Oil or Kero

[Matt]

Hi, I have an oil burning furnace in my house and was wondering what experience people have with using kero instead of fuel oil in their tanks? Better/worse/more efficient/cheaper/more expensive/etc?

~ Matt

[Red Neckerson]

"Matt" wrote

Kerosene (K-1) burns cleaner, but you do not get as many BTU's out of a gallon as you do with #2 AND Kero is usually more expensive (with today's prices, check around). If the furnace is tuned up properly, it should be able to burn #2 just as clean as K-1.

A couple tips:

Get on automatic delivery with your fuel company. They usually will set a price at the beginning of the season and you are guaranteed that price through the winter. Right now it's running about $1.64 a gallon (yikes!) but if you just order when you need it (that is referred to as "will call") it could be over $2 a gallon during the cold snap. Check with several companies and see what their rates are. Do it soon! It's gonna get cold here faster than you know it.

ALSO

To help make your furnace run better and to keep stuff from getting clogged up: If you are home when they make a delivery, turn your furnace off and leave off for at least 30 minutes after the fill-up. This will give any sludge/trash you have in your tank time to settle out.

Getting a contract put on your furnace and have it cleaned and serviced once a year is the best thing you can do.

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Only time kero is better is if the tank is outside in very cold climates.

[Red Neckerson]

Actually, kero is much better to use on trailer-type furnaces. Much less problems.....