Does kerosene go bad?

I recently saw an ad for a kerosene extender. This begs the question, “does kerosene go bad?” In my mind that would means that it burns so poorly it fails to give off useful light .

Hey John;
Well besides light, kerosene is also used for heat.
The biggest use of Kerosene, is Jet Fuel!
Maybe if your Lear jet sits too long it needs stabilizer???  Who Knew???
For your Kerosene lantern I would say there is no shelf life...
Although Dragon tech is growing...
I haven't had much use for a lear jet lately and my kerosene lamps are in storage.

When I saw that ad, I thought “here is a solution for a problem that doesn’t exist”. But, I began to wonder.......


Now for the next issue, you build rocket stoves and you don’t need jet fuel??!!

Hmmm, good question. Refined fuels are typically a mix of lighter and heavier petroleum distillates that in combination provide certain performance characteristics.

For example gasoline, especially the lower grades, is notorious for going bad (separating) quite quickly and gumming up small engines unless a stabilizer is added.

Kerosene? There are different grades. If it's sealed and not subjected to atmospheric moisture, it's supposed to have 2-5 years before it starts to break down. I would certainly inspect for cloudiness or sludge before using in equipment where damage could occur.

I doubt a hurricane lantern would be greatly affected. A more complex heater might be a different story. It would always work as an outdoor fire starter.

From; how to store Kero

Stored kerosene does go bad. Condensation, which adds water to the kerosene, is one culprit. Kerosene can also develop sludge from bacteria and mold that live in the kerosene and break it down.

Storage Containers
Always store kerosene in an opaque plastic container designed for storing kerosene, both for the sake of safety and to preserve the fuel.
Storing kerosene in a lamp, heater or other device will not make it last any longer than in a container. Kerosene can spoil inside the item it's intended for.Bad Kerosene
If your kerosene spoils, you may still be able to use some of it by removing contaminants and mixing the bad fuel with fresh kerosene.
Pour the kerosene at the top of the old container into a new container; water, which looks like bubbles, will stay at the bottom of the old container.
Filter sludge by pouring the kerosene through several coffee filters.

So John C Daley, it seems like water can *contaminate* kerosene like any other liquid fuel.  I don’t know if the kerosene itself is bad, but the can would certainly be bad to pour into a tank.

The microbes on the other hand seem like a real problem.  Those critters seem like they would indeed actually turn some or all of the kerosene bad if given the chance.  

Thanks for the explanation.

Eric