is Paraffin the same as domestic (UK) heating oil?

Stupid question I know, but better than a fireball.

I’ve done a quick Google, but first page of responses in my interpretation leans towards a yes .. just want another opinion.

Are Paraffin oil and domestic UK heating oil, one and the same? I’ve heard both referred to as Kerosene.

Just got hold of a Petromax lamp and wondered if I could get away with siphoning some heating oil off at work (boss is fine with it if I buy lunch!) before I pop down the garage and buy 4l bottle of ‘Paraffin’.

Ta

Paraffin and Kerosine are the same, AFAIK, it’s also jet fuel, sort of…

The first jet fuels were based on kerosene or a gasoline-kerosene mix, and most jet fuels are still kerosene-based. Both British and American standards for jet fuels were first established at the end of World War II. British standards derived from standards for kerosine use for lamps—known as paraffin in the UK—whereas American standards derived from aviation gasoline practices. Over the subsequent years, details of specifications were adjusted, such as minimum freezing point, to balance performance requirements and availability of fuels.

Also heating oil:

Kerosene is also known as boiler juice, burning oil, 28 second heating oil, industrial paraffin, C2 kero and standard kero.

We can deliver kerosene in any size of vehicle ranging from our 500 litre baby tanker right through to one of our 36,000 litre articulated tankers.
Our independence and buying power give us the ability to offer extremely competitive prices, as well as flexible payment terms.
At Crown Oil, we focus on exceptional personal service and consistency of delivery service, to ensure buying heating oil from us is quick, easy and delivery is on time.

To ensure you never run out of fuel we calculate your optimum ordering pattern over a given time period and then “top-up” your tank to ensure you benefit from the lower price associated with larger deliveries whilst ensuring a run out does not occur.

Kerosene is used for domestic heating and industrial processes requiring low sulphur fuel.
Its clean burning characteristics maintain a high heat output and maximum economy. For many years, it has been the most economical fuel for central heating.

With over 60 years of experience, Crown Oil has become an expert in managing and delivering heating oil to its customers.

Useful information about kerosene heating oil:

Kerosene is a liquid mixture of chemicals produced from the distillation of crude oil in a similar process used to produce diesel or petrol.
In the UK, kerosene is also known as paraffin and home heating oil.

Kerosene is widely used to power jet-engined aircrafts, but is also used as heating oil in home central heating systems and can be used as a cleaning agent or solvent.

Kerosene is typically stored in a blue, or blue labelled container.

Kerosene, also known as boiler juice, is the most common home heating oil fuel used in the UK.
Up until electricity was invented, kerosene was used in home lanterns as the main source of lighting.

Yes, and No.

Yes, roughly.

No, paraffin is a finer more distilled grade than heating oil.

Paraffin (also known as Premium Paraffin), Premium Burning oil (PBO), pink Paraffin (blue?).

Kerosene, Standard Burning Oil (SBO), 28sec burning oil, Aero Fuel.

Different grades of the same stuff IMO (I worked for British Fuel Oils for 12 years, 2 years as a rep selling the stuff)

Same enough for the purpose of a lamp though I’d imagine. The point of fuels like parafin and heating oil is they don’t burn too easily, they need a wick or something similar which is why its fine for me to have 1000 litres of heating oil in my back yard, but if the authorties though I’d had a 1000 litres of petrol in my garden they’d evacuate the whole street. So in a ‘will I die?’ scenario you (probably) won’t die but heating oil will probably work well enough even if paraffin might work better.

Maybe I should add it’s the pressure lamp version not the puny wick lamp it’d be used in.

greater risk of dying?

Tucker +1

I work with Jet fuel daily which is indeed Kerosene / Avtur Jet A1.

When we get rid of “slops” (old samples/tank bottoms/spare fuel in bulk) it is collected by a specialist company that will dye the kerosene onsite whilst witnessed and they then pop it back to their site , stick it in a bulk tank to sell on as Heating Oil.

Many years ago our site also had “Pink” Paraffin which if i remember correctly is just dyed kerosene (before my time though so i may be incorrect).

Wish i had oil fired heating i would be a happy chap 😈

Kerosene is lower grade, less refined and will presumably produce more soot, which for a cooker would just turn your pans black. For a lamp, I presume it will soot up the glass and maybe produce less light etc. Also it might need more maintenance with soot blocking up the jet. Might not work at all.

(dyed)Pink paraffin was sold by Shell for lamps, small heaters, stoves etc . it’s not kerosene, it’s a more refined version. BTW (dyed)blue paraffin was the same but sold by Esso (Esso Blue).

Dum dum dum, Esso Blue! That’s all. 🙂