Oil line fittings replacement

richkenny7

Hello, I recently bought a house with an oil line leaking from both ends. The fitting attaching to the tank is a definitely a compression fitting. I’m not sure about the fitting attaching the line to the oil housing. It’s a 1/2 inch line and is reduced to a 3/8 right before the oil housing. I want to change both fittings to flares, but besides the flare nuts, I am not sure what other fittings/parts I need exactly. 

Could someone take a look at my pics and tell me what fittings I should use to remedy both ends of the oil line. Thank you for your help. 

STEVEusaPA

You, or preferably a professional, need to go back and from the tank valve, change the adapter, and run jacketed oil line to the burner, with flare fittings on both ends.
I'd relocate the oil filter to the tank, then put an osv, then a jacketed oil line right into the firomatic valve-all flare fittings on the copper.

Big Ed_4

What is the distance from the tank to the burner ? You may only need 3/8" tubing ... Be careful and use two wrenches to hold back on torque so not to break off tank valve. Ask me how I know that

EdTheHeaterMan

@Big Ed_4 How many gallons were lost when you figured out you need 2 wrenches?

Filter at the tank is a good idea, assuming the tank is in a conditioned space. The valve you have is designed to have the filter be the first thing after the valve. It appears to be turned in a position where the filter may not be accessible though. The valve should have been pointing away from the tank to allow the filter to be just past the end of the tank. Since the valve has been there for some time, I would not change the orientation. just leave it pointing where it is.

Depending on the amount of slack there is in the tubing, your first fitting will depend on how easy it is to remove the 3/8" pipe nipple from the valve. If that comes out easy, then a 3/8" male pipe thread X 1/2" flare adaptor is the first fitting out of the valve. If the pipe nipple does not want to come out easy but the 1/2 x 3/8 bushing comes off easily then you need a 3/8 Female x 1/2" flare adaptor. You will also need flare nuts to match the flare fitting, a tubing cutter, a tubing reamer, and a flaring tool. Be sure to prepare the inside of the tubing after you cut it. The flare tool will fold the burr over inside the tubing and the flare will leak. This video is the best one I found on "good practice" when preparing the tubing for a flare. Overkill for oil line but the prep work is the same. Cutting starts at about 1 minute in. With the low pressure used in oil lines, a standard flare nut is fine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itoro65YpZM

If there is insufficient slack on the copper tubing you may want to consider replacing the entire fuel line as suggested by @STEVEusaPA because I am not a fan of unnecessary fittings that would accompany short extensions of tubing like you have at the filter end of the fuel line.

For the burner end, I like to mount the filter directly on the pump with a 1/4" x 4" pipe nipple and a 3/8"x1/4" pipe thread bushing (black galvanized or brass). This gives you good support for changing the filter cartridge. Out of the filter, you can use a 3/8" male pipe thread x 1/2" flare 90° adaptor. You need to use the tank valve to service the fuel filter.
Or you can also use a firomatic valve made for that purpose. https://www.supplyhouse.com/Firomatic-12250-1-2-ODF-Inlet-x-1-4-MPT-Outlet-Fusible-Burner-Angle-Valve-1-1-4-Long. You will need another 3/8 x 1/4 bushing with this valve.

If you are replacing the entire line because there is insufficient slack at either end of the existing 1/2" tubing, then consider 3/8" tubing. That is all you will need in your situation. Remember to change all the flare fitting and flare nit specifications to 3/8" if you change tubing size.


Yours, Truly
Mr.Ed

Jamie Hall

Just a bit to add to @EdTheHeaterMan 's comment up there -- no splices or joins in the line. It must be continuous from device to device

richkenny7

Thank you for your response. I have the filter at the burner because the tank is outdoors. 

Mr. Ed, thank you for all of your helpful info. my only confusion is that you called the pipe nipple in the tank valve 3/8”. It measures about 5/8” OD. Its clearly larger than the 1/2” oil line. Am I missing something? Is that pipe nipple actually called 3/8 even though it measures 5/8 OD?

EdTheHeaterMan

interesting.  That valve is usually a 1/2 into the tank and 3/8 out.  It may be 1/2x1/2.  Then adjust the fitting accordingly 

WMno57

richkenny7 said:

my only confusion is that you called the pipe nipple in the tank valve 3/8”. It measures about 5/8” OD. Its clearly larger than the 1/2” oil line. Am I missing something? Is that pipe nipple actually called 3/8 even though it measures 5/8 OD?

Yes, the pipe nipple's nominal size is 3/8 if it's OD is 0.675 (slightly more than 5/8 or 0.625).

Here is a chart of Nominal size and OD.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_pipe_thread#Standard_sizes

If you don't have calipers to measure OD, an open end wrench or Crescent wrench and ruler will get you in the ballpark. Smart phone calculators are handy for converting fractions to decimal.

richkenny7

@WMno57 great. That makes sense. Thank you. 

@EdTheHeaterMan ok you’re right about the 3/8 valve. My mistake. 

@“big ed_4” it’s about 25 feet. 

Now, if I have enough slack (which I think I do) can I remove that short piece of 3/8 copper line where it connects to the filter by just connecting the 1/2” flare nut to some sort of adapter that connects to the firomatic valve? I’m assuming it would be a 1/2 flare x 3/8 male pipe thread adapter. 

Forgive me for my limited knowledge. 

EdTheHeaterMan

richkenny7 said:

@WMno57 great. That makes sense. Thank you. 

@EdTheHeaterMan ok you’re right about the 3/8 valve. My mistake. 

@“big ed_4” it’s about 25 feet. 

Now, if I have enough slack (which I think I do) can I remove that short piece of 3/8 copper line where it connects to the filter by just connecting the 1/2” flare nut to some sort of adapter that connects to the firomatic valve? I’m assuming it would be a 1/2 flare x 3/8 male pipe thread adapter. 

Forgive me for my limited knowledge. 

I would go with the oil filter hard pipes into your pump and the firomatic valve hard piped to the filter inlet.  You have my part list.  The 1/2 flare at the inlet of the valve will take the place of the 90 flare adapter 

richkenny7

@EdTheHeaterMan thank you. I just ordered your parts list. I spent many hours looking for that info and I am very thankful you offered your knowledge. 

EdTheHeaterMan

richkenny7 said:

@EdTheHeaterMan thank you. I just ordered your parts list. I spent many hours looking for that info and I am very thankful you offered your knowledge. 

I remember doing that job once or twice before. Remember to put the flare nuts on the tubing before you put the flare tool on the tubing. "Ask how I know that" to quote an almost famous Ed... two Eds are better than one. @Big Ed_4

richkenny7

@EdTheHeaterMan so I think the firomatic valve on my tank is not closing, because when I disconnected the oil line on the burner end, the oil kept flowing. Is my only option to wait until the tank is empty to replace the valve?

richkenny7

Actually i was able to tap it and it seemed to close. I’ll try again

EBEBRATT-Ed

@richkenny7

It's common for the firomatic valves to hang up. Take the wheel off and a light tap on the stem will usually close them.

@EdTheHeaterMan

Not putting flare nuts on, I have done that more than once. It's like being out in the sticks and locking your keys in the truck feeling. Especially with 2" of tubing sticking out of a concrete floor

richkenny7

@EBEBRATT-Ed yeah she tapped close with no problem. At first I used a wrench to tap but it didn’t have enough inertia so I used a hammer lightly. Worked like a charm. 

EdTheHeaterMan

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

@richkenny7

It's common for the firomatic valves to hang up. Take the wheel off and a light tap on the stem will usually close them.

@EdTheHeaterMan

Not putting flare nuts on, I have done that more than once. It's like being out in the sticks and locking your keys in the truck feeling. Especially with 2" of tubing sticking out of a concrete floor

I am no stranger to the short oil line out of the concrete floor. After servicing a customer for about 15 years, I allowed my son to begin to get to know the customers solo. He broke off that tube at the floor and I got a frantic call. After finding the oil tank shut-off valve we chipped up the floor and used this tool to replace the flare nut on the remaining tubing.

https://www.amazon.com/Rectorseal-PRO-Fit-Precision-Flaring-Kit/dp/B0768LVGW3/ref=asc_df_B0768LVGW3/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216548266073&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=12551478789436113403&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9010494&hvtargid=pla-378973607930&psc=1

I then installed a flare union and a flexible tube from the floor to the Burner / Tigerloop / Filter. I can't remember what is there but it is a flare fitting.
.

EBEBRATT-Ed

@EdTheHeaterMan
bet that was a frantic call with his finger in the dike

EdTheHeaterMan

Took me 30 minutes to arrive, and he said it was the longest 30 minutes in his life.

mattmia2

I would put a second regular valve in there somewhere.

Tubing is sized by the outside diameter. Thicker walled threaded pipe and copper pipe that is intended to be soldered is sized by the inside diameter.