Buying heating oil in small quantities?

Doooford

We use Oil. But the tank is through the back garden and requires the Oil firm to be able to go through the house and also have a really long hose as the tank is a fair way away (also our road is tiny so the tanker blocks it for the duration of the fill). Crazy setup. Anyway it got me thinking. Is there anyway to buy oil in smaller quantities of around 20 litres or so and just fill it up gradually? We don't use much as have a coal fire but it would be nice to keep the oil topped up instead of being hit with a £700 bill by the time we use a tank!

Ebe_Scrooge

I live in a village with no mains gas, so everyone has oil. Over the winter, we were having a heck of a job getting oil delivered due to the snow, and lots of people were running out. 2 or 3 of the local companies that usually deliver said that if we could drive to their depot, they would sell us 50-litre drums which we could take away. That's what several people ended up doing.

I'm sure it must be illegal to carry large quantites of flammable oil in the back of your car, and I must admit I was surprised the oil companies even suggested this. But the alternative was no heating in temperatures of -20, so what the heck ! So, this option might be open to you, but take it at your own risk :-)

Doooford

Risk is my middle name. Thanks for that. I'll try a few companies and see if they believe me when I tell them that their lorry wont be able to come up my road because of the flash snowdrifts that occurred during a mini spell of lovely spring weather

ormus

even if you find anyone who will supply such small quantities, the price will probably stop you.

phill99

Ebe_Scrooge wrote: »

I'm sure it must be illegal to carry large quantites of flammable oil in the back of your car, and I must admit I was surprised the oil companies even suggested this. :-)

I have my ADR llicence and you will be surprised how much you can carry withoiut it being classed as a hazard. Also, heating oil is a flashpoint 3 product which means it will not ignite at room temperature. It has to be heated to a temp around 66 degrees c. It has to be heated (like diesel) for it to ignite. Therefore in the scale of hazardous liquids, its quite a safe product to be transported.

Ebe_Scrooge

phill99 wrote: »

I have my ADR llicence and you will be surprised how much you can carry withoiut it being classed as a hazard. Also, heating oil is a flashpoint 3 product which means it will not ignite at room temperature. It has to be heated to a temp around 66 degrees c. It has to be heated (like diesel) for it to ignite. Therefore in the scale of hazardous liquids, its quite a safe product to be transported.

Interesting, thanks for enlightening me. I did think, these oil distributers who were selling us the drums, they're big companies, not some little back street garage, and part of me thought that surely they wouldn't sell us drums to carry in the boot if it was illegal. It just somehow seems as though it probably would be illegal !

Doooford

I'll find some, oh yes. Wait and see.

Doooford

Just out of interest our neighbour has an oil tank but is unsure if they have kerosene or heating oil. They asked me how to tell and I mumbled some stuff about viscocity and smell but I wasn't overly confident. What is the easiest way?

Doooford

Oh, and they don't have a sight gauge. Is the easiest way just to dip in and take a look at the colour? They have no details and somehow don't know what type they use!

Doooford

Also they don't have a sight gauge or any paperwork. Is it easiest to just dip in and check the redness/yellowness?

Ebe_Scrooge

Most domestic boilers will use Kerosene ( 28 sec ), but some may use Gasoil ( 35 sec ). Kerosene will be a yellowish colour, gasoil should be dyed red ( it's actually diesel, and is dyed to stop people putting it into their cars, as there's far less tax on it than on road diesel ). So if you can see the colour ( if there's a sight glass on the tank ) that's probably the easiest way. Failing that, I would think there should be a sticker on the boiler somewhere saying what fuel it needs.

Edit - Cross posted ! No sight glass, I would be tempted to dip an egg-cup full out if you can, to see what colour it is.