Heat your Shop or Garage without Electricity - Diesel or Kerosene Heaters and Inverters

I demonstrate running a kerosene/diesel heater off of inverter power. You can connect this type of heater up to a battery charger, vehicle, or other implement that uses a battery to quickly heat your shop or garage. This also works for remote locations.
Where to purchase (this model has been replaced with an 80k BTU version):
amzn.to/3l7mvRj
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As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links may be affiliate links. I may get a commission if products are purchased using the links provided.

[@PressTube]

Thanks for your reviews (all 3 of them) ! I'm going to buy one of these to heat my new workshop!

[@brianc5592]

Yeah. I actually once literally found one of those wick type kerosene heaters in a junk pile. It's parts were strewn around all over the place but they were all there. Gathered it all up, cleaned everything, bought a new wick and it worked perfect.

[@SuperKONR]

Heat your Shop or Garage without Electricity! All you need is a heater and some electricity!

[@Choppa_Ya]

SuperKONR I believe he meant without running up the utility (electric) bill of your house.

[@sparky1331]

SuperKONR , Yep!

[@lynardburt5992]

dc current converted without electric it's off the grid.

[@ventureelect]

No you are all wrong. You have to purchase an old car to run it lol.

[@evil03mustang08]

SuperKONR heat without plugging into the wall. He didn't plug it into the wall, now did he?

[@MYTOYMAKERZ]

Nice video showing how to run this heater off grid or during a power loss in an emergency even. Thank You

[@marsdenbalaska784]

Finally,someone else whom knows his grammar and proper English!

[@w13rdguy]

Not to be a snob, but, *who.

[@oBseSsIoNPC]

I clicked the video with the suspicion it was bullshit, glad you didn't disappoint.

[@JSchrumm]

This would be a great way for truckers to thaw air brake components.

[@joedejesus6363]

Great Video, and a great product. I stumbled on your channel and was greatly impressed. Thanks for the demonstration.

[@ronstickle4694]

good vid! people buy heaters like this for emergency use but most of the time the cause is no power in the house so this will show people how to use there car for power!

[@GTNBY2]

I would like to see your version of a pop can heater... your thorough planning process would result in a pretty good one I think

[@paulcoote3094]

Well that is exactly what I was looking for. Fantastic video.

[@FloryJohann]

It amazes me of the negative reaction of folks when someone is using a kerosene heater, but the same folks are ok with burning candles that burn houses down and emit poisonous fumes for example and the same folks would be ok to burn gas or propane heaters that emit the same dangerous fumes. The heck, there are millions of kerosene heaters in use every winter and stores are selling plenty of them. They even sell those gas and propane powered heaters that emit the same dangerous fumes as a kerosene heater would and folks have no objections using them with their brainwashed mind. It is a very good video that shows instructions how to power things up to stay warm when there is no grid power.

[@kg4boj]

Sweet, power consumption is one of the few things you can be happy about coming in under spec.

[@CaptainEverythingHumorandMore]

Well explained, I enjoyed it, Thanks

[@spirotagnw]

yeah slightly misleading title but if you know knurlknar he is all about emergency backups he was talking if grid goes down for a few days, most everyone has a car battery and charger or car available. just enough to keep water pipes from freezing and cracking within reach of most any budget. knurlknar is the man!

[@terrygerbautz9894]

The title is a little ambiguous, but it doesn`t take long for Knurlgnar 24 to mention "inverter". If you follow him at all, you would know that he is all about being able to survive OFF GRID.

[@wonkachocolates6133]

Using mine with a heavy duty trolling motor for a back up heat source & diesel…it's goes a very long way on a charge & three 5 gallon fuel cans…plenty safe & super warm too…!!!

[@blackops84321]

great video, thanks for posting it.

[@gingerbread2875]

Helping the poor minds, die humanly. Great job Mr.Nwo

[@romyjugroo4542]

An exhaust system to prevent the buildup of toxic but odorless gases such as CO is, in my opinion, a must in a confined space.

[@RICKYROBERTSON]

I wouldn't run it indoors long with-out ventilation, otherwise I am very impressed! I turned wrenches for 30 years and I would use this every COLD day.

[@porchonkey1842]

Hi, great video. Thanks for taking the time to make it. I have a question on heating an attached garage with city power available. Can you please suggest the best type & model of heater to heat a 500 square foot garage? I enjoy efficiency, looking forward to your suggestion. Again, thanks for posting your videos!

[@shawnstrode3825]

Excellent video, good information for several applications. Having grown up with butane heaters in a house, an open flame is not as scary. A good rule of thumb, when your windows start to fog, it's time for some fresh air. I would not set it up so close to flammables, but that's the safety troll in me.

[@basildafnas7886]

love your videos, thanks , very good info.

[@ds525252]

ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO. HUGE THANKS

[@mactackett1]

I bought one of these heaters and almost froze to death before I discovered I needed electricity and kerosene.

[@DanWebster]

Nice video. Good to know a heater like that will work on sun power. The kerosene heater is nice but you never want it to run out of fuel unattended or the wick will burn up and it wont be a purty or an easy fix. Thanks for posting.

[@UnyieldingVigor]

great video! gonna get one

[@rfn944]

Would be interesting to see the waveform out of the inverted on a scope with and without a load.

[@IndianaGraphics]

Good info. Helpful video…

[@sonnymoon6465]

wow that is good to know ! thanks

[@mjb12141963]

Harbor Freight sells a propane heater "15,000 BTU Tank Top Propane Heater" is what they call it. I have used them for years. I live in Ohio and the temps have been in single digits for a couple weeks and when i'm out in my shop I usually have to take my coat off after an hour or so.

[@lawrencematthews1]

that is grate. thanks for the video

[@jamessayers3258]

is so nice to be the hero when the power goes out

[@crazypainter57]

hey thanks for the vid..very good information

[@krashunburn]

I used a kerosene torpedo heater in my shop for years until kerosene soared to over $10/gallon. With LPG ranging from $1.50 to $2.50/gallon I made the switch. Frankly, a secondary reason for the switch is that I just got tired of the jet-exhaust smell every time I fired up the old heater, and since my shop is not all that big, the smell lingered for a long time.

[@dondesnoo1771]

Tony Kibbie they make a propane buddy heater not very expensive don't know if electric needed.

[@markkeating2941]

Knurl, any thoughts about humidity output with that kerosene, heater... I learned burning propane results in very humid air, (maybe bad for garage tools) what about kero?

[@Boobtube.]

what do you have invested in your backup battery setup? How often do you charge them up? Do you keep a battery maintainer on them to keep them at 100%? How long could you run the heater before the batteries are depleted?

[@gpjohn7728]

watched your video and did more research and bought one of these heaters. your video has good info. unpacked my heater filled with diesel (approved fuel on instructions). plugged in. red light came on flashing. did not ignite. tried a few time with no ignite. nothing in the manual about flashing light. manual is terrible. many pages of safety warnings with an eighth page of operating instructions. called the tech support number on the paper taped to top in box. no answer. fuel leaks out of cheaply made cap. pretty heavy to move when full of fuel. looked online more for complaints. these are common problems, so do some reading before you buy.

[@EarlMantis]

Thank you McLovin

[@qabsoloff3252]

You mentioned that a torpedo style heater might run from a 400W inverter. I recently ran my torpedo style diesel heater (Mr. Heater 175,000 Btu) from my 3kW modified sine inverter and it required ~460W. It may be just outside of a 400W inverter depending on the unit but its close. A smaller torpedo unit would very likely run on the 400W.

[@CurtisDrew1]

Sweet! Although my original intention was not to watch a 12 volt conversion on that heater, I have one of those heaters, given to me by a friend years ago that doesn't work, and I am watching videos on how they work so I can fix mine. I got to watching this and realized I have a 6000 watt inverter in my Dodge Pickup to run my metal chop saw. (I also have a smoky torpedo heater in my shop, but no way would I bring that nasty thing inside the house.) And I have solar panels on my camper trailer that keeps my 12 volt batteries full year round. So, I am now definitly driven to fix that heater and pull the inverter from the pickup and run the heater to keep my house warmer during power outages. North Texas in currently recovering from a Massive Canadian Cold Front that had -5* temps with rolling blackouts and water shut off for 6 days. (Febuary 2021). So, if we get another cold front next week we can heat u enough that we won't be freezing the pipes again. 2 busted pipes this last storm! None easy t get through. And yea, I know, it will only be for emergency to get the house above freezing. Not for sleeping with. Carbon Monoxide and Smoke alarms already in the house. Great vid Dude!

[@knurlgnar24]

My plan is to heat my garage for projects with it (which I do) and use it for emergencies in the house. Definitely be careful and use CO detectors as this isn't its intended use - emergencies only. I find it burns cleaner than my wick kerosene heater on K1 though not as safe and it runs on standard diesel to boot. Take care of yourself and yours in Texas during this time - I know it's been a crappy situation down there.

[@knurlgnar24]

BTW we had -27F where I live and it took a week to get a high temp above 0F. :) We're more ready for it here though than those in TX as we get this at least once each year. Companies shut down to conserve power and nat gas but we made it through. I can't imagine the chaos weather like this causes in places that aren't winter hardened. Take care.

[@neilwilliams8608]

You said the heater holds 4 gallons. How long will 4 gallons last if left on? Awesome video. Thanks a lot.

[@redriverray483]

Good video.

[@commando7144]

if you preheated vegetable oil up do you think you could run it? awesome work btw.

[@NoahKuzel]

My dealership shop uses a waste oil heater. It really cuts down on our heating cost and our fluid disposal cost as well. Because the only fluid we have to stock for disposal is our engine coolant.

[@nunyayourbusiness7327]

i use the hf invertor looks the same works well and 2 car batteries in a plastic army foot locker charged with a solar power maintainer 22 bucks autozone

[@mrpoolplayer6379]

I too have the SunStream heater, warms the place up quickly... NOTE: mine died, the rubber tubing rotted & has to be replaced. Checking this every year, might save your machine. Hoping Mine is repaired very soon.

[@robnnorthaustin]

Great video! I would love to see either a comment or even a video with a list of appliances that you have found that will work OK on modified sine wave as opposed to appliances that you think need a pure sine wave inverter. I think you probably have more experience with inverters on You Tube so seeing a list from you would be very helpful.

[@knurlgnar24]

The answer is complicated as it depends on the goals you have. Most appliances will run on MSW for a short period of time but many will consume more energy than you anticipate and may run hotter than you would like shortening their life. In short, if you plan to run on inverter power for long periods of time I would highly recommend a pure sine inverter. If your goal is just short term power outages then MSW may be more practical cost-wise. Personally I wouldn't connect anything other than PSW up to most appliances in my house.

[@TheJohnv1980]

@@knurlgnar24 how long could you run that. Before your battery is to low to start the car?

[@thevacuumtubejunky9774]

Great video. how did you modify your inverter?

[@jamienorton9172]

FYI CO detectors that are consumer bought are programmed to alarm by CO present vs. time of duration. For this reason you may not see a CO reading at all even if one is present because of a low reading vs duration. Alarms are activated when over 30ppm is present or there is a continuous steady rise of CO.

[@jessicaphillips2300]

you said you put it in your home and heated it some well i have a question can i use a forced air kerosene heater in my home like one of the regular size ones and any info would be grateful

[@TheFred1952]

nice heater

[@Jollyprez]

Another kero enthusiast! - How does it run on dyed kero? I have wick heaters that don't like the dyed stuff. My old Perfections don't mind, as well as some Omni 15s, but anything with a fiberglass wick clogs up pretty fast.

[@knurlgnar24]

+Jollyprez It will run perfectly on dyed kero. These types of heaters don't need 'wick grade' fuel which is a significant advantage. They are more complex and more prone to failure though...

[@johnmadden1913]

knurlgnar24

[@lefthandedluke]

Hi, i was wondering about the moisture that this unit will produce. I would like to heat a small workshop but i really dont need the moisture around the tools and such ...Thank you.

[@aaronshensky9385]

ALWAYS onnect the positive cable 1st at the car battery. The negative cable is least likely to spark.

[@DMAN22yeah]

It makes no difference which is connected first, the reason you connect the negative second is because it can be connected away from the battery. It sparks exactly the same however you hook it up.

[@aaronshensky9385]

@@DMAN22yeah it does make a difference, I mentioned it in the comment.

[@codyaustin3728]

i love all your KZbin videos

[@knurlgnar24]

And I love you cody! ... oh, wait, that was weird wasn't it...

[@Stomykinzcupcake]

knurlgnar24 mother

[@gyrgrls]

never run indoors without a CO detector with alarm and a shutdown relay... you could DIE.

[@electricianbytrade6013]

+John Bond you're supposed to open a window to keep oxygen flowing in...

[@gyrgrls]

Electrician by trade I A little infiltration? No makeup air is demanded by the heater, since it exhausts (vents) in a closed loop, which is your living room. Foolish. Funny you can die while sleeping, even in a LIVING ROOM! Have at it, my friend. Have fun tempting fate.

[@gyrgrls]

+John Bond Next, we'll show you how to knock out every other stud to use for firewood, use unwanted furniture for kindling, and cut a chimney hole in the ceiling to let the smoke out. Don't worry - building codes are overkill these days... ;)

[@knurlgnar24]

+John Bond I've run this unit and other similar ones indoors on many occasions. I do have a CO meter for safety but the fears are overblown. I've never seen any CO generation from a unit like this even when I've artificially attempted to create a hazard by starving it of oxygen.

[@grumpyoldfart7302]

+John Bond We burn newspapers, junk mail and used toilet paper......after we've used BOTH sides.

[@Soldier53flyer]

How did you modify your 400w inverter? Nice video.

[@discountbrains]

I bought an Alpaca kerosene heater last year which cost me a lot more than most commonly available such heaters. I bought it because it is a good bit smaller and a more ideal size for my situation: It doesn't heat things up so quickly causing me to take it outside to turn off. They didn't recommend it for indoors. So, I wanted to see how much CO it put out. Last year I ran it 30 to 40 min and saw some CO readings on my digital detector. I thought this year I might be able to put a piece of metal around the top of the burner and make it burn cleaner. I had some aluminum. Of course, this thing might melt that. Copper and zinc might give off harmful fumes. I remembered I had a piece of perforated stainless steel I had bought off the internet. I cut a strip about 2" wide and wrapped it around the top. I held it in place with a big hose clamp. I had to put a crimp in the hose clamp because there's not an ideal size....Now, several times I've run my modified Alpaca heater for an hour or more and get a zero reading on my CO meter. Also, I don't think I'm smelling any odor at all. I'm really proud of myself! I think should put a picture of this on KZbin.

[@jclair4617]

discountbrains b

[@gyrgrls]

Modified sine wave should be as efficient, because it is the RMS output that determines apparent power in KVA. The only problem is the presence of harmonics, which should be filtered to prevent damage to electronics, and improve the power factor.

[@koikogo]

Just a note. Kerosene costs 3 times more than diesel. Be sure the heater labelled kerosene/ diesel. I use Remington kerosene/diesel heater with thermostat. At minus 20 Celsius it consumes 10 litres of diesel in about 24 hours to sustain plus 10 Celsius in a standalone garage of 28 sq.m. 4 meters high.

[@wolfman887]

You have to try a waste oil burner. No power required and they put out a lot of btu's. We have one in our shop. Can be used to heat water for a hot water heater and if you want it to burn clean you can use kerosene.

[@dondenter]

Yes about ventilation. You would not run your car engine in the confined space of a workshop, so don't run that unless there is a big turn over of fresh air like the video comments on. I contacted the makers who state that the heaters are meant for outside use. Also you will create a gallon of water for every gallon of fuel you use.

[@sonnybeach1953]

I wonder if this inverter would power my Whitfield pellet stove during a power outage? It has a blower, an augur motor, and another small fan in the exhaust. Also, this is an old one without the electric resistance starter coil. I have to light this one with a match and tinder. This inverter might get me through a short power outage. eh?

[@CHIBA280CRV]

So what modifications did you make to the converter? Thanks for the video.

[@mlindholm]

JOGO that class of commonly available inverter puts out a "modified sine wave", vs more expensive ones that output a "pure sine wave". It's a concern because some electronics won't run well, and some not at all on a modified sine wave inverter.

[@__WJK__]

Did you test the heater with diesel? If so, were the results the same, better or worse compared to kerosene?

[@musicinspire1745]

A modified sine wave inverter is hard on electric motors. AC motors simply are not designed to run on square waves, or rounded corner square waves.

[@gridarmorfix]

Nice!

[@gwill9]

kerosene heaters are the best

[@davidgaleski5303]

thank you

[@theirisheditor]

I'm surprised how little power that unit uses to start up, probably similar to a domestic oil-fired boiler. I have a small 3kW (10200 BTU) kerosene heater at my workplace, the Kero SRE 300, similar size to the wick heater but operates like a fan heater. When powered on, it spends 2 to 3 minutes preheating drawing roughly 650W going by my power meter, so would need something like an 800 watt inverter at minimum. From what I recall, once it fires up, the wattage drops to around 28W on high (3kW) and 22W on minimum (0.8kW).

[@rodsjohnson831]

The only way I would use that heater in a house is with doors open on two sides of the house . Hopefully it would put out more warm air than the heat you would loose with your doors open. I would use it in my garage with the big door half open

[@Nonplused]

So the thing is with a car battery at 110 watts you probably only get around 4-5 hours running the the Sun-Stream. Also with any Kerosene heater make sure to be mindful of ventilation because oxygen depletion and CO2 buildup are both concerns. Well that would be any fuel heater used indoors but propane is not supposed to be used indoors at all because of the high pressure of the propane in the tank and it's explosiveness if there is a leak. Kerosene, like diesel, generally does not explode if it leaks although it can catch fire. It's best not to use diesel in a kerosene heater unless you can't avoid it because diesel does not burn as cleanly. And also make sure it's ultra-low sulfur if you are forced to use it.

[@robertschuster7246]

Hi i got a ST 70 SS E model sold in europe under the name Stanley, what happens when it runs out of fuel? does the fuel pump run until it destroyes itself ore does it shut down automatic? Now i refuel when its down to 1/3 because of fear of destroying it.

[@CarbonKnights]

I've gotta tell you... I did NOT expect the hood on that car to open like that lol

[@bennyrussell5551]

So Mr.Rogers how long will the car battery last and what benefit is gained by running the car to charge the battery to power your heater, all while you are dieing from carbon monoxide poisoning?

[@eval6666]

where the 70w came from? it should be 204w

[@ericknoll3278]

do you sell any of the inverters you repair. i'm looking for 2500w to 3000w pure sine

[@robertschuster7246]

Hi i bought the ST-70-SS-E in europe its called Stanley but what happens if it runs out of fuel does it just shut down ore will the fuel pump run dry and destroy itself allways in fear runing out do you know have you tried ?

[@UGotHookah]

what size room does the heater do I have about a 400 square foot room would that do it also my room has no insulation with that help

[@G56AG]

It's a good idea to test your carbon monoxide detector from time to time, just to make sure its working properly. Sometimes they can fail and read zero no matter how high the levels of CO are, you would never know it without testing it.

[@user-mt4zr5kp7h]

3:50 Lol oh man, are you in for a surprise! lol

[@knurlgnar24]

Prices did indeed drop and I heated my garage with Diesel the following winter. Longer term I have always expected prices to only go up. To be honest I was wrong back then as I expected oil to be more expensive than it is right now in 2023.

[@jamesleathers5488]

Modified sine wave converter about a million times. Holy shit !!!

[@markman63]

does this unit ignite by itself after you have turned it on?

[@SuperDave-vj9en]

Did I miss the part about CO and CO2 output? In an enclosed space they may reallyyy make you sleep! (you sure need ventilation)

[@Raul28153]

surfing their web site I found no mention of CO poisoning risk when used in a building Know where there is actual manufacturer's data?

[@Jcombetta]

How long will the battery power the heater before the heater shuts off

[@nathandean1687]

look into using thermal electric generator on the out put side.

[@kporter85db]

Ummm, "... without electricity." You ARE using electricity from the battery.

[@liskaerik]

+Ken Porter pretty sure he is referring to "mains" electricity.

[@pinkfloydmatic3929]

+Ken Porter trying to be a little smart ass like the kid seating in the last bench? But i just take it as u were just messing around.

[@monkey12345648]

+Erik Liska then he should have said so.

[@monkey12345648]

+pink floydmatic I agree with ken porter.

[@DMAN22yeah]

+Grand Negus he bought it full retail and says it how it is

[@scabobble3912]

can u burn recycled oil in this?

[@memblanc3271]

Knurlnar- did you have a reason for the MSW use or was it just to experiment with?Tks. Mem

[@knurlgnar24]

+Mem Blanc An experiment. But it shows that a cheap-o $20 inverter from Walmart will work perfectly with a unit like this.

[@angielee1778]

knurlgnar can u preview that 400w inverter please i like that inverter

[@bodidll6964]

Can u mount a 90 degree furnace pipe on it to push the heat up

[@jasonmushersee]

10 gallons kerosene @ $5.22/gallon - $52.20. 10 gallons 87octane @ $1.92 - $19.20. You can lock in a lower fuel price if you buy at a fuel bank.

[@DMAN22yeah]

kerosene has about 10 times the heating energy as gasoline though

[@TruthCeeker333]

Sweet! I love your projects! :-)

[@STho205]

For new viewers that go nuts like the comments below: 1) he is showing a device that produces significant heat without requiring grid AC high kW power. This uses a very frugal draw for a fan and the slow fuel pump, unlike the torpedo heaters. 2) he runs the electrical portion off a simple car battery. It is for the garage. Heat comes from the K1 or D2 burn. 3) no you will not die from CO. His and my carbon monoxide meters show zero when kero heaters in good running order burn. You are more likely to get registered CO gas with a natural gas central heater, water heater or wall heater. Typically people fear more the fire they see than the secret fire they don't. 4) CO2 will not kill you. Carbon dioxide is required in the atmosphere for plants to grow. You exhale more CO2 than you are likely to detect with a kero stove. The Japanese use these stoves as primary home heaters and they appear quite healthy and have good brain function. ........However that may explain Animé. 5) if you are scared of flame control liquid fuel heaters just don't use them, but kindly shut up. You likely drive around in a portable device that goes over a mile a minute, sitting on a dozen gallons of gasoline and inches behind a thing that produces 6000 explosions a minute belching fumes under your butt. Again when you see it some people get scared.

[@Patriot4TheTree]

Hey bud...does your CO2 comment apply to kerosene torpedo heaters as well, or just these larger diameter radiant heaters? I have a Remington kerosene torpedo that I usually leave just outside my garage door and blow in, leaving my garage door up about 2 feet. I have always wondered if I can just run it inside with the door shut?

[@dynodon427]

And did I mention It's using a modified converter?

[@pofjiosgjsoges]

What if you put carbon monoxide meter directly on exhaust? Will it go on?

[@Fashionpoint1997]

hii knurlgnar24, can you show me the link for the wick heater ? thx