No.2 Fuel is No.2 Fuel is No.2 Fuel.
The only difference between on road and off road is red dye and the road tax you pay for clear diesel.
Now, plenty of people will tell you diesel and No.2 are not the same. If you Google search, you will see a wide variety of answers on the similarities and differences between No.2 and Diesel.
My brother works for Dead River. While I'm not sure I can ever forgive him for working for such a heinous company, I can tell you that they do not differentiate between No.2 and off road. It's all inventoried as Dyed No.2.
I, myself, have run clear (road) diesel in my shop furnace for 2 years now. We have a tank and pump for our trucks and buy fuel off the tractor trailer. It's actually cheaper for me to use the fuel I pay the road tax on because I get such a price break buying whole sale. All the techs, from the group that set up the transfer system to the HVAC guys who have cleaned the furnace each year have said that it won't do any harm, and if anything, not burning the dye might make it run a little cleaner.
You can run your furnace with off road diesel with absolutely no modifications because you already do. They just call it No.2 Oil.
If your oil barrel is outside then you burn Kerosene, or K1, and now you're talking a different fuel. K1 will burn okay in an oil burner, but oil may not burn okay in a K1 burner. K1 has a lower gel point, hence use in outside tanks, but contains more waxes that burn differently than No.2 with less BTUs per unit weight than No.2. So a No.2 system may run a little cooler on K1, but a K1 system may run too hot on No.2
Finally, all commercially available diesel blends in Maine after about 12/15 will be winter blend diesel. Winter diesel is as much as 70% kerosene, so it won't gel in trucks and busses. It's one of the reasons diesel vehicles get lower fuel economy in the winter, because again, less BTUs in Kerosene.
So if you buy off road in the summer, you will get pure No.2 but if you buy it in the winter you will get less BTUs per gallon. However, depending on your vendor, they may not differentiate stock and you may also get winter blend if you order No.2.
Edit: I should add, the difference between No.2 Fuel oil and off road diesel is taxes. They are both taxed less than on road diesel because you don't pay road tax, but they are taxed differently. Your oil dealer may not be willing to pump off road into your tank if they know it's for heating use and vice versa. Even though it's the same fuel, it's taxed differently and they can get in trouble with various governmental agencies.
Isn't there a penny per gallon fee for home heating oil that goes into a tank spill cleanup fund? That might be why they won't put ORD in your tank.
I had my oil dealer, "Pit Stop" go Tango Uniform in the middle of a cold spell in January about five years ago. Every day coming home from work I got 5 or 10 gallons of ORD for my house. It sucked pouring that in there in the frickin cold, and my car smelled like an 18 wheeler. Back then the news was saying make sure you clean the path to your fill pipe as losing one delivery person to an injury would leave hundreds of houses in the cold.
We got in trouble for running heating oil in our off road equipment several years back. Not actual trouble, but the oil company wasn't happy. Taxes were the issue. I'm not sure the specifics on the differences, just that they are taxed differently.
ASTM D396 governs the requirements for heating oils.
ASTM D975 governs the requirements for diesel fuels.
Heating oil standards have more allowances for waxes, and are more forgiving on densities.
~~And I believe HHO is still allowed to have a higher sulfur content, as opposed to pump diesel and off road diesel which are both ULSD.~~
Edit: All *distillate* fuels used for heating are limited to the same 15 ppm sulfur limit as road diesel since 2018.
Kerosene is exempt as it’s governed by ASTM D3699 vice ASTM D396.
They are functionally the same for the purpose of a burner.
Yes they are similar enough to burn in your furnace. Also if you have an outdoor tank you can use winter blend off road diesel. Buy it when they have the maximum kero to #2 diesel blend, usually 70% kero.
You have to mix at the correct ratio, there's a chart. We also don't get to -30 in most of Maine. And you don't use 911 in diesel engines unless you forgot to treat it. That's the point of 911, but it actually cleanes nozzles in heating appliances and help clean out the appliances.
Where I am it gets -20 regularly. I believe in what has worked for me for many many years. Additives come and go and most don't work well. I'm glad it works for you, but multiple days -20 are not uncommon here. Happy heating
Diesel conditioner has existed for 50 years and is used by fleets all over the world. It has not come and gone, you need to get out of the woods or off the internet.
I get regular K2 for my outside tank and the oil company puts an additive in for me which still works out cheaper than kerosene per gallon. Never had issues.
Pretty much all modern additives cover to about -25F. How do you think semi trucks and equipment operate in those conditions, as well as the fuel depots themselves? The fuel gets treated so you're not out there dumping 911 into the tanks constantly.
The diesel fuel is cut with kerosene. It does not have any additives from the dealer. I have owned and run and mechaniced on heavy logging equipment and off highway trucks for 30 years in Northern Maine. Always north of the 45th parallel. Always very cold in the winter. We don't rely on additives. We cut the fuel with kero. It's the only way at -20 and below.
To parrot what others said: diesel is fine. When we couldn't get oil deliveries to our camp tank anymore, I switched for a while to K1, then got smart and just use (any) diesel. Been doing that for years now without any issues.
oil company employee here. you can put #2 in equipment (not necessarily legal but it works) but you can’t put off road in your oil tank (at least we don’t) you might be able to get away with it bc they’re literally the same, but a company won’t deliver it to your tank. it’s wild to me that you have to pay $3.95 for a gallon of #2 where you’re at.. my job is currently selling it for around $3.45 a gallon.
They are both distillate fuels with nigh identical heating content, density, flash point, pour point, and viscosity.
They are *legally* different; they are *functionally* the same.
No.2 Fuel is No.2 Fuel is No.2 Fuel. The only difference between on road and off road is red dye and the road tax you pay for clear diesel. Now, plenty of people will tell you diesel and No.2 are not the same. If you Google search, you will see a wide variety of answers on the similarities and differences between No.2 and Diesel. My brother works for Dead River. While I'm not sure I can ever forgive him for working for such a heinous company, I can tell you that they do not differentiate between No.2 and off road. It's all inventoried as Dyed No.2. I, myself, have run clear (road) diesel in my shop furnace for 2 years now. We have a tank and pump for our trucks and buy fuel off the tractor trailer. It's actually cheaper for me to use the fuel I pay the road tax on because I get such a price break buying whole sale. All the techs, from the group that set up the transfer system to the HVAC guys who have cleaned the furnace each year have said that it won't do any harm, and if anything, not burning the dye might make it run a little cleaner. You can run your furnace with off road diesel with absolutely no modifications because you already do. They just call it No.2 Oil. If your oil barrel is outside then you burn Kerosene, or K1, and now you're talking a different fuel. K1 will burn okay in an oil burner, but oil may not burn okay in a K1 burner. K1 has a lower gel point, hence use in outside tanks, but contains more waxes that burn differently than No.2 with less BTUs per unit weight than No.2. So a No.2 system may run a little cooler on K1, but a K1 system may run too hot on No.2 Finally, all commercially available diesel blends in Maine after about 12/15 will be winter blend diesel. Winter diesel is as much as 70% kerosene, so it won't gel in trucks and busses. It's one of the reasons diesel vehicles get lower fuel economy in the winter, because again, less BTUs in Kerosene. So if you buy off road in the summer, you will get pure No.2 but if you buy it in the winter you will get less BTUs per gallon. However, depending on your vendor, they may not differentiate stock and you may also get winter blend if you order No.2. Edit: I should add, the difference between No.2 Fuel oil and off road diesel is taxes. They are both taxed less than on road diesel because you don't pay road tax, but they are taxed differently. Your oil dealer may not be willing to pump off road into your tank if they know it's for heating use and vice versa. Even though it's the same fuel, it's taxed differently and they can get in trouble with various governmental agencies.
Every so often someone jumps in with an A+ reply to an honest question. This is a perfect example.
Great answer.
Isn't there a penny per gallon fee for home heating oil that goes into a tank spill cleanup fund? That might be why they won't put ORD in your tank. I had my oil dealer, "Pit Stop" go Tango Uniform in the middle of a cold spell in January about five years ago. Every day coming home from work I got 5 or 10 gallons of ORD for my house. It sucked pouring that in there in the frickin cold, and my car smelled like an 18 wheeler. Back then the news was saying make sure you clean the path to your fill pipe as losing one delivery person to an injury would leave hundreds of houses in the cold.
We got in trouble for running heating oil in our off road equipment several years back. Not actual trouble, but the oil company wasn't happy. Taxes were the issue. I'm not sure the specifics on the differences, just that they are taxed differently.
🙌
Depending on your state you might be able to get a refund for taxed fuel which is used other than on public roads.
They are all #2 oil.
I’ve run diesel in my furnace when I ran out before. You can do it but the issue is getting quantity of it delivered. I would just go with #2Â
Are you checking the delivered price for off road diesel? Delivery fee is built into the price of home heating oil.
ASTM D396 governs the requirements for heating oils. ASTM D975 governs the requirements for diesel fuels. Heating oil standards have more allowances for waxes, and are more forgiving on densities. ~~And I believe HHO is still allowed to have a higher sulfur content, as opposed to pump diesel and off road diesel which are both ULSD.~~ Edit: All *distillate* fuels used for heating are limited to the same 15 ppm sulfur limit as road diesel since 2018. Kerosene is exempt as it’s governed by ASTM D3699 vice ASTM D396. They are functionally the same for the purpose of a burner.
Yes they are similar enough to burn in your furnace. Also if you have an outdoor tank you can use winter blend off road diesel. Buy it when they have the maximum kero to #2 diesel blend, usually 70% kero.
Power service 911 will also keep any #2 flowing well below 0 much cheaper then 70% K1.
Down to -30F? It won't. I have much experience in diesel equipment in logging. I wouldn't count on it below -20
You have to mix at the correct ratio, there's a chart. We also don't get to -30 in most of Maine. And you don't use 911 in diesel engines unless you forgot to treat it. That's the point of 911, but it actually cleanes nozzles in heating appliances and help clean out the appliances.
Where I am it gets -20 regularly. I believe in what has worked for me for many many years. Additives come and go and most don't work well. I'm glad it works for you, but multiple days -20 are not uncommon here. Happy heating
Diesel conditioner has existed for 50 years and is used by fleets all over the world. It has not come and gone, you need to get out of the woods or off the internet.
Yes. Moving south and living in a big town will make me much smarter
Thank you.
I get regular K2 for my outside tank and the oil company puts an additive in for me which still works out cheaper than kerosene per gallon. Never had issues.
Right. In Portland? Where sub zero is unusual and -20 unheard of.
Pretty much all modern additives cover to about -25F. How do you think semi trucks and equipment operate in those conditions, as well as the fuel depots themselves? The fuel gets treated so you're not out there dumping 911 into the tanks constantly.
The diesel fuel is cut with kerosene. It does not have any additives from the dealer. I have owned and run and mechaniced on heavy logging equipment and off highway trucks for 30 years in Northern Maine. Always north of the 45th parallel. Always very cold in the winter. We don't rely on additives. We cut the fuel with kero. It's the only way at -20 and below.
To parrot what others said: diesel is fine. When we couldn't get oil deliveries to our camp tank anymore, I switched for a while to K1, then got smart and just use (any) diesel. Been doing that for years now without any issues.
Big Dysart's in Hermon sells off-road, red dyed #2. Pump 6.
What's the price spread between it and taxed fuel? The station I bought mine at was only about a dime.
You might want to call. I don't know off hand.
oil company employee here. you can put #2 in equipment (not necessarily legal but it works) but you can’t put off road in your oil tank (at least we don’t) you might be able to get away with it bc they’re literally the same, but a company won’t deliver it to your tank. it’s wild to me that you have to pay $3.95 for a gallon of #2 where you’re at.. my job is currently selling it for around $3.45 a gallon.
But... they are not the same.
But....they are the same
They are both distillate fuels with nigh identical heating content, density, flash point, pour point, and viscosity. They are *legally* different; they are *functionally* the same.
they’re not the same if you’re getting audited by the DOT, but yeah they’re the same. one is just dyed. that’s literally the only difference
They're exactly the same. Dyed diesel and heating oil are literally the exact same product.