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Furnace issues

buckg
buckg Member Posts: 3
in Oil Heating
New here, but found a lot of good info already. Before i start, i want to reface with the fact that i have called my heating professional, but they cant get here right away, so i wanted to get some resident experts' thoughts.

My situation: Fuel oil burning beckett furnace.
We realized we were dangerously low on oil (ive never let that happen before, but been traveling a lot for work, excuses, excuses, lol) and called for a delivery. Oil company couldn't deliver for a week. I was set to leave for work for 10 days, so to be safe i went and got approx 40 gallons of K1 kerosene (probably my first mistake) to hold the family over. Fuel was delivered while i was gone. I arrived home to complaints from my wife that when the furnace kicks on you get a fuek oil smell for a few seconds. I checked the intake air filter & it was black (probably 45 days old, never been that dirty before). I changed the intake air filter, the oil filter off of the tank, and replaced the nozzle. The old nozzle had a greasy/dirty look. The situation didnt change, and the air filter was very dirty within a couple days time again.

I'm very confused, as the typical things that the smell points to don't seem to correlate with the dirty air filter & vice-versa. I', just wondering if anyone has seen a similar problem, and if there was anything else i could try in the next few days before my repair man can come.

Thanks in advance,
buck

Comments

  • captainco
    captainco Member Posts: 796
    I would rush a get a Carbon Monoxide Alarm!! K1 burns different than #2 oil and requires the burner to be adjusted.
  • buckg
    buckg Member Posts: 3
    i do have co detectors/alarms in place. And i do understand (now) the different burning characteristics of K1 & #2. Just wonder how long it would take to get back to normal if that is my main issue. And the intake filter being dirty really confuses me. Thanks for the quick response. All input is appreciated.
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 17,330
    What burner do you have? "Intake air filters" aren't real common.... some pics would help.
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • billtwocase
    billtwocase Member Posts: 2,385
    That would not have any effect on combustion with that ratio. I would say cracked heat exchanger, open return in the furnace room, bad draft, the list could go on. Get someone there to check it out ASAP
  • billtwocase
    billtwocase Member Posts: 2,385
    I will add that we had 3 mobile home parks. When Kero was not out of sight in price, they burned that-outside above ground tanks. When the $hit hit the fan with pricing, and dye issues, we switched them over to #2 with additive. No gelling/waxing, and the test results were basically the same.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Call the person that is supposed to come in a week or so and tell them that your air filter is getting black and dirty and you have changed it multiple times. Most reputable oil service people would be there within an hour to be checking for a cracked HX.

    At least, I know that I would have.

    Where the first hot air duct leaves the main trunk and enters the conditioned space, take some spray cleaner and spray it on the wall. WIpe it off. If the wiped off is clean and the wall is darker, tell them that too. They should come even faster.

    I doubt that the K-1 caused the problems. They add K-1 in the winter for a better cold weather blend. In a pinch, you're better off getting a couple of 5 gallon poly yellow containers and filling them with road diesel, from a fuel station that carries yellow (taxed) road oil.
  • buckg
    buckg Member Posts: 3
    Just as a final update, she's all done. After feeling a noticeable difference in heat when the blower kicked on using the trap door test (some say its accurate, some say not), I pulled the blower to try and get a visual on the heat exchanger. There is a hole that you could darn near stick your hand thru. Thanks for the input from everyone.
  • icesailor
    icesailor Member Posts: 7,265
    Once you get the furnace replaced, start changing filters every month or so. Filters are cheap. Much cheaper than a new furnace.

    IMO, if there was a hole where the fan was blowing on the HX, the filters had been dirty for a long time. The function of the blower on a WA furnace is to blow onto the HX and remove heat. Sounds like it was overheating badly there. And there are probably more holes.

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