Smell From Heater

New Zealand Listener, Volume 23, Issue 583, 25 August 1950, Page 23

Smell From Heater

Dear Aunt Daisy, I have a kerosene heater in my room which smells very badly when burning. I have tried putting a small saucepan of water on top of the heater, but it is no better, Is there anything I can do to stop the smell. I shall watch The Listener for your answer. "Invalid," Northland. I daresay your heater wants an overhaul, Here is a good reply from one listener: I'd like to tell you what I know about a kerosene heater. Years ago when | we first came to N.Z,; my mether bought a fairly large one to hold about two quarts, I think; but we used to pump the kerosene into it from the large sized tin. There was a clock on the font, indicating how full to make it, and we would stop pumping when it pointed to about 3 parts full. In the summer time, when the heater was not in use, we would get one of my brothers to take the wick out -which of course was much larger than an ordinary lamp-wick. He would turn the font upside down and shake it hard, to clean it as well as we could; then paint it at the bottom with aluminium paint. He would take the wick and wash it in strong soap suds, until thoroughly clean; then rinse well in lots of clean water and lay it on a flat board or bench to dry in the sunshine, When dry, we would soak it in vinegar; leaving it soaking until it could not absorb any more; then put it in the sunshine to dry again, and repeat this process twice or three times, When thoroughly dry from the vinegar, it was quite ready to be inserted into the burner and the font filled and all was ready for use again and it would not smoke. Whenever we had to buy a new wick for the heater, we would always soak it repeatedly in vinegar before using and we never had a smoky

heater.

"Mrs.

S.