Kerosene heaters while roughing

[tonyou812]

I like to use kerosene in the torpedo heaters. I even go as far as to write kerosene only on the unit. Some people use diesel fuel in these but the fumes created by the diesel really gives me a headache. The propane ones are the best as far as fumes go but the fuel is a bit more expensive and it seems to go quicker, and sometimes if its really cold or the regulator ist'nt adjusted right the line will freeze up. But ive found that if you wear layers of different fabrics like cotton, wool, synthetic as well as a good wool cap and socks by the time you start moving around youll start sheding layers. And if you want to be in the cadilac of warm cloths get yourself a pair of Carhart overalls. Not the extreme cold or the full jump suit. There the Kaki ones. Some people find them bulky but very warm.the full jump suit has one major flaw, when you raise your arms it rides up your butt so steer clear of those. And the extreme weather ones are to much for most situations.

 

[bstoin]

It's miserably cold here these days and I'm toying with the idea of getting a kerosene forced-air heater to take out to job sites for use when roughing in a house. Any of y'all use them in the winter? ...

I used to have this problem when I lived up in Ohio. Now, since I moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I get to work in my shorts and tee shirt while reminiscing about "the good old days" when I used to freeze my ____ off.
Come on down, there's plenty of work!

 

[toddw218]

Great heaters for roughing in a house!

Great heaters for roughing in a house!

I use those kerosene or diesel heaters when I have to pull wire in cold temperatures in houses and they work great!

 

[celtic]

30's and 40's!

That's great working weather - you don't even break a sweat....a pair of UN-insulated overalls and all is good

Tom'row the prediction is for the teens..I'll break out with the insulated bib overalls (not that one piece adult sized diaper).

The coldest I ever had to endure was -20 (with the wind chill factored in)...working oudoors.... I don't care how many salamanders you circle up, it won't get warm until spring

 

[JohnE]

I use the salamander heaters daily. I love them and the fumes don't bother me. We have a couple that are nearly 20 years old. And a few new this year. and I only run kerosene in them. On new construction we will often warm the entire house with them. But at the least, it is nice to be able to warm up a few times a day. And we also warm the wire.

 

[JohnJ0906]

Got to admit, I would have used a heater today if I had one! High of 18, low of 7, plus wind chill. It was a tad chilly in that rough-in!

 

[wireman3736]

I figured it would be a good day to stay warm and get my tax stuff ready.

 

[rcarroll]

The trick is, become an inspector. Oh sure, we take some bashing now & then, but we get outta the cold & into a warm vehicle faster.

 

[JohnJ0906]

The trick is, become an inspector. Oh sure, we take some bashing now & then, but we get outta the cold & into a warm vehicle faster.

I have to admit, rough-in inspections seem to go quicker on days like this!:grin:

 

[jsharvey]

Torpedo Heaters

Torpedo Heaters

Tall Girl,
I've used one for years, the trick to the kerosene ones is maintenance, just like the work truck, you take care of it, it'll take care of you. They can stink up the place real quick if they aren't tuned up before the heating season, but sometimes putting up with the stink is worth it,,lol. And ditto on the carharts, get the bibs and the jacket, it's easier to move in them as opposed to the one piece jobs. And remember, layers work best and you can "shed" if you get to warm. Stay Warm.

J.S.Harvey

 

[bstoin]

Man, was kinda chilly today. Barely made it above 70

 

[celtic]

Now that's a position I don't want to be in!

[Cold air blasts New Jersey]

2/5/2007, 6:04 p.m. ET The Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ? Frigid air settled in over New Jersey, with lows in the single digits and wind chills making it feel below zero in some parts of the state Monday.
Trenton and Newark both had lows of 8 degrees early in the morning, while Atlantic City had a low of 11 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Later in the day, Atlantic City's highest temperature was 21 degrees. Trenton and Newark had highs of 17 and 19 degrees respectively.

Definitly insulated bib days!

 

[blue spark]

Somebody said above you have to maintain the torpedos and I want to tell you that's REALLY important. We have three. 115Kbtu, 125Kbtu, and a 155Kbtu. Right now we're roughing in a 4000 sq footer. It was -24 at the jobsite yesterday morning. One hour later it was 50 in the building.
I hate the propane units. They give me headaches but if you take care of the kero units, they burn nice and clean. They give off more heat than the propane units and half the moisture.

 

[allenwayne]

As Mr. T put it..... I pity the fool.......And he was in lets say it as arnold S does CALIFORNIA.........

 

[renosteinke]

Well, you DID bring this in as a safety topic....

Ventilation is rarely a problem on a job site. If there is not enough, the water created by the heater condenses everywhere. Propane makes an unbelievable amount of water when it burns. The 'stink" of kerosene encourages ventilation.

Heat is good ... even at the 'moderate' temps you mention. Folks are a lot more productive when comfortable. Bundles of clothing restrict motion, get hung up on things, and can even create accidents.

The little 'jet engines' make a lot of heat, fast. They're good for when you first arrive. They also create a lot of noise ... which is another safety issue. Once the initial chill is gone, the use of a quiet heater is a good idea. I'd rather see a small heater in every room, than a single monster in the middle.

 

[George Stolz]

Man, was kinda chilly today. Barely made it above 70

When I read this, I couldn't help but think of Mark Twain.

No weather will be found in this book. This is an attempt to pull a book through without weather. It being the first attempt of the kind in fictitious literature, it may prove a failure, but it seemed worth the while of some dare-devil person to try it, and the author was in just the mood.

Many a reader who wanted to read a tale through was not able to do it because of delays on account of the weather. Nothing breaks up an author's progress like having to stop every few pages to fuss up the weather. Thus it is plain that persistent intrusions of weather are bad for both reader and author.
[FONT=Times,Times New Roman,Latin][/FONT]
[FONT=Times,Times New Roman,Latin]Of course weather is necessary to a narrative of human experience. That is conceded. But it ought to be put where it will not be in the way; where it will not interrupt the flow of the narrative. And it ought to be the ablest weather that can be had, not ignorant, poor-quality, amateur weather. Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article of it. The present author can do only a few trifling ordinary kinds of weather, and he cannot do those very good. So it has seemed wisest to borrow such weather as is necessary for the book from qualified and recognized experts--giving credit, of course. This weather will be found over in the back part of the book, out of the way. See Appendix. The reader is requested to turn over and help himself from time to time as he goes along.[/FONT]

[FONT=Times,Times New Roman,Latin]"The Weather in this Book" is from The Unabridged Mark Twain.​

[/FONT]
​

 

[bstoin]

When I read this, I couldn't help but think of Mark Twain.

[/FONT]
[/RIGHT]

Sorry to digress, but that reminds me of what my mom used to tell me on a regular basis, "better to keep your mouth shut and appear stupid, than to open it and remove all doubt." (Mark Twain)
I never did learn.

 

[frenchelectrican]

i did use the torpedo heater as well on few jobsites both multifuel [ keno and diesel fuel ] and propane verison both work pretty good but when get near finail stage when the drywaller get in there we switch over to propane other wise if the building have a furance hook up all by the means use it

i also have one protable heater that run on Natural gaz i used from time to time if they have the natural gas pipe ready to use it then i dont have to worry about running out of the fuel at all

yeah with LP heaters i have actally did see the tank actally frozed up and cant get any fuel come out until the tank warm up some then it will be ok.

we like to leave a window or door open to keep the fumes down a bit

the other issuse is the noise yeah they do scream a bit sometime it can get annony


Merci , Marc

 

[thewireman]

I use them on maybe the 10 coldest days of each winter. The kind you speak of, Tallgirl, are often referred to as "torpedo heaters" or "salamanders" for slang. That's the type I have. If I was your boss in the area of the country where you're working, I might just tell you to toughen up a little.

you tell em! we never had heat! they only supplied heat to dry the dry wall mud ! and we electricans had completed our rough and were on the next cold job by the time they spent money to heat the place.