Common Misconceptions

About Oil Heat

Misconception	Oil heat is old fashioned.
Reality	Oil heat is a modern, efficient and environmentally friendly fuel source warming over 10 million homes in the USA. Over 350,000 of those homes were built in the last decade. The heating oil industry as a whole is on the cutting edge of technology. Clearburn Science has produced cleaner burning fuel, solid-state microprocessor electronic controls and high static pressure flame-retention burners. State-of-the-art below and above ground storage tanks offer customized, attractive solutions for homeowners.

	The truth is today's oil heat is warmer, heats up faster and is just plain cozier than other heating sources.

	Biodiesel heating oil is another option for modern oil heat consumers in Oregon. Biodiesel heating oil is a well-tested and renewable fuel made from vegetable oils like soy and canola grown right here in America. When used for heating, it is mixed with regular heating oil to produce a new energy source with even lower emissions.

Misconception	Oil heat is dirty.
Reality	Heating oil is as clean or cleaner than other fuel sources and that simple fact is verified by the EPA. They say that modern heating oil burners are one of the cleanest combustion sources available. They release near zero levels of smoke and combustion discharge and produce less greenhouse gas than natural gas systems. Home heating oil is also non-toxic, biodegradable and burns 400 degrees hotter than natural gas.

	Technological advances combined with new formulations and refining processes have led to what we now call the "new oil heat". The clear, rosy colored heating oil that we sell today is so clean that its emissions are not regulated by the Federal Clean Air act.

Misconception	Heating with oil is dangerous.
Reality	Heating oil is one of the safest fuels available. When's the last time you heard of a neighborhood being evacuated because of a heating oil leak? Home heating oil simply does not have the explosive quality of natural gas. You can actually drop a lit match in a bucket of heating oil and nothing will happen. Home heating oil also has an extraordinarily low risk for carbon monoxide poisoning.

Misconception	Heating oil smells bad.
Reality	Heating oil does have a distinctive petroleum odor, but the fumes are not dangerous and usually dissipate quickly. Usually the only time a heating oil odor is detected is immediately after a delivery if a few drops of oil are left on the fill pipe. Rarely is there an odor produced when the furnace is running. Heating oil burns cleanly, so if there is a smell or soot appearing at the furnace or around the heat registers, it's due to poorly maintained equipment. A tune-up by a qualified oil heat technician will take care of the problem and most likely increase the efficiency of the furnace. Heating oil furnaces pose little or no threat of carbon monoxide poisoning because if the equipment is in bad enough condition to produce CO it will not operate.