<VV> Re: used engine oil & home heat

[Robert Marlow]

Q by Harry Yarnell, A by Bob Marlow:

Q: This thread on used engine oil has me intrigued. I heat my house with
oil. I would love to find a use for used engine oil, and adding it to the
house oil tank is tempting. Home heating oil is basically diesel fuel
(oil); a lot lighter than engine oil. But would adding a gallon of used
engine oil to, say, a half empty tank (137 gal.) of heating oil going to
harm/clog anything?

A: So far, I cannot provide much in the way of useful information, other
than to note that in your example I see no real economic benefit.  Reducing
your heating oil costs by 1/137th does not seem worth the trouble.

Q: How do these 'waste oil' furnaces work? I can't believe that you can
ignite 100% engine oil in a furnace; do they blend in heating oil to work? 

A: Here I have only slightly more information.  A repair shop near me used
such a furnace for a while, until the fire inspector saw it and pitched a
fit.  I understood the inspector's objection, because the one time I saw
this furnace in operation it was producing a open flame across the surface
of the oil in the reservoir.  I would recommend that you pose this question
to Larry Claypool at the Vair Shop, because he has heated his shop with
such a furnace.