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(PeteCresswell) November 19th 14 10:39 PM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually Doing It?
 
I am seeing conflicting accounts of this.

Some say "No Way"... Home heating oil is not just #2 diesel with dye
added. It lacks certain lubricants and will ruin the engine.

Others say "No Problem".... Home heating oil and RV fuel are the same
stuff: #2 diesel with a dye added.

First thing that I think is "What, exactly, is Home Heating Oil?"....
and that the answer that comes to mind is "It can vary from
location-to-location and time-to-time, since a furnace is relatively
non-critical compared to an engine".

So... I anybody actually *doing* this?

If so, how did you verify the quality of the oil?
--
Pete Cresswell

Ralph Mowery November 19th 14 10:57 PM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually Doing It?
 

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
I am seeing conflicting accounts of this.

Some say "No Way"... Home heating oil is not just #2 diesel with dye
added. It lacks certain lubricants and will ruin the engine.

Others say "No Problem".... Home heating oil and RV fuel are the same
stuff: #2 diesel with a dye added.

First thing that I think is "What, exactly, is Home Heating Oil?"....
and that the answer that comes to mind is "It can vary from
location-to-location and time-to-time, since a furnace is relatively
non-critical compared to an engine".

So... I anybody actually *doing* this?

If so, how did you verify the quality of the oil?
--
Pete Cresswell


I don't hae a good answer for this, but didn't the diesel fuel change in the
last few years and the trucks have to run an additive tank to make up for
this ? Also heard the new fuel is actually bad for the old diesels.




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terrable November 20th 14 12:26 AM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually Doing It?
 

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
I am seeing conflicting accounts of this.

Some say "No Way"... Home heating oil is not just #2 diesel with dye
added. It lacks certain lubricants and will ruin the engine.

Others say "No Problem".... Home heating oil and RV fuel are the same
stuff: #2 diesel with a dye added.

First thing that I think is "What, exactly, is Home Heating Oil?"....
and that the answer that comes to mind is "It can vary from
location-to-location and time-to-time, since a furnace is relatively
non-critical compared to an engine".

So... I anybody actually *doing* this?

If so, how did you verify the quality of the oil?


Here is what the EIA says:

Definitions of EIA Distillate Categories and Fuels Contained in the
Distillate Grouping

No. 2 distillate and No. 2 diesel fuel oil are almost the same thing (diesel
is different in that it also has a cetane number limit which describes the
ignition quality of the fuel). Distillate fuel oils are distilled from crude
oil.

No. 2 Fuel Oil (Heating Oil)
A distillate fuel oil that has a distillation temperature of 640 degrees
Fahrenheit at the 90-percent recovery point and meets the specifications
defined in ASTM Specification D 396. It is used in atomizing type burners
for domestic heating or for moderate capacity commercial/industrial burner
units.

No. 2 Diesel Fuel
A fuel that has distillation temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit at the
10-percent recovery point and 640 degrees Fahrenheit at the 90-percent
recovery point and meets the specifications defined in ASTM Specification D
975. It is used in high-speed diesel engines that are generally operated
under uniform speed and load conditions, such as those in railroad
locomotives, trucks, and automobiles.




[email protected] November 20th 14 02:27 AM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually Doing It?
 
On Wed, 19 Nov 2014 19:26:47 -0500, "terrable"
wrote:


"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
.. .
I am seeing conflicting accounts of this.

Some say "No Way"... Home heating oil is not just #2 diesel with dye
added. It lacks certain lubricants and will ruin the engine.

Others say "No Problem".... Home heating oil and RV fuel are the same
stuff: #2 diesel with a dye added.

First thing that I think is "What, exactly, is Home Heating Oil?"....
and that the answer that comes to mind is "It can vary from
location-to-location and time-to-time, since a furnace is relatively
non-critical compared to an engine".

So... I anybody actually *doing* this?

If so, how did you verify the quality of the oil?


Here is what the EIA says:

Definitions of EIA Distillate Categories and Fuels Contained in the
Distillate Grouping

No. 2 distillate and No. 2 diesel fuel oil are almost the same thing (diesel
is different in that it also has a cetane number limit which describes the
ignition quality of the fuel). Distillate fuel oils are distilled from crude
oil.

No. 2 Fuel Oil (Heating Oil)
A distillate fuel oil that has a distillation temperature of 640 degrees
Fahrenheit at the 90-percent recovery point and meets the specifications
defined in ASTM Specification D 396. It is used in atomizing type burners
for domestic heating or for moderate capacity commercial/industrial burner
units.

No. 2 Diesel Fuel
A fuel that has distillation temperatures of 500 degrees Fahrenheit at the
10-percent recovery point and 640 degrees Fahrenheit at the 90-percent
recovery point and meets the specifications defined in ASTM Specification D
975. It is used in high-speed diesel engines that are generally operated
under uniform speed and load conditions, such as those in railroad
locomotives, trucks, and automobiles.


Pretty much anything that will run on veggy oil or bio diesel should
run on stove or furnace oil. I know guys who have run furnace oil in
their tractors - got paid to dispose of furnace oil from decommisioned
furnace tanks - and used it for tractor fuel.

Paul Drahn November 20th 14 05:19 AM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually DoingIt?
 
On 11/19/2014 2:39 PM, (PeteCresswell) wrote:
I am seeing conflicting accounts of this.

Some say "No Way"... Home heating oil is not just #2 diesel with dye
added. It lacks certain lubricants and will ruin the engine.

Others say "No Problem".... Home heating oil and RV fuel are the same
stuff: #2 diesel with a dye added.

First thing that I think is "What, exactly, is Home Heating Oil?"....
and that the answer that comes to mind is "It can vary from
location-to-location and time-to-time, since a furnace is relatively
non-critical compared to an engine".

So... I anybody actually *doing* this?

If so, how did you verify the quality of the oil?

When the price of Diesel was high, I pumped heating oil out of the tank
and ran it in my Kubota tractor. Didn't notice any difference.

Paul

Stormin Mormon[_10_] November 20th 14 12:31 PM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually DoingIt?
 
On 11/20/2014 12:19 AM, Paul Drahn wrote:
When the price of Diesel was high, I pumped heating oil out of the tank
and ran it in my Kubota tractor. Didn't notice any difference.

Paul


A decade or more ago, I knew an old farmer. he'd have
the home heating guy come out and put heating oil in
his tank for the house. Same truck and hose, to fill
the crank tank and fill his diesel tractor. Far as
I know, it worked fine.

-
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

Pete C.[_3_] November 20th 14 04:05 PM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually DoingIt?
 

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote:

I am seeing conflicting accounts of this.

Some say "No Way"... Home heating oil is not just #2 diesel with dye
added. It lacks certain lubricants and will ruin the engine.

Others say "No Problem".... Home heating oil and RV fuel are the same
stuff: #2 diesel with a dye added.

First thing that I think is "What, exactly, is Home Heating Oil?"....
and that the answer that comes to mind is "It can vary from
location-to-location and time-to-time, since a furnace is relatively
non-critical compared to an engine".

So... I anybody actually *doing* this?


Yes I've done it and had no issues at all. The difference between #2
heating oil and #2 diesel is taxes and dye, nothing more. Highway #2
diesel is all ULSD now, and most heating oil is the same at this point
as well. I've yet to see a diesel generator with a DPF, so unless you
have one it won't be an issue if your heating oil happens to be LSD
rather than ULSD. Since some home heating oil tanks are outdoors,
heating oil #2 will have anti-gel additives just like highway diesel
does in cold weather. Some people say that heating oil isn't as clean,
but the reality is that in areas that use heating oil, the tanks are
filled from the same source and then they add the dye to the untaxed
heating oil.

This is pretty much the same argument as oxygen - medical vs. aviator
vs. welding, where again the reality is that they are all filled from
the same LOX bulk tanks and all have purity higher than the standards
for any of those grades. Indeed the purity standard for the welding
grade is higher than the standard for the medical and aviator grades.
Only the analytical grade gets special handling, and the medical,
aviator and welding grades typically meet the analytical grade but
aren't certified to it.

Pete C.[_3_] November 20th 14 04:12 PM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: Anybody Actually DoingIt?
 

Ralph Mowery wrote:

"(PeteCresswell)" wrote in message
...
I am seeing conflicting accounts of this.

Some say "No Way"... Home heating oil is not just #2 diesel with dye
added. It lacks certain lubricants and will ruin the engine.

Others say "No Problem".... Home heating oil and RV fuel are the same
stuff: #2 diesel with a dye added.

First thing that I think is "What, exactly, is Home Heating Oil?"....
and that the answer that comes to mind is "It can vary from
location-to-location and time-to-time, since a furnace is relatively
non-critical compared to an engine".

So... I anybody actually *doing* this?

If so, how did you verify the quality of the oil?
--
Pete Cresswell


I don't hae a good answer for this, but didn't the diesel fuel change in the
last few years and the trucks have to run an additive tank to make up for
this ? Also heard the new fuel is actually bad for the old diesels.


ULSD - It has less lubricity than the old diesel fuel. This is however
pretty much all you will find in the US these days, so you need to add
an additive for most any application beyond an oil burner. This means
for a generator you need an additive regardless of whether you use #2
diesel or #2 fuel oil.

EXT November 22nd 14 04:28 PM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: CHECK WITH YOUR SUPPLIER
 
Yes I've done it and had no issues at all. The difference between #2
heating oil and #2 diesel is taxes and dye, nothing more. Highway #2
diesel is all ULSD now, and most heating oil is the same at this point
as well. I've yet to see a diesel generator with a DPF, so unless you
have one it won't be an issue if your heating oil happens to be LSD
rather than ULSD. Since some home heating oil tanks are outdoors,
heating oil #2 will have anti-gel additives just like highway diesel
does in cold weather. Some people say that heating oil isn't as clean,
but the reality is that in areas that use heating oil, the tanks are
filled from the same source and then they add the dye to the untaxed
heating oil.

Several years ago, I installed a diesel back up generator for our
home/business, and this question was often asked on the internet. I did not
trust the conflicting information that was being spewed about the
differences so I asked a few oil companies such as ESSO, Shell and
PetroCanada for an answer. ESSO and Shell ignored my enquiry but PetroCanada
replied with a reasonable and detailed answer. It depends on where you are.
They explained that diesel fuel is refined and treated so that it will run
properly in a diesel engine -- would you want to put a low grade fuel in
your Mercedes-Benz? Home heating oil is often a lower grade fuel because
basically anything will burn in a furnace. They explained in large populated
areas they will stock two different grades because there is enough demand
that the reduced costs of heating oil can make it worth separate facilities,
however, in small communities, there isn't enough demand for separate tanks
and trucks so both purposes are served by diesel fuel, with no differences.
So check with your supplier.

I am in a large populated area so I called a local Shell dealer who supplies
local construction equipment and ordered 200 litres of untaxed off-road
diesel fuel to be delivered for my tank. It is dyed red, and is cheaper than
going to a gas station and hauling 5 gallon containers. I have a 200 gallon
tank (400+ litres) and they pumped the diesel fuel into the tank the same as
they would heating oil.




trader_4 November 22nd 14 05:29 PM

Running Diesel Gennie On Home Heating Oil: CHECK WITH YOUR SUPPLIER
 
On Saturday, November 22, 2014 11:35:06 AM UTC-5, EXT wrote:
Yes I've done it and had no issues at all. The difference between #2
heating oil and #2 diesel is taxes and dye, nothing more. Highway #2
diesel is all ULSD now, and most heating oil is the same at this point
as well. I've yet to see a diesel generator with a DPF, so unless you
have one it won't be an issue if your heating oil happens to be LSD
rather than ULSD. Since some home heating oil tanks are outdoors,
heating oil #2 will have anti-gel additives just like highway diesel
does in cold weather. Some people say that heating oil isn't as clean,
but the reality is that in areas that use heating oil, the tanks are
filled from the same source and then they add the dye to the untaxed
heating oil.

Several years ago, I installed a diesel back up generator for our
home/business, and this question was often asked on the internet. I did not
trust the conflicting information that was being spewed about the
differences so I asked a few oil companies such as ESSO, Shell and
PetroCanada for an answer. ESSO and Shell ignored my enquiry but PetroCanada
replied with a reasonable and detailed answer. It depends on where you are.
They explained that diesel fuel is refined and treated so that it will run
properly in a diesel engine -- would you want to put a low grade fuel in
your Mercedes-Benz? Home heating oil is often a lower grade fuel because
basically anything will burn in a furnace. They explained in large populated
areas they will stock two different grades because there is enough demand
that the reduced costs of heating oil can make it worth separate facilities,
however, in small communities, there isn't enough demand for separate tanks
and trucks so both purposes are served by diesel fuel, with no differences.
So check with your supplier.

I am in a large populated area so I called a local Shell dealer who supplies
local construction equipment and ordered 200 litres of untaxed off-road
diesel fuel to be delivered for my tank. It is dyed red, and is cheaper than
going to a gas station and hauling 5 gallon containers. I have a 200 gallon
tank (400+ litres) and they pumped the diesel fuel into the tank the same as
they would heating oil.


From what I've seen, there is controversy over how the new ultra low sulfur
diesel compares with the previous diesel with regards to lubricating capacity.
Some say essentially what you say, that refiners add enough stuff to it to
make up for most of the lost lubrication. Others say they don't and you should
use an additive to boost the lubrication. And a lot probably depends on what
you're putting it in. If it's going in a long haul truck, any difference in
lubrication could make a difference in engine wear because the truck is
racking up huge miles. In a car, it's unlikely
the car will go so many miles that any additional wear would make a difference,
meaning the car probably will be junked for various other reasons first.

It would be interesting to know what major trucking fleets actually do. You
would think they would have data and know if it's worth the few extra bucks
to put in an additive for increased lubrication. For a home generator, I
wouldn't be worried about using either diesel or home fuel oil without
adding anything. It's not running 24/7.


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