Oil furnace Service question:

[Tonyray]

[Pertaining to those that have an Oil furnace for heat and Hot water but actually use your Pellet stove
exclusivley thruout the winter as we do for::heat.]:

since it's only used for Hot water, do you have your Oil furnace Professionally serviced each year or every other year? or longer /?

 

[bostonfan49]

[Pertaining to those that have an Oil furnace for heat and Hot water but actually use your Pellet stove
exclusivley thruout the winter as we do for::heat.]:

since it's only used for Hot water, do you have your Oil furnace Professionally serviced each year or every other year? or longer /?

We get our Biasi cleaned every year. We run our M55 about 90% of the winter but our hot water (75 gal storage tank) cycles the boiler year around....Bill

 

[hockeypuck]

I skipped a year once..only burned 400 gallons..no lecture from my service guy when they came in 2 years later. I am handy and have a good "ear" to notice when things are different. On the flip side, having a good service guy come in every year should give you a better chance that your emergency call will be answered.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

 

[UpStateNY]

I burn oil for both heat and domestic hot water. I burn about 500 gallons of fuel oil a year plus 3 tons of pellets.

I skipped oil boiler cleaning every other year for 4 years and then got caught one year with no service contract and needed service to fix clogged nozzle. I now get service contract that includes oil boiler cleaning every year. The wife likes domestic hot water.

 

[bogieb]

In my previous house, we had an FHW/DHW oil burner and had it cleaned every other year. The first boiler lasted 20 years (it burst a seam - only reason it was replaced). Although we had a wood stove on main floor for supplemental heat, the bedroom was in the basement so we had at least that zone going all winter.

 

[jackhammer]

Pellets are my primary heat source but we supplement with a forced hot air oil furnace and have a oil fired hot water heater. I have had them serviced every other year for as long as I can remember. Never had any trouble. It's only a couple hundred bucks when I do, I just don't think it's needed based on the amount the furnace runs. When it's cold, the furnace runs a few times a day.
Kind of like a septic system (if you have one). Some pump it every year, I go 18 months.

 

[Arti]

My customers are a mixed lot, Some are every year some every 2 years and a few call when it quits. With that said it's sort of depends on how clean the oil supply is, old oil tank likely has water,sludge and rust in it. if the tank and chimney is in good shape I wouldn't hesitate on doing it every other year. I have an oil burner that I installed for a customer 20 some years ago and only serviced it once in it's life. Never a no heat call. They usually don't go 20 years without an issue.

 

[rich2500]

I don't heat my water with oil but my oil burner has been serviced 1 time in 20 yrs and that was about 10 yrs ago and the service tech said it was very clean and I should keep getting my oil from the same place and I have, but I also only burn 1/4 tank a year for the past 15 yrs since I started burning pellets.

 

[DneprDave]

I don't service my oil burner. I did adjust the igniter once and the firebox looked perfectly clean, the nozzle spray tip was clean as well. It is a 25 year old forced air oil furnace.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Sounds good. Never mind that filter or pump scree

I don't service my oil burner. I did adjust the igniter once and the firebox looked perfectly clean, the nozzle spray tip was clean as well. It is a 25 year old forced air oil furnace.

Ignitors have no adjustment, firebox or proper name " chamber" is not where the soot builds and blocks passages. " nozzle spray tip" cannot be looked at how does the microscopic orifice look. Customers like this are what drove me out of the buisness. My problem at 3am christmas morning because somebody waited 10 years for service.. absurd

 

[Tonyray]

I skipped a year once..only burned 400 gallons..no lecture from my service guy when they came in 2 years later. I am handy and have a good "ear" to notice when things are different. On the flip side, having a good service guy come in every year should give you a better chance that your emergency call will be answered.

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk

good answer....

 

[DneprDave]

Sounds good. Never mind that filter or pump scree

Ignitors have no adjustment, firebox or proper name " chamber" is not where the soot builds and blocks passages. " nozzle spray tip" cannot be looked at how does the microscopic orifice look. Customers like this are what drove me out of the buisness. My problem at 3am christmas morning because somebody waited 10 years for service.. absurd

Horsefeathers! The spark igniter certainly does have an adjustment. There are two set screws, one for each igniter element. They burn back after a few years and the gap widens. I removed each igniter element sharpened them on a grinder and put them back and gapped them. The sprayer, I ran a gas welding tip cleaner through the orifices and found no deposits.

I am a marine engineer and I work on large ship's propulsion boilers and smaller auxiliary boilers. In my experience, boilers burning diesel oil rarely need cleaning of any kind, though I do inspect them for preventative maintenance.

A home heating oil burner is just a toy, I've look at mine a handful of times in the 25 years I've owned it, I've only had to do anything once in all that time.
I think annual inspections are a scam, easy money for the home heating professionals.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Yu our

Horsefeathers! The spark igniter certainly does have an adjustment. There are two set screws, one for each igniter element. They burn back after a few years and the gap widens. I removed each igniter element sharpened them on a grinder and put them back and gapped them. The sprayer, I ran a gas welding tip cleaner through the orifices and found no deposits.

I am a marine engineer and I work on large ship's propulsion boilers and smaller auxiliary boilers. In my experience, boilers burning diesel oil rarely need cleaning of any kind, though I do inspect them for preventative maintenance.

A home heating oil burner is just a toy, I've look at mine a handful of times in the 25 years I've owned it, I've only had to do anything once in all that time.
I think annual inspections are a scam, easy money for the home heating professionals.

Then try calling them by the proper name "Electrodes" how does one become a marine engineer but has no grasp on what "Toy" parts are called. Ya know cause its so simple. And that yearly cleaning is gonna be a real scam when your sections plug up and melt your safteys, wiring etc or fill the house with co2 when your sleeping whatever comes first. Hope you have good detectors. But ya know.. your "firebox looks clean" so your golden.. hogwash

 

[DneprDave]

Tomatoes, tomahtos.

How will it plug up burning diesel with a proper air/fuel ratio, indicated by a clear stack? There is nothing there to plug my heat exchanger.
I'm not burning bunker fuel or heavy fuel oil.

I think you meant CO or carbon monoxide not CO2, carbon dioxide, take a chemistry class, I did.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Tomatoes, tomahtos.

How will it plug up burning diesel with a proper air/fuel ratio, indicated by a clear stack? Ihere is nothing there to plug my heat exchanger.
I'm not burning bunker fuel or heavy fuel oil.

I think you meant CO or carbon monoxide not CO2, carbon dioxide, take a chemistry class, I did.

Tomatoes, tomahtos.

How will it plug up burning diesel with a proper air/fuel ratio, indicated by a clear stack? There is nothing there to plug my heat exchanger.
I'm not burning bunker fuel or heavy fuel oil.

I think you meant CO or carbon monoxide not CO2, carbon dioxide, take a chemistry class, I did.

Yeah cause nothing ever fails on those things right? Air fuel ratio can never be affected ever right? Have seen so many plugged systems in my life you have no Idea. You sound like a bumbling retard. Its nuts. And the fact your burning diesel instead of fuel oil indicates your wisdom! Paying those unneeded taxes

 

[peakbagger]

I wont get into the prior pissing match. I burn very little oil, I haven't bought oil for 5 years and prior to that I was probably at the 250 to 300 gallon range. I do get the boiler serviced every two years. The techs usually ask me why I am having it cleaned as it really didn't need it. I did have a heat exchanger plug about 10 years ago when it still had yearly service and expect it was a incompetent tech as when I called in tech to clean it, he was real unhappy with what he found and commented that the tech no longer worked for the company. I do have a brush for the heat exchanger and have cleaned the heat exchanger in the past, it definitely can crud up. When I do run my boiler, its on cold start basis. I have been told that that causes more plugging.

 

[Tonyray]

sooooooooooooooooooooo, if you only use your Oil furnace for Hot water year round,
seems it's ok to have it serviced every other season I assume.

 

[sportbikerider78]

Yu our
Then try calling them by the proper name "Electrodes" how does one become a marine engineer but has no grasp on what "Toy" parts are called. Ya know cause its so simple. And that yearly cleaning is gonna be a real scam when your sections plug up and melt your safteys, wiring etc or fill the house with co2 when your sleeping whatever comes first. Hope you have good detectors. But ya know.. your "firebox looks clean" so your golden.. hogwash

Lets face it. When it comes to electro-mechanical systems, a burner is pretty low on the complexity scale.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Lets face it. When it comes to electro-mechanical systems, a burner is pretty low on the complexity scale.

It really isnt complicated at all. boiler mechanics is like class 101.but for everyones saftey its irresponsible to wait 10 years to service it. Irresponsible and border line retarded.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

sooooooooooooooooooooo, if you only use your Oil furnace for Hot water year round,
seems it's ok to have it serviced every other season I assume.

People have done It with no issues yes. Its not recommended. When you think beyond your filters and efficiency you get into the realm of safteys both hydronic and electrical. Also a collapsed flu be it soot, animal, tree debris or collapsed liner or masonary. No different then when everyone of us here checks our pellet pipes. Ive seen chimney fires from summer and fall debris quite a bit. Ive seen familys leave thier home cause of headaches and weakness to find a plugged chimney base. Ive seen stuck relief valves blow off expansion tanks like a bomb and ive seen shorted electrical safteys flood a basement with fuel oil when the burner didnt ignite and the saftey didnt shut the system down and let it run away. Ive seen people hurt and property damaged most within a few years between service. Anything can happen. Thats my point here. No diffrent then your pellet stove when it comes to saftey. Not having it checked and serviced is dangerous and reckless.

 

[MCPO]

[Pertaining to those that have an Oil furnace for heat and Hot water but actually use your Pellet stove
exclusivley thruout the winter as we do for::heat.]:

since it's only used for Hot water, do you have your Oil furnace Professionally serviced each year or every other year? or longer /?

I have mine serviced every other year since it only runs thru 300-350 gals per yr. I could probably even go 4 yrs .
Nozzle plug ups are more to do with keeping the oil clean and tank issues vs anything else.

 

[velvetfoot]

Do nozzles really wear out so that it has to be replaced every year? Comparing to a TDI Beetle I once had that got 50 mpg, and let's say burning 1000 gallons of heating fuel, that would equate to 50,000 miles. My injectors were going strong when I sold the car at 225,000 miles. Granted, they're probably made better.

 

[LordmetalZ28]

Do nozzles really wear out so that it has to be replaced every year? Comparing to a TDI Beetle I once had that got 50 mpg, and let's say burning 1000 gallons of heating fuel, that would equate to 50,000 miles. My injectors were going strong when I sold the car at 225,000 miles. Granted, they're probably made better.

Sometimes they wear or plug In a year sometimes in an hour. Sometimes right off my truck shelf. Sometimes niether of the above. Like any other part. You never know

 

[velvetfoot]

As an aside, for people that don't go through that much oil because of a wood or pellet stove, I've been putting in some biocide treatment in the tank. Not sure if needed, or just a good luck charm.

 

[MadMax31]

Just to add, "eye combustion" is a bad choice. You need a flue gas analyzer. CO in oil is typically too much fuel aka soot. If it fires every time, and CO2 and O2 are in range, minimal cleaning is usually required. Electrodes do wear out. Nozzles can wear out, but at anything under 10 gpms is mostly to maintain tight spray patterns. Winter blends are different than summer. If your supplier got the last 5000 gallons of the tanker, you will have sediment. Change your filter, it keeps pump screen clean. Heating fuel and diesel have no descernable differences unless DOT checks for the dye.

As stated before, anything under 500 hp is a toy. HP is a measurement of BTUs.

In order of my preference:

Cleaver Brooks fire tube
Volcano
Cleaver D Series
Patterson Kelly
Sellers

Powerflame since they always break,
Iron Fireman since they never break
Weisshuapt since they burn #2 at a blue flame.

Love me some old Rotary Sling Burners burning Bunker C!