Diesel Oil in Home oil heating

[Dave]

Hello,

Does anyone know if I can put Diesel oil in my home heating furnace to temporarily recover from an oil outage?

Thanks, D.

[Joseph Meehan]

I don't believe it will cause any problems other than costing you a lot more.

[Tom]

As I understand it, #1 fuel oil and diesel fuel are basically the same. A dye is added to the fuel oil so the revenuers can tell the difference. They visit farm auctions around here and stick a stick down farmers diesel truck gas fill openings...if the stick comes up colored with the dye that is in fuel oil, they're fined for not paying the road taxes that are included in diesel fuel. When farmers file their income taxes, there is a place to claim a credit for non-dyed diesel fuel oil that is used in vehicles that don't use the roads such as tractors, generators, etc. That way they don't have to keep two separate tanks for dyed and non-dyed fuel oil. Tom G

[Bob]

Yes, you definitely can use it. The only difference is, that diesel fuel usually has a cetane enhancer in it and diesel that does not have a road tax must have red dye in it. You can also use kero. The main difference is that kero has the paraffin refined out of it.

[blank]

Yes, I have done it many times. It works fine.