What The Heck Is This?

LegendsCreek

I am including a photo of the top of the plenum in my workshop furnace. I bought the house 2 years ago, and it wasn't until today when I thought about why there is a 4 inch hose coming out of the top of the plenum, and going through the outer wall of my shop and into the oil tank shed attached to the side of my shop.

I thought previously that it was bringing in fresh air to my shop, but this summer I installed my wood boiler as the primary source of heat, with the oil as a backup so I learned a lot and it didn't make sense to me that it was bringing air in. I took the hose off and sure enough its blowing BTU's right outdoors and into the shed housing the oil tank.

I am shocked that I have been wasting BTU's for 2 years, and I understand that maybe the previous owner had to deal with gunked up oil in the past which is why I ran this line, but I use oil treatment in all 5 of my oil tanks and my 2 other buildings with forced air furnaces sad without running heat for 12 years and last winter I ran them in the dead of winter and there were no oil clogs.

I removed the hose from the top of the plenum and tied a piece of bubble wrap over it to insulate it for now and I can already feel increased heat coming into my workshop. I can't believe that the heat was just blowing outside. Its baffling to me. Maybe I am wrong and I should have left it alone but it doesn't make sense to me, and my other 2 buildings on this same furnace have never had any issues.

Any advice, ideas or suggestions?

STEVEusaPA

You don't say where you're located but you can always treat the tank with additives to keep the oil from freezing. Actually it's the water in the tank (or the bio) that will freeze before the oil gels up. But the proper additives will disperse the water and give you a lower pour point.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Good that you found that but get the bubble wrap off and put a metal cap on the plenum

LegendsCreek

Ed, the cap you see in the photo is a part to a bird feeder. I tried getting it on there but it won't fit so I am going to have to rig something up. Its been a few hours since I took the hose off the plenum and I can see a major difference how often my shop is calling for heat. I only wish I noticed this 2 years ago. ha ha.

billtwocase

If that is the top of the plenum, no wonder the heat is not that impressive. That is not how to, or where to install take offs