I have both in chimney, bad idead right? Do they sell vent kits for oil boilers to vent out side of house? My boiler is 2 years old and 5 feet from wall in basement. Wood gasser is vented in chimney. This would be best way to do this i think? Might just un hook the oil dont use it much at all, but good backup.
Chimney for wood/Side Vent oil boiler
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btuser
Minister of Fire
I'm not certain on this and not an expert but I have heard the explanation that two appliances can share a flue as long as only one can be operated at a time. In the case of a wood furnace and oil furnace if one is working the other usually isn't. This of course would depend on controls and kill switches to work.
Like I said. I'm not sure about this I've just heard it used as reasoning why it isn't the end of the world. This may be old reasoning that is no longer kosher regardless. What model is the boiler + burner? To explore your venting options I'd start with what methods are appoved for you setup. You may have to change the burner to be able to direct-vent. Otherwise you'd need an exterior chimney for natural draft and that's not cheap (from what I remember).
At the end of the day the authority having jurisdiction will be in command of these decisions. You say the boiler is 2yrs old, so my first question would be whether or not this was inspected and if it passed as is.
Like I said. I'm not sure about this I've just heard it used as reasoning why it isn't the end of the world. This may be old reasoning that is no longer kosher regardless. What model is the boiler + burner? To explore your venting options I'd start with what methods are appoved for you setup. You may have to change the burner to be able to direct-vent. Otherwise you'd need an exterior chimney for natural draft and that's not cheap (from what I remember).
At the end of the day the authority having jurisdiction will be in command of these decisions. You say the boiler is 2yrs old, so my first question would be whether or not this was inspected and if it passed as is.
Eric Johnson
Mod Emeritus
My understanding of the code is while it's permissible to have two chimney connections, you can only connect/operate one appliance at a time. I believe that means the second one needs to be physically disconnected from the chimney and the flue opening needs to be blocked with a plate or cap. If you operate the wood appliance during the bulk of the heating season and then switch over to the oil during the shoulder seasons, which would be a typical approach, it's critical that you thoroughly clean the chimney before hooking up the oil appliance (and disconnecting the wood). The danger is that creosote buildup will obstruct the chimney, killing the draft and potentially resulting in carbon monoxide poisoning. Pretty important.
I've also noticed that oil exhaust tends to loosen up any creosote left in the flue (you can't usually get it all out), causing it to fall down and collect in the clean out (if you have one) over time. So you need to do follow up inspections to make sure that's not creating an obstruction as well.
As you suggest, power venting your oil boiler through the basement wall or above the sill is a better way to go, and not all that expensive when compared to the cost of installing a dedicated chimney. While I have shared flues in the past (as described above), it's an imperfect solution and a general PIA to boot. I might be inclined to violate the code if the wood side were a gasifier, because (at least in my experience) they don't generate any creosote, but you'd still want to inspect the chimney pretty regularly and thoroughly just to be sure.
I've also noticed that oil exhaust tends to loosen up any creosote left in the flue (you can't usually get it all out), causing it to fall down and collect in the clean out (if you have one) over time. So you need to do follow up inspections to make sure that's not creating an obstruction as well.
As you suggest, power venting your oil boiler through the basement wall or above the sill is a better way to go, and not all that expensive when compared to the cost of installing a dedicated chimney. While I have shared flues in the past (as described above), it's an imperfect solution and a general PIA to boot. I might be inclined to violate the code if the wood side were a gasifier, because (at least in my experience) they don't generate any creosote, but you'd still want to inspect the chimney pretty regularly and thoroughly just to be sure.
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