Mixing kerosene and Kleen Heat

Gene&Mary

New member
I have always used kerosene in the Wallas Heater but saw some Kleen Heat for sale last week at Home Depot.

Is there a problem mixing the two? Do I need to clean out the reservoir if I start using Kleen Heat?

I know this has been discussed before but which one does everyone think is best?

thanks
 
Gene&Mary":i97cyqbm said:
Is there a problem mixing the two? Do I need to clean out the reservoir if I start using Kleen Heat?

Very good question, as I will have the same situation fairly soon, when my tank of diesel runs down and I switch to Kleen Heat. Absent any advice here to the contrary, I plan to simply dump the Kleen Heat into the almost-empty Wallas container.

Warren
 
I have mixed diesel, kerosene and Kleen-Heat in the same tank for my Webasto with no ill effects. I had asked sure marine, the Webasto supplier about mixing and they said there was no problem. YMMV.
 
When I bought my boat several years ago(used) it had a half jug of diesel. I used most of it, emptied the rest, added Kleen-Heet with no ill effects. The diesel left in the lines didn't seem to effect it and the transition to Kleen-Heet was not even noticeable.
 
If the change from diesel to clean heat provided no noticeable change.... why use anything but diesel (readily available, and I'm guessing, cheapest)? Or is it like using clean burning lamp oil in an indoor lantern instead of smoky kerosene? C.W.
 
I changed from diesel because the sure marine/Webasto folks said kerosene would help the furnace last longer. I have not noticed any difference in performance.
 
CW,
I changed because of concern about the storage life of diesel left in the system over winter storage. I winterize and store my boat for 6-7 months each winter. I believe the Kleen-Heet has a better storage life than diesel.
 
CW":3hxu5k1i said:
If the change from diesel to clean heat provided no noticeable change.... why use anything but diesel (readily available, and I'm guessing, cheapest)? Or is it like using clean burning lamp oil in an indoor lantern instead of smoky kerosene? C.W.

Excellent comparison and the main reason we switched the others being better start ups and less fouling of the burner, which I guess is really the same thing.

Jay
 
I had a brief conversation with Les at EQ when we stopped by last fall. I had stopped to ask him about the question of mingling of different fuels during a changeover, and he told me that it was his understanding that the Wallas stove/heater had been designed for ultra low sulfur diesel fuel since that is the only diesel available in Europe.
My plan is to simply fill up with the new low sulfur diesel and see what I get.

Paul Priest
Sequim
 
At least one of our personal vehicles have been diesel powered since l979 and at different periods of my life I've run different heavy equipment all powered by diesel. Low sulfur or not you can't get away from the stink. Spill just a few drops or have the exhaust drift back to the cabin or cockpit and I think you will be thinking kleen-heat is worth the price.

Jay
 
Like every aspect of boating in all depends on how you use your boat and heater. I wouldn't hesitate to use diesel if I needed stove fuel and couldn't get Kleen-Heet. Or if I were able to use my boat year-round. My use of the Wallas is such that I seldom go through more than a gallon per year and coupled with long periods of storage, I feel than the Kleen-Heet is a better fit for me.
 
colobear":2moe52ij said:
I have mixed diesel, kerosene and Kleen-Heat in the same tank for my Webasto with no ill effects. I had asked sure marine, the Webasto supplier about mixing and they said there was no problem. YMMV.

Me too. Nice clean diesel, kerosene, and Kleen-Strip. No fuel problems after 3 boating seasons.
 
I recently had a discussion with Scan Marine (Wallas Supplier) and spoke with Mike their technical guy. He now recommends that Diesel be run in the wallas. Our diesel used to be pretty bad but his explanation was that burning Kerosene or other fuels are not as fresh as diesel is. He also says that most of that stuff sits on the shelf for a long period of time. If any questions come about you might want to call the supplier direct. Most of the time they are willing to work with our customers!
 
Agree, excellent summary by Dan

Only difference being if I can afford a $50000 boat or a $2700 heater the difference of up to $100 saved on heater cost per season is not going to prevent me from using kleen heat verses uls diesel with the advantages of I've seen with kleen heat. Preventing the stink alone is worth the 100 bucks. Maybe we have USN (ultra sensitive nose) We use about the same amount as Dan in a season here in Wyoming.

Dan, I understand the lubricity value in my duramax especially with the ULS diesel, in fact I add Stanadyne year around for just that, but not the heater. Is it the pump or what in the wallas that needs the lub for a longer life.

Andrew, we sent our wallas to Scan Marine for repair and service this fall. Told them we had been using kleen heat since they last serviced in fall of 2003. They said it looked good inside and no problem continuing to use it.

Jay
 
I've heard it's the pump that needs the lubricity in the fuel. I use Klean Heat in my Wallas 1300 Heater, no problems for 2 years now (knock on wood), but then again, I believe I'm only just starting my 2nd gallon! :wink:
 
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