Home heating oil and really cold weather

[ragkar]

Way back I inquired why I have to use kerosene for my mobile home furnace. The oil guy said that heating oil becomes too viscous to flow through the feed tubing for mobile homes that have their storage tanks outside.

 

[lostcause]

some place around here tried mixing in a new additive - unleaded gasoline.

it wasn't intentional of course. somehow the kerosene tank at a fuel station got unleaded added to it. they've had big stories on the local news the last couple nights warning people who bought kerosene not to use it. last i heard no bad things have happened yet.

 

[RalphVa]

I never worked in the fuel end of the refinery, but worked in the lube oil end (the part that took 20% of the barrel and made 80% of the profits, not much money in fuel). I've heard that they tend to segregate the cracked distillate for healing oil and virgin distillate for diesel, mainly because the cetane is higher in the virgin stuff. The cracked stuff has less straight paraffin and therefore would be less prone to gelling of paraffin.

However, I think the could point spec (e.g. first formation of paraffin) is generally higher on home heating oil than diesel.

Most have the tank in the basement, but lots of homes do have the tanks sitting outside. Some bury the tanks. The ones sitting outside are most prone to paraffin formation. These would be even more prone if their suppliers are using the same stuff for heating oil and diesel. ULSD is even more paraffinic.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Use of unleaded gasoline as a thinner works, but makes diesel very dangerous. The fumes in a diesel tank are not combustible, but add a bit of gasoline, and it becomes very combustible, more so than a gasoline tank. It's vapor space is too rich to combust.

Ralph

 

[jake98]

Solve the problem with a Rollie Tank Heater.. Thermostatically controlled and only uses 13 watts at temps under 40 Degrees. Rollie Systems - Tank Heaters & Equipment

I removed my steel tank from the crawl space this summer and replaced with a Roth tank outside in an insulated enclosure with the Rollie in line feeder tube heater. The Roth tanks only feed from the top and are double wall but Rollie make in line heaters too.

Works great - the temp inside the oil hut was 22* when the outside temp was -10..

The picture is the 36"x72" "oil hut" I built at the rear of the house - has an access door where the window is for the heater, gauge view and such. The fill and vent pipe are on the opposite side.

I install them with the conventional suction tube 2" from the bottom, those flexible floating tubes are prone to cracking and loss of prime. Watch for that in the future..

 

[Carl_NH]

jake98

Yes the flex lines or floating pickup are problematic I have heard. I installed the DTH series heater from the top, which has a 3/4" thin wall stainless tube, then the 1/2" diameter heater is inside that so it is a rigid install sitting about 2" off the bottom.

Carl

 

[jake98]

jake98

Yes the flex lines or floating pickup are problematic I have heard. I installed the DTH series heater from the top, which has a 3/4" thin wall stainless tube, then the 1/2" diameter heater is inside that so it is a rigid install sitting about 2" off the bottom.

Carl

That looks good, thanks for the page, I'll check them out and fwd. the page to my bud who's the brains of the outfit.. I thought you had a floater, now I see what you were saying.

 

[jake98]

When my tank was outside it used to plug up all the time. I got real proficient at hooking the air nozzle to the burner end of the line, in the middle of the night, and blowing the clump back into the tank. A foam ear-plug slice made a perfect gasket for the air nozzle.

 

[Kep]

My oil tank is outside, it's been 15 years since the last time I had a problem with gelling. Early in the winter the tank gets half buried with snow and I assume the fuel oil dealer is mixing #1 in as we get to Jan. Most of jan was below 5 degrees with a week or so of not getting above 0. this week we will see -20 or so.

 

[jake98]

My oil tank is outside, it's been 15 years since the last time I had a problem with gelling. Early in the winter the tank gets half buried with snow and I assume the fuel oil dealer is mixing #1 in as we get to Jan. Most of jan was below 5 degrees with a week or so of not getting above 0. this week we will see -20 or so.

Not sure about this, but the colder winters may be better, as the fuel has been below the gelling point since before you get it. Suppliers may do some filtering as they transfer? They can't trap it as well until it solidifies?