Can Powerstrokes run home heating oil? - Diesel Forum

90pioneer · 04-08-2011, 02:05 AM

I think I can get home heating oil roughly 50 cents a gallon cheaper than diesel.

Would there be any problem running this my early 99 7.3 on the heating oil? Should it be mixed with diesel and if so how much? No prefiltering should be required correct?

Do you think the local heating oil outfit would have a problem filling up a transfer tank in the back of my truck once a week?

maxtrax · 04-08-2011, 07:38 AM

By running heating oil you are purchasing a different fuel and not paying road taxes. Basically they could nail you for tax evasion. However, I'm pretty sure if you make your own fuels there are different laws. On top of this heating oil doesn't provide the proper lubricity compared to D2 that your engine needs. Heating oil is also very crude and you would probably want to still filter it and mix at least 50/50. At this point would the $.40/gal be worth it? IMO you would probably just be better of making your own fuel from WMO, WVO, or just accepting the D2 prices.

simone0414 · 04-08-2011, 08:02 AM

There is a huge fine for running red dye fuel.Chances are small that you would get dipped but if you did look out.

Yes I think they would have problem filling up your tank. They would for sure know what you was doing with it & may even report you. That's a bad idea IMHO.

Many have told me that HHO is not different then D2 just has red dye in it & it will burn fine. I have had equally as many tell me that it has not lubricant in it & will cause engine damage. If I was going to run it I would put some MO or AFT in with it. But honestly I wouldn't chance it.

50 cents a gallon is not much of a savings compared to the risk.

drmiller100 · 04-08-2011, 08:17 AM

HHO is D1, and is "thinner" then diesel.

It is like running low octane gasoline in an engine. The engine will knock and rattle more, mileage will be down.

It will be easier to start when it is cold.

You can add some WMO to "thicken" up the HHO if you want. My guess would be 30 percent WMO and 70 percent D1 would be a decent mix.

macinco · 04-08-2011, 07:47 PM

Well, I am about to hopefully pick up a fairly significant amout tomorrow. Believe it to be heating oil. Really old stuff. (Not sure how old but lets say 15-20 years. Maybe more). I took a sample and it is thicker than diesel fuel but not nearly as thick as WMO. Looks just like WMO though. Blacker than the Ace of Spades.

I "tested it" by dipping a stick in it and lighting the stick. It burns...lol. Smells like I remember an kerosene lamp I think. For comparision, I dipped a stick in WMO too. It burns also.

Anyway, I am going for it. It will be a challenge to get. It is the bottom 10 or so inches in a circular steel tank, 8' diameter and 16' long. Surrounded by concrete walls on all 4 sides and a roof close to the top (the building owner is trying to get rid of the tank, and has smashed a hole large enough to get in/get to the top of the tank. Should be "fun". Then aroung and down a hall through a dorr out in the alley where I will be blocking the alley.

I am going to try to clean it up (who knows how much water), biocide, settle, strain/filter the heck out of it and try it out (mix some with W85, etc. etc) and see how it goes

Its so black I do not know if it even had red dye in it or not. I see no sign of "red".

Sometimes ya gotta go "all in". Could be up to 325 or so gallons. Hope I don;t end up with an ad on CL trying to get rid of this stuff...lol (I think it will work out fine in some way shape or form, even if I end up just using in small percentages)

EMD_Driver · 04-08-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by macinco

Its so black I do not know if it even had red dye in it or not. I see no sign of "red".

2 years ago, I was given close to 200 gallons of heating oil and the two tanks they had it in. The oil in it had to be very old, but still smelled "potent" I burned some of it and it burned well. The color was more yellow, but a dark yellow. No red at all. The only thing I did to it, was filter it to 5 microns.

I even ran a tank of it at 100%.... My truck never ran better, than it did on that old heating oil!

EMD_Driver · 04-08-2011, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drmiller100

HHO is D1, and is "thinner" then diesel.

I talk to the guys that fuel our locomotives at work and was told by them, that the red fuel we get is the same thing they pump into home heating oil tanks. From what I was told, the only difference between the red fuel we get and the ULSD at the pump, is the dye and the price. I was told that it costs them more to separate the fuel, than it does to simply dye ULSD and sell it as heating oil.

I don't know how it is in the rest of the country, but they say it's a standard practice around here.

FuelinAround · 04-10-2011, 08:43 AM

Home heating oil should not be red. Off road diesel fuel is dyed read and whTpat we sell as home heating oil is kerosene. There is a difference between kerosene and on/off road diesel but it is not significant kerosene just goes through the refining process longer. If you are running red dyed off road diesel in home heaters or salomanders it will smoke due to the dye burning. Around here the tax issue is heavily enforced for not paying road taxes on diesel. Our farm machinery shows actually have guys that will walk around and dip a tester in fuel tanks in the parking lot to try and bust farmers who fill their trucks out of their farm equipment tanks.

RIStroker2000 · 04-10-2011, 09:40 AM

my buddy has been running HHO and a little off road diesel in his tank for a year.. plus a bullydog... to me all 3 a big NO NO.. recently hes replaced all injectors, IDM, ICP, CPS, PCM do too ALOT of smoke, all of the time.. its better but not fixed.. my theory, running all 3 like he has and running it hard.. has done something bad mechanically to the motor

dieseldonn · 04-11-2011, 05:46 PM

HHO is the same as off road dino. Just the dye it will burn in a truck. You could get wicked but slim to none. If you do high fines. I also have heard about the farm shows getting wicked. Also in the small farm towns at the coffee shop to.

Don't burn RED and good luck.

EMD_Driver · 04-11-2011, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FuelinAround

Home heating oil should not be red. Off road diesel fuel is dyed read and what we sell as home heating oil is kerosene.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dieseldonn

HHO is the same as off road dino.

Don't burn RED and good luck.

All the HHO suppliers around here use red diesel and call it HHO. When I asked, they said it has been that way, for a long time.

rsr911 · 04-11-2011, 07:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIStroker2000

my buddy has been running HHO and a little off road diesel in his tank for a year.. plus a bullydog... to me all 3 a big NO NO.. recently hes replaced all injectors, IDM, ICP, CPS, PCM do too ALOT of smoke, all of the time.. its better but not fixed.. my theory, running all 3 like he has and running it hard.. has done something bad mechanically to the motor

Of course, he ran a very dry fuel with no lubricity additive. I'd bet even a pint or two of 2 stroke oil added to every tank might have prevented that. Even better blend it with at least 50% WMO or WVO.

tweener · 04-11-2011, 11:19 PM

HHO or more properly ...#2 heating Oil.....is pretty much the same as #2 diesel, although it likely has MORE SULFUR ( more lubricant ) and less cetane...

I have butrned it before, and truck alway smakes more power on ANY fuel that is a true #2 ( like #2 diesel too )....around MN, about 2 months of the year, all you get is blended or #1, or carp with pwer robbing additives...