New oil boiler is making me sick and I am clueless

Acey_A

@Intplm. I did check the tank the plug was tight I don’t think it was ever touched during the install.

@STEVEusaPA I am located in Bridgeport ct. I am so overwhelmed with all of this🤦‍♀️ I will have to check info on this level || inspection

Jamie Hall

Whether it's part of the smell or not... that chimney needs to be relined. There ways and means of doing that such as slip lining which aren't outrageously expensive and don't affect the size of the flue; find yourself a really good chimney sweep. They do exist...

Intplm.

Acey_A said:

@Intplm. I did check the tank the plug was tight I don’t think it was ever touched during the install.



@STEVEusaPA I am located in Bridgeport ct. I am so overwhelmed with all of this🤦‍♀️ I will have to check info on this level || inspection

Time to demand that the installer comes back to investigate.
Hope you can resolve this soon.

HVACNUT

> @Acey_A said:
> Hello everyone thanks again for all of your input. I am really reaching, but i have another?. When install a new oil boiler does the new one require water to be added to it so the water can heat up and flow up to the baseboards.

Not in your case. You only have to add water with a steam boiler. Your boiler should maintain 12-15 psi on the gauge.

HVACNUT

> @Acey_A said:
> @SlamDunk reason i ask because is certain things took place during the install. I notice a bucket of water with a good amount of oil residue in it i think came from when they drained the older boiler.....sorry in advanced if this? Comes off Silly..

If they left a bucket behind of a foul smelling oil water mix, could that be the odor?

SlamDunk

Jamie Hall said:

Whether it's part of the smell or not... that chimney needs to be relined. There ways and means of doing that such as slip lining which aren't outrageously expensive and don't affect the size of the flue; find yourself a really good chimney sweep. They do exist...

I’m not on the “reline the chimney” wagon yet. Close, but not yet. I see the recommendation a lot and maybe this should be a separate thread. But I see spalling on the surface -which isnt a breach. Good mortar at the one joint visible.

This clay lining is what? 1/2” thick? 3/4”? surrounded with mortar and an aditional 8 inches of brick. At least, in the three homes I have responsibility for (68, 88, &112yrs old), double brick all the way up. I don’t know if that is always the case but if there is a good draft, the chimney is warm enough to move gases out. Why install a liner?

danski0224

Acey_A said:

Is it strange that when i come home It is a Strong odor of oil so much that i inhale it and i start to get sick and everytime the boiler comes on i don't have to be in the basement before i smell i right away on the main living area I did check if oil line is leaking didn't see anything. I just don't know what they did during the install. I am going to trying some of the things above to try to rule out. I will also call the manufacturer to see what type sealant was used in the assembly. Thanks to everyone. I really appreciate your input

I'm not sure that "asking what type of sealant was used" will help, unless you know what chemicals you are sensitive to.

The chimney should be drafting, and therefore drawing air in- not pushing air out. Draft checked with the boiler off?

Apparently, no oil leaks/loose fittings, spills.

Any rags or the like, contaminated with old boiler water/residue floating around? A bucket with residue that wasn't cleaned up properly?

A mess on the floor that soaked in or otherwise not cleaned up? Trying a concrete cleaner or soap and water and scrubbing the floor around and under the boiler wouldn't hurt. Old fire sprinkler water spilled on the floor at jobsites smells pretty bad and it doesn't go away right away.

I would still lean towards some type of VOC offgassing that you have a hypersensitivity to, if there is nothing else that is readily apparent- like any of the stuff mentioned above.

JUGHNE

Back in some of your pictures it looked like some of the tin flue piping going to the chimney (I believe the term is breeching) had gaps in connections. Maybe that has been corrected since those pictures.
Is it possibly that oil burner fumes could escape into the basement and not contain enough CO to trigger an alarm?

STEVEusaPA

JUGHNE said:

Back in some of your pictures it looked like some of the tin flue piping going to the chimney (I believe the term is breeching) had gaps in connections. Maybe that has been corrected since those pictures.
Is it possibly that oil burner fumes could escape into the basement and not contain enough CO to trigger an alarm?

If you have combustion analysis with virtually no CO in the flue, then it wouldn’t trigger a CO alarm.
I think at this point everyone has weighed in. Without 'boots on the ground' we’re going to just keep going 'round and 'round.

Acey_A

Hello everyone thanks again for all of your support. ? Is it possible, I notice Oil like and also light fume like slight burn mostly in my living room which the boiler is on the same side under my living room and kitchen. Ok here goes, this boiler has a slot where if you wanted to add a tankless coil you could but it is not completely closed and in the back has a hole where if you wanted to pipe from the back you could. So both areas give off heat, I was told of course the heat from the cast iron, but if I put my noise close to it I smell the same odor light fume slight burn. Ok stay with me trying my best to give you guys a visual. Now the pipe that is inserted into the cast iron that brings up the water to flow to the heating baseboard. It it possible that it may carry that smell and coming through the baseboards, because if it was forced air it could happen right? Or the smell would flow/ blow through vents. Now the reason I ask this ? Because when boiler comes on and I am on the main floor I smell this odor more than in the basement with the boiler. I truly don’t believe that odor is rising up that fast and coming though the floor, but I can’t really say I smell it when I bend down and smell the baseboards....

Acey_A

Here is a picture of this slot....if I would have known this would like that from the beginning I would’ve probably considered another brand

Intplm.

Should not be the issue. That is the flange that a tankless coil can be added as a option to your boiler. Should have nothing to do with the smell you have been describing. Have you had the service company back to your home ?

Acey_A

Yes my company that didn’t install it came out again yesterday said they didn’t smell anything at all and just did the test with the wand and basically nothing else. This guy was a on site supervisor but was very determined from the beginning not to find anything. Kept talking about how I wasn’t charge for the 3 visit prior...ok and this is a nice size company...they didn’t charge because I have a paid service agreement that covers basically any oil burner..but whatever. I still have the issue. So I will just to see what happens with the guy that installed it. He keeps waiting from Utica to call him back and try to get a refund.....yeah right.

stlvortac

Unrelated to the smell I noticed you have a bucket under the relief valve. If the valve is new and the pressure is correct it shouldn’t leak. Normally they fail from age, if the system is over pressurized or the expansion tank failed.

Intplm.

Try and vacuum and clean all the radiator fins in the most affected area. ALL of them. The smallest amount of dust can put off a smell. The smell can settle in the area you have described when you first enter the house.

Acey_A

@Intplm. The smell is the same odor I smell on the main living area but the pipe carrying the water is in the front of the unit.......
Ok the black pipe coming out of the boiler behind the auqastat box follow it all the way up to the gray pipe that brings the water up to my baseboards....I know still reaching..

Intplm.

You may be very sensitive to this new boilers smell. Kinda like new car smell. Over time and use it could go away .?

Acey_A

Yeah I hope so... and I will try my best to clean the baseboards out very difficult trying to get in between those little spaces. Oh it’s also irritating my eyes a little now... ok going to stop acting like a whinny female. Oh and the bucket was just there because it was under the old one. You guys have a Good Friday. Going to try to enjoy mine. Will keep you all updated.🙂😉

Intplm.

Please do respond as to how this all turns out.

Oh, and no you are not whinny.😌

Fred

Has anyone checked to see if you have enough Combustion and ventilation air for the boiler? Is there any back drafting when the chimney is cooling down, between heat cycles? What material did they use to seal around the breaching into the chimney? Was it rated for the heat?

HVACNUT

At this point, the only advice I can give is, go to your towns FD and ask if they can do a sweep of the whole house. If there's something going on they'll find it.
Other than that, move.

darius

I have same problem, did you find out what problem is??? Please help
Sorry for my bad English 

PC7060

darius said:

I have same problem, did you find out what problem is??? Please help
Sorry for my bad English 

Recommend you send the original poster a personal message. 

Here is the link to his page. 

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/profile/Acey_A

pecmsg

darius said:

I have same problem, did you find out what problem is??? Please help
Sorry for my bad English 

Post your issues in a new post. This one is over 3 years old. 

BDR529

Is that a dryer in the corner? What else is robbing air from the room?

Erin Holohan Haskell

This is a very old discussion, so I'm going to close it to prevent confusion. Thanks.