Our oil burner has run out of oil (again…125 gallons only lasted three weeks,) and due to the timing, it will cost an extra $100 to get it delivered before Monday. My roommates dad (and I’ve heard this elsewhere) says we can just use some diesel for the weekend, and that would be cheaper than the extra fee. My questions:
Is this true?
How much would it take? For the record, we had 125 gallons of oil and it lasted exactly 21 days, which is almost 6 gallons of oil a day. Would it take 6 gallons of diesel per day? (If it gets cold Sunday night we can deal,) or will it take more? My gut says more for some reason, but I don’t know why.
Yes, it’s true that you can use #2 diesel fuel instead of home heating oil, but due to transportation taxes and tariffs on the #2, it’ll be more expensive than standard red-dyed home heating oil. The energy output, and therefore the fuel consumption, will be roughly the same, although exactly how much you use per day depends on where you set the thermostat and how cold it is outside. I’d conserve as much as possible by shutting off radiators or vents (depending if hot water/steam heated or forced air) in unused rooms and keeping the 'stat turned down to around 65 or lower; 55 at night or when away.
Thanks. I know it will be more per gallon than heating oil, but we only need about 15 gallons (at most, probably cut it down to ten since really we only need it for showers and heat tomorrow (we will have people over and I work a greasy, grimy job I need to shower after.) At the current prices, that’s less than $45, which would be less than the extra $100 we’d need to get a delivery before Monday. (Of course, we’ll also need to go buy a diesel container, but that can’t be more than like $10, right?)
If you live near farms, it may be possible to get some “non road use only” diesel. This doesn’t have road taxes added on (it is meant for tractors and other farm machines)
[hijacking my own OP]
Since you brought it up I was reminded. Let’s say we have a farmer who mostly needs it for tractors and such, but also puts it in his diesel truck. What keeps him from using it in the truck? The goodness of his heart?
[/hijack]
That, and it’s also dyed red like home heating fuel oil so that if anyone blows the whistle on him, the Feds can easily check. I imagine there are stiff penalties in place, as well.
Actually, I think it’s legal, in many jurisdictions, for farm trucks to use it. Truckers can fuel their main tanks and then restart the pump and fill an auxillary tank, for a reefer, generator, etc. and not pay the “road” taxes. Of course, in that case, the fuel is not dyed.
The station can get in trouble for selling it when they know the buyer is cheating, but I’d bet that there are a lot of people w/ diesel cars and pickups, who burn untaxed fuel. I’ve never heard of a pass. vehicle being routinely checked. They very rarely check big trucks, but the fines are very high, so it’s a big risk.
I really don’t know of any. Many state require truckers to buy special fuel permits, we usually pay fuel/road use taxes on a quarterly basis. I have a diesel farm tractor and I buy off road fuel for it. I just take my can and they fill it, no questions asked. Not sure how other states handle it.
Last I heard was 1000 dollars per gallon of dyed fuel in a vehicle used on the road. The dye will also taint the other fuel in the tank so if you added 10 gallons of dyed fuel to a 40 gallon tank that all ready had 20 gallons you could potentualy be fined for all 30 gallons.
As to the OP. I asked this question a while back when a freind of mine was looking to do the same. He did end up putting diesel from his truck into his home oil tank. It did work fine.
Thanks everyone. My roommate was able to bleed the line and get some diesel in there and it should last us the weekend. House is warm (well…thermostat set at 60, but warmer than outside) and I can take a warm shower to get the grease from work off me.
The OP stated that he has an “Oil Burner”
That isn’t enough info. We need to know just what kind, or by default, kerosene should be used. For example the jungers oil burner will only operate on kerosene.
Then there is the old POT stove, that will burn anything that will flow(due to temp). if its not a ventilated unit, like the Kerosun it will need the kerosene.
Of course the OP could have a fuel gun system that will burn whatever will flow, #1, or #2.
The oil burner is by far the safer unit vs propane, or natural gas. The latter is just so much more convenient being piped into your home.
Looking at the second question from the OP, 6G/day isn’t incomprehensible. Most of the oil burners I’ve seen in single family dwellings use 1.0 or .8 GPH nozzles which equates to ~25 to 31% duty cycle.
Depending on climate, degree of insulation, and building envelope tightness, not unreasonable.
Yeah, that’s what my dad said, too (he knows about those kinds of things.) Our house has all single pane windows, a large picture window in the living room, and an uninsulated, unheated porch that is accessed through the dining room through a sliding glass door. The part of the wall not occupied by the glass door is also glass. :rolleyes: