Diesel in an oil furnace?

[thesober]

I need a temporary fix till i get my gas meter installed.

I heard that Diesel and furnace oil are just about the same? Would i be able to use Diesel fuel from a gas station to fill up my furnace's oil tank on a temporary basis?

I want to make 100% sure before attempting this? Its not going to cause a fire/explosion right?

The more confirmations i get, the better...thanks for posting.

[tecman]

# 2 diesel and heating oil are the same, except for the color

paul

[thesober]

Is #2 diesel what i can get at the gas station?

[captainrat]

yes its perfectly ok just be sure to use a dedicated can, preferably a blue one to reduce chances of getting anything other than no 2 oil in your tank, gas will kill.
diesel is probably cleaner than the oil ya have been getting, it will just cost you a fortune in road use taxes
be carefull that there is nothing but oil in the can

[thesober]

Originally posted by captainrat
yes its perfectly ok just be sure to use a dedicated can, preferably a blue one to reduce chances of getting anything other than no 2 oil in your tank, gas will kill.
diesel is probably cleaner than the oil ya have been getting, it will just cost you a fortune in road use taxes
be carefull that there is nothing but oil in the can

Yeah, thanks, that would be alright, ill be buying a new can to use...Its just a temporary fix, weather is getting cold and i need heat...just waiting until i get my NG furnace installed.

[smokin68]

Originally posted by thesober
I need a temporary fix till i get my gas meter installed.

I heard that Diesel and furnace oil are just about the same? Would i be able to use Diesel fuel from a gas station to fill up my furnace's oil tank on a temporary basis?

I want to make 100% sure before attempting this? Its not going to cause a fire/explosion right?

The more confirmations i get, the better...thanks for posting.


No problem...they are the same. I've done it numerous times when the %$!!% tank went empty during the first cold spell and I brain-farted and forgot to fill it up.

[Noel Murdough]

I'm a factory rep for boilers with Becket, Carlin, Wayne, Heat-Wise, and Riello burners mounted on them. These guys are all telling you the right thing.

Road use fuel is cleaner, and won't gel as fast when it gets VERY cold. It has the same BTU content.

It's a different color so the government can tell that the road use tax has or hasn't been paid on it.

Noel

[maintenanceguy]

I'm not suggesting that you do it but...

My sister in law ran out of oil one cold night a couple of years ago w/ little kids in the house. I hooked her up to run out of a 5 gallon diesel can instead of out of her tank. She ran that way for a few days until her next paycheck.

[amickracing]

I would check to see if you could get some offroad fuel instead. It's the exact same thing as #2, but dyed red and you don't pay road tax's on it. Most big truck stops should have it.

Might save you a few bucks.

[oil lp man]

Yes you can. Another confirmation.

[t527ed]

Originally posted by amickracing
I would check to see if you could get some offroad fuel instead. It's the exact same thing as #2, but dyed red and you don't pay road tax's on it. Most big truck stops should have it.

Might save you a few bucks.



off road deisel would be the way to go about 20 cents a gallon cheaper here. on the flip side of that i have been running heating oil in a deisel tractor for the last 2 years with no problems. filter just gets dirty a little faster.

[joeoilman]

why do you want to lose all those btu's by switching to ng? it gonna cost you almost 30% more on ng. at least you're not on lp.

[thesober]

Originally posted by joeoilman
why do you want to lose all those btu's by switching to ng? it gonna cost you almost 30% more on ng. at least you're not on lp.

My oil furnace and tank are getting really old, at least 30+ years. Its a very low efficiency, im doing the switch to NG high efficiency furnace when i get the meter installed. I think its about time too, been wanting to do this change for a long time, everyone is on NG, i think im the only one on my street with the oiltanker coming to fill my tank...

[casturbo]

30 yr old oil system?....just broke in if it's a quality unit. Changing over to gas isn't as great as the gas companies tell ya. Good luck.

[beenthere]

Yet another ok, diesel is fine to use.

Is your new gas furnace 2 stage.

[thesober]

Originally posted by beenthere
Yet another ok, diesel is fine to use.

Is your new gas furnace 2 stage.

Excellent, thank you all for posting.

Yes, im giong to get a hiefficiency 2 stage furnace, i was thinking about the variable speed to save on electricity but i dont really turn on the fan year round, only when the heat or AC is on.

[beenthere]

If you have central A/C, or are considering addind it some time later, then the VS is a good investment.

[The Penguin]

personally I don't like oil furnaces would have nat gas or propane any day

yse you can use desiel for heating oil

[tr23]

#2 and diesel are very similar(almost identical). Diesel is generally lower in sulphur and slightly cleaner. Putting #2 in a vehicle is questionable due to sulphur content (varies according to type of vehicle).

Putting diesel throught a furnace is fine. Once again, make sure it's only diesel. Gasoline or other types of oil could go boom.

Using farmers or off-road diesel is a good idea. As mentioned above, using a can of diesel to get a customer through a bad spot, or empty tank for whatever reason, is a common trick around here.

TR23

[amickracing]

#2 is what is used almost exclusively in vehicles, #1 being used in colder climates and during winter (or winterblend #2). I can't say for sure but I think heating oil is #4... or something like that.

[beenthere]

Originally posted by amickracing
#2 is what is used almost exclusively in vehicles, #1 being used in colder climates and during winter (or winterblend #2). I can't say for sure but I think heating oil is #4... or something like that.

Although there is #4 oil, it is not used in residencial.

[Noel Murdough]

Heating oil is number 6, 4, 2, 1 or used.

1 is kerosene, 2 is diesel and home heating oil, 4 is just #4, and 6 is bunker oil (or roofing tar, if it's cold).

So, yes, #4 is heating oil. But it's not used in homes.

Noel