Oil or propane?

[Mike in Ohio]

A pole building 30 x 48, 12 foot ceilings. R19 in the walls, approx R30 in ceiling. 1 9' and 1 16' insulated door and 10' by 11' that I will insulate as best I can.
I have a 65,000 btu propane furnace that I got off of craigs list or I can take the 75,000 btu oil furnace out of my old shop at dads house.( They spend nov to mar in arizona). The propane will take up much less floor space. the oil would probably be an easier install.

Are these big enough for this building?

Which way would you guys go and why?

Thanks alot, Mike

 

[PaulR]

(not an expert)
Just going on my own experience first year in my 30x50 heated garage in New England, got a propane Reznor, 80,000 BTU heats the garage no problem, real fast too, like 30 to 55 in 20 minutes. Size wise I think your fine.

Propane I think is cheaper, not sure by how much.

Since October, running my heat almost 3 hours every night, I've gone through 75% of a 100 gallon tank. I'm looking to add another 100 gallon tank for next year. Again, this just for every night hobby use, not a full time shop.
Propane your probably looking at more regular fills and watching the tanks more often.

HTH
Paul

 

[6768rogues]

Either one will provide heat. Given a choice at what seems like the same cost for equipment, I would go with oil. Oil has 1 1/2 times as much heat per gallon, so you will run low less frequently and the heat will be hotter. Also, you can fill an oil tank most of the way up while a propane tank only gets filled to 80%. Oil tanks are cheap and plentiful and are not a pressure vessel; propane are a pressure vessel and must be certified periodically. I have found good deals on oil when paying cash, while I cannot find anyone to discount propane substantially. Also, in a garage, a propane leak will cause a disaster while an oil leak will cause a messy spill.

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Thanks for the replies. I was leaning toward the oil, but I hadn't thought about a leak/spill. You are right oil is a mess, propane is an explosion. I do not keep my fuel cans in this building, but there are usually 4 tractors, 2 riding lawn mowers, 1 push mower, my 4 wheeler, and my truck in there all with at least some gas in them.
We have propane heat for the house so the tank would not be a problem. Over at dads we use a 55 gallon drum to supply the oil furnace, I think he fills it about once every other year, especially since I built my shop we do almost everything over here.

One more question, What should I use for a flue to go through the roof for the oil? Would the regular double wall flue pipe be alright? Or does oil burn too hot?

Thanks again, Mike

 

[HoosierBuddy]

Check your prices on both and compare.

Off the top of my head, I think fuel oil is about 135,000 BTU per gallon while LPG varies but is going to be in the 92,000 BTU per gallon range.

135/92=1.5
So take your propane price, multiply that by 1.8 and compare it to your fuel oil price and that will give you another piece of data to make your decision.

If you want to hone in a little more accurately, look at the data plates on your furnaces and compare them as well. Chances are the propane furnace is rated at 80%. I'd be curious to see if the fuel oil furnace is that high. It may be though.

As far as the "fuel oil is hotter" deal? I don't think so. Your BTU/hour rating on your furnace is a direct comparison of how much heat the units take in and put out. There is no "this is hotter or that is hotter" beyond that.

Around here, fuel oil furnaces are getting to be as rare as hens teeth. I'm not sure why exactly. I assume it has to do with the relative costs involved, but I've not done any checking into it.

Phil

 

[Steve NW Ohio]

1 Gal of #2 Fuel Oil = 139,000 Btu's vs the 92,000 Btu's for propane. So, I would think your propane unit might be more efficient then the oil heater but depends on it's vintage. The flue for the oil unit probably would need to be at least double-wall, but you'd want to check that out for sure. I went with propane for my shop (two 120 gal. pigs) and the added yearly useage actually got me a "slight" reduction in a annual contract price with my propane supplier for my house. Steve

 

[Kevin54]

1 Gal of #2 Fuel Oil = 139,000 Btu's vs the 92,000 Btu's for propane. So, I would think your propane unit might be more efficient then the oil heater but depends on it's vintage. The flue for the oil unit probably would need to be at least double-wall, but you'd want to check that out for sure. I went with propane for my shop (two 120 gal. pigs) and the added yearly useage actually got me a "slight" reduction in a annual contract price with my propane supplier for my house. Steve

You'd have to run B-vent for the propane also which is double wall where it runs through the wall

 

[Mike in Ohio]

You'd have to run B-vent for the propane also which is double wall where it runs through the wall

Would the b vent be ok for the oil too? Or should I use something like they use on wood burners where the gap between the inside pipe and outside pipe is bigger?

Thanks again for the replies, Mike

 

[Kevin54]

Would the b vent be ok for the oil too? Or should I use something like they use on wood burners where the gap between the inside pipe and outside pipe is bigger?

Thanks again for the replies, Mike

"B" vent is for gas fuels, NG and LP. You would need an "All fuel flue" (say that three times real fast) for anything else. This site has some good info and the "AFF" is towards the bottom http://www.hartandcooley.com/Librar..._Vent_All-Fuel_Chimney_Sizing_Guide.sflb.ashx

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Thanks alot Kevin that is a great site.

 

[Jackfre]

I would vote for lp over oil every time. Oil does have more btuh (138 vs 92 as stated). You have limits on how much oil you can store so you are much more at the mercy of the inseason delivery than you could be with lp. I'd buy as big an lp tank as I can set or better yet bury, and buy once or twice a year and be able to shop the fuel. As well, the venting on the gas is much less expensive than the L-vent req'd for oil. Service is much less with gas. There is less and less oil being used in residential as gas conversions continue to dominate. Much greater technology available with gas. Oil is single stage. It's like driving at the drag strip. Once you get the go light you are all in for the time of the cycle and then it shuts down. Gas, has modulating gas valves/blowers which can adjust input to the actual load. Gas is an altogether better choice...when installed properly. IMHO!

 

[Kevin54]

The bad thing about oil is that if it is in tanks inside, then you have that smell every time it is filled. If the tank is outside and the temps would happen to get down below zero for an extended time, you could have problems with it gelling although that is a once in a great while thing. Your propane will be in the tank outside, and if things are set up correctly, you shouldn't have any worries. I'd much rather have propane outside, than a bulky 275 gallon tank inside. And I'm the type, I hate the smell of fuel oil. Plus any spill of fuel oil that amounts to anything would be regarded as an environmental hazard and would have to be treated accordingly. My dad used to have two 275 gallon tanks in his basement with a switchover valve. He had three tubes coming up into the garage. Dad would use out of one tank, switch it over to the full tank, then have the lowest tank filled. One year the guy went to fill it and filled the wrong tube and overflowed quite a few gallons into the basement. What a mess and smelled for months afterwards. And if you have an older fuel oil furnace, you always have to make sure the filters are cleaned on a regular basis. An older fuel oil furnace seems to have more problems than a propane furnace. So basically, you really have to consider convenience, smell, and price

 

[Mike in Ohio]

Kevin, what part of ohio are you in?

I know what you mean about the oil smell we have the same 2 tank setup over at dads except the fill pipes are outside.

I have propane to the house, it wouldn't be too big of a deal to bury a line to the shop. It is only about 30 feet. We use a 55 gallon drum for the oil over at dads. I figured I would bring that over here and take it to be filled when needed. That would be a pain though.

I think you guys are talking me into the proprane. I am still a little concerned that it might be too small. I guess I can always heat it up with the torpedo heater then let the propane take over from there.

Thanks again for all your help.

 

[Kevin54]

Kevin, what part of ohio are you in?

I know what you mean about the oil smell we have the same 2 tank setup over at dads except the fill pipes are outside.

I have propane to the house, it wouldn't be too big of a deal to bury a line to the shop. It is only about 30 feet. We use a 55 gallon drum for the oil over at dads. I figured I would bring that over here and take it to be filled when needed. That would be a pain though.

I think you guys are talking me into the proprane. I am still a little concerned that it might be too small. I guess I can always heat it up with the torpedo heater then let the propane take over from there.

Thanks again for all your help.

Urbana

 

[PaulR]

If you do go propane get at least 200 gallons of tank(s).

I'm adding one for next year, they said $55 delivery charge and they'll hook it up for free.