chimney oil burner

I have a direct vent on my oil boiler now . . . and since the oil boiler really doesn't get a whole lot of use having it gunk up is never a problem.

With my old boiler with a conventional chimney (metal) it was always getting plugged up solid with fine soot due to an issue with the burner that for some reason the companies could never solve . . . it was rare to go through an entire year without that chimney plugging up . . . but most of the gunk was right at the base of the chimney around the top of the tubes.

I suspect if you're having regular inspections and cleanings you should have no issue with your chimney that is connected to the oil boiler/furnace . . . and if you start to have problems I suspect the technician should notice this pretty quickly . . . as stated earlier . . . in my case most of the fine soot that mucked things up was right at the boiler and start of the chimney.

You stated you had a stainless liner installed on that oil burner chimney. It likely came with a "Lifetime Guarantee". What most folks fail to notice is that "Lifetime Guarantee" is null and void unless you have proof the chimney was cleaned yearly.

I agree it's entirely unnecessary for a properly-functioning oil burner. What's to sweep? There's no ash. Seems like an easy way for the manufacturer to weasel out of their warranty. Yet, there it is in the warranty statement, plain as black and white.

Most fuels release a lot of water vapor when burned. I know kerosene is a particularly high offender, so I would suspect type-II heating oil is similar. Not sure why there's a difference between what you see from yours versus your neighbors, though.

My catalytic wood stoves also release nothing but steam when the cat is engaged. When the wood is nice and dry, it's almost impossible to tell if there's a fire going or not, looking at the chimney from the outside.

Possible you can reach in the breach hole when smoke pipe is removed and take a picture

I did oil service work. Most take pride in there work, but there are some who think a cleaning is turning on the vac and reading the paper.
Ask what the draft readings and stack temps are if you keep track of these you will know when there is a problem
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Fire fighter A chimney base sootin up every year is a problem if all was cleaned and adjusted proper there is no after burn or nozzle drip and there is good make up air you may need to clean out or replace the combustion chamber.

CMAG said:

Possible you can reach in the breach hole when smoke pipe is removed and take a picture

I did oil service work. Most take pride in there work, but there are some who think a cleaning is turning on the vac and reading the paper.
Ask what the draft readings and stack temps are if you keep track of these you will know when there is a problem
.
Fire fighter A chimney base sootin up every year is a problem if all was cleaned and adjusted proper there is no after burn or nozzle drip and there is good make up air you may need to clean out or replace the combustion chamber.

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I fixed the problem by breaking down and buying a brand new boiler and burner . . . problem solved.