in cold weather.

How about you? What was your experience with kero heaters growing up? Tell us!

 

[Aussie all the Way]

Kero Heater​

Winter is right around the corner, and what better way to remember the good old days than with something most of you may remember: kero heaters!

These little gasoline or kerosene-powered heaters were quite the treat on chilly days (if you could stand the smell of the fuel), with the rather scary side effect of being a fire hazard.

View attachment 16538

Image Credit: Facebook/Australia Remember When

I was told more than once that these set fire to many household items if you didn’t watch what you placed near it (or on it), so much so that they give off the impression that they’re remembered just as well for causing small fires as they are for giving warmth.

On that note, there are stories of huddling around these heaters for a warm and toasty spot, which is a heavenly experience in cold weather.

How about you? What was your experience with kero heaters growing up? Tell us!

I really don't think anyone ever put gasoline (petrol) into one of these things, they as far as I remember were called Kerosine heaters and that was what went into them. If some one did put petrol into them they would not be around to tell the story they would have been blown sky high. Phew ee did they smell when first lit.

 

[Suzanne rose]

I remember they only ever put kerosene in them that's why we called them kerosene heaters.
Maybe Americans use Gasoline they call petrol Gasoline they might also call kerosene that.

My biggest memory was having bread on a long fork or knife and cooking toast with my cousins , such a good memory

 

[Aussie all the Way]

I remember they only ever put kerosene in them that's why we called them kerosene heaters.
Maybe Americans use Gasoline they call petrol Gasoline they might also call kerosene that.

My biggest memory was having bread on a long fork or knife and cooking toast with my cousins , such a good memory

Gasoline, Kerosine 2 totally different things cannot be interchanged.

 

[janj]

I used to sit so close to ours as I am a cold person

 

[Suzanne rose]

Gasoline, Kerosine 2 totally different things cannot be interchanged.

Gasoline is an American term for petrol maybe Americans also call Kerosene Gasoline .

I know here we only ever used Kerosene in a Kerosene heater

 

[Baz1960]

Oh, I have the smell of burning kerosene in my nostrils now. Great memory. Also toasting our bread, could you imaging the outcry now if kids were allowed near one lol.

 

[Suzanne rose]

Oh, I have the smell of burning kerosene in my nostrils now. Great memory. Also toasting our bread, could you imaging the outcry now if kids were allowed near one lol.

I couldn't say how many burnt toast we did but we still ate them

 

[Aussie all the Way]

Gasoline is an American term for petrol maybe Americans also call Kerosene Gasoline .

I know here we only ever used Kerosene in a Kerosene heater

NO Petrol/ Gasoline the same, Kerosine is very very very different, cannot be interchanged unless you want BLOW yourself UP. I think I have got my explanation across to you now. End of discussion about the 2 NOT the same, irrespective of American or Australian.

 

[Suzanne rose]

NO Petrol/ Gasoline the same, Kerosine is very very very different, cannot be interchanged unless you want BLOW yourself UP. I think I have got my explanation across to you now. End of discussion about the 2 NOT the same, irrespective of American or Australian.

I wasn't debating it. I totally agreed it is kerosene we use in Australia for these heaters.

You dont need to get you knickers in a knott I think you misinterpreted my reply

 

[Devildog]

This little item was the best for it not only heated your whole house up but it use to be good for placing a item on the front bars to make hot coffee but you also had to put a bowl of water to extract the fumes from the heater

 

[Two rubbish bins]

When my daughter was about 18 months old I had the exact same heater as pictured in my family room. I went to answer a knock at the front door. Chatted to my neighbour for a couple of minutes when my daughter excitedly ran to us saying “cookin Mummy”. Didn’t take much notice for a minute when suddenly the smell hit us. Ran back to the family room to find my daughter had put her pink plastic potty on the heater like a saucepan. It sure was “cookin”. That was the end of the heater and a lesson learned for me.

 

[Gsr]

When I was growing up we only had wood stoves and open fires. We had an open fire in one end of our kitchen, surrounded by tin walls and roof with a big chimney to let all the smoke out, and our wood fire was beside it. The open fire burned all winter, we cooked on it using big pots and kettle hanging over it on hooks on a metal frame that was built for that purpose. We cooked in the coals, cooked toast and marshmallows on long toasting forks made out of fencing wire. The country school I went to also had an open fire in one corner that we lit each morning in winter and toasted our sandwiches and marshmallows on. We put it out before we left each day. My experience of kerosene heaters came after I met my husband, his family had one. It created a lot of warmth in their house, but the fumes and smell took some getting used to. We would gather around it in the kitchen in winter playing cards at the table, or just chatting. They had no TV, only a wireless which ran on batteries and was mainly switched on for the news and for pop to listen to the cricket. This was in the 70s, but it took a while for country folks to catch up with the latest trends, and I guess working outside from before daylight to at least dark 7 days a week they didn’t see the need for TVs and modern gadgets as they had little time to use them anyway.

 

[kerrikennel]

I loved ours! When I became a single parent I bought a second hand one from the Salvos shop. It was great as I had to buy the fuel to use it, so there were no hidden costs. Only thing was the first use of the season, when it would smoke to high heaven!!!!

 

[Aussie all the Way]

I wasn't debating it. I totally agreed it is kerosene we use in Australia for these heaters.

You dont need to get you knickers in a knott I think you misinterpreted my reply

That's OK I was just a bit worried that you couldn't seem to get the point that the Americans have never called Gasoline, Kerosene they have 2 very different chemical symbols.

 

[thomas]

Kero Heater​

Winter is right around the corner, and what better way to remember the good old days than with something most of you may remember: kero heaters!

These little gasoline or kerosene-powered heaters were quite the treat on chilly days (if you could stand the smell of the fuel), with the rather scary side effect of being a fire hazard.

View attachment 16538

Image Credit: Facebook/Australia Remember When

I was told more than once that these set fire to many household items if you didn’t watch what you placed near it (or on it), so much so that they give off the impression that they’re remembered just as well for causing small fires as they are for giving warmth.

On that note, there are stories of huddling around these heaters for a warm and toasty spot, which is a heavenly experience in cold weather.

How about you? What was your experience with kero heaters growing up? Tell us!

you learnt NEVER move or carry the heater while it was alight

 

[thomas]

That's OK I was just a bit worried that you couldn't seem to get the point that the Americans have never called Gasoline, Kerosene they have 2 very different chemical symbols.

there's power kerosene (as used in the old tractors etc) and there's household kerosene (for heaters etc)
and then there's paraffin (similar to household kero)

 

[kerrikennel]

When my daughter was about 18 months old I had the exact same heater as pictured in my family room. I went to answer a knock at the front door. Chatted to my neighbour for a couple of minutes when my daughter excitedly ran to us saying “cookin Mummy”. Didn’t take much notice for a minute when suddenly the smell hit us. Ran back to the family room to find my daughter had put her pink plastic potty on the heater like a saucepan. It sure was “cookin”. That was the end of the heater and a lesson learned for me.

My kids put some Blockbuster VCR movies on top of ours once. RIP Cujo and whatever the other movie was!!!

 

[Chook03]

When my kids were little, we had just moved into our new home in Melbourne & the central heating wasn’t finished. So I bought a Kerosene heater & put it in the middle of a playpen in the lounge room so the kids were kept safe & totally warm. Good memories.

 

[Aussie all the Way]

My kids put some Blockbuster VCR movies on top of ours once. RIP Cujo and whatever the other movie was!!!

Lesson learned NEVER leave kids without supervision and to the own devices