What should I do for heating next season?

Question

I am going to be moving into a place that will have an outside fuel tank. I was thinking about putting regular oil in it for the summer and filling the rest with K2 in the fall...is this a good idea and what are the ratios for a cold place (Maine) for mixing, so costs don't get out of control?

It is oil and i have been told by ppl that you can mix the 2 together

Answer 1

I would agree with the other poster on the comment about mixing with K2. Is K2 cheaper or equal to the price of Number 2 heating oil? If not, you won't save any money and you could be jeopardizing your heating equipment. I would check with the company that services your oil burner to see if what you plan to do is ok.

From an environmental standpoint, have you considered Biodiesel? It may not be cheaper than Number 2 home heating oil, unless you want to get adventurous and try to make some on your own or know someone who can make it for you. I just bought the book "Biodiesel: Growing a New Energy Economy" by Greg Pahl (copyright 2005). In the book, he has about 6 pages on using Biodiesel in place of or in combination with Number 2 home heating oil to heat a home.

Obviously, I won't write everything he wrote, but here are a number of interesting points:
- Many people don't realize that biodiesel can also be used as a heating fuel additive or replacement in a standard oil-fired furnace or boiler. That's because Number 2 heating oil is virtually the same as standard petrodiesel vehicle fuel, and biodiesel can be mixed at any percentage with Number 2 oil.
- The conversion process for an oil-fired furnace or boiler is just as simple as the conversion for a diesel engine - just add the biodiesel to the fuel tank. No new heating appliance or expensive retrofitting is required.
- Biodiesel has high solvent properties and tends to dissolve the sludge that often coats the inside of old fuel tanks and fuel lines.... until all the sludge in the fuel tank has been dissolved, keeping an extra fuel filter on hand might be a good idea for the first heating season.
- At the USDA Agricultural Experimental Station in Beltsville, Maryland they have been heating many buildings successfully with a biodiesel blend since 1999. At first, the station staff used a B5 blend, but in 2001, encouraged by the test results, they switched to a B20 blend and haven't experienced any problems.
- One industry pioneer capitalizing on this is Frontier Energy Inc. of South China, Maine. In 2002, sensing a new market opportunity, this offshoot of Frontier Oil Company began to offer biodiesel to homeowners in its regular delivery area between Augusta and Waterville. The company is currently offering - and actively promoting - a B5 "Basic Bioheat" blend as well as a B20 "premium Bioheat". For those who want it, B100 is also available, although the company doesn't recommend using it as a heating fuel in that concentration. Frontier's bioheat marketing strategy has worked; homeowner response has been extremely positive. "It's been fantastic. Those who have used it love it. The comment I usually get is, 'I can't tell the difference' which is exactly what you want to hear."

Answer 2

you have to find out what type of fuel your furnace requires i wouldn't start mixing different types of fuels together they could be combustible call your fuel supplier and get there input first