Heating with lube oil?

[C2G]

I have a steady "free" supply of ISO 150 lube oil. I've had an analysis done on the oil and compared it to available information online for heating oil/diesel fuel. The viscosity is higher and BTU/gal is higher on the lube oil.

What can I do to use this as home heating oil? A local farmer is cutting it 50/50 with diesel fuel and running it problem free in his equipment. I'd assume that I could do the same for heating oil?

Are there other options to thin it out? Could I change the injection nozzle on my boiler and run it straight?

I see a lot of information online about using waste motor oil but this is a different situation. Thanks all

 

[Boomer]

Thirty to forty years ago my local Chevy dealer was burning all of their waste lubricating oil for heat using a special furnace with a special nozzle. If I recall, the nozzle had to be removed and cleaned 3-4 times during the heating season but that was a small price to pay for "free" heat. They did enough oil changes that the furnace could heat for the entire winter season with no issues.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I recommend you get on the Internet like you are canvass folks. I believe most motor oil get burned and not recycled, depending on where you live. If you live in a rural area you are home free. In town, not so sure. Good luck.

 

[CDX825]

The burner on an oil fired boiler or furnace won't burn waste oil. I have tried a mixture thinned out with kerosene and it didn't burn well. The nozzle is jut not designed to atomize anything heavier than #2. Not mention the pump is only capable of around 150 psi max.

Actual waste oil burners use siphon nozzles and heated oil. The oil is fed to the nozzle but at very low pressure. Air pressure is what actually cause the oil to atomize.

If you have a steady supply of oil and are serious about using it to heat the thing to do would be to build a separate waste oil fired boiler and plumb it into your existing system. Trying to burn waste oil in your existing boiler is just not a good idea. Waste oil can be very finicky. There is also a lot of ash made from it and cleaning the passages out on oil boiler is a job. There is an old yahoo group that moved to facebook called Alt Fuel Furnace you might want to check out.

 

[C2G]

Thanks all.