Kerosene is a great way to provide light and heat to your home when the electricity goes out, or if you are trying to live off the grid in a more sustainable manner. However, many people are a bit unsure of how to store kerosene to keep it usable for years. If you go through and keep your kerosene in an area where it cannot get contaminated, and you keep it off the ground and out of the elements, your kerosene could easily last you 5-15 years, if not longer.
Storing Your Kerosene After Delivery

You need to have a way to store your kerosene set up before it can be delivered. Most people use large drums, typically 55 gallon drums, that are quite thick and able to remain airtight when closed. These drums should not be set directly on the floor, but instead, propped up on a few two by fours so that they do not have any issues with anything burrowing up under the drum and chewing on the plastic. The drum needs a tight-fitting lid that will allow you to open it for filling, and a pump to allow you to take out small portions for lamps or other small items.

Your drum should also be blue, much as it would be if you were storing it in a small can, and be made of heavy-duty plastic. Red is easily identifiable as a gasoline can, but should anyone come into your home, barn, or garage, such as a fire official, they will instantly be able to recognize a small blue can, or a large blue drum, as a container for kerosene. Using a metal can has the potential of rusting should any water enter the container with the kerosene, which could leak your kerosene out and cause a contamination of your land, water, and potentially make you sick.

The only thing you need to do is make sure that you are keeping all water away from your kerosene, as this is going to cause it to become unusable after a very short amount of time.

If you are looking for more information about kerosene and its many uses, give your local kerosene delivery company a call. They can help you set up a system to hold your kerosene, so should you experience a power outage, you have the means to at least keep the lights on in your home.