Warmflow Oil Boiler fumes

zaffy

Boiler was running fine. Decided to have a service before winter. After the service, when we put the boiler on, the house filled with fumes.

Service engineer visited again. While he was trying to fix it, his eyes were streaming and he had difficulty breathing. And this is when the boiler was not alight. Engineer said he has worked with kerosene for years and never had that reaction before. He could not understand it or fix it, and said he would investigate further.

Unintentionally, the timer was set for the next morning, and the house and outside filled yet again with choking fumes.

Even now, the room with the boiler in stinks and we are keeping the door open.

Any ideas? Thanks.

Big Ed_4

Is this a trailer ? How old ?

Jamie Hall

First thing… turn the furnace off and leave it off. If it gets chilly, get space heaters — but use them safely.

Then. If you are getting fumes in the building, something is seriously wrong with the draughting. Not sure what your service man did, but for some reason the exhaust isn't going out the flue. Get him — or his boss — back to fix it, and in the meantime don't use it.

neilc

dead racoon in the chimney

Grallert

OK I'm curious now. Is this appliance power vented do you know? Is it a mobile home? Curious.

EdTheHeaterMan

I have a feeling that this boiler is somewhere across the Atlantic ocean far away from New Jersey. That said, you have a venting issue. What age is your boiler? and how easy is it to get to the vent. I see that some of these boilers can be installed under a cabinet in the kitchen, very much like our Levittown homes had in the 1950s. They were a real 🐩 (female canine expletive) to work on in that location.

That maintenance service person has that air fuel mixture too rich the cause that odor to be so noxious that quickly. I have been in several heating rooms when that happened to me. It was always a blocked or disconnected vent of some kind. Once the blockage was corrected, the burner adjustments were easy to get correct without that heavy noxious sulfur-ish odor.

zaffy

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1819481#Comment_1819481

The house is 15 years old, so the boiler I presume is around that age. The boiler is in the corner of the laundry room and the flue is at waist height on the outside wall. Hope this helps.

zaffy

A little more information.

The oil company that delivered the oil is going to test it.

They said they have had no complaints from other householders.

I read somewhere that oil can go off.

The Aga runs on the same oil, and is running fine.

zaffy

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1819493#Comment_1819493

Boiler is in the UK and is about 15 years old.

Jamie Hall

It's not the oil. It's a combination of the tuning of the burner and the venting. The service company should be able to fix it — if they know how to adjust it and check the venting.

Grallert

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1819493#Comment_1819493

Good call! I forget that we sometimes get inquiries from across the ocean.

EdTheHeaterMan

15 years old is not that long for oil heat boiler IMO.  The company that performs the maintenance is responsible for their employees' errors, but it does not always go that way.  First, you need an honest business man to admit their mistake.  Then they need to get their best mechanic on the job.   How cramped is the workspace?