Oil vs propane heat

[grsthegreat]

I wouldn't want anything Propane. I just like the flexability of oil. If push comes to shove, I can buy it anywhere and fill up my tank. I like that. Or, if there was a supply issue, you can call every oil dealer around to see if you can get some. Nobody will fill someone elses propane tank.

that’s why I bought my own 1,000 gal underground propane tank. I can have anyone I want fill it. Also I fill it in summer at lowest price, than heat thru winter. Our heating costs are down over 20% over similar heating when we filled every other month on rental tank. My furnace is 98% efficient. The exhaust pipe is 2 inch plastic pipe. Nearly no heat is lost.

 

[ovrszd]

My type of heat is Florida!
November 1st to April 30th.
Very efficient!

Thanks for your contribution to this discussion.

 

[ovrszd]

I'm heading into my first complete Winter in our new house. Air to Air heat exchanger. Propane fired forced air. Propane fired hydronic floor heat.

For 41 years I heated with Electric Baseboard heat. It was very efficient. Never had a single maintenance issue. Each room had it's own thermostat. I'm apprehensive that the new house will treat us as well. We'll see.

 

[lennyzx11]

I'm following this with interest as it cost me slightly over 6000 for oil heat last year in Vermont. I have a 2 story old farmhouse about 2500 sq ft. This was my first year. With Steam condensing one pipe radiators. I also have a woodstove and blower in the living room now that we use as temps drop below freezing in the evening and early morning. thermostat at 71 when we get up and in the evening then at 68 for the rest of the time. Bedroom has the radiator off for cooler sleeping.

Here's some of my thoughts as I start the 2nd year. This (and taxes) is my biggest home bill and I want to lessen it as I get closer to retirement in 10-15 years hopefully.
I had an indirect hot water heater connected to the boiler that circulated with a pump ever so often dependant upon tank temperature. That first tyear I heard the boiler turning off and on throughout the night and day keeping water warm. Upon advice of the service tech, I turned the Aqua stat and boiler off for the summer, reconnected the heating elements in the hot water tank and used electricity through the summer. I didn't see a very large difference in the bill. Maybe 20 bucks a month.
The inlet line still runs through the boiler first. Now that I've turned it on, it preheats the water going ot that tank. I hope to see that bill come down some. It's too early to see yet as I only turned the system on 6OCT. If the system breaks down (it is old), then I am strongly thinking on switching to propane.

On another note. My wife opened a small salon and we had to put heat in it and went with propane. Come to find out, her "commercial" rate was quite a bit lower for propane per gallon than our residential rate she has at home for the cookstove only. from the same company with leased tanks.

 

[Industrial Toys]

The Great. I'm still surprised you don't have to jump through hoops and have the tank inspected with every new contract or supplier. EVEN the oil dealers are starting to insist on furnace and related equipment inspection before doing business with you. OF COURSE, they do the inspection! It is a racket, but there is the matter of liability and there have been expensive legal battles concerning contaminated soil or entire houses destroyed by fuel oil spills.

I don't have an oil furnace, but if I did, I would fill it myself with the equipment fuel tanks.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I started maintaining my own oil boiler when I discovered the repair guy from the oil company used the wrong nozzle. Pretty much trying to ensure repeat business.

When oil got over $4 gal I changed to geothermal, so clean and quiet.

 

[nikdfish]

We have used propane as a backup heat for a dual fuel system for more than 30 years in WV and NC with a heat pump as primary. Heat pumps these days are good into the low teens, so not much propane got burned. Heat pumps are also now good enough that the air coming from the registers actually feels warm rather than like moving room temp air unless the outside temps are really low (& our current system is 8+ years old).

Here in NC, we own two 500 gallon above ground tanks (we have an LP fueled standby generator as well as propane furnace) & have generally only topped off the tanks every other year. I wait until the fill will be over 100 gallons before calling & then do it at the low point in the cost cycle after calling around to the different suppliers. Propane keeps indefinitely, so no problem having it sit around unused & there is no odor associated with stored propane (as long as you don't have a leak ).

Our furnaces have been high efficiency to the point where exhaust gases are carried out in PVC pipe & you need to remove the water that condenses from the exhaust before it makes it out into the outside air. We recently upgraded an old (and never used) unvented gas log system to a new, sealed, vented, LP "fireplace" (Heat & Glow), which the wife really likes as an alternative to warming up the whole house.

 

[LouNY]

I'm following this with interest as it cost me slightly over 6000 for oil heat last year in Vermont. I have a 2 story old farmhouse about 2500 sq ft. This was my first year. With Steam condensing one pipe radiators. I also have a woodstove and blower in the living room now that we use as temps drop below freezing in the evening and early morning. thermostat at 71 when we get up and in the evening then at 68 for the rest of the time. Bedroom has the radiator off for cooler sleeping.

Here's some of my thoughts as I start the 2nd year. This (and taxes) is my biggest home bill and I want to lessen it as I get closer to retirement in 10-15 years hopefully.
I had an indirect hot water heater connected to the boiler that circulated with a pump ever so often dependant upon tank temperature. That first tyear I heard the boiler turning off and on throughout the night and day keeping water warm. Upon advice of the service tech, I turned the Aqua stat and boiler off for the summer, reconnected the heating elements in the hot water tank and used electricity through the summer. I didn't see a very large difference in the bill. Maybe 20 bucks a month.
The inlet line still runs through the boiler first. Now that I've turned it on, it preheats the water going ot that tank. I hope to see that bill come down some. It's too early to see yet as I only turned the system on 6OCT. If the system breaks down (it is old), then I am strongly thinking on switching to propane.

On another note. My wife opened a small salon and we had to put heat in it and went with propane. Come to find out, her "commercial" rate was quite a bit lower for propane per gallon than our residential rate she has at home for the cookstove only. from the same company with leased tanks.

That's one problem in the great NE heating cost especially in the rural areas with no chance of ever seeing NG.
I used to use 1300-1500 galllons of oil a year, then I installed a coal burning insert in my fireplace.
Now I go thru about 4 ton of coal and this year 830 gallons of oil, I also am using the mini-splits for the shoulder time when it's not cold enough for the coal to be lite.

One problem with not using the oil boilers in the summer is getting condensation in the fire box and degrading the refractory in them,
especially with that cold water loop going thru the water tank and cooling it.
The last time I monitored my oil consumption in the summer it was using 10 to 15 gallons a month to maintain the water heater.

I also do all of my boiler service work, new filters and nozzle every winter and igniters about every 2 or 3 years,
I also have a spare transformer, igniters, fire eye, pump rebuild kit on the shelve because we know when these have problems everything is closed and it'sa holiday weekend.

 

[grsthegreat]

The Great. I'm still surprised you don't have to jump through hoops and have the tank inspected with every new contract or supplier. EVEN the oil dealers are starting to insist on furnace and related equipment inspection before doing business with you. OF COURSE, they do the inspection! It is a racket, but there is the matter of liability and there have been expensive legal battles concerning contaminated soil or entire houses destroyed by fuel oil spills.

I don't have an oil furnace, but if I did, I would fill it myself with the equipment fuel tanks.

no inspections required here.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I'm in S. Central Virginia. I had oil furnace, and where I grew up 15m. from here the two houses on farm each have oil furnaces.
Oil is dirty, messy, high maintenance.
About 15 years ago I switched to propane. We have three Lennox propane furnaces (two in house, one in garage). I also have a Vermont castings L.P. stove in dining room, a wall L.P. unit in garage bath/laundry.
I bought our tank.
Personally, we love propane. It's fantastic, instant heat, low fuel cost, very efficient. I'd never go back to anything else. Only problem in 15 years was a small 24v transformer went out. I fixed it myself (used garage one while I ordered a replacement...about $30).
Although ugly, I much prefer above ground tank. It's next to garage, so doesn't matter. I can price shop, buy propane anywhere best price (about $1). I have another small tank (30 gal. I believe) delivery guy can fill, grill or heater for another small building.
We keep thermostats low (we're more comfortable at 64 than 72 and saves a lot).

 

[RichZ]

Thanks for all of the responses!!! I'm going to see the house this Saturday, and we expect to make an offer on it right away, as it seems to be just what we want. I'll know more about the heating system then and I'll post what I find out.

LouNY and CoryRupert, we lived in Cambridge, NY for 14 years until 2014. We had a small goat dairy farm. In 2014 we moved to Cherry Valley NY to get much more land (went from 10 acres to 102 to start a horse rescue.) I've since had 3 back surgeries and we just have to downsize,(I just can't maintain 102 acres and produce hay, stack hay, etc.) so we're moving back to our beloved Washington County, NY (White Creek) to get a small place with just under 9 acres. Interesting to see more Washington County people here.

 

[coobie]

I wouldn't want anything Propane. I just like the flexability of oil. If push comes to shove, I can buy it anywhere and fill up my tank. I like that. Or, if there was a supply issue, you can call every oil dealer around to see if you can get some. Nobody will fill someone elses propane tank.

If you own your own propane tank anyone will fill it.The reason I purchased 2 tanks 500 gallon.I just filled up last week at 92 cents per gallon pretty cheap IMHO..

 

[LouNY]

Thanks for all of the responses!!! I'm going to see the house this Saturday, and we expect to make an offer on it right away, as it seems to be just what we want. I'll know more about the heating system then and I'll post what I find out.

LouNY and CoryRupert, we lived in Cambridge, NY for 14 years until 2014. We had a small goat dairy farm. In 2014 we moved to Cherry Valley NY to get much more land (went from 10 acres to 102 to start a horse rescue.) I've since had 3 back surgeries and we just have to downsize,(I just can't maintain 102 acres and produce hay, stack hay, etc.) so we're moving back to our beloved Washington County, NY (White Creek) to get a small place with just under 9 acres. Interesting to see more Washington County people here.

Good luck with your house hunting

 

[BoylermanCT]

My grandparents lived in Boston all their lives, and they went through a 250 gallon tank of oil a month in the winter. It wasn't until they sold their house that they found out there was no insulation in the walls of their 2 story house.

 

[shooterdon]

I like propane but not the cost. I have seen it over $4.00/gal....currently at $1.39.

NG is the best if it is available.

I cannot risk being dependent on electric heat where I live even if it was cost effective.

I heat with wood and propane.

 

[Fuddy1952]

I wood (would!) not have a wood burning anything in my home. Read up on it. My parents installed a Fisher wood stove in 1973. Both parents had long-lived parents. Dad (rip) passed away 5 years ago, Mom lots of health problems from the stove. Neither parent smoked, drank, and ate a good diet, perfect weight, lots of exercise.
They were always careful using stove properly, chimney cleaned every year.
Wood burning in home not good. As I say...research it.

 

[LouNY]

I wood (would!) not have a wood burning anything in my home. Read up on it. My parents installed a Fisher wood stove in 1973. Both parents had long-lived parents. Dad (rip) passed away 5 years ago, Mom lots of health problems from the stove. Neither parent smoked, drank, and ate a good diet, perfect weight, lots of exercise.
They were always careful using stove properly, chimney cleaned every year.
Wood burning in home not good. As I say...research it.

Well it's good that we live where you can have your opinion and others can have theirs.
For a few hundred years all people had was wood or coal, they seemed to have survived.

 

[Kingsqueak]

I replaced the coal/wood/oil hot air furnace (firebox had not been maintained and was destroyed) with a heat pump AC system. Now it's primary electric heat pump and LP gas (96% furnace) as the aux heat. I haven't been through a winter with it yet, but the bills for running the AC heavily through August were very low compared to my expectations. So far the heating keeps up well too but temps are only just now hitting frosts overnight.

I offset the heating when possible with a wood burning fireplace insert that heats the whole house pretty easily (open plan to second floor allows for great convection).

The reason I did this was no access to natural gas and the crushing momentum to go after people burning oil. The new ultra low sulfur requirements are hard on equipment and will hurt reliability. I figured for the long term, oil will be problematic. Also LP makes a convenient generator fuel source.

My one tip, with any of the modern systems having all the sensitive control boards (expensive too) in them, add a whole house panel mounted surge protector like the Siemens model. With rural power fluctuation it can be an issue with blowing control boards.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

My GF lived to 90 burning wood and coal. My dad is 95 and uses wood.

Wood is good for you.

 

[jbrumberg]

Some of our old wood burning stove were real in-house smokers & stinkers. Our new high efficiency wood stove burns much more cleanly. It smokes & stinks only if I do something stupid. Spring and Fall I only need to burn small hot fires to get the house heated up and let other heating systems take over afterwards.