Coal Vs Oil 2016

I think the price of kero will be substantially higher. Not worth it.

Kerosene has a ten-year life and could be used for kerosene heaters and lanterns during prolonged power outages.

I used K1 kero before my rebirth into the world of coal. They ran Toyotomis OM22/Laser 75s and worked well. As of yesterday kero was $3.65 for 200 galls and #2 was $1.79 so I bought a little #2. So either the OM22s run on ULSD or they get scrapped. Around here kero is a curiosity according to the oil man and they only deliver once a week to specialized customers. Meanwhile I just lit by Wings Best and I am wondering why I considered oil at all. Radiant heat is the best. I have kero that is 8 years old and is just fine. I suspect there is no difference.

Lanterns? Buy 12v LEDs strings and run them off of batteries.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Armacost-Lighting-12-f ... /203227243

For example. I am running a string down the middle of the house for outages run by an old tractor battery. Oh and BTW I just did the whole kitchen with them, fabulous and VERY bright. This new generation is something else.

cn670 wrote:The 1st chance the Arabs get heating oil will be $4+ a gallon.

Your friends on wall Street are who control the price of oil.

Your friends on wall Street are who control the price of oil.

No they really don't, global supply and demand controls that. They play around with day to day/week/month stuff but in the end it's supply and demand. Your friends? Who on this board has friends on Wall St. You sound like a democrat trying to blame the right. Wake up.

coalnewbie wrote: Meanwhile I just lit by Wings Best and I am wondering why I considered oil at all. Radiant heat is the best.

Lanterns? Buy 12v LEDs strings and run them off of batteries.

INDEED CN, radiant heat IS the BEST heat !! Simple & easy too .~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Could you start a thread with info on the 12v led strings?

I have looked at them all and so I can save you all a ton of time, no need for a separate thread. For any sort of hidden lighting... If you go to HD (Harriman NY) you will find tons of these and very little of anything else, so I assume it's the same everywhere.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Commercial-Electric-8- ... 747456-_-N

I put three strings in the kitchen and hid them well. Nothing else compares. Buy some clips I don't trust glue.

Lowes had these for $8 but now they are $15. Still a great deal.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_739122-59179-DLS22-06B30D ... 48714&pl=1

Everything else is a poor second, just fabulous. For years I bought junk. I bought 20 and did two kitchens and a bathroom. This old fart changed them all out in 40 minutes.

windyhill4.2 wrote:How about this scenario...... Buy American coal,support local employees wages,keep local businesses profitable so they can reinvest locally,their profitability will help keep tax increases at bay,...all of this will help you feel better about yourself,about your country. OR try this scenario..... Turn your back on America, turn your back on fellow citizens who may lose their job,turn your back on tax increases when the local coal yard closes,the coal breaker closes, yep,turn traitor !! Buy oil & help the WORLD OIL CARTEL grow bigger & more powerful,help fund terrorism, help the world oil cartel fulfill their goal..... NO COAL....... WHY do you think oil is so low ??? What is the government trying to do with coal ? They are trying to shut down coal..... are you going to help them accomplish their goal ? You will likely be the first to bitch when coal is no longer available or at least very expensive because of few breakers still going & oil goes to $ 4/gal or more. This post is not directed to any 1 person,rather at everyone who reads it. The Boston tea ship unloaders would turn over in their grave if they could see our willingness to pay the king for oil. Support America,the country we live & work in,buy coal,burn coal,keep warm with coal,send the oil ships back to their country. Coal is American.

I know you weren't directing this at anyone in particular, but it got me thinking about where my dollars go when I purchase coal rather than heating oil from our local fuel company. My family burns about 24 tons of anthracite per season, so I think we are doing out part to support the industry...but someone could probably make the argument that buying coal from out of state is not supporting my local economy. I never really thought about it until now, but my local fuel company employs several drivers that live nearby, office people, service techs, etc, and they donate to many of the local non-profits, pay property/school taxes, offer a few small scholarships to local highschools. When I order a TT load of anthracite, the local trucking company makes a couple hundred $, and the rest goes to one or two companies in PA. I know the PA companies provide jobs, pay taxes, etc...but it doesn't help my local area.

As for supporting foreign oil, I don't disagree that burning coal rather than fuel reduces the amount of oil being consumed...but I am not sure how much. Certainly it takes a fair amount of diesel fuel to run a strip mine, and close to 100 gallons to get the load delivered to me. I'd rather support a small operation that a huge company like Exxon...but I'm also guilty of including Exxon stock in my IRA due to the dividends and long term growth.

I'll keep burning anthracite because I think it is a fantastic fuel and I want it to continue to be an option, but I figured I would share some thoughts on this cold afternoon.

Rob R. wrote:Mark, there is no nozzle change required for kero unless you want to change the firing rate.

Kind of....kerosene has less BTU per lb than #2, so if you don't increase the nozzle size the unit will just run longer between thermostat calls. If running straight kerosene you should also add a lubricant like modern two-stroke oil to prevent wear on the pump. And, it's a good idea to put a microbiocide in the tank as well.....

Kero has about 3% less btus per gallon, I hope his heating equipment isn't sized that tight.

As for the pump issue, I agree that Kero is harder on the pump, but I don't know how long it would take to see any impact. I treat my fuel regardless.

It makes a noticeable difference.

When I run jet A in my oil tank the level drops like crazy. When it's straight #2 it's less. I won't mix the two any more because it's my feeling that I'm diluting the fuel I paid for. In fact, now I have two tanks, one for jet, and one for #2.

All the diesel cars I've owned had no power on jet but on #2 were normal, on straight mineral hyd oil it was like I installed a turbo

Rob R. wrote:Mark, there is no nozzle change required for kero unless you want to change the firing rate.

Is it ok to burn dyed kero rather than clear kero in lamps/heaters? I have never messed around with it.

As for the shelf life of heating oil, mine is 5 years old and looks/burns fine.

It's true, the dyed fuels do clog the wicks at some point. I just try to conform to survivalist tactics when and wherever possible, every little bit helps.

Well it was getting time to order two tons of coal at $254.00 a ton or shut down the Channing 111 and buy some oil. I paid $1.45 a gallon for home heating oil which gets me 350 gallons and since I have to use some oil to heat the entire house I decided to go with the oil for now. I still have about 800# of coal in case I lose the oil boiler I can light the stoker. If the price of oil starts to go crazy again which I think it will I can go back to coal.

Just looked at a website I have used in the past.
https://www.ezhomeheating.com/search/heating-oil- ... &zip=12533
1.55per gallon by me.
That is about .50 cents a gallon cheaper than last year.
This website is a broker that will connect you with a local supplier and the you just pay on delivery.
Very easy and no problems.
CS

I have recently have been discussing the issue of $1.50/gallon oil vs $300/ton coal with my wife. That is the break even point for me, I may need to get 1 more ton of coal before the heating season ends in May but am looking at filling up the oil tank instead. It is a bummer though; I just bought my Keystoker Ka6 boiler this past summer and think that that choice may have been premature. I think oil prices may stay low for a year or more; but I do not think you will see $4/gallon oil again for many years to come which makes the payback on my new coal boiler much longer in duration.

I would not dwell on "payback". Payback is a bonus, but American fuel, is the real benefit. No one can take our Anthracite away. Even when we approach "break even" we need to decide which fuel will be there for us in the long run. Enough said, coal rules