Furnace fuel

I was mowing where a old ranch was torn down. I noticed a tank of furnace oil. It smelled like diesel, and looked good. Is it the same stuff? I don't know how old it is. It could be 40-50 years old. I am sure I could have it for just removing it. There must have been 200 gal. left in the tank. Is it too old to even consider using if it is the same as diesel? Stan

My understanding of heating fuel from the 50's, was that it was thinner than tractor diesel, however my old man used it in his Oliver 88 diesel, while waiting for the truck to deliver his fuel. At any rate the fuel that you are refering to, is a leak hazard waiting to happen. It should be removed, and if it is useable, so much the better! Do try to get clearence from owner.

If you get involved in a fuel spill it will cost you big bucks.

Probably #1 fuel. Yes, I'd use it.

Furnace fuel is what we in the north burn in our tractors all winter. Regular diesel will turn to jello when it gets down to about 10 degrees F. Fuel companies mix furnace oil with their diesel to keep it from gelling, and in the north, use straight furnace oil in the coldest part of winter. You will loose about 2% of your horsepower and the exhaust will smell slightly different, it reminds me of a hydraulic oil burning smell. Your only issue will be the age, but it won't have any biodiesel in it because that stuff gells even quicker than normal fuel, plus it is relatively new. If it doesn't have any algae in it I would use it.

If its under ground it probably furance oil, which was the same as #2 diesel fuel. It was 40 years ago anyway. I don't know if it loses it cetane or not. Cetane only helps in starting a cold engine. Cetane rating was higher back then in diesel, then it is today. I would mix it with some new and use it.

Fuel used for heating is #1 diesel. The thin 'winter' stuff.

Allan

Furnace oil is #2, oil for heating stoves and such is #1. I use to mix some #1 with the #2 so it would flow better in extremely cold weather, in outside tank.

There is #1 and #2 fuel oil.

1 is refined more, thinner, and doesn't gel until 60 below or so.

2 is less refined, thicker, better for a hot working engine, more btu per gallon, cheaper, and starts to gel below freezing.

If they add a package of lubricity and other additives, it becomes diesel fuel. Sometimes heating oil does not have the additive package.

Typically, most places, they do not carry 4 products, because it becomes too expensive to keep that many different inventoried products.

They just carry #1 diesel, and #2 diesel. It gets sold as either diesel fuel or heating fuel. Same thing.

Typically you can take old heating fuel, which most often actually is diesel fuel, and use it in an older, sulfur accepting diesel tractor. If you are worried about the additives missing, blending the old fuel with new fuel 50-50 should take care of it and won't bother an old Diesel engine at all.

We can't assume the heating fuel will be either #1 or #2 grade, but either will work as a tractor fuel, ESP if you blend it with good fuel. In cold climates like mine, typically winter diesel or winter heating fuel is a blend of the 2 grades of fuel, so the gel point gets down to minus 20 or so.

I would hesitate to use it in a very modern Diesel engine, with their very close tolerances, high pressures, and pollution control features that do not like sulfur. I think that might not be a good idea.

After testing it a bit for burning, and keeping any rust or water on the bottom of the old tank from getting mixed in, I would easily use it in my old 1970s diesel tractors and not worry about it.

Paul