Boiler offline, thank goodness for wood/coal stoves

[ioldanach]

Roughly once a winter, there will be a few days where I mutter to the people around me "remind me to check the oil level, we're probably getting low soon" and then promptly forget to actually check said oil level. Then we run out. Unfortunately after that, two days later, just after we think we're past the danger zone, the boiler cuts out. Seems

Comments

[maineshark]

Oil tanks generally have some level of biological sediment on the bottom. When it runs out, the sediment from the bottom of the tank can be pulled into the filter (and potentially the oil lines).

Any time a tank runs oil, the filter (at minimum) should be replaced. When I was doing service, I would also replace the pump strainer (if applicable - Webster pumps don't have one) and the nozzle. The orifices within the nozzle can be finer than a human hair, so it doesn't take much to clog them.

The fuel unit (pump), itself, may have been damaged in the past due to that, or just years of normal wear. So, when the filter is partially plugged with sludge and the fuel unit tries to draw oil through, it is pulling extra vacuum and may have a hard time making normal nozzle pressure, which can cause odd failures. May be time to look at a replacement, although if you are considering replacing the whole boiler, it might be best to just band-aid this one until then.

[ioldanach]

When the oil runs out, can I replace the filter myself before restarting it? Or should I just call someone in under the presumption that the nozzle has gotten some clogs as well?

The whole boiler is getting old and I don't expect it has much life left in it, I really think it is time for a new system. We're going to get some prices of propane for comparison because we use it for cooking and the propane company we're with right now charges way more than we think is reasonable. When we've gotten those prices, we can make an informed decision as to which fuel is more cost effective around here. Though propane will get the bump of no annual maintenance visits.

I'd really like an on demand heater for the house water and a separate heater for the baseboard heat, I think. We have so much demand for hot water at times that it makes sense, I don't want to have a tank that will run cold after we use 40 gallons of hot water.

[maineshark]

Filter replacement is fairly simple. Email me some pictures so I can identify the brand/model and how they have the valves set up, and I can explain it in a few lines. The nozzle is also something you can replace, although it's certainly more involved than the filter, and you theoretically should have some specialty tools to re-adjust things when you're done

[ioldanach]

Well we're looking at buying our own propane tank anyways, we're getting raked over the coals for our current pricing and it is very hard to switch companies. Our tank is above ground, though, and not terribly huge. The one for the main house is only used for cooking.

Good to know about the maintenance costs of gas equipment.

I was under the impression that the nozzle for the boiler had some sort of voodoo tuning that you need to do and I don't have any idea what that tuning is like or what it should look like when it is properly tuned.