Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

[deleted] OP t1_ixlu85d wrote

Reply to comment by MrHoonigan802 in Best heating oil company to use? We need kerosene but can't afford $7/ gallon at the company we called. New to this type of heating and kinda struggling to figure this out. Company says minimum of 100 gallon order. Our tank is 275g . 275x7= omg in gonna freeze to death. by [deleted]

[deleted]

−1

Hanginon t1_ixlxq11 wrote

I've had kerosene heat for almost 2 decades now. A friend in New Hampshire also uses kerosene, it's not as uncommon as is sometimes believed. ¯\_( ͡❛ ͜ʖ ͡❛)_/¯

4

merightno t1_ixlymdi wrote

I'm actually learning a lot on this thread. It turns out that "oil" furnaces can be run with either kerosene or oil and it just depends on where the tank is kept which you use.

3

Hanginon t1_ixm88g7 wrote

There are some other important differences in the way they burn, mostly that kerosene burns hotter. and cleaner than fuel oil so the equipment has to be built to handle that higher flame and heat box heat.

Heating oil/#2 fuel oil is that same as diesel fuel used in vehicles but without the road tax applied. Fuel oil will be dyed red for identification while diesel will not be and will have a yellow/green tint to it.

Kerosene costs more but also give off more heat per unit. You may be paying more per gallon but it can be negated by more heat per gallon.

The different fuels are similar but not completely interchangeable, But it is a good idea to talk to a burner specialist to know the specifics of your equipment. Ran out of heating oil and picked up 10 gallons of diesel to get your through until the next delivery? You're probably going to be fine, but "probably" isn't always worth the potential risk(s) so it's good to actually know.

4

pretentiousignoramus t1_ixluder wrote

Isn't that what all heating oil is? Just died red because it isn't taxed like diesel?

2

merightno t1_ixlutqc wrote

You probably shouldn't joke, You're going to confuse the new people, and me. Heating is confusing in Vermont!

In case you're not joking, and I am by far no expert but there's heating oil, there's kerosene, and there's propane and those three are distinctly different from each other.

10

pretentiousignoramus t1_ixly4gw wrote

I assure you it's genuine ignorance. I thought that heating oil is basically diesel fuel. Diesel is basically kerosene. I think they're all very similar but have slightly different additives. Jet fuel is almost straight kerosene.

2

mojitz t1_ixm27ml wrote

Yeah I knew someone who would siphon heating oil out of their tank to run their truck because it was cheaper. Hella illegal, but apparently it worked.

1

lindrios t1_ixmaif7 wrote

If the truck was newer than 2007 and he used more than 1 gallon of fuel you can "technically" get jail time for a litany of tax and environmental crimes

0