Insulate old oil boiler housing?

[muncybob]

I'm not sure why I have not yet done something about my water pipes in the basement...but am finally getting around to insulating them for better efficiency. It seems to me that there is probably a lot of heat loss coming from the old Axeman oil boiler too. Would it be a good idea to insulate the housing of the unit much as you would an electric water heater? Of course I would be sure not to obstruct any air openings, etc. but am I risking condensation that would rust our the boiler housing?

 

[Eric Johnson]

I'd hesitate before adding insulation to a boiler that it wasn't designed for. Just my way of being cautious about something I don't know that much about. If you're putting hot water into an old gas or oil boiler vessel, however, the best thing you can do is stuff some insulation into the chimney outlet so that you don't lose (a lot of) heat up the chimney. If there's ever a chance of that boiler being fired up again, make sure to cut the power and put a tag on the breaker/switch/wherever with instructions to clear the chimney before restarting.

 

[muncybob]

By old boiler I was trying to say it's obsolete....but it's still in use. Since an expected amount of $$ did not materialze last year for us a wood boiler is put off until this summer. The boiler settings hi/lo are 180 and 160 degrees. I'm guessing the boiler kicks on when the water temp in the boiler is low and just trying to do something to prevent heat loss from the boiler. The boiler and pipes are in our unfinished basement of which I only care about the air temp not going below 45 or so.

 

[cguida]

"If you’re putting hot water into an old gas or oil boiler vessel, however, the best thing you can do is stuff some insulation into the chimney outlet so that you don’t lose (a lot of) heat up the chimney."

Wow Eric Johnson -- you aren't kidding! I just went down and stuck my hand through the oil boiler barometric damper to feel what was happening in the stove pipe. Feels like a resteurant washroom electric hand-dryer in there. And we haven't used the oil burner all winter -- can't use it, since there is no power to the burner... I definately have to cut a piece of insulation and plug that up -- at least till we think about using the oil burner again.

The Memco IWB (indoor wood boiler) is insulated on 2 sides and top. Front is not insulated, because of the door. But I wonder about the back. That is all water jacket. There are some ports to get water in and out. I can't see how it could get much hotter than boiling. If it ever did, it would mean something serious like no water in the boiler. Anyway, I was considering insulating the back with some leftover pieces of pollyIsoCarbo???? tank insulation.

Any thoughts?

Thanks for tip about the un-fired oil boiler.