I have run out of fuel oil. Wifes job to keep an eye on it and she failed. With the weekend here looks like being a cold one as BP can't deliver until Monday.
Is there any alternative which is safe to use? Diesel?
Thanks
Piers
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G
Grunff
Call around, try to find someone other than BP - there will be plenty of suppliers who'll deliver tomorrow.
As far as other fuels go, diesel will work fine (but you'll need a hundred litres or so to cover the bottom of the tank).
C
Calm-Down
Thanks for that - Unfortunalty I live on the Isle of Wight so we are limited to BP and a local company Vectis Oils, neither can help. Thanks for the advice on the diesel, no additional tweaks need to the boiler.
Piers
G
Grunff
It won't run as efficiently, because it's jetted for kerosene, but it will fire up and run ok to keep you warm.
M
Mary Fisher
Not a woman's job.
Wear a hat and long johns.
Mary
J
Jonathan Pearson
You may also have a few problems priming the system again - but yes a few gallons of diesel will keep you going - alternatively could you not siphon some from one of your neighbours tanks ?
p.s. whys it the wifes job?
Jon
D
Dave Liquorice
Do you really mean fuel oil not 28sec domestic heating oil aka kerosene or 35sec gas oil aka red or road diesel? "Fuel oil" to me is pretty heavy black stuff that is burnt in massive boilers heating big commercial properties.
If you can find someone in an office now or tommorow... The OP posted at
2000 on a Friday. I'd certainly do the ring around but be prepared to pay extra for the rapid delivery or not get any anwsers.
I wouldn't want to put diesel (gas oil) into a kerosene boiler. Be alright for a gas oil, red diesel boiler though, some old domestic boiler do use red. it would have to be a pretty drastic situation for me to burn road diesel in a boiler of what ever type of fuel it was designed for...
40 odd p/l tax to the government!
H
Holly, in France
Yes, we used to have one of these, red diesel was fine.
Friendly neighbourhood farmer might let you have some red, ours used to. Now we have our own red diesel tank but wood fired heating!
-- Holly, in France Gite to let in Dordogne, now with pool.
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W
Weatherlawyer
It is red diesel isn't it? Can't you get a few containers and tour the local farms and likely places? Ask your supplier if they will tell you of one of their customers near you, who might sell some of theirs to tide you over. I can't believe you can't buy a few gallons from your supplier if you pop round to him.
Just because they won't deliver doesn't mean they won't sell. Otherwise it is a trip down local chip shops and kebab houses for used veggie oil:
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wants double filtering.
Lots more about it on usenet. You can buy bulk corn oil for about 50 or
60 pence a litre. That's about twice what red diesel costs I believe. It works as well if not as good a heating fuel. I believe it burns cooler.
J
John
It "will" burn in a pressure jet burner but it will be dirty and lighting may be unreliable. Paraffin is probably the easiest if your local garage sells it in 5 litre containers. It WILL BE VERY EXPENSIVE! You may be better off buying a couple of cheap fan heaters or borrowing if possible to get through the weekend.
T
The Natural Philosopher
diesel works. expensive tho.
T
The Natural Philosopher
Sexist bitch.
A
Andy Dingley
No, it's cheaper than red. Although red will keep you warm if you're stuck.
D
Dave Liquorice
Which is why I'd shy away from using 35sec oil in a pressure jet boiler =
expecting to run on 28sec. Still waiting to hear if the OP's boiler runs= on heavy "fuel oil", 35sec or 28sec though... B-)
=A31/l or more, now our (large) boiler uses 7l/hr... so you need a coupl= e of 20l jerry cans full to last a few cold days.
Or a buying/renting a portable gas fire.
G
Grimly Curmudgeon
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Calm-Down" saying something like:
It'll run ok on red or road diesel, whatever you can lay your hands on. Not recommended for constant use, as you really need to set the burner up properly for it, but it'll be ok over a weekend.
G
Grimly Curmudgeon
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Weatherlawyer" saying something like:
Vegoil in a domestic heating burner will work only up to 25% dilution for reliable starting.
Otherwise the burner needs substantial modification to burn it at any higher concs.
L
leveled
Surely you can use Paraffin as used for greenhouse heaters available from many garages
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