You may’ve heard the term “off road diesel” before and wondered what it is. In this post, we will explain exactly what off road diesel is and how it differs from regular diesel.

Essentially, off road diesel is the same thing as regular diesel but the difference is that it has not been “road taxed”. This diesel is used for construction vehicles, farm vehicles, heating oil boiler fuel and basically anything that doesn’t require it to traverse a public paved road.

The road tax we are talking about is a special tax that is included when you purchase diesel from a gas station for vehicle that is mainly driven on public roads or highways. This fuel is naturally cheaper since it does not include any state or federal taxes.

The fuel is dyed red so that it will not be misused as a way to get around taxes. If authorities catch a person using off road diesel for their every day transportation vehicle there are severe fines. The fine is listed exactly as follows:

“The amount of the civil penalty for any act described in subsection A shall be the greater of $1,000 or ten dollars per gallon of fuel, based on the maximum storage capacity of the storage tank, container or storage tank of the highway vehicle, watercraft or aircraft.” Virginia law code § 58.1-2265

It only makes sense not to add a roads tax to fuel that will not be used on the main roads. It may seem like aa small amount on a gallon by gallon basis, but when you are talking about thousands of gallons it can be a huge amount.

You can find out more about this type of tax here: Virginia Road Tax Fees

The National Fire Code categorizes off-road diesel as a Class II combustible liquid. Any fuel with a flash point lower than 100 degrees Fahrenheit is combustible. The flash point of diesel is normally estimated to be between 126 and 205 degrees Fahrenheit, or roughly 160 degrees. It is therefore categorized as a Class II combustible.

You can order off road diesel from us by calling 434-845-0871 or using this page to contact us

You may know that HVAC usually refers to a company that handles heat and air conditioning, but do you know what the entire abbreviation stands for? Well it stands for Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning.

The “V” in the HVAC is usually the letter that trips everyone up. But ventilation is an essential part of heating a cooling. Ventilation is the carrying of air throughout the structure using a pump and air ducts. The hot or cold air is carried to the different parts of the house or apartment in an attempt to achieve even temperature throughout. A bad HVAC job will leave certain parts of the home hotter or cooler than others. This is not good.

A heat source or cool air producing unit is usually placed somewhere in the home and ducts are run from that source through the attic or between walls. If a home is large enough there may be two units to accomplish the cooling needs.

Sometimes you will see companies use the abbreviation HVACR. The “R” added to the end stands for refrigeration. These companies usually deal with commercial cooling units.

Sterling Oil specializes in heating and AC. And we deliver the required fuel for those specific types of heating units. We have been in the industry for 37 years, serving Lynchburg city and surrounding areas like Appomattox, Madison Heights, Forest and Alta Vista. We have installed hundreds and hundreds of units and have delivered many thousands of gallons of oil. If you are looking for a provider please feel free to give us a call at 434-845-0971

When it comes to surviving cold winters, a reliable source of heat is imperative. Many people use electric heating for their home, which typically generates high electricity bills. Others use wood furnaces, which take a lot of man hours to keep stoked. But a large portion of the country use petroleum based heating. Many times this can be less expensive than electric heat and much less exhausting than fire wood heat. In this blog, we will go over kerosene specifically and what makes it an excellent choice for heating one’s home.

Kerosene is a petroleum product known as a combustible hydrocarbon liquid. It is used in many facets of every day human life. It is used for heating, lighting as well as jet and rocket fuel. For many years kerosene was simply referred to as “lamp oil”. It is a very stable flammable liquid in that only the fumes burn and not the actually liquid itself.

Kerosene is more stable than gasoline and can be stored much longer. It should be noted that if a person uses a kerosene heater indoors there should be proper ventilation. The byproduct of any petroleum product being burned is carbon monoxide.

If you are replacing your home’s heating system and are trying to choose between kerosene and heating oil here is some advice: If you plan for your tank to be inside the home, then you should use heating oil. If the tank is going outside the home or business then kerosene is a great option.

Regardless of whether you choose heating oil or kerosene, Sterling Oil can deliver it to your home or business. You can call us today for a free quote and we can have it out to your place in a jiff.

Off-Road Diesel Delivery

There are two different types of diesel fuel. There is on-road diesel fuel and there is off-read diesel fuel. So what’s the difference? We will take a look in this post.

On-road diesel fuel is for cars and vehicles that typically drive on the paved roads and highways as well as byways. The type of fuel they require can be found at most any commercial gas stations.

Off-road diesel is for vehicles that spend most of their time in dirt. Vehicles like tractors, construction equipment and even generators use off-road diesel fuel.

The reason these two have become separated is simply because of tax laws. The off road diesel is not taxed whereas on road diesel is taxed. The on-road diesel taxes help pay to maintain the very roads which they use. Since off-road vehicles don’t use paved roads, they are exempt from this particular tax.

Dye

The off-road variety has a red dye added to it and is often called red diesel. This helps inspectors hold everyone accountable and make sure no funny business is going on with their operation. Regular on-road diesel is clear and is often referred to as just “clear diesel”.

Essentially they are the same exact product and burn the same way. The red dye is not harmful to your engine and is completely inert.

Delivery

We can deliver your fuel today. We deliver to the Greater Lynchburg area and surrounding counties.
Call today at 434-845-0971 we will be happy to serve you.

Its almost spring time everybody. Time to thaw out and get ready for the warm months ahead. But, you don’t have to wait until summer to find fun and interesting things to do in Lynchburg, there is plenty to do now.

We have put together this list of upcoming events for the City of Lynchburg and the area around us. We hope this helps inform you of an event you otherwise would not have known about.

Symphony of Back
The beautiful music of Bach played live for your ears. Treat yourself to some classical music.
Mar 7, 7:30 – 9:30 PM
Heritage United Methodist Church
582 Leesville Rd, Lynchburg, VA

MASH the Play
You remember MASH the great TV show right? Well tonight & tomorrow you can check out MASH the Play. That’s right, a live play with the great characters from the hit show MASH. The play is March 6&7 and starts at 8pm and is at the Renaissance Theater in Lynchburg. For more info check out renaissancetheatrelynchburg.org

Appomattox Oyster & Seafood Festival
Are you a seafood person? Do you like fresh oysters on the half-shell? Well we have an event for you. The Appomattox Oyster & Seafood Festival takes place on March 18th at
Clover Hill Village
5747 River Ridge Rd, Appomattox, VA
Sat, Apr 18, 11 AM – 6 PM

Lynchburg Wine & Music Festival
You can never go wrong with wine and music. Wouldn’t you agree? Come and enjoy the tasting from 10 Virginia wineries while you listen to some cool tunes. The event is Sat, Apr 25, 12 – 7 PM at the City Stadium Complex

Oil refinery

Heating and cooling are our specialty. We serve Lynchburg Virginia and surrounding areas. A major part of our business is providing heating oil for those households that require this type of fuel source. In this article we would like to share some facts about heating oil which the reader may not already know.

Production

Heating oil comes from the same petroleum used for automobile oil and to make gasoline. The raw (or crude) oil is heated from between 250 to 350 degrees Celsius. The oil that condenses at this temperature is then used as heating oil.

By Any Other Name

Heating oil can be called by any other name but it is always heating oil. Some of these names are:

• Gas Oil
• Paraffin
• Fuel Oil
• Kersosene
• 28 second heating oil

These nomenclatures aren’t always 100% accurate but they get the message across.

Best Time to Buy

Just like with any commodity, the best time to buy heating oil is when the use or demand is low. So, buying heating oil in the summer is when you are most likely to receive the best price and the service will be fast as well. Usually the price tends to be lower in summer months too.

Safety of Heating Oil

We have gone over the safety of heating oil in other articles. But, let us do so again because we cannot stress how safe heating oil actually is.

Heating oil only burns when done so in a special heating oil burning unit. Therefore, having a tank of heating oil in or around your house is very safe.

Supply and Demand

When refining a barrel of oil, a good portion of it results in heating oil. Every drop of each barrel of oil is used for a purpose. About 20% is used for gasoline and the rest is divided up between petrochemical and oil uses. There is plenty of supply to meet the demand of customers.

Save money while heating your home this winter.

The coldest part of winter is right around the corner. The days are shorter and the heat from the sun is overtaken by the cold of empty outer space.

Our coldest days can be brutal. All people want to do (can do) is stay in doors during the extreme cold snaps. We need our indoor temperature to be comfortable. And to accomplish this we run our heating system. The heating system pushes warm air into the room or, in the case of radiators, super heats air molecules already in the room.

Heating your home during December through March can get very expensive. This is why we put together this list of tips to save money on electricity, heating oil, or fire generated heat.

1. The first tip is the most obvious and we probably all already do it automatically. Set you thermostats to lower temp and wear more clothing.
2. Seal your chimney when not in use – Close the flue inside the chimney to keep heat from escaping.
3. Keep vents and radiators clear – This little step can save money over the long haul. Your pump can get air into the room more easily and has to work less hard to do so.
4. Windows – This is where most of your heat is lost. Up to 30% in fact. Make sure you have properly sealed the windows. Open the curtains during the day and allow the sun to heat your rooms. It works like a greenhouse.
5. Use ceiling fans – By setting your ceiling fan on low and having it blow toward the ceiling, the heat is circulated properly and this saves money.
6. Shut doors and close vents – Do this for rooms you are not using often. The spare room, the 2nd bathroom, the storage room; keep all of these doors closed and close the vents.

We hope these tips will help you save some bucks during the coldest months of the year.

In this article we will go over some common Air Conditioning Problems people experience with their AC systems. It is important to be mindful of the system that can make or break your comfort levels this summer.

Refrigerant Leak

Does your air conditioner seem to be cycling on and off more frequently than it used to? This can be a sign of a refrigerant leak.

The refrigerant is the liquid that your system uses to cool the air by passing it through coils and compressing it. As the liquid compresses or decompresses it will either adsorb heat or disperse heat. But if there is not enough coolant in the closed system then your unit must work harder to make up for the difference.

Malfunctioning Thermostat

This is a problem many people don’t realize they have until they have already started replacing or trying to “fix” other parts of the unit. It is important to remember that a thermostat is just another piece of equipment and it can go bad at any time. This can result in everything from faulty readings to your system not running when it should, hence causing uncomfortable temperatures.

Dirty Filter

We all know that the filter needs to be clean to allow air to pass through the cooling system. But, this fact can slip our mind if we are preoccupied with other aspects of our lives. Having a relatively clean filter is very important to the function of an AC unit. And if you are worried about the cost of replacing it often, just be assured that a clean filter will pay for itself in the long run, many times over.

This is a question you hear quite often in the air conditioning business. What Temperature should I keep my AC? In truth, there are many different opinions and people all have different personal preferences. But, in this article, we will share what the energy experts say is your ideal setting to balance comfort and cost efficiency.

The U.S. EPA program called Energy Star suggests that 78 degrees is that perfect temperature. They suggest this temperature for when you are home and awake. But they suggest you have a programmable digital thermostat that will adjust the settings when you are away from home.

The following are the set points that they suggest:

• 78° F when you’re home.
• 85° F when you’re at work or away.
• 82° F when you’re sleeping.

They also say that you’ll save 3 percent on your air conditioning costs for every degree you raise the temperature. For many folks this temperature is way too high and they will pay the extra money to stay cool and comfy.

They suggest other tips such as during a heat wave, avoid using appliances in your home that produce heat. This would include things like your clothes dryer, iron, oven and dishwasher. If you air conditioner is having trouble battling the blaze on a 95 degree day, help it out by skipping laundry and cooking in the oven for a few days.

If you are installing an AC for the first time hire a professional. The money you pay them to figure out the right unit for your living space will save you plenty of money in the long run. A new unit, with a well programmed thermostat will save you hundreds of dollars per year.

You can get away with having higher temperature when the humidity is lower. But, when the weather is very humid the higher temperatures can become unbearable. My personal preference is between 75-77 degrees in the summer. In the winter I can deal with 70 degrees in my home. Again, it is all personal preference and everyone’s body runs at a slightly different temperature.

There are numerous benefits that come with using a long-standing heating oil company. When you’re thinking about who to work with for the heating oil that you need, make sure to look into those that have been in business for quite some time. Here are some things to consider when choosing the right heating company that is going to provide you with the quality heating oil that you need to effectively heat your home.

Choosing a Heating Oil Company

When it comes to choosing a heating oil company, there are many benefits that come with it. Additionally, you can ensure that you’re choosing the right company when you think about these other facts that come with the right one. Continue reading ‘Benefits of Using a Long-Standing Heating Oil Company’ »