Ann Cady Jenson of Holden asks: I have several gallons of kerosene for a kerosene heater (which has never been used) that are at least four years old. The container the fuel has been stored in all this time is fine. If I need to fire up this kerosene heater this winter, can I use this old fuel?

Jamie Py of the Maine Oil Dealers Association says monitor heaters or kerosene space heaters can be damaged if fuel isn’t good. Py recommends having it checked out by a dealer to see if it is still good. If it isn’t, or if an answer can’t be found, he recommends disposing of it with a garage or other institution that has a waste oil heater. He said the small amount wouldn’t be worth using without making sure it wouldn’t harm a heater.