Shutting down the oil boiler

[Luv2burnPellets]

My P68 provides all the heat for our home. I use a propane fired Rinnai on demand hot water unit for all our hot water needs. We don't need to burn one drop of oil anymore, EXCEPT, emergency back up heat should the pellet stove go down or we leave the house for a weekend or longer. Question: how should we maintain the oil burner to be a reliable backup source? Do we need to fire it up on regular schedule? The unfinished basement does get cold, but never drops below 39 degrees, no matter how cold it gets outside. Last weekend I test fired it up and the air vent over the expansion tank was really springing leaks.

 

[GENECOP]

I poured a Biocide and Fuel Stabilizer in the oil tank....and run it once a month for a few hours...

 

[RKS130]

My P68 provides all the heat for our home. I use a propane fired Rinnai on demand hot water unit for all our hot water needs. We don't need to burn one drop of oil anymore, EXCEPT, emergency back up heat should the pellet stove go down or we leave the house for a weekend or longer. Question: how should we maintain the oil burner to be a reliable backup source? Do we need to fire it up on regular schedule? The unfinished basement does get cold, but never drops below 39 degrees, no matter how cold it gets outside. Last weekend I test fired it up and the air vent over the expansion tank was really springing leaks.

My oil guy said to run it once a month, whether I need it or not. In the end, I put it on whenever I shut down the stove and let it get stone cold for a deep clean. No problems so far. Madame DeFarge is worried that if we want to sell, we need the oil heat working well. She is probably right - as always.

I also fire it up if we have several days in a row in the teens. Then my oil fired steam heat brings the house up to temp in about 45 minutes, and the stove takes it from there.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

I did hvac for 10 years like last poster said I always recommended running your boiler monthly , weekley if your basement is humid. Oil soot and moisture make a concrete like supstance that will permanetly plug up your sections. Cycle it is the best way

 

[Bridgeman]

Residential boilers are made up of cast sections joined by gaskets. On some, especially older economy units, the gaskets loose adhesion an flexibly and if you let it get cold they leak as the cast sections shrink. I shut one down for two weeks for a summer vacation and came back to a large red puddle at the base of the furnace. Apparently the red is the dye they use in heating oil to keep it out of diesel engines for on the road use. That stain was a permanent reminder not to do that again. I'm not sure how common a problem this but I know folks that head south for the winter completely drain and blow out their hydronic systems with air before heading out of this stupid icebox of a place to live. One more winter and I'm out of this god forsaken armpit of a state. I'm going someplace where the snow dosen't knock out the power three or four times a year. That's a subject for another thread..

 

[Jocko1]

If its an older boiler do not let it get cold. Just like the above post my boiler leaked to the point where it was no longer working at all. I just had to replace my oil burner because I also need a backup. If you have one zone in the house that you can keep the boiler on for I would do that. It's a lot cheaper paying for a few gallons or oil per year then an entire new boiler.

 

[woodmakesheat]

Because the boiler needs exercise from time to time, I don't even mind the few days I've let the pellets run out over night. The boiler kicks on and that assures me that it'll be there if needed in January.