An excellent guide on the various merits of our two favorite fuels – propane and kerosene. But which will turn out to be best?

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Propane Vs Kerosene Pros and Cons

1 – Availability Of Propane Vs Kerosene

If you can’t find where you live, then what’s the point?

Kerosene

You can purchase small tanks of kerosene from places like home improvement stores and camping stores, but these small tanks are a poor financial deal. To find the best deal (i.e. best price) on kerosene, you should look for a nearby gas station with a kerosene pump.

In some locations in the States, this might not be a readily available option. So do some research online using google maps or forums and find out where your nearest kerosene pump is located. If you’re a long way away from a kerosene pump, you can either stock up next time you’re there or choose a propane heater instead.

Propane

For the most part, propane tanks are more readily available for purchase or rental than kerosene. The main reason is due to the popularity of using propane for gas grills. So many home improvement, grocery stores, convenient stores, etc. have propane tank rental programs. But this option is not ideal for a large scale storage.

Plus, to get better pricing on propane, you’ll want to buy your propane in bulk. To do that you’ll need a large propane tank to store it (more details shortly).

So you’ll want to call your nearest propane delivery company and see if they service your area. Oh, and while you have them on the phone, get an updated bulk rate price….

2 – Kerosene Vs Propane Prices

In general, the economic laws of supply and demand determine the price for fuels. They are not stable and go up and down. The current price of these fuels in New Hampshire on the date of writing this post are as follows:

• Kerosene – $2.81/gallon
• Propane – $3.05/gallon

So on a per gallon basis, propane seems like the obvious winner. But that’s only the first part of the story. The price per gallon matters but what REALLY matters is the Cost Per BTU.

This is because 1 gallon of kerosene has a different amount of potential energy than 1 gallon of propane. So we must take this energy potential into account to figure out which one is the better value.

• Kerosene has roughly 135,000 BTU’s of energy potential per gallon
• Propane has roughly 91,333 BTU’s of energy potential per gallon

So now we can figure out the figure that matters; Price Per BTU. So with simple math (divide the price by the BTUs and times that by 1000).

• Kerosene – $0.0208 per 1,000 BTU’s of energy
• Propane – $0.0334 per 1,000 BTU’s of energy

So there we have it; currently (on 12-6-2016) you get 37% more BTU’s of energy for your dollar with Kerosene than you do with Propane.

But again, prices vary, and you should check the local kerosene pump prices and call your nearest propane vendors to get actual per gallon prices for your specific area.

3 – Storage Life / Safety Of Propane Vs Kerosene

Kerosene is one of the safer liquid fuels to store and use. The biggest reason for this it’s much less explosive than other popular fuels (i.e. gasoline).

In general, kerosene requires a wick for it to ignite. So if you light a match and drop it directly into a bottle of kerosene, it won’t ignite, unlike gasoline which will explode.

Another benefit to kerosene is how long keeps in storage. When it comes to a backup fuel source, I’m a fan of stockpiling. But with many fuels, it’s a challenge to store them long term. Which means you have to annually add additives or rotate. But with kerosene as long as you store it in a quality container and it will be useful for years or even decades.

The best way to store a large amount of Kerosene is to get a few large 50-gallon drums with good clamp seals. You may also want to put these drums into a secondary containment trough for any drips or leaks.

Another consideration with kerosene is that even in 50-gallon barrels, you’ll still be able to haul it. If you plan bug out, this might be an important aspect. Sure, you’ll need a truck bug out vehicle or a survival trailer, but it CAN be done.

If you only plan on storing a limited amount of propane you might be able to get away with purchasing a few smaller 11 lbs propane tanks.

However, if you want to store large amounts of propane, then you’ll want a large propane tank.

While propane is a gas and its fumes are very flammable, if it’s stored in a large propane tank then its safe. The tank and valves are designed to store large amounts of propane above ground in your backyard. It’s low risk.

And the propane will keep indefinitely as long as the tank and valves are in good shape. But that’s the rub; large-scale propane tanks are not cheap. And used tanks may or may not be in good enough shape to trust.

Now you know more about kerosene and propane, and can decided for yourself which you like better! To see more great survival tips and info, check out Skilled Survival.

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