Is a yearly cleaning really needed if I only fill up twice per year?

cckriss

I fill up my oil tank in August and January. Is that enough oil usage for me to justify spending more to have them clean the boiler, change the tip, and change the oil filter? And whatever else they do.

Thanks

pecmsg

pricing not allowed.
so you want to know if annual maintenance is NOT required?

cckriss

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1899209#Comment_1899209

Is this maintenance based on time or amount of oil used?

Since I use 2 tanks a year and you recommend the maintenance service every year, would a household that uses 4 tanks of oil a year perform the maintenance service twice a year?

EBEBRATT-Ed

If your equipment is modern and in good condition and serviced by a good technician, you should be able to clean and tune every 3 years.

But you should also keep your eyes on it and notice any potential problems.

HVACNUT

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1899210#Comment_1899210

An annual "checkup" should be done at least. It would also be a good idea to have a vacuum gauge installed at the burner so you'll know if the oil side needs attention. A combustion test, draft test, smoke test, inspect the combustion chamber, chimney base, test all safeties and limits, test the fuel pump, check all relays, and connections, boiler pressure, air eliminators, piping, cycle all zones, inspect the oil tank, etc, is all part of an oil fired boiler maintenance. Its not just "nozzle, filter, strainer, bye bye." It shouldn't be, anyway.

HydronicMike

I’d base it on a few factors, specifically how it looked last time an annual service was performed.
-How did the oil filter(s) look?
-How clean/dirty was the heat exchanger?
-How did the nozzle assembly, nozzle tip, and burner blower wheel look?
-Proper draft and combustion air?
-Modern equipment?
If all of those appear fine, you could go with a larger interval.
You can also ask your service provider if they’ll just do combustion analysis. IOW, if they come in and do a combustion analysis, and all the numbers are the same as how they left it during the last service, what can they really do?
More progressive (smarter) companies seem to base cleanings on oil consumption over every year nozzle/filter/strainer change.
Image 2 customers:
Customer #1 in a row home-250 gallons a year
Customer #2 in a 100 year old single house-1250 gallons a year.
If customer #1 has to have an annual service every year, does customer #2 need 5 PM/Cleanings per year?
Or if customer #2 gets a PM/Cleaning every year, shouldn’t customer #1 be able to go 4-5 years?

It just depends on how it looks/performs.

EdTheHeaterMan

@cckriss Said "Since I use 2 tanks a year and you recommend the maintenance service every year, would a household that uses 4 tanks of oil a year perform the maintenance service twice a year?"

Your changes look good. The only problem is the last line has a few typos and seems unfinished:

Original:
“So to answer your query. the hnswer is a definate”

I would change it to something like this:

I guess some of us remember the auto warranties of the 1960s: 12 months or 12,000 miles, with oil changes and chassis lubrication every 3,000 miles.

You can use a similar kind of logic with an oil burner.

Back then, automobiles had oil pressure and temperature gauges, so the driver could watch how the car was performing every time the engine was started. Today, many cars just have idiot lights that come on when the problem may already be past the “we should look into that” stage.

There are some things on an oil burner system where time is more important than the amount of fuel used. For example, a mobile home furnace with a 0.50 GPH nozzle might use 1.5 tanks of oil in a winter. A larger home with a 1.50 GPH nozzle might use 4.5 tanks of oil while operating for about the same number of hours.

Even though the fuel usage is very different, the motors may still need lubrication at the same time interval. The combustion blower wheel may still collect dirt and lint over the same period of time. That dirt needs to be brushed off so the combustion air can get back to where it was when the burner was last tuned up.

The chimney or vent system should also be inspected every year before the oil burner is started. You want to make sure a bird, squirrel, or other critter did not end up at the base of the chimney over the summer and block the vent from exhausting properly.

There are some maintenance items a homeowner may be able to learn and do safely, such as adding a few drops of lubricating oil to the motor or circulator bearings where applicable, changing air filters, or replacing an oil filter. That can help reduce the cost of annual maintenance from a full-service fuel dealer.

But every other year, or every third year, at the very least, a professional should look at the system. The burner should have the proper replacement nozzle installed, and the combustion numbers should be tested and verified.

There are more than 16 items on my oil burner maintenance checklist, and only about half of them are things I would recommend as DIY tasks. The other half may be beyond the scope of someone with no formal training. At least 25% of those items require expensive testing equipment to make sure the adjustments are correct and documented.

That said, I have had many customers with maintenance agreements where, when I arrived to do the service, the heating equipment was pristine and did not need any real changes or adjustments. In those cases, the job was mostly cleaning lint and dirt buildup from the fan and air openings, restoring the proper airflow for combustion, and confirming with combustion testing that everything was still where it should be.

So, to answer your question, the answer is a definite maybe. It depends on the condition of the equipment, the number of operating hours, the venting situation, and whether anyone is checking the things that matter before they become a problem.

rohan_1794

@EdTheHeaterMan what are the items on your checklist? Is it possible for you to share ?

EdTheHeaterMan

EdTheHeaterMan

This is from my website, which is no longer active on the internet. I sold that business in 2018 or 2019. The new owner did not want to follow those rules, so they never paid for the webpage.

I do not count Step #1 as part of the tune-up. It was done for our protection, especially with new customers who might let us take everything apart and put it all back together, only to find that something was already wrong with it. Then the customer could say, “It was working before you touched it,” and that can get very expensive if you are not careful.

If it does not start before we take anything apart, then we cannot provide more than $500.00 worth of service tasks (if purchased separately) for only the $XYZ.00 summer special price.

The tune-up is for heaters that are already working. If you want us to find the problem, then our regular service call prices apply.

The Standard Tune Up includes:

• Start the burner to see if it operates properly.  
  • If it does not start, ask the owner if there is a problem with the burner.
  • If it operates fine then continue to the tune up
• Remove the nozzle and electrode assembly and spray with industrial cleaner or place in a cleaner solution bath
• Place a pressure gauge on the oil burner high pressure line and perform the following tests:
  • Power up the burner and check the ignition transformer
  • Check the fuel pressure and rotate the adjustment up and down
  • Adjust pressure to the proper operating pressure for the burner
  • Check the safety timing to see if the burner shuts off properly
  • When the burner stops on safety, observe the pump cut off
    • Pressure should drop no more that 20% pf operating pressure and hold
    • Pressure should hold for 15 minutes
• Replace Air filter(s) on furnace if customer supplies the filter(s).  Operate the relief valve on boilers additional fee may apply
• Open the cleanout doors and inspect the heat exchanger for soot and other debris build up.  Vacuum if needed
• Remove vent connector pipe and inspect for soot or blockage in the pipe or at the base of the chimney, clean and vacuum as needed
• Replace flue cleanout doors and reseal with gaskets or furnace cement
• Replace the vent connector pipe and fasten with screws and seal the chimney base with furnace cement.
• Remove the burner motor and clean the burner combustion fan with a brush
• Take the nozzle assembly apart and clean 
  • the high pressure tube with clean fuel oil.
  • Clean the electrode and porcelain insulators
  • Replace the nozzle
  • Adjust the electrode setting for smooth start
  • Clean the retention ring on the burner end cone or nozzle assembly
• Turn off fuel valve from tank and replace the oil filter cartridge refill
• Inspect tank condition and use water paste to detect water in the tank. 
• Remove the fuel pump strainer and clean or replace 
• Reassemble pump strainer with new gasket
• Prime fuel pump with fresh oil and purge high pressure line until fuel runs clear
• Replace the nozzle assembly into the burner and fire the burner.
• Make final adjustments using a Smoke Sampler and Combustion Analyzer.

This process can take up to 1.5 hours if your oil burner has not been properly maintained the previous year.  Once this complete service is performed by our technician, the process can happen in just 45 minutes the next time.   

EBEBRATT-Ed

I would add operate burner from stat. Test limits and high limit. Service LWCO and pigtail etc As I mentioned above if everything has been running properly with good combustion and a good technician you should e able to go every 3 years with no issue especially with low oil usage.

I will add that I refused to eat soot on the same job more than once.

I would clean the filthiest boiler and set everything up properly. If the customer did not have us back to service, it at the intervales I suggested which might be every year, every two years …whatever ever every job is different, and it got sooted up again the customer got fired if I thought neglect caused the issue.