Considering deleting return line from oil burner

gator

Hi, this is a Burnham unit with a Beckett burner. The tank is 4’ above burner and about 30’ away - above ground on a 4 foot tall stand. When I maintain things like the filter if I don’t shut off fuel it comes thru constant so we have pretty good flow just from gravity. The installer set it up as a two pipe system just because that’s what was there before with a conventional burner. So he just left it that way. In a sense, it’s just fine. Works fine. However, we are in alaska and it’s drawing extremely cold fuel …. -30F often and lines are frosting over and the filter housing frosting over and I’m assuming it affects the burn of the fuel it being so cold. So I was looking at putting the pump back to single pipe set up and just capping off that return. Then adding in a filter housing that is “pre filter” and empty. Just to allow oil to set in there warming up waiting to be pulled in to burn so to speak. 

So, where am I wrong to eliminate the 2 pipe? Are the advantages to keeping it? Disadvantages to eliminating it? 

Thank you. 

Dave Carpentier

It touches -40 here once in a while, and years ago I considered making a vertical coil of oil line (maybe wrapping it around a sono-tube and then remove the tube ?) inside my util room to pre-heat the oil a bit. I never did get around to it though.
We always had a single line from the tank, but we did upgrade from 3/8" line to 1/2" line to help prevent freeze-up.
Nowadays we have a Tigerloop. I think it helps that the burner/pump side is flowing and blending with the incoming oil inside the Tigerloop.. probably heats it up a bit. Plus, of course, it burps out any micro-bubbles.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Most everyone will tell you to go single pipe and add a Tiger Loop. But if it works the way it does do you want to monkey with it? After all how much is the oil going to warm up if it is-30??

They used to make double walled heat exchangers to heat fuel oil because getting water in an oil tank or oil in a boiler was a no no.

But that was for larger commercial burners.

You can buy electric oil heater like a 120volt block heater

STEVEusaPA

If you make it single pipe, you have to remove the bypass plug.
I wouldn't want to my return trying to navigate 4' lift and 30' run. Should it freeze you'd blow out the pump seal.
Is there any option to get the tank inside?
If you use a lot of oil, you might be better off with a day tank in the house. But that involves another pump and a little bit of work
2nd best would be a Tiger Loop.
With either solution I'd consider some heat for the tank, at least additives to disperse water. I'd have to assume you're on Kero and hopefully no bio.
The other thing I would use is an oil nozzle line heater. Cold oil, especially that cold, plays havoc on combustion.
Where @rick in Alaska ? He may offer some super cold weather insight.

gator

STEVEusaPA said:

If you make it single pipe, you have to remove the bypass plug. I wouldn't want to my return trying to navigate 4' lift and 30' run. Should it freeze you'd blow out the pump seal. Is there any option to get the tank inside? If you use a lot of oil, you might be better off with a day tank in the house. But that involves another pump and a little bit of work 2nd best would be a Tiger Loop. With either solution I'd consider some heat for the tank, at least additives to disperse water. I'd have to assume you're on Kero and hopefully no bio. The other thing I would use is an oil nozzle line heater. Cold oil, especially that cold, plays havoc on combustion. Where @rick in Alaska ? He may offer some super cold weather insight.

I may have miss led you. I’m gonna fix the typo. The tank is about 4’ above the burner. Gravity flow is super strong. I’m gonna go with a day tank but a little diff than what you’re thinking. Just an inline 1 gallon tank (basically a little air tank type thing) that is just inline in the current set up - same as a filter housing would be. Let that be the tank to return to, and to pull from. Basically a big tiger loop. Would there be any forseen issue with doing that. Essentially still a 2 pipe set up but just to a small tank right there in the room ??? Combustion is what led me here. My flame is very elongated and hitting the target wall big time to a point of hitting and then spreading both directions curling back. Smoke is good, all the rest test out good. Draft over fire good - draft in damper good - just long flame pulled away from retention head. Must have been for years guys tagging good on all measures and 85 to 88% efficient. On the tags on the boiler. But the flame is off the head and long and the liner on back wall is destroyed. They check it in summer usually so don’t see the problem. 

Mother n law house I just happened to look, you know they say “don’t look cause you may find work” well I found work 😂😂👍

STEVEusaPA

You’re describing an old school way of making an oil reservoir. Seems like it should work.
Look at page 11, Cheater Loop
https://www.calameo.com/read/004236121952b564ae748

What does 'draft is good' mean? Numbers for both.
Elongated flame could be from an incorrect z dimension or wrong nozzle/wrong nozzle angle/pattern/type. Could also be wrong draft, too much combustion air…for starters.

gator

STEVEusaPA said:

You’re describing an old school way of making an oil reservoir. Seems like it should work. Look at page 11, Cheater Loop https://www.calameo.com/read/004236121952b564ae748 What does 'draft is good' mean? Numbers for both. Elongated flame could be from an incorrect z dimension or wrong nozzle/wrong nozzle angle/pattern/type. Could also be wrong draft, too much combustion air…for starters.

Can’t figure how to post a pic. I’ll figure that out to show you numbers 😂

gator

STEVEusaPA said:

You’re describing an old school way of making an oil reservoir. Seems like it should work. Look at page 11, Cheater Loop https://www.calameo.com/read/004236121952b564ae748 What does 'draft is good' mean? Numbers for both. Elongated flame could be from an incorrect z dimension or wrong nozzle/wrong nozzle angle/pattern/type. Could also be wrong draft, too much combustion air…for starters.

rick in Alaska

Where I was at it never got that cold. The average winter temp is around 10-15 degrees, and rarely below zero. That being said, I would just stick with the single line setup with a tigerloop installed that has the spin on filter setup. That is a good combination that works well.
Rick