OilHeads, What sayith you about PREMIUM HEATING OIL????

scrook_2

...what's differant and what's the price delta? Perhaps it's low sulfur <0.05% or <500ppm (a good thing) vs high sulfur <0.5% (perhaps 0.2%-0.3% typical). The former might cost a couple cents a gallon more.

Unknown

Heating Oil + ™

Just curious.

Of what benefit would this "premium oil" formulation be to a new oil burner? I've got a Riello BF3 with a Garber filter mounted to a Buderus G115 and keep my HX VERRY clean.

Is my oil company trying to sell me something I don't need?

Gary

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BillW@honeywell

Oil info

Oil companies often add products to the oil they sell you. They may include sludgebusters, pour point depressants, catalytic soot burners, all designed to improve combustion and add stability to the oil in the tank as well as dispersing water and sludge. They range in quality from good, effective products to "snake oil". API sets standards that all refiners have to meet for grades of fuel oil, and oil is tested for pour point, cloud point, sulfur content,and sediment and water. That's usually done by the wholesaler, not by your local oil dealer. For more oil info, go to www.oiltechtalk.com or www.naohsm.com. I hope this helps.

gary_6

Is all oil the same???

While we are on this subject is all home heating oil the same? Is the oil that the big companies give to there customers the same that a small cod outfit gives to his?

BillW@honeywell

The oil delivery chain

goes from refinery to wholesaler to retailer. Larger retailers may have on-site tanks and their own loading racks. Smaller guys many buy direct and fill their delivery trucks at the wholesaler's rack. The EPA, API, ASTM and a host of other agencies set the standards for fuel oil, and refiners must adhere to them by law. Oil chemistry can vary from state to state, due to environmental regulations and climate, for example, oil sold in Northern New England may contain a pour point depressant, to keep it from gelling at low temperatures, but the oil sold in Maryland may not have that additive.

The conditions of tank farms may vary, with some tanks being well maintained, others may be contaminated with sludge & water. Oil may also be contaminated with water during shipment since much of it travels by barge or tankship. Conditions in homeowner's tanks varies widely too. Always check with waterpaste or a sampler to find out what the bottoms are like in the tank, especially in underground tanks.

Paul Mitchell

usually

The price is adjusted by what they want or need their margin to be. Usually extra cost would be chemicals.

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Steve Ebels

Find out

What they are calling "premium" oil. Is it simply number 1, or do they have some additive in it? The stuff I have seen make a difference BIG TIME is low sulfer oil. One of the oil companies here sells nothing but and I love to service equipment with that fuel being run through it. It flat out stays clean. Period. If I were burning oil, I would shop around for a place that sold it and use it even at 15 cents a gallon difference.