Kerosene Lamps and Lanterns

The kerosene table lamp I have (in the photo above) is nice looking and inexpensive. The fuel stores just about indefinitely and the lamp not being complicated it should work whenever needed. It gives off a nice emergency light that will keep you from being totally in the dark and that makes oil lamps a lighting option for emergency use.

As with all flame powered devices used inside your home there is always the possibility of a malfunction and a fire that could cost your everything you own and no place to go afterward.

I bought my lantern long before I got into thoughtful prepping and looking back I shouldn’t have purchased this style of lantern because of its unstable design. The base of this lamp is very small in diameter at 3 inches and that makes it a likely candidate for an accidental tip over. Imagine the lamp on you kitchen table and someone bumps into the table knocking it over. There’s your disaster, and another reason to own an appropriate sized fire extinguisher! To try and prevent this from happening I epoxy bonded the lamp to a small plate. Hopefully this will keep a tip-over from happening.

The lantern I should have bought and is on my list of must haves is the $16.00, Dietz #90 lantern. Three reasons for this choice; One, the large 7¾ inch diameter base for stability, Two, for the large tank (31oz) that will allow a burn time of 27 hours (1.15 ounces per hour) and Three, it is one of the brightest at 12-14 candlepower. If I use the lantern 4 hours at night and 2 hours in the morning I won’t have to refuel if for 4½ days. This will save time and the inconvenience of repeated fill-ups. I also like the bail handle for easy moving around or if I have to hang it up.

Fuel consumption at my rate would be 9.2 days per ½ gallon jug or 18.4 days per stored gallon of fuel or 3 months for 5 gallons.

Wick usage is less than ½ inch per gallon of fuel or one wick will be used up about every 5 gallons of fuel burned.

http://www.lanternnet.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=WKL&Product_Code=DHL90&Category_Code=DL

http://www.lanternnet.com/
W. T. Kirkman Lanterns Inc. is a good source for all your oil lamp needs and much oil lamp information. They’re worth a visit.

Manufacturers notes:
The #2 Blizzard (or now #90) was originally billed as the "King of the Cold Blast Lanterns," and was in fact one of the first Cold Blast Lanterns produced; being so, it takes the older style #852 Fitzall globe. This workhorse of a lantern is still used as a primary source of light in many parts of the world, and is still a real favorite here in the U.S.

Specifications:
•15" High, 7 3/4" Base Diameter
•Average 12-14 Candle Power
•7/8" Wick
•31 oz. Fount Capacity, 27 Hour Burning Time
•Apprx. Thermal Output: 1400 BTU per Hour
•Operates on Average at 6 Cents per Hour worth of Lamp Oil.
•Wicked and ready to add oil