Winter Fuel

[TerryinMD]

gerard,

If I was to try to do something like that in the People's Republic of Maryland, Lord only know what may happen. Probably get me on fuel spillage or some kind of whacko law. But, then again, you may be on to something. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Terry

 

[gerard]

Spoke to my supplier before doing it and was told it all comes right out of the same tank. They add the dye so DOT inspectors can tell if over the road vehicles are using it which is illegal and makes one subject to large fines. Also I think the "farm diesel" has a higher sulfur content. The lower sulfur fuels are more environmentally friendly ie less emissions and the newer engines are designed to compensate for the lower sulfur content but using the higher sulfur does no harm that I've heard of.

 

[MikePA]

I just sent an email to my contact at Chevron, the same person that responded to storing diesel in an HDPE container. I'll post his answer as soon as I receive it.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<font color=blue>...Is it truly the exact same thing? I thought there were additives in one or the other that would make it less than desireable (but still possible) to interchange the two...</font color=blue>

Old wives tale... No differences... #2-D is 2-D is 2-D...

Most every farmer has a basement tank and an outside equipment fuel tank... when the fuel supplier drives up to deliver... he fills the home heating oil tank and drives over and fills the outside tank... all with the same product...

I am looking at some "home heating oil bills" and it saids..."#2 Fuel, Dyed Diesel Fuel, Non-taxable use only..."

So call it want you want...#2-D fuel oil or home heating oil or diesel fuel... it's all the same thing... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[ejb]

OK, that does it then. When I fill up my 250 gallon diesel tank next week I am putting heating oil in it....

 

[Anonymous Poster]

/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

All kidding aside, call your supplier and ask them what the cost difference is between diesel fuel and home heating oil...

In NY, if you're not farm or ag exempt it's about 25-27 cents a gallon more because of the added tax... and guess what... they end up delivering "dyed #2-D" and still charge you TAX!....

 

[MikePA]

Here are the facts from Chevron

The proper people to ask your question of are your tractor's equipment manufacturers. Chevron would never go against what fuels they might recommend (or not recommend) for use in their (your) tractor.

That said, we will try to give you more information to help you make your decision. We are assuming you live in the United States. YOU MUST DETERMINE THE TYPES OF BOTH FUELS YOU ARE TRYING TO COMPARE. Ask your supplier about the type of heating oil you buy. We are quite certain that the diesel you get at a service station will be Low Sulfur Diesel No. 2.

You must remember, for instance, there is also a Diesel Fuel No. 1 (amongst others, it is similar to kerosene or Jet A fuel), and there are both High Sulfur and Low Sulfur Diesel No. 1 and both High Sulfur and Low Sulfur Diesel No. 2. You must be certain that you are talking about two different fuels that are both the same type (such as "No. 1" or "No. 2") and of the same level of sulfur (High Sulfur (HS) or Low Sulfur (LS)). High Sulfur diesel is NOT ALLOWED "on-road", so if you use your tractor "on-road" at times, you would be breaking the law if it was fueled with High Sulfur Fuel Oil of either type.

Diesel Fuels are manufactured to meet the American Society For Testing and Materials (ASTM) designation: D 975, "Standard Specification for Diesel Fuel Oils". Fuel oil or Heating Fuel is manufactured to meet the ASTM designation: D 396, "Standard Specification for Fuel Oils". Assuming that you want to compare Low Sulfur Diesel No. 2 with Low Sulfur Fuel Oil No. 2, the two fuels are very similar. The main difference between them is in the limits of the viscosity. The Diesel has limits of from 1.9-4.1 mm2/S (millimeter squared per second) at 40 degrees Centigrade, and the Fuel Oil has limits of 1.9-3.4. Thus, the diesel may be more viscous. Therefore, such diesel can be rebranded as fuel or heating oil if the viscosity is between 1.9 and 3.4.

The lower viscosity property maximum limits for fuel oil is related to atomizing type burners which spray the oil into a combustion chamber where the tiny droplets burn while in suspension. Lower lubricity is likely as the viscosity decreases. While this may not cause catastrophic instant damage, it could cause long-term wear of pumps, etc. While the danger from this is slight, you would need to use fuel oil at your own risk in your own equipment (if the equipment manufacturer recommends against it).

Other properties of both Low Sulfur Diesel No. 2 and Low Sulfur Fuel Oil No. 2 are the same.

Note, for further detailed information about diesel fuels, Chevron has made available a publication entitled, "Diesel Fuels Technical Review". Go to the site listed below and click on that title option out of the listing of available Chevron publications. http://www.chevron.com/prodserv/fuels/

 

[Anonymous Poster]

<font color=blue>...Chevron has made available a publication entitled, "Diesel Fuels Technical Review". ...</font color=blue>

Thanks for posting that again Mike... I had posted it a few months back under Oil, Fuel etc... and found it extremely interesting...

I've talked to a few distributors here in the Northeast and they haven't seen any high sulfur product in a couple years {mid 90's?}. I keep hearing people talk about it, but wonder if it actually exists anymore in any part of the U.S.?

Between the federal and state regulations and the constant EPA upgrades, maybe the product is now vaporware...

 

[Bird]

<font color=blue>but wonder if it actually exists anymore in any part of the U.S.?</font color=blue>

Yep, according to a rancher neighbor who tells me that's all he uses in his tractors, and told me where he buys it locally (I think his newest tractor is a 1976)./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[hayden]

I think your observations are spot on. What comes out of the typical gas station pump is already blended for the climate at hand and requires no thought or special action on your part.

However, the fuel that gets pumped into a car is seldom there for more than a week or so, and there's no opportunity for the climate to change between the time you pump and the time the fuel is consumed. Your tractor, on the other hand, can be filled with fuel in the summer or early fall and still have that same fuel in it when January rolls around. This is the situation you expressed and is exactly where you get in trouble. I got burned (or gelled in this case) by just this a few years ago.

Unfortunately, there's no way to know when the fuel distributors start treating fuel for the cold, and when that treated fuel is in the tank you are pumping from.

Given this, I'd treat fuel at this time of year if it's not going to get consumed within a few weeks to a month. Treatment is lots easier than un gelling a fuel system. If you run through your fuel fast enough, this is a big don't care.

For those of us with larger storage tanks, this problem shows up more often since the likelyhood of buying fuel in the warm months and still having it around in the cold goes way up. Come to think of it, I've got about 20 gal in my storage tank that I better treat before it gets too cold.