Heating Oil Alternatives – Can I Put Diesel Fuel in My Home Heating Oil Tank?
If you’re wondering whether or not you can use diesel fuel as a heating oil alternative, the answer is — yes. But it’s not as simple as swapping one for the other.
In this article, we’ll cover the difference between home heating oil and diesel fuel and if they can be used interchangeably.
This guide will walk you through everything you need to know before putting diesel into your home heating oil tank.
Diesel Fuel vs. Home Heating Oil
You might be surprised to find out that the diesel fuel commonly sold at your local gas station does in fact work as a replacement for home heating oil in most furnaces. Here is how.
Diesel fuel and number 2 home heating oil are both petroleum products. They both produce around the same amount of heat and can be burned in the same furnace systems.
You may be wondering, “if diesel fuel and no. 2 heating oil are basically the same, then why are they differentiated from one another?”
The answer has to due with how the government taxes these products based on their final uses. Fuel that is used to operate moving vehicles are taxed differently than fuels used to heat your home. That is why diesel fuel and no. 2 heating oil will vary quite significantly in price.
The diesel you will buy at your local gas station will be more expensive per gallon.
Diesel as a Heating Fuel Alternative
While diesel is a feasible alternative for heating oil, it should only be used as a temporary solution. Aside from the lower cost due to lower tax rates, heating oil is always the better option.
Diesel tends to burn hotter than traditional heating oil. While this isn’t really an issue when being used in short-term increments (a few days at a time, for example), it can become an issue in the long run if over done. This is due to the hotter burning temperature, which can cause damage to heating systems that aren’t designed to withstand the higher temperatures.
A safe guideline is to use around 5-10 gallons of diesel fuel a day, for only a couple of days until your heating oil delivery arrives.
Gasoline vs. Diesel Fuel vs. Home Heating Oil
It is important to keep in mind that gasoline is not the same thing as heating oil OR diesel fuel.
Gas that you see at your every day gas station is a lighter weight distillation and it cannot be used in your home heating oil furnace. Do NOT put ordinary vehicle gasoline in your oil tank. It will damage your furnace and cause a whole slew of other problems.
How to Use Diesel Fuel in Your Home Heating Oil Tank
The most important measure you can take is to make sure you are not waiting until your tank is empty to order more fuel from your heating oil supplier. We always recommend you “re-order at a quarter” meaning when you have a ¼ of a tank left, be proactive about scheduling your next fuel oil delivery so that you can avoid all of the extra work described below.
If you find that you have run out of fuel or that your heating oil supplier won’t be able to make it to you before you anticipate running out of fuel, here’s what you can do:
How To Put Diesel Fuel Into Your Home Heating Oil Tank
- Fill up a 5 or 10 gallon jug with diesel fuel at your local gas station. It must be DIESEL – NOT gasoline.
- Turn off your furnace first before pouring diesel into your heating oil tank.
- Locate your oil tank’s fill pipe on the outside of your house. Remove the cap.
- Pour the diesel fuel down into the fill pipe so it can enter the tank. We strongly advise against removing the plug from the oil tank in your basement and adding the fuel that way.
- Wait 10 minutes or so and then go ahead and turn the furnace back on. This will allow any sediment that was stirred up by diesel being poured into the tank to settle, making it less likely to clog the system.
Get Ahead of Your Next Oil Delivery
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! Ordering fuel has never been easier so don’t let your tank empty out. You can check prices and delivery dates right at your fingertips by using Star Home Heat.
