What are the thoughts of venting the oil boiler outside and using the chimney for a gasser? Any pros or cons? Should I use a steel liner for the gasser or would a chimney be sufficient?
Direct Venting Oil Boiler
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You're talking about a power venter. I would never recommend it for residential oil. They're done commonly to save the chimney cost, but there's a few drawbacks. You need the stainless steel version with oil, and if not adjusted properly, they can suck all the heat from the boiler. The best power venters are factory installed on a boiler designed for mechanical draft.
By the time you figure the cost of the stainless power venter, wiring, installation and adjustment, you will be most of the way to the material cost for stainless all fuel flue. You may be able to see some dollar savings on paper, but it's not a better quality job.
With a gasser burning at full output, you will not have to worry about condensation in the chimney. But a gasser with variable output like the Froling, in turndown you could see condensation, which will not hurt a stainless all fuel flue at all, but would be inadvisable for masonry.
That is what I have, power venter on the oil and class A on the gasser, but doing it again I would run two class A stainless flues.
By the time you figure the cost of the stainless power venter, wiring, installation and adjustment, you will be most of the way to the material cost for stainless all fuel flue. You may be able to see some dollar savings on paper, but it's not a better quality job.
With a gasser burning at full output, you will not have to worry about condensation in the chimney. But a gasser with variable output like the Froling, in turndown you could see condensation, which will not hurt a stainless all fuel flue at all, but would be inadvisable for masonry.
That is what I have, power venter on the oil and class A on the gasser, but doing it again I would run two class A stainless flues.
I only have one chimney available right now. One is being used by the fireplace and the other by the oile boiler. So you recommend two steel liners? How would I do that? If I left the oil burner where it is and didnt touch it, how would I vent the gasser outside. Any pictures?
Not two stainless liners, two separate stainless all fuel flues, two chimneys (one more in your case). I doubt you could get two liners in the same flue.
If you absolutely had no space for a second flue, you could power vent the oil, but I would not recommend it.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/a-few-pictures-of-our-boiler-systems.75006/page-6#post-1327520
post #144
If you absolutely had no space for a second flue, you could power vent the oil, but I would not recommend it.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/a-few-pictures-of-our-boiler-systems.75006/page-6#post-1327520
post #144
I agree that power vents are not ideal,but where I only had one flue available in my basement it was the only choice I had. I put a power venter on my oil boiler and vented my Vigas out the chimney. Honestly I am not concerned with it in the least. I would worry about it if it was connected to my only source of heat. It is not ideal, but it almost never turns on. I test it periodically to make sure my oil boiler is still operating properly and besides that it may have run for 2 hours total last year when my storage temps ran to low and the oil kicked on. If it's ur only option I would not be concerned with the power vents track record.
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