cold oil

Leo

If I understand this it is an outside tank. Use kerosene for the little extra cost you will save big time in aggravation. We service 10 mobile home parks with outside tanks and a few buildings with them. We recommend kerosene and have the customer sign on their application for an account if they refuse it. Those who use it have no problems, those who use number two fuel with an outside tank more than likely have a problem when it gets very cold.

Hope this helps,

Leo

RichW

cold oil

HELP!I'm an HVAC guy but not an oil guy. The owner of our co. is renting a garage in a new town (expansion,yeah). This space is heated by an oil furnace. The problem is that the owner sets the 'stat to 45* at night. Last winter the temp. at the outside walls (where the furnace is) dropped to 25*. I've read that these are terrible conditions for an oil furnace (not good for any furnace). Can you guys give me some info.to use on him? He expects me to make it work...
Thanks

Bob Bona_4

my first thoughts

are to have a nozzle line heater installed, and re-work the primary control/burner to have pre-purge. Drop the nozzle size proportionally and boost the pump pressure to 150.
Use a Tiger Loop to try to have a small resevior (SIC?) of oil near the furnace getting warmer.

To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"

David Sutton_3

or a day/night tank

inside the walls of the building to give the furnace a good sourse of warm oil to use...David

Guy_5

Cold Furnace

I would suggest adding a decent diesel fuel treatment to the fuel tank at each filling. I have had great success doing this to prevent fuel gelling problems in all but the most severe weather.

Firedragon_4

All of these suggestions

are great and you could also build an RCAF oil heater if you have to. I wrote about this in a magazine article a while back and it's also in my book 'COMBUSTION & Oil Burning Equipment. www.FiredragonEnt.com

If you want a copy of the article send me an e-mail and I'll send it along.

Bob_19

Contact

the supplier of your fuel oil and get the pour point and the flash point then keep the temp in between those two and you shoul be OK, Preferably as close to the flash point as safety will allow.

If you really want to impress the boss have the supplier send over all pertinent info, viscosity/temp relation, flash point, fire point, pour point, and a MSDS, which should include some of the info already.

RichW

Thanks guys,

I failed to add that the oil tank is in the corner of the building and never gets above freezing when winter hits. The supply line is in the cement and runs 50' along the edge of the building. The only time the furnace runs is when we have a meeting.The furnace is in the shop area next to the usually open (plumbers loading their trucks) garage door. It runs for an hour or two-not long enough to warm the whole space-just the office. After one week last year the vent was plugged. The unit worked fine when the outdoor temps. where above 40 to 50*.
P.S. The boss(he bought the co.)is good at business,not tech.stuff.

Thanks again,
RichW

BillW@honeywell

All good suggestions

Ask if the oil company is using a pour point depressant in the oil. If not, you can buy some at any oil-oriented wholesaler, and add it to the tank in the ratio that the product literature suggests. It chemically reacts with the oil, and prevents the wax crystals that form when the product is cooled below its pour point. A day tank /tigerloop is also a good idea, check out www.oiltechtalk.com, a great source for oil ignition info, or with Mr. Firedragon, who posted above. Good luck.

Jed_2

Assumptions, Assumptions!

Set the T'stat a little higher, put a Carlin EZ1 on with the oil line heater, and with an INSIDE tank, and the pump generating some heat, the Owner should be able to live with
a few cents piece of mind. a no brainer.

Jed

RichW

I think the boss may switch to gas. He talked to a local oil heat co. and they gave him a partial list of what I have read from you guys. He's come to realize that he can't keep the temp. that low without problems.

Thanks again to one and all,

RichW