# Biodiesel for heating oil???



## IronDoor (Mar 31, 2012)

Does any one know if you can use biodiesel as an alternate source for heating oil?
Maybe it would require a preheater or larger fuel nozzles???


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Bioheat is a common name for a blended biodiesel heating oil, but it's a brand name trademarked by the National Biodiesel Board. It's the most popular biofuel heating oil in the U.S.

http://www.heatingoil.com/blog/washington-college-tests-100-biofuel-in-heating-oil-boiler121/


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## IronDoor (Mar 31, 2012)

Any other ideas for alternate fuels for an oil furnace?


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## FatTire (Mar 20, 2012)

I don't personally, but you might check this out
http://www.uvm.edu/~cmorriso/AltEnergy/convertfurnace.pdf


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## JoKing (Mar 11, 2012)

You could look into a waste oil furnace. You can buy them commercially, or if your handy, you can diy. http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f16/diy-waste-oil-heater-conversion-3814/


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## efbjr (Oct 20, 2008)

JoKing said:


> You could look into a waste oil furnace. You can buy them commercially, or if your handy, you can diy. http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f16/diy-waste-oil-heater-conversion-3814/


My mechanic has a waste oil heating unit to heat his shop. He dumps old oil, tranny fluid, and whatever into it and has no problems. The unit filters out the oils from the junk and then burns it.

He just switched to bulk oil for his oil changes. Seems that they were charging him 10 cents per quart as a recycle fee for the used oil he drained from vehicles, when he bought oil in bottles, even though he burned it up in the waste oil heater!  There is no recycle charge when using the bulk oil.


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## DKRinAK (Nov 21, 2011)

IronDoor said:


> Does any one know if you can use biodiesel as an alternate source for heating oil?
> Maybe it would require a preheater or larger fuel nozzles???


Check with the folks that made your unit and storage tank. There could be issues. There was problems in the UK when they made the switch --

Gas oil users warned to check for biodiesel presence
4 October 2010 | By Dennis Flower

Users of gas oil should prepare for the inclusion of biodiesel following changes in line with new European Directives for Renewable Energy and Fuel Quality, ICOM Energy Association has warned.

The new fuel will be available later this month. ICOM says the presence of biodiesel in gas oil can cause a number of problems.

*These include: degradation of rubbers, plastic and surface coatings; residual deposit flushing resulting in clogged filters, etc; mould growth and other problems due to water update; oxidation and hydrolysis degradation; and burner and component intolerance.
*
Barry Webster, ICOM president, said:"The strong detergency, solvent and hygroscopic properties of biodiesel, compared with those of purely hydrocarbon fuels, will require consumers to take preparatory action to avoid encountering problems with the systems connected to their fuel supplies. Now is the time to contact your heating, hot water or steam maintenance company to be prepared for the changes."

Jeremy Hawksley, OFTEC director-general, said this will affect an estimated 5 per cent of the UK market, adding that it would mainly affect older systems.

Both ICOM and OFTEC agree that action should be initiated before delivery of gas oil containing biodiesel is arranged.

This involves checking tanks, ensuring they are suitable and free from water, mould growth and solid deposits and also ensuring they are fit for purpose.

A list of qualified service engineers and tank specialists can be found at www.oftec.org .

ICOM advises that equipment manufacturers ensure service engineers and agents are aware of the changes and can react to updates to systems before class D gas oil containing biodiesel is introduced.


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