Diesel fuel contains detergents and anti-gelling agents designed to keep a moving engine clean and functional in cold weather. The Chemical Foundation: Hydrocarbons Both heating oil and diesel are classified as distillate fuels, meaning they are derived from crude oil through a process of fractional distillation.
Understanding Equipment Efficiency: Heating Oil vs Diesel
Conversely, heating oil is taxed at a lower rate because it is classified as a residential or industrial heating fuel. This tax disparity is the primary reason the prices at the pump for diesel and the delivery price for heating oil rarely match, even if the underlying crude oil cost is similar.
Color and Dye Indicators To enforce tax regulations and prevent fraud, heating oil is often dyed red. This fundamental similarity is why a diesel engine can often run on heating oil in an emergency, and why the smell and viscosity of the two fuels are so comparable.
Equipment Efficiency: How Heating Oil and Diesel Perform in Different Systems
Heating oil, however is refined to ensure it vaporizes correctly in a furnace or boiler. Home heating oil is often stored for the entire winter season, requiring formulation that resists microbial growth and sludge formation.
More About Is heating oil the same as diesel
Looking at Is heating oil the same as diesel from another angle can help expand the discussion and give readers a second clear paragraph under the same section.
More perspective on Is heating oil the same as diesel can make the topic easier to follow by connecting earlier points with a few simple takeaways.