A Guide to Heating Oil Additives

If you use heating oil in its original state, you won’t maximize it. Heating oil additives and treatments improve your equipment’s performance and save money on fuel consumption and repair costs.

This guide covers the basics of heating oil additives, why you need them, the problems they solve and how they’ll benefit you or your business. Don’t wait until challenges emerge — start using heating oil additives today for the best results.

What Are Heating Oil Additives?

Heating oil additives are specially formulated chemicals that mix with heating oil to improve its performance and longevity. Heating oil additives have various properties.

• Cold filter plugging point reduction: Additives can lower the CFPP — the temperature when fuel starts to wax or gel — so you can store and use fuel in lower temperatures.
• Sludge dispersant: Additives can increase the suspension of contaminants in the oil to stop them from clumping together.
• Detergent: Additives with detergent properties break down oil contaminants and clean tank components.
• Microbial growth reduction: Bio-blend fuel additives contain biocides that remove microbial growth in tanks.
• Water removal: Additives with water emulsifiers reduce water condensation in tanks.
• Stabilization: Additives with antioxidants stop fuel oxidation for extra stabilization.
• Lubrication: Additives that include lubricants will keep components running smoothly.

Why Do You Need Heating Oil Treatments and Additives?

Over the years, heating oil manufacturers have changed how they refine crude oil to lower its sulfur content and reduce the amount of impurities. Heating oil with less sulfur results in fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which is better for the environment. However, this oil is less stable and contains a higher concentration of carbon residue, reducing efficiency.

Refining or transferring heating oil causes it to accumulate impurities like water, dirt and soot. These build up in tanks and further decrease the oil’s efficiency.

While you may assume your heating oil doesn’t need any additions, untreated heating oil is less efficient and causes more problems. Adding a high-quality heating oil additive or treatment product will address these issues to create a more stable, higher-performing oil.

Who Can Use Heating Oil Additives?

Any equipment that uses heating oil can benefit from an additive. Nearly 5 million U.S. homes have oil-fueled appliances like furnaces and water heaters, most of which are in New England. Commercial and industrial facilities also use heating oil on a larger scale throughout their production processes.

What Are the Benefits of Using Heating Oil Additives?

Enjoy the following advantages of using heating oil additives.

• Improve combustion: Additives enhance the combustion process and create a cleaner burn, resulting in fewer emissions, less buildup and better performance.
• Extend equipment life: Equipment must work harder to burn impurities in denser, less stable oil. Additives provide higher combustion efficiency and less wear and tear, making equipment last longer.
• Keep oil fresh for longer: Additives stabilize heating oil and reduce sludge, condensation and bacteria buildup, ensuring the oil retains its efficiency during storage.
• Reduce maintenance costs: With clean, stable oil thanks to additives, you’ll encounter fewer problems and spend less on repairs and maintenance.

When Should You Use Heating Oil Additives?

Now that you understand what purposes heating oil additives serve and why they’re valuable, you should know when to use them. Most people purchase and use heating oil additives when they notice issues in their equipment, particularly in winter when oil starts to gel and clog up components. While this strategy may solve your current problems, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

You should also use heating oil additives when your equipment sits dormant, such as in the summer. When you leave oil in the tank, bacteria, condensation and contaminants build up. The oil will slowly degrade, causing internal corrosion and component deterioration. Ensure a smooth and responsive startup next fall or winter with a heating oil additive this summer.

Problems Heating Oil Additives Solve

After frequent use, heating equipment may face problems that slow performance or stop the machine from working. Below are a few common heating equipment issues and how heating oil additives can fix them.

• Higher consumption rates: An additive will help reduce fuel consumption if your bills are higher than usual.
• Tank corrosion: Water and oil oxidation erode tanks over time. Heating oil additives reduce oxidation, emulsify water and form a protective barrier within the tank to prevent corrosion.
• Clogged nozzle and pipes: Components like nozzles, filters and pipes clog as sludge forms and carbon deposits increase. Additives prevent and dissolve this buildup, allowing oil to flow freely.
• Oil gelling and freezing: When temperatures drop in winter, heating oil may gel and struggle to move through lines and nozzles. Additives prevent this problem by reducing the temperature at which gelling occurs.
• Tank sludge buildup: When you notice a thick substance at the bottom of your tank, you have a sludge issue that can cause further problems, like clogged nozzles and filters or higher fuel consumption. Additives prevent sludge from forming and dissolve and flush any existing sludge.

Buy Heating Oil Additives From Fuel Ox®

Fuel Ox® creates the world’s best fuel additives and lubricants, and we’re on a mission to increase machinery performance without damaging the environment. We offer three scientifically proven heating oil treatment products for different applications.

• Fuel Ox® Star Plus™: Improve efficiency and reduce common heating oil issues in indoor and outdoor tanks with our patented sludge dispersant and de-icer.
• Fuel Ox® Star Plus™ Bio: Designed for B-20 biofuel blends and higher, this powerful fuel additive addresses common biofuel issues and lowers the CFPP to reduce gelling.
• Fuel Ox® Heating Oil Treatment: Prevent issues and damage in your indoor tank with our signature Fuel Ox® Heating Oil Treatment, which stabilizes oil, removes impurities and reduces oxidation and corrosion.

Our products outperform others you’ll find on the market, and we’d love for you to see this firsthand. Call 844-838-3569 to chat with our team and test the product yourself. We offer commercial pricing and bulk discounts to businesses and include free shipping for orders of 10 cases or more.