OT: Where to buy kerosene?

[Tim-S]

Ok, this is off topic, sorry. Anyone know where I can buy bulk kerosene in DSM? I tried google. It mostly recommended places that are no longer in business.

I'm used to gas stations having a pump off to the side somewhere with kerosene, typically about the same price as diesel (often cheaper, since the road taxes haven't been added to it). I don't need high quality -- actually, I'd burn diesel fuel sooner than pay the $9/gal that hardware stores seem to want for pre-packaged jugs of the stuff.

[Jeffrey Ollie]

I don't think that it's really off topic because having your shop in an unheated garage makes a lot of DIY projects difficult for 3-4 months of the year.

I believe that Mills Fleet Farm in Ankeny sells kerosene for about $4 a gallon or so, but that is based on a discussion I was having with a friend about kerosene heaters for my garage. In fact I bought a kerosene heater from Fleet Farm this morning but I was in a hurry and I didn't have an appropriate container to fill with kerosene so I just bought a gallon prepackaged and didn't check out the bulk kerosene sales.

Of course now I realize that I need to insulate my garage because I could only get the temperature up to around 40°F but that's enough to make the space usable. Insulating the garage is a project I'll have to save for another time though.

On Jan 3, 2016 11:33 PM, "Tim-S" <t.she...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ok, this is off topic, sorry. Anyone know where I can buy bulk kerosene in DSM? I tried google. It mostly recommended places that are no longer in business.

I'm used to gas stations having a pump off to the side somewhere with kerosene, typically about the same price as diesel (often cheaper, since the road taxes haven't been added to it). I don't need high quality -- actually, I'd burn diesel fuel sooner than pay the $9/gal that hardware stores seem to want for pre-packaged jugs of the stuff.

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[Jeffrey Ollie]

This site has a picture of Fleet Farm's kerosene pump. They don't appear to track prices though.

http://www.desmoinesgasprices.com/MIlls_Fleet_Farm_Gas_Stations/Ankeny/161230/index.aspx

[Dan Hockey]

Check the Ammaco. Gas station in Ankeny I used to get k1 there.

[Jeffrey Ollie]

There are no Amaco gas stations left in Ankeny.  The one by on 1st Street just off the I-35 was torn down a few years ago and replaced with a strip mall.  The one on 1st Street and Ankeny Blvd is now a BP station, it's possible that they have kerosene and I'm not aware of it as I don't buy gas there very often.

On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 6:50 AM, Dan Hockey <icep...@gmail.com> wrote:

Check the Ammaco. Gas station in Ankeny I used to get k1 there.

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Jeff Ollie

[Tim-S]

Thanks.

I've heard rumors that some of the Dahl's fuel stations had kerosene. I'll stop by after work to see if the new "Price Chopper" or whatever has kept the pumps -- and since there's interest here, will report back.

[David Champion]

I think the Dahl's Fuel on Ingersoll is still open (and still branded as Dahl's) next to the Price Chopper. Not sure if they have kerosene, can take a look later today.

-dc

[Benjamin Miller]

QuikTrip stores have a kerosene pump on the side of the building, at least, the ones on the east side do.

- Benjamin Miller <b...@benjamintmiller.com>
________________________________________
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
    - Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery, In Design

[Benjamin Miller]

If you're burning it for heat, propane is a buck a gallon right now.  A 100 lb propane tank will cleanly heat a garage for an entire winter of projects.

- Benjamin Miller <b...@benjamintmiller.com>
________________________________________
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
    - Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery, In Design

[Benjamin Miller]

And if you want your garage to smell really good, you can buy Jet-A at your local airport.  I love the smell of jet exhaust in the morning...

- Benjamin Miller <b...@benjamintmiller.com>
________________________________________
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
    - Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery, In Design

[Tim-S]

On Monday, January 4, 2016 at 10:11:27 AM UTC-6, Benjamin Miller wrote:

If you're burning it for heat, propane is a buck a gallon right now.  A 100 lb propane tank will cleanly heat a garage for an entire winter of projects.

Yes, propane is really cheap right now, but I got the kerosene heater for free...

I'll run by Price Chopper on Merle Hay after work to see what their prices are. Ben, any idea what the QT's on the east side actually charge?

[Nabil Hanke]

Speaking of propane heaters, I've got one that mounts atop a typical barbecue cylinder and works well 14,000 btu single element. $25

Thank you,

Nabíl

--

[Dan Hockey]

N.E 14th(hwy69) & 1st just south of HyVee.

On Monday, January 4, 2016 at 6:58:36 AM UTC-6, Jeffrey Ollie wrote:

[Jeffrey Ollie]

On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 12:54 PM, Dan Hockey <icep...@gmail.com> wrote:

N.E 14th(hwy69) & 1st just south of HyVee.

NE 14th / Hwy 69 is called Ankeny Blvd in Ankeny.  I'll try and drive by tonight to see if there's anything obvious but I probably won't have time to stop inside and ask.

--

Jeff Ollie

[Jeffrey Ollie]

Kerosene is $3.749 at Fleet Farm in Ankeny. There's a gasoline style pump in between the gas station and car wash in front of the store.

On Jan 4, 2016 1:07 AM, "Jeffrey Ollie" <je...@ocjtech.us> wrote:

[David Champion]

Dahl's gas station on Ingersoll is open, I drove through but didn't see any obvious kerosene pump. They do have a Blue Rhino LP tank thing.

Another tangent on this off-topic topic... anyone have a good idea for a way to do a heater in an attached garage that vents to the outside that doesn't cost a ton of money? A kerosene or LP gas heater shouldn't be used in an attached garage, since you risk filling the house with CO.

-dc

[Benjamin Miller]

I think the risk is more oxygen depletion than CO generation.  I have a CO detector in my garage, and 30 seconds with a car will raise it much higher than an hour with a Mr Heater.  YMMV, of course, so vent your spaces well.

If you have a thousand bucks to spend, a ductless mini-split system is the way to go in a garage.  You get an air conditioner and an efficient electric heater (upwards of 300% down to 0 degrees these days).  These cost less to run than a gas system.

For around $500, Menard's, Northern Tool, Fleet Farm, etc sell hanging heaters that run on natural gas or propane.  They can either vent out through a wall or up through the roof.

For even less, you can get a hanging electric heater.  I have a 7500W one that pulls about 32A of 240.  It uses about 75 cents of electricity per hour if it runs continuously.  I accidently left the garage set to 70 degrees last January and my power bill went up $100.

- Benjamin Miller <b...@benjamintmiller.com>
________________________________________
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
    - Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery, In Design

[Jeffrey Ollie]

On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 2:52 PM, David Champion <dcham...@gmail.com> wrote:

Dahl's gas station on Ingersoll is open, I drove through but didn't see any obvious kerosene pump. They do have a Blue Rhino LP tank thing.

Same with the BP station at 1st and Ankeny Blvd in Ankeny.

 

Another tangent on this off-topic topic... anyone have a good idea for a way to do a heater in an attached garage that vents to the outside that doesn't cost a ton of money? A kerosene or LP gas heater shouldn't be used in an attached garage, since you risk filling the house with CO.

An inexpensive CO alarm in the garage should allay any fears of CO buildup.  I picked one up for $20 yesterday at Home Depot when I bought my kerosene heater.  I'd probably be more worried about the additional moisture introduced into the building, plus burning kerosene does have a faint odor.

Amazon didn't have anything that looked cheap.  I suspect the need to seal the combustion chamber makes direct vent heaters expensive.  If I was to DIY it, I'd probably look at hot water or steam radiators inside with some sort of boiler outside, but that probably wouldn't be cheap or easy either.

 

-dc

On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 1:19 PM, Jeffrey Ollie <je...@ocjtech.us> wrote:

Kerosene is $3.749 at Fleet Farm in Ankeny. There's a gasoline style pump in between the gas station and car wash in front of the store.

On Jan 4, 2016 1:07 AM, "Jeffrey Ollie" <je...@ocjtech.us> wrote:

I don't think that it's really off topic because having your shop in an unheated garage makes a lot of DIY projects difficult for 3-4 months of the year.

I believe that Mills Fleet Farm in Ankeny sells kerosene for about $4 a gallon or so, but that is based on a discussion I was having with a friend about kerosene heaters for my garage. In fact I bought a kerosene heater from Fleet Farm this morning but I was in a hurry and I didn't have an appropriate container to fill with kerosene so I just bought a gallon prepackaged and didn't check out the bulk kerosene sales.

Of course now I realize that I need to insulate my garage because I could only get the temperature up to around 40°F but that's enough to make the space usable. Insulating the garage is a project I'll have to save for another time though.

On Jan 3, 2016 11:33 PM, "Tim-S" <t.she...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ok, this is off topic, sorry. Anyone know where I can buy bulk kerosene in DSM? I tried google. It mostly recommended places that are no longer in business.

I'm used to gas stations having a pump off to the side somewhere with kerosene, typically about the same price as diesel (often cheaper, since the road taxes haven't been added to it). I don't need high quality -- actually, I'd burn diesel fuel sooner than pay the $9/gal that hardware stores seem to want for pre-packaged jugs of the stuff.

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[Benjamin Miller]

It's also worth pointing out that unvented heaters produce large amounts of moisture as a byproduct of combustion.  I've literally seen it rain after using one long enough.

- Benjamin Miller <b...@benjamintmiller.com>
________________________________________
A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.
    - Antoine de Saint-Exup'ery, In Design

[Jeffrey Ollie]

On Mon, Jan 4, 2016 at 3:08 PM, Benjamin Miller <b...@benjamintmiller.com> wrote:

If you have a thousand bucks to spend, a ductless mini-split system is the way to go in a garage.  You get an air conditioner and an efficient electric heater (upwards of 300% down to 0 degrees these days).  These cost less to run than a gas system.

For even less, you can get a hanging electric heater.  I have a 7500W one that pulls about 32A of 240.  It uses about 75 cents of electricity per hour if it runs continuously.  I accidently left the garage set to 70 degrees last January and my power bill went up $100.

I wish that I could do something like that in my garage, but I barely get 120V out there.  I can't run an electric space heater and a power tool at the same time without blowing a fuse (yes, a fuse, not a circuit breaker).  My wishlist of home improvement items includes hiring an electrician to upgrade the electric service to my garage, which probably includes upgrading the electric service in the house as well.  Naturally it's going to be a long time before I get to that item.

--

Jeff Ollie

[Tim-S]

Yeah, my garage doesn't have that much power either.

Price chopper no longer has kerosene. Options are fleet farm, east side QT, or possibly the farm coop on east 18th. I haven't called them yet.

[Chris Johnson]

Did you check the BP/Amoco on Merle Hay (by 80/35?

Chris

On Sunday, January 3, 2016 at 11:33:35 PM UTC-6, Tim-S wrote:

[Henry Miller]

If you are looking for larger quantities, (100 gallons or so) there are several oil delivery companies and farmers coops that will deliver. Probably a better price than a pump, but they don't want to deal in small amounts. If you bring a can to them though.

I get my propane from heartland coop, they should have kerosene as well.

On Jan 3, 2016 11:33 PM, "Tim-S" <t.she...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ok, this is off topic, sorry. Anyone know where I can buy bulk kerosene in DSM? I tried google. It mostly recommended places that are no longer in business.

I'm used to gas stations having a pump off to the side somewhere with kerosene, typically about the same price as diesel (often cheaper, since the road taxes haven't been added to it). I don't need high quality -- actually, I'd burn diesel fuel sooner than pay the $9/gal that hardware stores seem to want for pre-packaged jugs of the stuff.

--

[jim kraai]

since we're in the oil suppliers groove, skewing the question a bit ... 

I need about a barrel of non-petroleum (biodegradable) tractor hydraulic oil every year.  I've been getting it from Barsol, but the $10-14/gal feels a little steep.  

Any knowledgeable suggestions would be welcome.

Thank you

[Tim-S]

Jim, you should definitely try the farm co-op. Heartland has a facility on E. 18th street, you could try giving them a call. I know some dealers would have it as well, but not cheap.

[jim kraai]

Thanks, Tim!

[Tim-S]

Since there was interest ... Best I found is Porter hardware, they have a pump that's currently $2.97/gal.