Fuel Oil Storage Article.

Whether it be gasoline or #2, the main thing you need to do to make it last is keep air OUT of it. Gasoline especially.

I had burned 20 year old heating oil that was baking in a greenhouse at 180° in the summertime - burned no problem ... but that fuel is miles ahead of anything sold today.

I store gas in 55 gallon drums - after a year the octane rating drops quite a bit, but it will still burn fine in lawn equipment. I don't treat it with anything - I just keep the bungs shut tight unless I need to vent the pressure out on a hot day.

I'll throw in my $.02 here. I work in the heating refrigeration industry. I have a propane furnace and oil fired water heater so I will comment on both. I currently am burning oil that is at a bare minimum 9 years old. It was stored in a 500 gallon outdoor oil tank. The boiler it fed has been converted to gas since 2006. The business owner thought the tank was empty, while I was there servicing the steam boiler I unscrewed the cap and shined a little get in and saw oil. The owner said if I can get it I can have it. So 220 gallons later I was smiling ear to ear. I sucked a sample from the bottom of the tank and held it to the sun in a glass bottle. It was a bright "clear" red. No water droplets. So in the tank it went. A year later and my free hot showers feel great. Filter is no dirtier than before. High silver No.2 fuel is very stable if it's not open to atmosphere. On the propane side of things, I tossed my oil hot air furnace and installed a heat pump with a condensing propane furnace that kicks on below 30. Propane is about 40,000 BTU a gallon less BUT the efficiency of the equipment must be factored in. My furnace is 93% but new equipment can be had up to 98.5% eff. Oil is generally 83-85% at best. Don't be snowballed by the new condensing oil furnaces. It's been tried before and they sucked (Yukon 95 with Wayne burner) Oil is great beat but needs serviced every year including filter, nozzle strained and full brushing/soot vac'ing. My propane furnace needs the flame sensor polished yearly with grit cloth. Takes 5 minutes. My propane was 1.31 a gallon. Both fuels will keep you warm and are great heat. Oil just needs some more TLC and some find the odor offensive. Keep the fires burning