oil burner rust issue from no use?

[ecrane99]

Hi all,

I have ordered my new woodfurnace and have a question on my existing oil burner.
I assume that my oil burner will go months without firing due to the wood furnace running all next winter.
Will this cause moisture to form in the existing oil furnace? Is this something to be concerned about?

Thanks

 

[Nofossil]

Hi all,

I have ordered my new woodfurnace and have a question on my existing oil burner.
I assume that my oil burner will go months without firing due to the wood furnace running all next winter.
Will this cause moisture to form in the existing oil furnace? Is this something to be concerned about?

Thanks

Unless your basement is really damp, it will probably be OK. However, your fuel oil will become home to millions of happy microscopic critters that will turn it to sludge over time. You can get diesel fuel stabilizer that will delay this process, but I'm switching to propane as my backup heat source in part because of this issue.

 

[muncybob]

So if the wood boiler "takes over" from the oil boiler in October and with very few exceptions the oil boiler does not run again until say April then there would be a need for concern about the 200 gal. or so of fuel oil sittting in my oil tank? I expect to be using the oil boiler for DHW in the warmer months due to no storage for the wood boiler but don't want a sludge problem each spring!

 

[MrEd]

So if the wood boiler "takes over" from the oil boiler in October and with very few exceptions the oil boiler does not run again until say April then there would be a need for concern about the 200 gal. or so of fuel oil sittting in my oil tank? I expect to be using the oil boiler for DHW in the warmer months due to no storage for the wood boiler but don't want a sludge problem each spring!

I don't think one year will cause a problem. I always buy all my oil at once for the year, and it last 12 or more months before I need to re-fill never had a problem. Same with my diesel fuel, I have a 250 gallon tank in the barn and have used it without problems a year after topping it off. If you can condition it with some additive, so much the better, but I never have bothered.

 

[heaterman]

Put some fuel treatment in your tank and run the burner for 15 minutes every month. That will help dissipate any moisture that may condense in the HX of your furnace/boiler, which is a bigger concern than the burner itself. 15 minutes a month is only a couple gallons of fuel a winter. Why take a chance for $8 worth of oil. It's a good practice for anyone with any type of gas or oil fired system.