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TheBlackAdder (677 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 04:37 AMQuestion: Can you tell when someone is using residential fuel oil in their diesel vehicle?I grew up in a home that used fuel oil heat. My sister bought the home and replaced it with another fuel oil system a decade ago. There is a distinct odor to fuel oil which separates it from the low-sulfur diesel fuel sold for autos and trucks. There are a group of trucks down by me that, when passing or standing by, smell like a residential heater, instead of a standard diesel vehicle or tractor trailer. The odor of these vehicles is quite pungent, leaving little doubt they are trying to evade a motor vehicle gas tax. === In a pinch, some heating companies will say you can use automotive-grade diesel fuel in your home's heating system if you can't get your fuel oil delivered on time or don't want to pay for an emergency delivery. Some cars, like an Audi, might know if you are using high-sulfur home oil as they also have a special additive to reduce emissions. I'm not sure if simpler delivery trucks and tractor-trailers would work the same way. Most fuels are colored differently to prevent accidental [sic] misuse while others produce different odors so you can tell them apart when they are being burned. == Can you really tell the difference if you burn the two variants of oil in a truck or older diesel car?
Egalitarian Thug (11,858 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 04:42 AM1. Sure, in any diesel vehicle older than 2007.
dipsydoodle (38,593 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 04:57 AM2. Here in the UK they use different coloursso's if it came to it the police / HM Customs could detect other than automotive diesel being used in a car or truck - considerably different tax/duty bands on differing fuel types. Never heard of a car getting a spin - trucks yes. Odd notes here for example http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071130014800AA1LRmQ Had a friend with an old VW van who ran it at times using vegetable oil from Costcos. Used to get funny looks when stationary in traffic at bus stops whatever. Not nearly as funny as back in 1963 when we used to run neat RedX fuel additive through a tube into the carb while stationary - made the entire bus queue disappear in white smoke when we pulled away. Managed to make an entire filling station disappear on one occasion
longship (22,006 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 05:01 AM3. The only difference is the color.Fuel oil is fuel oil, whether you call it diesel or heating oil. I heat by fuel oil. It's the same shit that truckers pump into their tanks to drive cross country with WalMart goods. The difference is that diesel fuel is taxed (like gasoline) and heating fuel isn't. But it's the same shit. But they color it so that one can tell the difference. I know. It's mind boggling
TheBlackAdder (677 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 05:10 AM4. Vehicular diesel fuel is low-sulfur.It they are putting residential fuel oil in their trucks, they're skirting highway taxes and adding to the pollution. Also, home heating oil is not held to the same purity standards, introducing impurities that could damage a vehicle. You could get stuck with junk oil or older oil.
Demo_Chris (5,354 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 05:13 AM5. They also sell agricultural fuel for farm equipment and vehicles....Same diesel, but a different color or something. Apparently someone decided that big rig owners could afford monstrous taxes but farmers and ranchers could not. Taxes are the main reason diesel fuel is so expensive.
Archae (28,766 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 05:48 AM6. My Dad used to deliver fuel oil for Kerr-McGee.And there was a running gag there, the lighter kerosene-type fuel oil was called "#1 fuel oil." The more commonly used, heavier fuel oil was called "#2 fuel oil." (You're seeing this one coming, right?) The guys Dad worked with said it was called "#2 fuel oil" because it smelled like shit.
longship (22,006 posts) Wed Feb 5, 2014, 05:01 AM3. The only difference is the color.Fuel oil is fuel oil, whether you call it diesel or heating oil.I heat by fuel oil. It's the same shit that truckers pump into their tanks to drive cross country with WalMart goods. The difference is that diesel fuel is taxed (like gasoline) and heating fuel isn't. But it's the same shit. But they color it so that one can tell the difference. I know. It's mind boggling
No it isn`t...do some research idiot.
Basically it's the same damn thing....they color it so they can fine you up to $10,000.00 if you are using the wrong color and are on the road.
It takes a loooooong time to cycle that dye out of the tank, or so I hear...
Been in the fuel oil business for 37 years. Back in the day B4 OPEC. All fuel oil was low sulfur and diesel was 60% #2 and 40% kerosene. It all was clean and wax and additive free! It was during the Clinton years when they started dying it to prevent truckers from avoiding road tax. Kero is dyed so heavy now it gums up oil burners! When I have to clean an assembly it look like someone butchered a pig in my van!
So, then--it probably wouldn't be a good thing for, say, Dietz lanterns?
Basically it's the same damn thing....they color it so they can fine you up to $10,000.00 if you are using the wrong color and are on the road.Put sulfur back in diesel fuel.....you're ruining my old diesel.
The difference is very real and very simple -- TAXES. The price at the pump is loaded with federal and state taxes. Home heating oil? not so much.
When you think about it, though, it's pretty stupid. Those fuel taxes are still passed along to the consumer in the end. I'd guess that most diesel fuel is used by semi trucks not pick up trucks.
Of course when GWB was president we heard from the drivers of rigs frequently on how much it is costing them to fill up ($1K). Wonder what happened to that?
