Chris Jackson, Executive Director for the Maine Oil Dealers' Association (MODA), stated on a television interview aired on Friday, September 26, that a lighted match could be placed in #2 heating oil and that it would be extinguished by the fuel. He went on to say that you cannot do that with other home heating fuels.
One must presume that his point was that heating oil is safer than other fuels because it would extinguish a lighted match. Once again, the assertion demonstrates a poor understanding of pellet fuel on Mr. Jackson's part.
While no sensible person would recommend such a test, or the demonstration to be mentioned here, it is interesting to note that we have been conducting an interesting demonstration to show regulators and interested contractors how stable wood pellets are even when heated to the point of combustion. In the demonstration, a pile of pellets is heated to a full blaze using a propane torch. When the heated pellets are clearly ablaze, the heat source (the torch flame) is removed, and the fire in the pellets goes out immediately leaving only a bit of smoldering for a short time. To sustain combustion in wood pellets, oxygen must be forced into the pile of pellets; in stoves and burners, this is achieved with fans.
When considering fuel safety, the effects of a spill of the fuel into the environment must always be considered. As we all know too well, oil spills into the environment require prompt, substantial clean-up efforts to prevent lasting impact on flora and fauna. Spills of wood pellets require no such heroic efforts; a broom and a dustpan easily pick up the pleasant smelling pellets from a cellar floor, while a shovel is required for more serious spills.
As I stated in a guest editorial in The Bangor Daily News which was provoked by misinformation promulgated by MODA, it is important to fully understand the implications of our fuel choices in this time of escalating fossil fuel prices. Efforts to mislead the public with silly statements like the match in the heating oil comment in a television interview only serve to confuse a very important comparison. Clear-headed comparison will lead many to recognize the substantial environmental and economic benefits of wood pellet fuel over #2 heating oil for many Maine homes.
Harry H. Dresser, Jr., Ed.D., Director, Maine Energy Systems