Paraffin Heater Safety

If you’re looking for an affordable way to stay warm this Winter, you’ll struggle to beat a paraffin heater. They’re inexpensive up-front, they don’t cost a fortune to run and they’re portable. You can bring them from room to room with you, keeping you warm at a fraction of a cost of the central heating. That said, there is some basic safety precautions that you should be aware of. We’ll look at them all today.

General safety precautions

Paraffin heaters radiate heat (surprisingly) and they can cause issues if basic safety guides are not followed. These safety precautions include, but are not limited to:

Don’t position your heater close to flammible materials, e.g. soft furnishings, curtains, stored paper etc.
Do not place your heater on an uneven surface, on top of a table or any location where it could be knocked over
Do not place items on top of your heater
Refill your heater outdoors. Clean up any spills immediately and do not ignite your heater facing any fuel spills
Be careful with children and pets around heaters (particularly wick heaters)
Do not leave any heater unattended

Fire Extinguishers

With any heater, fire-place, oven or any other large heat source in the home, you may want to be prepared for the possibility of a fire. For Paraffin Heaters, a Carbon Dioxide Fire Extinguisher is recommended. Carbon Dioxide fire extinguishers are red with a black panel. A Class B extinguisher is the only one that is recommended to be used on flammable fuels.

Burns

Our paraffin heaters can expose you to burns if not used correctly. Only lift your heater by the built-in handles and never move the heater when it is in use. Our fan-assist heaters have ‘cool-touch’ casings, however the wick heaters do not. As such, these can be very hot to the touch (particularly on top). We advise that a fire-guard is used in conjunction with these heater, where pets and children are present.

For up-to-date and evidence based treatment, the NHS has a page dedicated to treating burns and scalds.

Asthma and other breathing conditions

Any heater that burns oxygen as it operate will produce carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide or nitrogen dioxide. Generally, these are fine in small doses, not enough to set off your carbon monoxide alarm, but prolonged exposure to larger amounts can be problematic. We advise that these heaters are only used in locations with good ventilation.

Fuel-burning heaters are not recommended for asthmatics, pregnant women or newborn children. Fan-assisted heaters are to be avoided particularly, as they push air with a fan; this can disturb particles in the room, leading to irritation.

Fuel Use

For wick heaters and fan-assist heaters, we recommended that you only use C1 grade paraffin, such as Tozane.

Paraffin is a distilled version of kerosene. That means that all the grit, grime, plastic and other dirt has been taken out of the kerosene to create paraffin fuel. As such, Paraffins like Tozane are considerably safer to use than kerosene. They’re not just better for you, they’re better for your heater. The grime and dirt in kerosene can congeal inside your heater’s mechanisms, causing fuel blockages. In fan-assist heaters, they can cause electrical faults or lead to inaccurate thermostat readings.

Additionally, C1 grade paraffins have a higher-flash point (i.e. a higher temperature at which it combusts), meaning that it’s safer to store. That brings us on nicely to:

Storing Fuel

Storing fuel should be a safety priority. Here is a non-exhaustive list that details some safety concerns that you should consider when storing fuel. Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions about this.

Do not store your fuel near a heat source. This includes in direct sunlight, near the heater or anywhere else where the temperature ca fluctuate drastically.
Install a smoke alarm where you store your fuel
Do not store your fuel in a location that is accessible to children or pets
Ensure you close the cap on your fuel after use.
- Fuel that is left open is exposed to dirt and water droplet formation.
Condensation can form inside the drums in not correctly stored. Water in the oil can lead to small puffs of smoke appearing during wick heater operation, or in fan-assist heaters, it can lead to the heater turning off as it detects the water is not a fuel.

Maintenance and repairs

Do not attempt to repair any heater yourself. These heaters can be dangerous to disassemble if you are untrained in this area. Similarly, attempted repair can void any warranty offered. Contact us first to notify us of the issue. In most cases, a simple adjustment can fix any problem you are experiencing, without the need for opening the heater.

As for maintenance, here are some things you can do to keep your heater in top condition year-round:

Ensure the heater is kept clean. Clean out any dirt from the outer reservoir as well as from the fuel tank port. Be particularly attentive if you have hair-shedding dogs.
Do not use any chemical cleaners on your heater if you wish to clean it. Use a simple wet cloth on the casing when cleaning.
Clean out the fuel from your heater, if you plan on storing it for the Summer months.
Do not use the incorrect fuel or mix tozane with other fuels. Along with the health implication, this can cause discolouration of the outside of the heater as well as causing grime formation in the tank reservoir.

Here are some tips for Wick Heaters specifically:

Always ensure that you have fuel in the heater. This will ensure that your wick does not dry out.
Always close the fire guard on the front, to prevent any damage to the glass globe
Turn your heater’s dial to the ‘off’ position before pressing the off button. This will reduce wear-and-tear on the button’s mechanics as well as reducing ‘odour-dump’ from sudden turn offs.

And here are some Fan-Assist Heater specific tips:

Clean the filter on the back of the heater at least once a fortnight.
- To do so, simply pop the filter off the back of the heater, vaccuum any obvious dirt present and replace. Do not use any chemical cleaners on this filter.

Any questions?

This is not a complete guide to heater and fire safety. That said, if you have any questions about these heaters before or after you purchase, get in touch with us and we’ll help you with any questions that you may have. If it’s a particularly technical question, we may need to refer to the manufacturer, but we’ll make sure we answer your question as soon as possible!