Oil Vs Coal

japar · Post by **japar** » Sun. Jan. 27, 2013 7:06 pm

Oil vs Coal, hey its been so long since I bought oil I forget what it used to cost, Diesel is around $4.10 so home heating oil used to run 20 cents cheaper so maybe $3.90 a gallon. With this frigging coal snap I am using 60lbs of coal a day, what does that equal in gals of oil. I bet these people burning oil in these big houses can go through 100 gals a week in this extreem cold. Yup every time the truck pulls up and drops 100 gals it must be around $400

AA130FIREMAN · Post by **AA130FIREMAN** » Sun. Jan. 27, 2013 7:13 pm

A ton = 180 to 200 gallons of fuel oil. Your 60 lbs would be around 6 gallons.

Post by **fifthg** » Sun. Jan. 27, 2013 7:15 pm

a ton of coal is equal to about 186 gallons of fuel,and when you buy it,you stimulate our economy,not the middle east's.

Uglysquirrel · Post by **Uglysquirrel** » Sun. Jan. 27, 2013 7:17 pm

Oil per gallon gives off something like ~140,000 btu

A lb of coal gives off ~12,500 btu

you can do the math, I'm too lazy to walk 3 steps and get my hewett-packard reverse polish notation calculator.

NoSmoke · Post by **NoSmoke** » Sun. Jan. 27, 2013 7:33 pm

We always said on the farm that 1 cord of firewood is equal to 100 gallons of oil. And we always figured 1 ton of coal was equal to about 2 cords of firewood. I know the math on that does not equate to the proper BTU's, but firewood has a lot of variables too.

As for a big home; my father has a 5280 square foot home and even well insulated, new construction and radiant heat, it cost him 4500-5000 to heat his home for a year. I told him to go with a coal boiler, but ultimately he went with an under fed pellet boiler and the cost of heating his home was reduced by half. He is happy with it anyway, and who can blame him. Oil sucks.

lsayre · Post by **lsayre** » Sun. Jan. 27, 2013 8:22 pm

japar wrote:With this frigging coal snap I am using 60lbs of coal a day, what does that equal in gals of oil.

About 5 gallons of #2 heating oil, give or take a bit.

coalnewbie · Post by **coalnewbie** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 3:05 pm

My Texas DataMath does not work too well these days but we save about $10,000 a year on heating costs with coal. This year I put that money in the bank to save up for my luxury yacht but the wife has just drawn out $14,000 to pay for stupid horse vet bills. Can some mathematical genius out there tell me how long it will be before I get my boat.

Freddy · Post by **Freddy** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 3:20 pm

coalnewbie wrote:Can some mathematical genius out there tell me how long it will be before I get my boat.

Ahhh... no math needed.... you have your boat... it eats hay, has four legs, a mane & a tail.

Dennis · Post by **Dennis** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 3:25 pm

Freddy wrote:
coalnewbie wrote:Can some mathematical genius out there tell me how long it will be before I get my boat.
Ahhh... no math needed.... you have your boat... it eats hay, has four legs, a mane & a tail.

Maybe you can get a ride on the vets boat

titleist1 · Post by **titleist1** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 3:32 pm

Check out that Fuel Comparison Calculator on the top menu bar!!

Post by **Rob R.** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 3:39 pm

I used to burn 12-14 gallons of #2 fuel oil per day if it was really cold and windy...now I max out around 125-130 lbs per day of anthracite. $18 vs $55....about 66% savings on the worst days.

anthony7812 · Post by **anthony7812** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 4:24 pm

Rob R. wrote:I used to burn 12-14 gallons of #2 fuel oil per day if it was really cold and windy...now I max out around 125-130 lbs per day of anthracite. $18 vs $55....about 66% savings on the worst days.

Good God Sir, it must be cold as a witches TIT up thier

Pacowy · Post by **Pacowy** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 4:55 pm

coalnewbie wrote:My Texas DataMath does not work too well these days but we save about $10,000 a year on heating costs with coal. This year I put that money in the bank to save up for my luxury yacht but the wife has just drawn out $14,000 to pay for stupid horse vet bills. Can some mathematical genius out there tell me how long it will be before I get my boat.

Shortly after you switch vets, and hire one with proper training, like Doreen.

Mike

Like Most Veterinary Students, Doreen Breezes Through Chapter Nine. (Courtesy of The Far Side)

.JPG | 150.3KB | Doreen.jpg

coalnewbie · Post by **coalnewbie** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 5:50 pm

I think you are all being negative. I am expanding my horse operation and as I lose about $50 a month on every horse, how many horses do I need to break even.

Pacowy · Post by **Pacowy** » Mon. Jan. 28, 2013 6:20 pm

coalnewbie wrote: I think you are all being negative. I am expanding my horse operation and as I lose about $50 a month on every horse, how many horses do I need to break even.

I think the mathematical geniuses would agree that the answer to that one is "zero". And that's neither negative nor positive.

Mike