paraffin heater

[adamhartree]

Hi, I have just brought a old velor paraffin heater off ebay. With the price of paraffin @ £1.20 a litre I was wondering if I could use red diesel?. Does anyone have any experience or advice about this?
Thanks all

[chilli_grower]

I asked the same question on here last year, and the answer is basically NO.

I searched for the thread but could not find it.

I do not recall the reasons why, only that the answer was no.......

[bearded bloke]

IIRC it was basically down to the huge amount of soot & fumes that would be generated.

[Olorin2001]

Why is parafin so expensive? there is no fuel duty on it so it's cost should be comparable to red diesel. And very few places sell it draught, it is all pre-packed.

[Bill HH]

Indeed why? paraffin used to be cheap as chips in relation to other fuels. Once its in a container the price rockets, so many people in the supply chain taking their cut.
Red diesel has to burn at a higher temperature to burn off the smoke, in a central heating heater it reaches that but not in a wick burner.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Apart from anything else, it would be illegal. Red diesel is at a reduced duty level. We really shouldn't be advising on this should we?

[adamhartree]

Hi, it isnt illegal to use. The only time it becomes illegal is if it is used in domestic vehicles. Agriculture vehicles can still use it.

[Aberdeenplotter]

and a propogator is an agricultural vehicle?

[bearded bloke]

Hi AP,the only time it becomes illegal to use reduced duty diesel is in a non-exempt vehicle on a public highway.

[Bill HH]

Correct me if I am wrong but red diesel is the same as domestic heating oil and that is legal to use in heaters. However as i said before it wont work in a parrafin heater unless you like black smoke.

[Nicos]

Thought peeps might like to see this??
...legal uses of red diesel...
http://www.chorleybottlegas.co.uk/docs/reddiesel.pdf

pity my mowers and rotavators are 4 stroke engines!

[bearded bloke]

Yep,them's just the road vehicles Nicos,you then get into private light aircraft,privately owned commercial vessels & leisure craft (inside the 2 mile coastal limit)

[bearded bloke]

Correct me if I am wrong but red diesel is the same as domestic heating oil and that is legal to use in heaters.

I think there is a difference (vapourising point,calorific value,???) I'm sure Potty has posted the technical guff on this before however if you got some red & want some heat (in a fairly big way) then .... 69000 BTU Heater | Space Heater | Industrial Heater £289.99 ... burns both

[Nicos]

Yep,them's just the road vehicles Nicos

well- it does say..
"1.6 Mowing machines
A mowing machine is an excepted vehicle. "

and

"1.10 Digging machines
(1) A digging machine is an excepted vehicle. "

I wonder if a rotavator would fit into that catagory???

( going x eyed trying to read all that!)

[bearded bloke]

I wonder if a rotavator would fit into that catagory???

( going x eyed trying to read all that!)

Yep,rotavator would be fine Many moons ago some/quite a lot fuel stations had two diesel pumps,one marked Diesel (which contained reduced duty fuel) & the other marked DERV which filled lorries,coaches,taxi's & any other Diesel Engined Road Vehicle,Road being the operative word.