using heating oil for fuel?

[RWEST]

I've been using the #2 home heating stuff for 20 years in a variety of equipment with no problems.

 

[KiotiMutt]

I work at BP's largest refinery in Texas City, TX. (500,000 bbl/day). The unit I work on has nothing to do with home heating oil or diesel fuel, but I called the guy in the blending dept and he's going to email me some specs. I'll let everyone know what I find out.
The sulfur spec is definately one difference. Cetane is another.

KiotiMutt

 

[JimR]

</font><font color="blueclass=small">( My tractor service manual forbids this practice.

Though the products are very similar, it was stated that diesel fuel is specified as cleaner than heating oil. Heating oil may contain more impurities which may affect the injectors from functioning properly.

Yooper Dave )</font>

Just pull the filter out of the oil line for your heating system and you will see tons of crap plugging up the filter. Diesel fuel does not have these impurities. So keep your filter clean or changed if you plan on using heating oil.

 

[Soundguy]

Don't you love how the message 'edit' feature screws up the quoted text...

Soundguy

 

[Junkman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Just pull the filter out of the oil line for your heating system and you will see tons of crap plugging up the filter. Diesel fuel does not have these impurities. So keep your filter clean or changed if you plan on using heating oil. )</font>

I haven't changed the filter on my oil fired hot air furnace in 3 years and that is because it was like new the last time that I checked. If I had a lot of crap in my tank, I would have had to change it because it would have been clogged by now. Not all oil companies treat the product the same. Some have cleaner storage facilities than others and some pay a premium to get a better quality of fuel. The crap comes from the bottom of the storage tanks and if a fuel oil dealer is conscientious, they never pull the tanks down low on product when filling the trucks, and the crap stays in their tanks. I also use the home heating oil in my Kubota and have never had any trouble. My dispensing pump also has a fuel filter on it.

 

[GoodGuy]

I'm told that the pump diesel has a higher "cetane" rating & as I understand it, cetane is something like octane in gas & allows the fuel to burn/ignite better and the home heating fuel doesn't need that higher cetane because it is just burnt in a furnace (no compression). This brings me to 2 questions, 1 being, is what I've been told - the truth ?? & 2 is, does anyone know of a inexpensive cetane tester that I could do a fuel test periodically ??