# Home Heating Fuel and Lawn tractor **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [August 16, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204 "2007-08-16T18:21:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 6:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/1 "2007-08-16T18:21:22Z")
I have about a 12oz bottle full of home heating fuel leftover from a furnance replacement. Would adding 1oz/gallon of gasoline of this have any ill effects to a lawn tractor. (16HP motor if that matters). I don’t really know how to dispose of it. ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 6:55pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/2 "2007-08-16T18:55:24Z")
Lessee… There are 128 ounces to a gallon. You should be quite safe at this dilution. Go for it! ---
**Author:** ![Craig58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@Craig58](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Craig58)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2007, 7:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/3 "2007-08-16T19:33:33Z")
Home heating fuel is basically the same as #2 diesel, do you know anyone with a diesel car/truck? ---
**Author:** ![Beadsandbeads](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c57346/32.png) [@Beadsandbeads](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Beadsandbeads)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/4 "2007-08-17T01:32:49Z")
I would not put it in a diesel vehicle. IIRC, as untaxed petro with potential as a motor fuel, it has dye that can mark the vehicle for a long time. You could be fined. ---
**Author:** ![BustedKnuckles](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bustedknuckles/32/25_2.png) [@BustedKnuckles](https://community.cartalk.com/u/BustedKnuckles)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 1:51am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/5 "2007-08-17T01:51:55Z")
Of course 12 oz. dissolved in 39 gal of over-the-road diesel is not going to be detected. ---
**Author:** ![Craig58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@Craig58](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Craig58)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2007, 3:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/6 "2007-08-17T03:27:30Z")
I’m not sure if home heating oil normally has the red dye, but I agree it still wouldn’t show up at that dilution. Also, in practice the only ones who are ever checked for dye are commercial trucks. ---
**Author:** ![rocketman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@rocketman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/rocketman)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/7 "2007-08-18T14:49:10Z")
Give it to a neighbor who uses oil to heat their home or take it to a recycling center. You don’t want to know the fine for using home heating oil as a motor vehicle fuel. I know of a farmer (who can use it on his farm) who drove his pickup off the farm for supplies and was stopped, checked and fined. I think each violation (number of gallons tainted, I think) is $1000 in Pennsylvania. Rocketman ---
**Author:** ![Roadrunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@Roadrunner](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Roadrunner)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 12:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/8 "2007-08-19T00:43:45Z")
In the old days they called it ‘white gas’ due to the coloring to deferentiate between the two uses (during wartime). ---
**Author:** ![MG-McAnick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mg-mcanick/32/188_2.png) [@MG-McAnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MG-McAnick)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 2:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/9 "2007-08-19T02:42:42Z")
The “white gas” I was familar with as a kid was simply naptha. I had an elderly uncle who insisted on using it in his lawnmower. It was more expensive than leaded regular gas which my dad used in our mower. I don’t think home heating oil was ever called white gas. ---
**Author:** ![Craig58](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3da27b/32.png) [@Craig58](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Craig58)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 2:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/10 "2007-08-19T02:52:30Z")
Home heating oil is not the same as “white gas,” it is #2 fuel oil (white gas is the stuff that’s used in Coleman lamps and camp stoves). #2 fuel oil is essentially identical to #2 diesel fuel with a couple of exceptions; diesel fuel contains additives to prevent gelling in cold weather and it may have dye added to prevent it from being illegally used on the roads (it’s price does not include road use taxes). ---
**Author:** ![andrew\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@andrew\_j](https://community.cartalk.com/u/andrew_j)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 11:31am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/11 "2007-08-19T11:31:06Z")
Update stuck 3oz into 2 gallons of fuel. It really dyed it red. The lawn mower worked perfectly and was not noticably running different. Grass looks prettier too :)! Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![MG-McAnick](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mg-mcanick/32/188_2.png) [@MG-McAnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MG-McAnick)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2007, 2:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/home-heating-fuel-and-lawn-tractor/3204/12 "2007-08-19T14:31:42Z")
Yes, Coleman fuel is largely naptha. It’s also expensive and completely unnecessary in Coleman’s equipment. Use regular unleaded gasoline. I got that info during a tour of the Coleman plant several years ago.