Paraffin

[Andy Dingley]

Where can I buy it?

How much should I expect to pay for it?

After a whole week of chasing around, I've finally managed to buy a gallon of the stuff (the trad hardware store in Staple Hill, who always have everything).

I over paid. 4l for £4.59, which is more than DERV costs and certainly far more than red or blue diesel. Still it's the nice hardware shop and they work hard for their money.

I've been told:

• We aren't allowed to sell anything flammable (an oik standing next to a shelf of white spirit)

• We can't sell that, try a garage

• We're a garage, why are you trying to buy DIY stuff ?

• We can't sell paraffin any more, people were putting it in their cars and so They've Banned It.

• Try Boots

• We're an airfield and aircraft factory. We've a shitload of it practically for free, from tank drainage. Are you bringing the 1,000 gallon or the 2,000 gallon tanker?

Next time I'll use either diesel or lamp oil, depending on whether I need to smell it burning. I'll also make sure to pick up some cheap red diesel when I'm next near a tractor.

[Grunff]

If you were in Devon, I'd say Mole Valley Farmers. You can pick up a gallon for under £2. But you're not, so that's of no use to you. Do you know of any agricultural merchants near you?

[Roger]

The message from Andy Dingley contains these words:

You may find your neighbourhood purveyor of red diesel also supplies paraffin. I don't know about cost, I haven't bought any in 20 years.

[Dave Baker]

Oil Fuel Distributors. Try

[Lobster]

I'm fairly sure that Focus DIY sell it... I was in their gardening section yesterday and remember noticing some of those olde worlde style greenhouse heaters like my parents had (I'm sure they must sell loads of those in June), with stacks of large white bottles next to it - I'm presuming they must have been paraffin?

David

[Rumble]

Andy Dingley said the following on 16/06/2007 13:47:

Anywhere [1], it's just kerosene (28 sec burning oil). Buy kerosene or barbecue lighting fluid or, if you've got oil central heating, dip your tank (or your neighbours) for it and liberate it for 32p/litre.

If you live near an airfield, liberate Avtur or Jet-A1.

£4.59 for 4l is a pretty standard price for this stuff. You pay the extra for having slightly better refined product which is low-odour or (in the case of lamp oil) odourless. The stuff you get out of your home-heating oil tank smells pretty rank.

[1] DIY shed, hardware/ironmongers/builder's merchant, agricultural store, garden centre, etc.

[Julian]

28 second kerosene, AKA domestic central heating oil is your man. Last time I purchased some it was about 28p/litre. Just drain some from either your or a friend's tank, I use it all the time for parts washing and starting bonfires. All I would say is that it will smell a little if you burn it in one of those Tilley lamps. (or equivalent) The Pink (or Esso Blue) paraffin of old, to which you refer has been de-odorised I think.

Julian.

[Andrew Mawson]

certainly

Our local garage (big chain) has prepacked 5 litre containers next to the bags of charcoal and smokeless fuel.

AWEM

[Dave Liquorice]

Most of the sheds have it in gardening section for green house heaters. =

The sales people are probably too young to know what paraffin is so woul= d only know it by the particular brand name they sell or as "green house heater fuel".

In a shed through the nose at =A31+/l or there abouts.

Our local garage has red diesel on a pump at 56p/l at the end of April. = I just bought 2000l of 28sec heating oil at 31.75p/l (inc VAT at 5% as it = is for domestic heating) other use would attract VAT at 17.5% or 35.5p/l.

Blue diesel?

[John]

In article , Andy Dingley writes

Bought a plastic canister at our local Garden Centre today - they stock it for greenhouse heaters and also some weed killers can be mixed with it (bramble and shrub killers).

[Mark]

My local garage still has Pink on a forecourt pump :) Its about 0.90p a litre, I still use it for my Tilly lamps. If its Kerosene you are after go to an airport that has a fire dep with a can, ask nicely.

-

[Weatherlawyer]

Sounds like a trip to Oswestry and a trip to the local aerodrome would pay you handsomely. You can use it in an oil burner. Kerosene for nothing and your heating for free.

[Steve Walker]

&

= Result!

[Lobster]

Hmm...wonder if they make one of those to fit a 16" pipe? ;-) David

[jal]

Sorry - can't resist this Old Skool reference: you would get it at your local Esso Blee Dooler.

This will be understood by less than 10% of UKDIYers, and I sincerely apologise. However it is Monday morning.

john

p.s. I buy it easily at our Garden Centre. Can't remember why I bought it last time -- to fire up my Primus again, I think.

[Andy Dingley]

When I was a kid I had a stuffed toy of a Pink Paraffin Pongolator

(I imagine there's an eBay market for them these days)

[Bob Eager]

I still have an Esso keyring with the little man with the funny shaped yellow head (sic)!

[Andy Dingley]

I no longer have a '60s crappy plastic keyring of an Esso "Tiger in your tank", because I did flog that on eBay. For a stupid amount of money. 8-)

[petek]

delivering it in 5 gall drums on a Friday evening. We had a Hardware shop and sold both Esso Blue & Alladin Pink, some customers had a preference for one or the other - God knows why! Seem to remember it was about 2 bob a gallon - this would be in the late 50's or early

60's. Also sold coal bricks in 2 different sizes (compressed coal dust), firewood in bundles (2d a bundle IIRC) and firelighters which were similar to the bundles of firewood but soaked in some kind of oily tar stuff. Don't remember any fuss about fire regs or H&S regs - and my Dad used to smoke while he was serving the stuff.

Nostalgia ain't what it used to be!

Anyway, I buy paraffin for my little greenhouse heater from the local garage at about =A34.50 for 5 litres. It's in white plastic containers near the BBQ charcoal etc. Also in B&Q in the gardening/greenhouse section. Same extortionate price. Pete

[Londoncityslicker]

Garages use to sell this. But seems to have been phased out.

But I thought the usual DIY outlets do it. Homebase being one.

A=2E