The oil-man cometh... CHA CHING !!!! HA HA HA HA

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shawneyboy

Minister of Fire
Oct 5, 2010
1,592
NE PA
I just got a heating oil delivery today... The driver asked me.... 38 gallons ( I use it for domestic water and back up for the brutal cold)... is that right ???

So far this year, based on a 10 year history of usage compared to this season, I have saved just under $800 in heating oil costs....

I love knowing that the stacks in the back are as good as money in the bank !!!

Something is truely wrong with me, I look forward to the heating oil deliveries now, just so I can calculate the savings.
 
shawneyboy said:
I just got a heating oil delivery today... The driver asked me.... 38 gallons ( I use it for domestic water and back up for the brutal cold)... is that right ???

So far this year, based on a 10 year history of usage compared to this season, I have saved just under $800 in heating oil costs....

I love knowing that the stacks in the back are as good as money in the bank !!!

Something is truely wrong with me, I look forward to the heating oil deliveries now, just so I can calculate the savings.



Nothing wrong with you. The NG company here gives a year to year comsumption comparison in bar graph form. Always cool to see pre and post wood stove comparisons. Cha ching indeed!!!
 
Congrats. Good for you and there is nothing wrong with looking forward to seeing what your work is paying you back. You know, I spend a lot of time with my wood pile, and if I calculate the time verse what I probably make in my day job...I am doing something that pays less per hour then my job. But alas, in the military, we don't get overtime or extra hours...so any savings is just plain money in my pocket.

And...the most important part...I like the work. Nothing like getting a great scrounge, getting is c/s/s and then burning it while the family is warm in the house in the middle of the winter. Indeed...I like every aspect. Would I do it for free, probably not. But...it is money in the bank...and its a hobby...and its a way of life. Yeah, I like it and miss it a whole bunch.

But...in a month I will be home from Afghanistan...and readily looking for the next scrounge.
 
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).
 
eujamfh said:
Congrats. Good for you and there is nothing wrong with looking forward to seeing what your work is paying you back. You know, I spend a lot of time with my wood pile, and if I calculate the time verse what I probably make in my day job...I am doing something that pays less per hour then my job. But alas, in the military, we don't get overtime or extra hours...so any savings is just plain money in my pocket.

And...the most important part...I like the work. Nothing like getting a great scrounge, getting is c/s/s and then burning it while the family is warm in the house in the middle of the winter. Indeed...I like every aspect. Would I do it for free, probably not. But...it is money in the bank...and its a hobby...and its a way of life. Yeah, I like it and miss it a whole bunch.

But...in a month I will be home from Afghanistan...and readily looking for the next scrounge.


Thanks for your service. And happy scrounging.
 
eujamfh said:
Congrats. Good for you and there is nothing wrong with looking forward to seeing what your work is paying you back. You know, I spend a lot of time with my wood pile, and if I calculate the time verse what I probably make in my day job...I am doing something that pays less per hour then my job. But alas, in the military, we don't get overtime or extra hours...so any savings is just plain money in my pocket.

And...the most important part...I like the work. Nothing like getting a great scrounge, getting is c/s/s and then burning it while the family is warm in the house in the middle of the winter. Indeed...I like every aspect. Would I do it for free, probably not. But...it is money in the bank...and its a hobby...and its a way of life. Yeah, I like it and miss it a whole bunch.

But...in a month I will be home from Afghanistan...and readily looking for the next scrounge.

A BIG THANK YOU for your service.
 
Oil as back-up heat. Good deal. The money savings is the best part. Cutting wood is working "tax free" for yourself

Our Nat gas line ends just a a few mile N of /Wasilla & it went in, in the mid/late 1980s, (NG my back up since)
Oil is the only commercial choice for 90% of Alaska. Fire wood is the back-up for some.
Many remote areas, no trees.
Most no electricity.
This month the oil man is selling it in 55 gal drums. Then it's hauled behind snow machines on trailers hundreds of miles on rivers & trails.

Oil man arriving is best when you see how much you saved burning wood!! Shakes his head & says "that's all you need?" Brings the big smile :), "Yep"
 
My electric co gives me that same bar graph. Dec, January, February are always the highest with Jan being the worst. Last year my electric bill topped 500 in jan and topped 400 in Feb. I just got my stove done a week ago and havnt run the heat pump since. By the end of next burn season I expect this stove will have paid for itself. It cost me around 2k for the stove, pipe, and hearth material, and accessories.

Warm in RI, TY for your service. My son is over there too. Somewhere south of Kandahar. I served in the 3/505 myself but that was a long time ago.
 
RedGuy said:
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).

how much does your furnace burn in hr?
 
crossout said:
RedGuy said:
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).

how much does your furnace burn in hr?

.85 Gallons/ Hour according to the data plate.
 
shawneyboy said:
I just got a heating oil delivery today... The driver asked me.... 38 gallons ( I use it for domestic water and back up for the brutal cold)... is that right ???

So far this year, based on a 10 year history of usage compared to this season, I have saved just under $800 in heating oil costs....

I love knowing that the stacks in the back are as good as money in the bank !!!

Something is truely wrong with me, I look forward to the heating oil deliveries now, just so I can calculate the savings.

I feel the same about my NG bill! This is my first FULL month of burning since I've had my insert installed. I can't help myself from going out to the gas meter every couple of days to see how much gas I'm NOT using now! I do not burn 24/7, but always when I am home. I used to use anywhere from 2.5-3.5 CCF of gas per day, right now I'm at just under 1ccf/day(15 days into the billing cycle). About 2 years ago, I thought my gas meter was acting up and I asked Duke Energy to come test/replace it. It took them two months to finally show up, only after I told them that I was a plumber and I was going to remove their meter myself and install a spool piece did they finally come. I bet they will send someone out now faster to see why my usage has dropped so much!
 
egclassic said:
shawneyboy said:
I just got a heating oil delivery today... The driver asked me.... 38 gallons ( I use it for domestic water and back up for the brutal cold)... is that right ???

So far this year, based on a 10 year history of usage compared to this season, I have saved just under $800 in heating oil costs....

I love knowing that the stacks in the back are as good as money in the bank !!!

Something is truely wrong with me, I look forward to the heating oil deliveries now, just so I can calculate the savings.

I feel the same about my NG bill! This is my first FULL month of burning since I've had my insert installed. I can't help myself from going out to the gas meter every couple of days to see how much gas I'm NOT using now! I do not burn 24/7, but always when I am home. I used to use anywhere from 2.5-3.5 CCF of gas per day, right now I'm at just under 1ccf/day(15 days into the billing cycle). About 2 years ago, I thought my gas meter was acting up and I asked Duke Energy to come test/replace it. It took them two months to finally show up, only after I told them that I was a plumber and I was going to remove their meter myself and install a spool piece did they finally come. I bet they will send someone out now faster to see why my usage has dropped so much!

One year I heated entirely with wood. They had installed one of those new electronic meters that summer, the ones that enable them to use a scanner from the outside to get a reading. They were still charging me my yearly average bill in Decmber so I called and told them I had installed the stove. They sent a guy out. He didn't even ask to see the stove but he checked the meter 15 ways from Sunday to see if I had rigged it somehow.
 
Just had my delivery- 118 gallons since early December with the cold we have been having. Domestic hot water and one zone that the stove just won't reach.

Considering we used to get deliveries of 185-190 gallons a pop (sometime 200) I am quite pleased.
 
Remkel said:
Just had my delivery- 118 gallons since early December with the cold we have been having. Domestic hot water and one zone that the stove just won't reach.

Considering we used to get deliveries of 185-190 gallons a pop (sometime 200) I am quite pleased.

Hell yeah, you saved at low end say 67 gallons. For me it is $3.19 a gallon so thats $200.00 in your pocket.
 
I figure I saved about $200.00 ($3.15 / gal.) from Dec. 15-Jan. 15 based on last 2 years oil bills. For this time of year we have used around 160 gallons between deliveries (28 days). This year was 94 gallons for the same time period. That's heat and h/w. With the excessive cold we had recently and more predicted in the near future, I'm not sure we will save that much as I am still trying to figure out how to get the air circulated around my not at all open floor plan house. I think I need a crowbar and a sledgehammer to get the air moving the way I want it to.
 
RedGuy said:
crossout said:
RedGuy said:
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).

how much does your furnace burn in hr?

.85 Gallons/ Hour according to the data plate.

ok that's what the old one had but only used it 1 st 3 days till the heat exchanger gone bad on it and land lord replaced it with a new fuel oil furnace and uses .65 gal an hr wished he went with natural gas but he did not want to pay for the lines for it since he is trying to sell the house good thing i am not on land contract or buying this place i come to find out the damn house don't have insulation in the attic and he spends big money on metal roof! crazy huh...300-400 a month out here for 2050 suq feet house looks like i have to move again before next winter its not worth the heating cost out here..
 
crossout said:
RedGuy said:
crossout said:
RedGuy said:
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).

how much does your furnace burn in hr?

.85 Gallons/ Hour according to the data plate.

ok that's what the old one had but only used it 1 st 3 days till the heat exchanger gone bad on it and land lord replaced it with a new fuel oil furnace and uses .65 gal an hr wished he went with natural gas but he did not want to pay for the lines for it since he is trying to sell the house good thing i am not on land contract or buying this place i come to find out the damn house don't have insulation in the attic and he spends big money on metal roof! crazy huh...300-400 a month out here for 2050 suq feet house looks like i have to move again before next winter its not worth the heating cost out here..

3-400 a month is expensive, but not horrible. The trailer I rented before I bought this place ran $250-300 a month for nat gas. I'm suprised you can heat your home on a smaller furnace with little to no insulation. Must have installed a higher efficency furnace, but even at that as far as I know oil furnaces only go up to about 80%, mines about 70% from what I can figure it's an 85,000 BTU furnace. It heats my home well if I use it, but I also added about 24 inches of insulation ontop of the 3 that where in the attic from 1973. Even running my stove all day I'm still averaging about 2 gallons/ day which comes out to nearly $200/ month add $150 or so a month for wood and I'm right in the middle of what your paying now. BTW It's REALLY easy and fairly cheap to insulate your attic. I did mine for $500 and a weekends worth of work.
 
shawnyboy, next time get a before and after picture of the oil man.
one smiling un wraping the house and walking around the house.
the secons a deject look, head down, maybe tears if you can as he sees you wood pile and knows that truck aint getting any lighter!

I wish my house was sealed a bit better and i wouldnt have to use mine at all. although when i got the tank filled they told me the house went through 3 fills a winter. im still at 1/4 tank left. when i said i was going to heat with wood and wouldnt need that much all i got was well if things change you can give us a call and we will come sooner...still havent called.
 
RedGuy said:
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).

Can you tell me where you got the hour meter and the cost for such a device. I would love to install one on my furnace too.
Thanks
 
Warm in RI said:
eujamfh said:
Congrats. Good for you and there is nothing wrong with looking forward to seeing what your work is paying you back. You know, I spend a lot of time with my wood pile, and if I calculate the time verse what I probably make in my day job...I am doing something that pays less per hour then my job. But alas, in the military, we don't get overtime or extra hours...so any savings is just plain money in my pocket.

And...the most important part...I like the work. Nothing like getting a great scrounge, getting is c/s/s and then burning it while the family is warm in the house in the middle of the winter. Indeed...I like every aspect. Would I do it for free, probably not. But...it is money in the bank...and its a hobby...and its a way of life. Yeah, I like it and miss it a whole bunch.

But...in a month I will be home from Afghanistan...and readily looking for the next scrounge.


Thanks for your service. And happy scrounging.

Get home safe soldier. Thanks for your service. Many years of scrounging for you in the future.
 
RedGuy said:
crossout said:
RedGuy said:
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).

how much does your furnace burn in hr?

.85 Gallons/ Hour according to the data plate.

Oil nozzles are rated on gph per hour at 100psi, for quite a while now burner companies have been running thier pumps at 140 psi to atomize the fuel better and give a better burn. So if you have a .85gph nozzle and a pump running at 140psi your burning more like 1.00gph. there are charts for more accurate conversions.
 
Ok heres a chart

Nozzle Nozzle Flow Rates In
Rating Gallons Per Hour (Approx.)
at 120 145 160 175 200 300
100 PSI PSI PSI PSI PSI PSI
0.40 0.44 0.48 0.51 0.53 0.57 0.69
0.50 0.55 0.60 0.63 0.66 0.71 0.87
0.60 0.66 0.72 0.76 0.79 0.85 1.04
0.65 0.71 0.78 0.82 0.86 0.92 1.13
0.75 0.82 0.90 0.95 0.99 1.06 1.30
0.85 0.93 1.02 1.08 1.12 1.20 1.47
0.90 0.99 1.08 1.14 1.19 1.27 1.56
1.00 1.10 1.20 1.26 1.32 1.41 1.73
1.10 1.20 1.32 1.39 1.46 1.56 1.91
1.20 1.31 1.44 1.52 1.59 1.70 2.08
1.25 1.37 1.51 1.58 1.65 1.77 2.17
1.35 1.48 1.63 1.71 1.79 1.91 2.34
1.50 1.64 1.81 1.90 1.98 2.12 2.60
1.65 1.81 1.99 2.09 2.18 2.33 2.86
1.75 1.92 2.11 2.21 2.32 2.47 3.03
2.00 2.19 2.41 2.53 2.65 2.83 3.46
2.25 2.46 2.71 2.85 2.98 3.18 3.90
2.50 2.74 3.01 3.16 3.31 3.54 4.33
2.75 3.01 3.31 3.48 3.64 3.89 4.76
3.00 3.29 3.61 3.79 3.97 4.24 5.20
 
I filled on Nov 1st. My oil delivery driver was watching me mow up leaves. Same as you, I use for domestic hot water and zero degree days. I stopped the rider as he approached. He said nice lawn sweeper, I need to get one of those. Then he said, I don't see you much, you're not on a monthly delivery are you? I said, well, no. Do you see the wood rack on the front porch? He said, oh... I see you burn. Ok, have a good day.
 
glassmanjpf said:
RedGuy said:
I called the oil man yesterday, since I finally got my hour meter put on my furnace and can track my oil usage. 178 Gallons $555.17 since November 2. My oil is only for my furnace but I also didn't get my stove put in til around the begining of December. At this rate I won't have to buy oil the rest of this winter or next winter (500 gallon tank).

Can you tell me where you got the hour meter and the cost for such a device. I would love to install one on my furnace too.
Thanks

The only place I could find one that was 120V was Graingers. Mine was only like $22, BUT I got the digital one not knowing you can't read it unless the equipment it's hooked up to is running. It holds time but only turns on when the pump runs. Get an analog one, they're about $10 more but you;ll be able to read it anytime.

BTW My furnace is about 12 years old, not sure if they where running 140psi pumps then. Should it say on the pump somewhere?
 
RedGuy said:
BTW My furnace is about 12 years old, not sure if they where running 140psi pumps then. Should it say on the pump somewhere?

Hard to say what psi your running, the pressure is adjustable on most pumps. best way to tell is stick a pressure gauge on the pump, sticker on the side of the pump should tell you the proper plug to test.

I just thought you might like the nozzle pressure info if thats the way your keeping track of fuel usage.
 
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