Author Topic: What can I do with heating oil.  (Read 4254 times)

Offline Jo

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What can I do with heating oil.
« on: October 10, 2018, 03:08:54 PM »
I have 700+ litres of spare 28 second burning oil and I am looking for suggestions for uses for it.

The story so far: About 7 years ago my oil fired boiler packed up (6 weeks after it was so called fixed the time before ) and I decided to go over to heat my house electrically and found it was masses cheaper, less smelly dirty etc.... In the mean time the oil tank has sat there 3/4 full until about 8 weeks ago when it decided to spring a leak about half way down  :bang: the first thing I knew about this was an increased wiff of heating oil, then dying plants  :(

Today joy of joys I have been using a fountain pump to pump out about 400 litres and the level in the tank is just below the leak so it might be safe to leave the rest in situ.

So back to the original question: What uses can any one think of for 700+ litres of 28 second burning oil. I am not inclined to try putting it in my modern diesel car. I have been using it as a machine tool cleaner - its a bit smelly. I had thought of adding a little to each of the mole hills to see if that discouraged them to go away but I suspect it discourage the grass and there must be other better uses.

Jo

So many engines to build and yet so little time.

Offline pycoed

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #1 on: October 10, 2018, 03:16:13 PM »
Maybe you ought to delete this post so the Env Agency don't get to hear about it & you may cop it? :beer:

Offline awemawson

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #2 on: October 10, 2018, 03:39:24 PM »
Get it to me Jo !

I've just shelled out £1800 to top up our three oil fired central heating tanks and my diesel bowser for the coming winter  :bugeye:

(that's 2335 litres of heating oil and 500 litres of Red Diesel)
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline hermetic

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #3 on: October 10, 2018, 03:42:02 PM »
It is kerosene, so you could use it in a torpedo type blower heater, or a greenhouse or other wick type heater heater. or even sell it to a local farmer. It is very good for cleaning machines and parts, but watch for red sore hands ie dermatitis! Wish you were nearer, I would buy it! You could put it in the car (illegally of course) but I would add a couple of gallons to a hearly full tank to be on the safe side
Phil
East Yorks.
Man who says it cannot be done should not disturb man doing it! https://www.youtube.com/user/philhermetic/videos?

Offline AdeV

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #4 on: October 10, 2018, 04:06:42 PM »
I wouldn't recommend using it in a diesel engine - especially not a modern one. Kero has no lubricity, so your injector pump will, at a minimum, take damage, and may seize entirely. That probably doesn't apply so much if you just add a little to an otherwise full tank of diesel...

Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline Jo

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2018, 02:42:01 AM »
Get it to me Jo !

I was looking for a zero cost option to get rid of it Andrew. I've put the word about but so far not many are still using the stuff for heating. About 300 ltrs is in secure containers, hopefully another 100ltrs will be today if the promised 25lt containers turn up.

Thanks Phil, I had noticed the tendency to have a reaction with the skin over time: Yesterday it seemed to continually get on my hands as I was decanting the stuff. I am going to put off pumping any more out until all of the promised sources of containers have delivered or confirmed failure of supply.

This morning having looked down the garden at the newly sculpted mountain range I again feel a need to see what the local mole population think of the smell of the stuff :X

Now if only there was a really cheap option to get it to heat the workshop but I am guessing it might be more hassle than heating with a storage heater.

Jo

So many engines to build and yet so little time.

Offline hermetic

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2018, 01:56:22 PM »
Too true AdeV, that is why oil fired boilers are having premature gear pump failures too!
Man who says it cannot be done should not disturb man doing it! https://www.youtube.com/user/philhermetic/videos?

Offline tom osselton

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2018, 02:01:37 PM »
Build a oil fired metal furnace and start casting?

Offline AdeV

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2018, 04:07:48 PM »
Here's a thought....

I've got Rob Wilson's old sand casting setup - which has a propane and/or oil fired furnace...

So.... if I come get it, would you swap the oil for some castings? You'd have to make the moulds, and you might need to come up here t'frozen North to help me make them, because I've never casted before...
Cheers!
Ade.
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Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline Jo

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #9 on: October 13, 2018, 10:58:28 AM »
If someone wants to come and get the oil they are welcome to it.

Someone mentioned that the police might not think highly of someone transporting 500+ltrs of Heating oil miles up the public highway in case there was an accident or they leaked.


Now an oil fired casting furnace... I will have to have a read up on those.

Jo
So many engines to build and yet so little time.

Offline AdeV

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #10 on: October 13, 2018, 11:11:21 AM »
I think Rob's was a home-made one, certainly the furnace is, not sure about the blower/burner. It's hard to distinguish between something Rob made, and something manufactured (usually, the manufactured one is worse)...
Cheers!
Ade.
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Location: Wallasey, Merseyside. A long way from anywhere.
Occasionally: Zhengzhou, China. An even longer way from anywhere...

Offline awemawson

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #11 on: October 13, 2018, 11:34:38 AM »
I used to have a 'Morgan Crucible #5' oil fired furnace in my 'bottom of the garden' foundry years ago. I would burn 28 second CH fuel, Red Diesel, or practically any other liquid fuel in it with equal facility.

Sadly I don't have pictures of my #5 but here is a pretty well identical (but smaller) #3 - mine was in the floor just like the picture.

I used to reckon that hang gliders could circle over it on the uplift, it was about 1/3 megawatt when running flat out  and would empty a 45 gallon drum in less than an hour bugeye:

Incidentally Ade, I got it from very close to you, it was being stored at the boat museum
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Jo

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #12 on: December 01, 2018, 01:21:08 PM »
I am pleased to say I have given away more than half the oil for someone to heat an industrial unit :clap: I might keep the rest for fire lighting.

So next question... What can I do with the failed 1250 ltrs tank?

Jo
So many engines to build and yet so little time.

Offline awemawson

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #13 on: December 01, 2018, 01:59:53 PM »
Is it steel?

Back in '81 I cut mine up and used the steel  to repair the engine mounts on the Hoverair Hoverhawke hovercraft that I was rebuilding at the time (now in a museum in Portsmouth !)

. . .your usage may differ  :lol:
« Last Edit: December 01, 2018, 04:37:44 PM by awemawson »
Andrew Mawson
East Sussex

Offline Jo

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #14 on: December 01, 2018, 02:12:47 PM »
Its plastic  :(

Jo
So many engines to build and yet so little time.

Offline pycoed

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #15 on: December 01, 2018, 03:22:48 PM »
C

Offline pycoed

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #16 on: December 01, 2018, 03:51:38 PM »
Cut it in half horizontally with a chainsaw, weld up the leak using a strip of the tank as a welding rod & a gas torch, add some rope handles & you have a punt like this:-


Oops! Couldn't find one with the ropes fitted, but you get the idea. Mine is in twice weekly use feeding an island on my flight pond.

Offline hermetic

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Re: What can I do with heating oil.
« Reply #17 on: December 02, 2018, 11:26:28 AM »
O like the punt idea, certaily a good use for it! You are not alone Jo, it looks like plastic tanks are a real load of crap, I have known three fail in the small village where my workshop is, and I went to my local building supplier a couple of years ago to order one of the bunded plastic tanks, and one of the staff took me to one side and asvised me to hold off on the purchase as there had been "A lot of failures". Of course, if the inner tank fails, there is no warning till the outer one fails too! Another example of a "good" idea that turned out to be too good to be true!
Phil
Man who says it cannot be done should not disturb man doing it! https://www.youtube.com/user/philhermetic/videos?