How to Make My Fuel Oil Furnace Burn Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil is a cleaner-burning fuel than petroleum fuel oil, and it produces less soot and airborne particulates that contribute to pollution and global warming. As a renewable bio-resource, it reduces the nation's reliance on foreign oil. Unfortunately, the vegetable oils commonly found in grocery stores are not compatible with most home furnaces. However, a usable vegetable oil fuel can be professionally refined from leftover restaurant cooking oil or from chemically modified versions of raw cooking oils. The most reliable source for vegetable oil fuel is traditional heating oil suppliers, who offer workable blends that combine vegetable oil with conventional petroleum-based fuel.

Replacement gaskets for fuel line
Vegetable oil heating-fuel blend

Instructions

- 1
  Determine which biofuel blend is the best fit for your furnace. The percentage of vegetable oil in a blend is typically described in the product's name. For example, heating oil fuels that contain 5 percent vegetable oil are labeled B5, 10 percent blends are described as B10, fuels with 50 percent vegetable oil are known as B50 and 100 percent refined vegetable oil fuel carries a B100 designation. At present, most furnaces are not compatible with fuels that contain more than 20 percent refined vegetable oil, although that is expected to change as refining technology improves.
- 2
  Replace all fuel-line gaskets and seals with higher-grade, solvent resistant alternatives. Some bio-based heating oils use a solvent to adjust the vegetable oil's viscosity for better blending. These solvents can damage older gaskets and eventually cause leaks.
- 3
  Order a B5 heating-fuel blend for delivery and monitor your furnace's performance. If your furnace proves that it can use vegetable oil with no complications, you can then move to higher levels of vegetable oil content in stages. Check on your furnace's performance regularly during the first 30 days after switching to minimize the risk of damaging your furnace components

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