Annual tune-up ...or no?

Tony_23

If a "tune-up" saves 10% a year, when does it get to zero ? Just kidding :)

It's not a savings of fuel issue as much as it is an insurance issue. How much will it cost if you don't have it checked and it plugs up ? Or if it goes down when you're away and your plumbing freezes and splits ?

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Steve Garson_2

Annual tune-up ...or no?

My new Steam boiler only used 600 gallons during it's first year of use. With season two approaching, I question whether it's worth the money to clean the boiler, since it used so little oil.

Taking it a step further, there is a point of diminishing returns. If a cleaning and tune-up costs $125, if it cuts oil use by 10%, that's 60 gallons saved and it makes sense, but isn't this a stretch?

[Deleted User]

An annual tune is more than just cleaning the flue passages. It assures that the safety controls are working. And the oil filter, pump strainer, and nozzle should be checked and/or replaced. You'd be surprised that regardless how little fuel you used last year, the oil filter probably needs changing. And don't forget the combustion test. It should be done yearly.

Steve Ebels_3

Classic example

People just don't understand what is in play here. It's not just the economics of "will it save MONEY"

A good technician will determine if there are operational issues, safety issues, control problems and the like for the WHOLE SYSTEM. It's not about just cleaning the boiler and changing the nozzle and filter. What about inspecting the chimney, breeching pipe, barometric damper operation, flue gas test, checking draft, thermostat accuracy, and on and on and on..........

Not trying to put down this particular poster.

This type of question is all to common and it reveals just how ignorant 99% of the population is about the function and safety of their heating system. While it happens a very small percentage of the time when considering the huge number of systems that operate safely all year, you're still talking about something that is capable of ruining your house with soot, killing you in your sleep, blowing up your house, allowing your place to freeze up etc. etc.

If that's not worth a Franklin.........I guess it's everyone's choice.

ed wallace

boiler tune up

Yes Steve your boiler needs to be serviced each year but $125.00 sounds awfully high guess you are not having the oil company service it and you sure havent called the guy who installed it I just hope the dont try convincing you its piped wrong

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Ragu_5

Scheduled Annual Maintenance

There are a couple of things going for scheduling an annual maintenance/cleaning/tuneup or whatever else it's called in your area.

The first thing is that the work can be scheduled BEFORE it gets freezing cold out, and that keeps everybody's stress level down. During a freezing cold snap, we are usually relegated to responding to "no heat" calls which take priority over basic maintenance.

Secondly, scheduling allows for the technician to perform a complete diagnostic on the entire system, and approach the work as true preventative/predictive maintenance, as is done in the industrial sector. It's a lot better to find a weak transformer at 2p.m. on an autumn afternoon, rather than a dead transformer at 2 a.m. in the middle of a blizzard. Maintenance is just like management: it is more effective to be pro-active rather than being "crisis to crisis".

Finally, I would say that an annual nozzle and oil filter replacement are your first line of defense against the dreaded "no heat" call. The quality of oil is basically out of our control, and is now the weak link in the chain. In 1986, 85% of no heat calls were electrical component related. In 2003, 75% of no heat calls were oil related.





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Ragu_5

Scheduled Annual Maintenance

There are a couple of things going for scheduling an annual maintenance/cleaning/tuneup or whatever else it's called in your area.

The first thing is that the work can be scheduled BEFORE it gets freezing cold out, and that keeps everybody's stress level down. During a freezing cold snap, we are usually relegated to responding to "no heat" calls which take priority over basic maintenance.

Secondly, scheduling allows for the technician to perform a complete diagnostic on the entire system, and approach the work as true preventative/predictive maintenance, as is done in the industrial sector. It's a lot better to find a weak transformer at 2p.m. on an autumn afternoon, rather than a dead transformer at 2 a.m. in the middle of a blizzard. Maintenance is just like management: it is more effective to be pro-active rather than being "crisis to crisis".

Finally, I would say that an annual nozzle and oil filter replacement are your first line of defense against the dreaded "no heat" call. The quality of oil is basically out of our control, and is now the weak link in the chain. In 1986, 85% of no heat calls were electrical component related. In 2003, 75% of no heat calls were oil related.





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Al Corelli

125.00

Doesn't sound high to me.

We spend quite a bit of time doing all of the above-mentioned checks and services, as well as cleaning the chimney base and the area around the boiler. Oh, and a printout of the combustion efficiency test.

We don't just turn the vacuum on in the basement and tap the jacket with the brushes to sound like we're working.

125.00? It doesn't sound high at all. Good work costs money. We're nowhere near 125.00. And I sleep at night knowing the systems are safe.

Our customers call us in AFTER the oil companies to really clean the boilers. One house had the oil company there 4 times. We were called and found the chimney partially clogged within 5 minutes.

I guess that's why we don't talk price here.

JOHN_103

cleaning after oil co.

AL are you saying oil companys don't clean boilers RIGHT?
gotta disagree with you there. full service companys like mine that offer service polices, better do it right the first time
or were gonna lose the customer especially the way prices are today. our customers don,t complain about price. We could complain and bad mouth plumbers for not setting burners properly when they do the few installs that we don't do for our oil customers but we won't

Christian Egli_2

It's like pulling teeth

Or like brushing and flossing, you don't have to do it to all your teeth, only the ones you want to keep...

Of course, paying the fee to be told the boiler is in great shape with nothing our of adjustments seems like a total waste - but is it?

Beyond taking care of your boiler, you're also taking care of your relationship with your boiler guy. It helps to know one you can rely on before you actually need desperate help in an emergency. Like with the dentist, you want to know a good one you like before going in for a root canal, cold turkey. Compare the annual tune up fee to a dental clean up.

On the other hand, the fee will be wholly worth it if some flaw is discovered, even just a minor one.

No matter what, you get nice efficiency performance records you can track, and possibly some nice home improvement receipts to keep for whenever you sell your home.

One part of steam system tune up I like is testing the traps. For that, the test is best done once it gets cold outside.

Leo

I've worked for three oil companies

I've worked for three different oil companies and all three have allowed the time necessary to do a clean and tune. There have been some lazy guys who skimped. I too have seen plumbers install oil without a clue and I have seen one man service companies bring hack work to a new low. I have also seen oil companies skimp. No one field or type of business is exempt. On the flip side Each example hazve given has also had some real sharp guys too.

Leo

JOHN_103

thats true