Using diesel fiel in your homes oil burner/boiler

[George]

Lets say you bake cupcakes for extra income. You need to buy supplies etc to do it. So you only keep a small portion of the actual selling price of the cupcake. Lets say you will deliver 100 cupcakes for $100. So a customer of yours says "we would really like to have more cupcakes but didn't budget for it, so we want you you to deliver 10 cupcakes for $10". Could you do it? Would it make any economic sense to burn the same amount of fuel in your car and use the same of time to deliver 10? Remember just like the heating oil company you actually are keeping only a small portion of the selling price since you have to pay for supplies and use your vehicle to deliver the product.

[George]

Unfortunately "Andrea" can't wrap her head around the idea that the local oil company actually has to go and buy the product they are delivering to her for not much less than they are selling it to her.

Good friend has a liquid fuels business. The typical "tankwagon" truck costs $350,000. Tires are $400/each. There are expensive recurring inspections for tank integrity. Then there is really expensive mandatory hazardous cargo insurance for spills/accidents. Add in the cost of labor and the fuel to run a truck that gets 6 MPG and you wonder how they can even do 100 gallon minimum deliveries.

[Harry K]

needoilso start now. =A0Get a delivery this week, top it off before the rea= lly

NO, that is not _all_ you were saying. You were complaining (more than twice btw) that companies should deliver 5 or 10 gal oil for free. That is even _after_ it was explained to you (more than twice BTW).

Harry K

[trader4]

Excuse us, but are we supposed to go back to compare all your previous posts to see which ones you made twice? And obviously it did not fail to post, it actually posted twice. So, given the circumstances I wouldn't start calling people names.

In which case it would be a good idea to point that out when you made the second post.

It did.

I'm sorry for your loss and salute your late husband for his service to the country.

I know you think those bringing up budgeting so that you don't run out of oil are being mean, but I can tell you this. In many years of experience I've found that oil burners that are allowed to run out wind up with a lot more service problems, everything from clogged nozzles to having to bleed them to get them going again. So I think the budget advice that someone else made or the idea of putting the oil delivery on a credit card etc are actually very good suggestions.

[willshak]

I have a budget plan with my fuel oil company. I pay a fixed monthly payment throughout the whole year based upon the amount of fuel oil used in the past plus the anticipated cost per gallon although I only use the oil burner in the winter. The plan is reevaluated at the end of the 1 year plan period. Any overage payment is credited to my account for the next year. For me, at least, this is better than having to shell out $1,000 or more without the plan at the time of delivery. The delivery is automatic, starting in late autumn and may be topped off a couple more times during the winter months by any amount, whether or not we are home. If this would be better for you, you may check for this kind of plan with your current fuel oil company or find another that does.

[mkirsch1]

Well, because despite your circumstances you can still do things differently to avoid getting into that "bad week" situation.

What I don't understand is, if you don't have enough money for oil on rent week, how do you have enough money for oil any other week?

Seriously, consider moving. Oil is one of the most expensive ways to heat. You can often find apartment complexes that have central heating plants and provide heat and hot water as part of the monthly rent.

It's "do what you gotta do to survive." If one of the things you have to do is move, you have to be willing to do it. This attitude people have of living life on their terms is what's turning us into a welfare state.

[willshak]

Call your fuel oil company and see if they will fill 5 gallon cans at their facility. If yes, go buy some 5 gallon cans at the hardware store and do your own deliveries at your cost. They may even give you a discount because they don't have to pay all the overhead for their deliveries. I use around 4-5 gallons a day for my winter heating depending upon the outside temperature here in NY, so with 20 gallons, I'll have to make the trip at least once a week. Don't forget to add in the cost for your gasoline to make the round trip to the fuel oil company.

[Andrea Parga]

legroups.com...

Lol! U are a riot Chris! It's true I def need to get used to my new financial situation, because moving as some suggested is out of the question! My children oldest a girl 14, my son 12, and my bonus baby girl at 2...love their school and friends, and the area of the witch city I live in is gorgeous! (hence the $1400 a month price tag!) But well worth it! Thanks again for the laugh, they have been few and far between lately! :-)

[Andrea Parga]

What could potentially be in it for them is a ton of new customers that would offset any potential loss they would have delivering small amounts to everyone....just a thought, what do u think?

[Evan]

That is a bad idea...

There is a limit as to how much fuel/flammables you can carry around in your car without requiring a special permit/tank/inspections and the CDL with hazardous cargo endorsement...

~~ Evan

[HeyBub]

I think that's what the used car dealer said, except a bit more elegantly: "We lose money on every car we sell, but we make it up in volume."

[HeyBub]

And if she had a diesel vehicle, she could kill two birds with one bush.

[HeyBub]

Exigent circumstances trumps all regulations. It's COLD, remember.

[krw]

Good idea! Why don't you buy small quantities of fuel and deliver it as a side job. You could be *rich*!

[krw]

Supply hose? The idea isn't to compete with "Big Oil", rather to supply those who won't budget. She can just load up the junker with surplus jerry cans. Maybe the kids can sit on them.

[Evan]

No, they don't...

Exigent circumstances don't apply in this situation...

Clearly the OP can not afford her opulent living situation given her current financial reality and needs to apply for housing assistance...

I would not want to be caught carting around too much fuel oil in the present homeland security circumstances...

A homeowners inability to properly budget for their household or live within their means so that home heating oil can be delivered by properly trained and licensed CDL drivers with hazardous materials endorsements does not nullify all of the federal and state laws regulating the transportation and storage of flammable liquids...

~~ Evan