Hanginon t1_ixlxq11 wrote on November 24, 2022 at 1:10 PM

Reply to comment by [deleted] 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]

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 ͡❛)_/¯

merightno t1_ixlymdi wrote on November 24, 2022 at 1:19 PM

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.

Hanginon t1_ixm88g7 wrote on November 24, 2022 at 2:44 PM

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.