Oil & Fuel Use of Home heating oil in a diesel engine

[strum456]

Will "high sulfur" fuel (whatever you want to call it), harm the emissions equipment of a tier 4 engine?

I think a lot of confusion comes from people living in different regions. In some places, heating oil is "low" sulfur, and is literally the same as fuel oil. In my area, heating oil is something like 500 ppm sulfur and fuel oil is 15 ppm (if I recall). I was told my by my fuel supplier that the 500 ppm will ruin the emissions equipment of a tier 4 engine. Is this true?

 

[George2615]

Will "high sulfur" fuel (whatever you want to call it), harm the emissions equipment of a tier 4 engine?

I think a lot of confusion comes from people living in different regions. In some places, heating oil is "low" sulfur, and is literally the same as fuel oil. In my area, heating oil is something like 500 ppm sulfur and fuel oil is 15 ppm (if I recall). I was told my by my fuel supplier that the 500 ppm will ruin the emissions equipment of a tier 4 engine. Is this true?

Since 2012 in my state home heating fuel and diesel at the pump are all <15PPM according to local oil suppliers so safe to use HHO in my tier 4 tractor. All tier 4 tractors since 2007 are supposed to use only ULSD <15PPM sulfur. I would imagine 500PPM diesel may cause damage to a tier 4 engine. As of Dec. 1, 2010 all states were required to start phasing in ULSD. There are still a few states left that will phase in ULSD in 2018. Using LSD in 2007 or newer vehicles is illegal and will void warranties.

Sulfur content of heating oil to be reduced in northeastern states - Today in Energy - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Not sure if PA has gone to ULSD yet based on this 2015 report.

Key Differences of Heating Oil, Off-Road Diesel Fuel & On-Road Diesel Fuel in Pennsylvania - HB Steele & Son

 

[truckdiagnostics]

A higher sulfur content fuel will be harder on his engine oil, will cause more pollution, not going to hurt HIS engine. His engine meets tier IV because of its size. From what he is saying there is nothing special about it.The home heating oil, will run in his engine just fine as long as he watches the jelling issue. You go back to his original post and he was only going to use the home heating oil for an emergency. For what he is going to be using it for do not see an issue.

Then in an emergency pump the home heating into your tractor as long as it is running the return fuel will be warm enough to keep it from jelling. With it running it would need to be really cold for it to jell. It is when you shut it off and it is really cold and you still have the home heating oil in the tank that you WILL have issues.

It is only if you have a cat that sulfur content in the fuel matters. That is setting the emissions coming out the exhaust a side.

 

[DieselBound]

A higher sulfur content fuel will be harder on his engine oil, will cause more pollution, not going to hurt HIS engine. His engine meets tier IV because of its size. From what he is saying there is nothing special about it.The home heating oil, will run in his engine just fine as long as he watches the jelling issue. You go back to his original post and he was only going to use the home heating oil for an emergency. For what he is going to be using it for do not see an issue.

Then in an emergency pump the home heating into your tractor as long as it is running the return fuel will be warm enough to keep it from jelling. With it running it would need to be really cold for it to jell. It is when you shut it off and it is really cold and you still have the home heating oil in the tank that you WILL have issues.

It is only if you have a cat that sulfur content in the fuel matters. That is setting the emissions coming out the exhaust a side.

The actual fuel types are enumerated here:

Types of Refined Petroleum Products | Emergency Response | US EPA

Note that none say which is for what application. Thus, referring to "home heating oil" is insufficient to say what fuel is used.

On-road and off-road are only different in that off-road is dyed red. This is an issue of taxation: on-road fuel requires the collection of road taxes; sale of off-road doesn't collect road taxes, but collects sales taxes. There's a third category and that "military;" it's the same fuel(s) but dyed blue. Get caught with any of the dyed fuels on-road and you'll get nailed (even more so if you end up with blue dye and you're not in the military and driving a military vehicle!).

Gelling can be taken care of with additives. That is what happens when area refineries switch over to winter fuels. If one has non-winterized fuel one can just add off-the-shelf additives.

 

[Looking4new]

Ever since July 2012 (delivery date) I have burned HHO in my tractor. I always make sure the oil tank is filled in March (winter fuel) and don't heat much with the oil between March and October, but going into winter, sometime around the beginning of November I get topped off for winter. This pretty much insures that I get winter fuel at every fill up. I also use about an ounce of Power Service/5 gallons of fuel I siphon off the HHO tank. According to the propaganda on the PS bottle it has cetane boost in it as well as anti-gel properties. My fuel has never gelled up and I mostly use this tractor in winter for snow removal.

So in answer to the OPs original question, I would have to say that to the best of my limited knowledge I have NOT done any damage to my 2012 Kioti CK27 tier 4 engine by using HHO in it.

 

[rd_macgregor]

I've used HHO in my Kioti DK45SC exclusively for maybe 5 years or so. I haven't noticed any issues. I haven't used any fuel additives or treatments. Most of the time, HHO is about $0.40 per liter cheaper than the on-road diesel at local stations.

About the hypothetical gelling issue...many HHO tanks are outdoors with a feed line into the house. If fuel gelling were an issue with HHO, wouldn't it also be an issue for the furnace supply (something I've never heard of happening)?

 

[LouNY]

I've used HHO in my Kioti DK45SC exclusively for maybe 5 years or so. I haven't noticed any issues. I haven't used any fuel additives or treatments. Most of the time, HHO is about $0.40 per liter cheaper than the on-road diesel at local stations.

About the hypothetical gelling issue...many HHO tanks are outdoors with a feed line into the house. If fuel gelling were an issue with HHO, wouldn't it also be an issue for the furnace supply (something I've never heard of happening)?

I have been watching this thread and have been staying out of it till now, but.
I don't know about your fuel delivery's but around here when you order home heating oil you are not getting a "winter blend" you will be getting dyed #2 fuel oil. If it is going into a below ground tank or in the basement tank it will not be an issue. " hypothetical gelling issue " #2 will gell when it gets cold no if's an's or buts it will gell. Any above ground home heating fuel tank when the fuel is ordered will be either straight kerosene or possibly a blended fuel but your furnace burner had better be set / tuned for the fuel being used and even with blended fuels extended periods of sub zero( - teens F ) blended fuels can cause problems. I fill my tractor tank when I fill my home tank same truck same fuel it is #2 fuel oil, I add kerosene in early winter to make blended fuel along with gell reducing additives. I have seen numerous trucks and tractors brought to there knees in the winter from fuel issues. Once you have fought with a diesel in -20 F with the wind blowing, changing fuel filters blowing lines out adding K1 and or additives, getting a pump primed and the engine running again you will treat fuel differently.

So do what you want, depending on your local it may work.

To get back to the original thread your tractor will run fine on home heating oil, it is #2 fuel oil.