Venting Oil Fired Boiler

Ragu

I've been pretty upfront with people about my preferences for venting. First choice masonry chimney. Second choice Metalbestos. Distant third choice power venter. At this point in time I have stopped offering direct vent as an option on oil-fired units. I sleep better now.

Doug Proulx

Venting Oil Fired Boiler

Hello.

We recently installed an Oil Fired burner to heat the house and hot water (4 zones, 3 floors + 1 for hot water). Anyways, the contractor installed a power vent, which is OK, but if I am outside when it runs, it is kind of smelly and it is sooting up the side of the house.

What are my options? I see some houses with stainless steel stove pipe outside, can you vent with that? I see others with what I call a "cement block chimney". I would probably need to go about 30 feet from where I currently exit the house, to 3 feet above roofline (I think that's spec).

Any thoughts?

Unknown

There's a few choices

If you have a straight vertical run up the side of the house , or even through the inside of the house , you can have a prefabricated stainless steel chimney installed . Metalbestos and Metalfab come to mind . They have strict clearance and height issues so a pro should do the install . Another way is to build a block or brick chimney like you've seen . Traditionally the inside would be clay sections for the flue gases . Code around here is 3 feet minimum above the roofline where it meets and at least 2 feet above any point of the house 10 feet around .

J.C.A._3

CALL THE INSTALLER BACK!!!!

Power venting oil IS an accepted practice, yes it smells a bit but there should be NO SOOT on the side of the house. Get the installer back and have him test and adjust the burner for proper operation. Make HIM clean and re-paint the side of the house to drive the point home. If you aren't testing, your guessing. (and causing a bad name for oil as fuel) Chris

joel_19

soot

JCA is right kind of ,if it was just installed and it is power venter like a Tjerlund side shot2 it will blow fumes away from the house and should not soot . If it is a direct vent with no actual power venter or one of the cheapy venters that blows down at an angle these do tend to soot the house even if tuned properly . Because all oil boilers will produce some ash and unless you blow it directly away from the house it can collect on the siding.

J.C.A._3

Joel,

I respectfully have to disagree. With the new burners and controls featuring pre and post purge capabilities, there shouldn't be ANY soot on any surfaces when the burner is properly adjusted and set up.There may be some ulterior circumstances that will make stuff occur like dryer vents too close or improper intake/combustion air makeup, but there shouldn't be any soot on the building.JMHO. Chris

Unknown

I agree

In a perfect world the installer will be back there tuning the burner , setting the power venter to spec , and fixing the siding . But a perfect world we don't live in . Who's going to guarantee it won't happen again ?

Our first choice is always to vent the flue gases above the roofline .

Doug Proulx

Who installs Metalbestos? Just find an HVAC person? And how much (roughly) is it, I've heard $100 a foot, which sounds way too high!

Thanks everyone. (BTW- my power venter is one of those that points down, not straight out, so that may be why I am getting some soot. However, the fumes in the back yard, esp during the summer [boiler makes the hot water] are kind of nasty. And one time the power venter failed for whatever reason, so it's just one thing I'd like to not have to worry about.)

Leo

Well

Well your first post makes it look like you just got a powervented unit. The last post makes it look like you have had it a while. Bottom line, they are usually used because of cost. Yup you may pay $100/ft for the metalbestos chimney but you DO IT ONCE. The powerventer is mechanical and subject to wear and tear but costs a fraction of a chimney to the builder. Down the road the resident pays the costs. I can make powerventers run but I prefer a chimney. I don't like the thought of an exhaust pipe sticking out the side of a house no matter what fuel is being used.

Leo