For many people around the country, using home heating oil is a necessity for large portions of the year. Home heating oil companies can deliver a wide range of products including diesel heating oil direct to the consumer, which is then used in oil burners to generate much-needed heat. However, just as all oil burners are not the same, neither are the oils used in the process. The different ways crude oil is refined results in different types of fuel products available to the consumer.

Can kerosene be used for home heating oil?

One particularly popular source of home heating oil is kerosene. This clean-burning fuel source is used for a wide variety of purposes, including lighting, cooking and even as the fuel source for high-performance jet engine aircraft. Fun fact: If you’ve ever seen a fire-breathing performer at a circus, they are using kerosene.

Kerosene is a popular home heating oil solution around the world, particularly because of its low cost and how safe it is to transport and store. However, it is not the same thing as home heating oil and using the two interchangeably can lead to issues later.

Many home heaters are designed to use kerosene by default and have a low-pressure intake and larger holes through which the kerosene passes into the burner, and using home heating oil may require a modification to work efficiently. Of course, this is not a DIY exercise and requires a skilled and licensed technician to carry out the conversion process. It could also require a change in how the exhaust piping works.  

Diesel used as home heating oil

Home heating oil has another name: diesel. However, diesel fuel that is specifically sold as home heating oil is usually coloured differently than diesel fuel that you would use in a combustion engine. This is because home heating oil and diesel fuel, while chemically identical, are taxed at different rates. The make the distinction clear, home heating oil is usually dyed red before being sold to the consumer. Another thing to consider is that the sulphur levels in home heating oil and diesel can differ significantly, especially in supply that comes from unreliable sources. Clean diesel oil has a very minute quantity of sulphur.

Home heating oil is best used indoors as it can gel when exposed to the outside elements, particularly in snowy conditions. There are extra elements that can be added to home heating oils to prevent this and keep the viscosity levels of the oil steady. Home heaters that use diesel require a long flue to reduce fume intake so that is important to consider when using one in a domestic environment. However, an advantage of home heating oil is that it is safe to use around the home as it does not catch fire when hot.

At Bulk Fuel Australia we are in the business of delivering heating oil to anywhere you could imagine and maintaining a reliable and clean supply of fuel for a range of industries. To find out how we can supply diesel heating oil to your business, contact Bulk Fuel Australia today.