Can My Oil Furnace Burn Kerosene?

Home Heating Oil

• Home heating oil is more refined and has a higher burning temperature than kerosene. Home heating oil is also known as Fuel Oil #2. It is less flammable than kerosene and is, in fact, difficult to set on fire, as the level of vapors is minimal. It produces slightly more heat per gallon than kerosene, approximately 138,500 BTUs. While the oil of years past was dirty and sometimes left soot on the ceiling, modern processing methods have made the product clean burning.

Kerosene

• Kerosene, or coal oil, has a lower flash point than home heating oil but burns just as cleanly. People choose kerosene when there is the possibility of freezing pipes. Kerosene produces 135,000 BTUs per gallon. As a note of interest, coal oil is derived from crude oil, not coal.

Home Heating Oil / Kerosene Blend

• When kerosene is blended with home heating oil, the resulting product is known as the winter blend. The ratio is 10 to 20 percent kerosene to 80 to 90 percent Fuel Oil #2. Kerosene prevents the oil from clumping in freezing weather. Clumps clog the filter and sometimes the burner, resulting in less heat circulating throughout the house.

Oil Furnace Capability

• If your oil furnace is located in a basement that is not exposed to subfreezing temperatures, then use straight heating oil. If you have an unheated basement and live in a region where winter temperatures fall below 0 degrees F, such as areas bordering the Great Lakes, then use kerosene to heat your home. If your winter weather falls below 30 degrees F but usually stays above 0 degrees F, such as in the mid-Atlantic states, then it may be more economical to use the winter blend.

Cost Considerations

• The price of oil is as volatile as the price of food. Home heating oil averaged $3.88 per gallon as of October 31, 2011, according to New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Kerosene averaged $4.08 per gallon on October 3, 2011, according to the same source. Although these prices provide you with an estimate of what it costs to fill the oil tank, the efficiency of your furnace influences the overall expense of heating your home.