House smells of oil

Stephen C.

Thanks for the responses.

It is amazing how fatalistic some people can be! I quote, "If I die I die"

I am a contractor raising the roof on the back of the house. Yes, my invoices are up to date and paid in full!

Finally I descended to the dark recesses of the cellar to investigate for myself.

First thing I saw was the very loose and dripping oil filter at the furnace.

Second thing was the 1 1/2" gap between the 90 degree elbow and the flue outlet on the furnace (It was never mechanically secured to the furnace so very easily dislodged). Is this gap where one puts the combustion analyser probe? :-O There is no 1/4" hole in the flue pipe indicating the unit has never been tested. Lots of carbon on the outside of the elbow. I have pictures and will post when I figure out how to do so.

Third was the air filter that was lying against the blower fan. The blower door cover not installed , just leaning against the furnace. Maybe this was why I could smell oil and smoke in the house.

Forth the chimney liner is reduced to five inches from the six inches at the flue outlet collar. Is this permissable and approppriate? In general a very sloppy looking liner install with poor workmanship evident everywhere.

Finally a call was made to get a somebody in there !

Stephen C.

House smells of oil

I was in a client's house today and smelled the very distinct odour of oil. On several occasions I have mentioned that something must be wrong with the furnace and a call to get it serviced would be prudent. The furnace,oil tank and chimney liner are two years old I think.
My clients seem to think some odour of oil is normal!
I think it indicates a potentially fatal hazard.
How do I persuade them to get it checked out?
They are semi-retired and he has a history of heart problems.

Thanks

Stephen C.

Mitch_6

Don't know how you can make them

do it but keep in mind that hart conditions are sometimes masked carbon monoxide issues.

Tell them they are wasting money that the furnace is running in efficiently or they may be leaking oil into the ground.

If the furnace is not running well sooner or later it will lock out just a question of how much damage it does first.

You should also look for soting in the house.

Mitch S.

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Unknown

Definately get a pro out there with a CO meter.

If it is a furnace they should take CO readings in the stack with the blower off, in the stack with the blower on, in the supply plenum with the blower off, in the supply plenum with the blower on.

Aside from the oil smell being a combustion odor, you can inspect the fuel tank, lines and burner for any oil leaks.

Also I would recommend CO detectors on every floor of the house. www.coexperts.com

when you say "client" what is the relationship there?

But definately get a pro there asap. Without some CO measurements you may not have the client in the future.



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chapchap70_2

I doubt there is a potentially fatal condition in the house due to home heating oil leaking since it is a combustible liquid with a relatively high flash point. If the people have a service contract, the company should come out and investigate the smell and fix the problem under the contract. The people may not actually smell the odor if it has been there for a while. (sort of like people not smelling cat urine)

By the way, if there is oil leaking into the ground, one probably will not be able to smell it in the house.

Unknown

In my experience the "oil smell" is something the customer thinks of when they smell combustion.

Most houses I go to for an oil "odor" is usually delayed ignition, cracked heat exchanger, etc,..

I love it when the customer says, "I didnt call you sooner because I thought it was that usual start it up for the first time in the season smell, but it didnt go away"

Very rarely do I get to a house for an oil smell and find an actual oil leak.



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Jim Davis_7

9 times out of 10 when I smell oil when I enter a building I usually find oil when I wipe under the burner. This is caused by after drip or the drawer assembly sitting back to far. The oil builds up in the air tube and then migrates out and drips out the burner.

Ken D.

odor

I have seen the oil fill pipe have a small corrosion leak where it breeches the wall. The small amount of oil goes behind the wall and stinks, but is not visible.

Gary_15

Check the oil pump

I had this situation with a customer and it turned out her oil pump did not cut off after the ignition shut off. It was shooting oil into the combustion chamber for a few seconds. They'd tend to notice the smell right after the furnace would "shut off". In addition to the oil smell, sometimes their burner would puff smoke on startup (burning up the oil laying in the combustion chamber). Replaced the oil pump (16 years old) and things are working fine.

Mike L

smell

It has been my exterence that most people don't know the difference between oil and exhaust smell.Either way it needs to be looked at.If your really concerned, and I don't know what your relationship is with them, and you can't get them to call someone and you really feel that they should(I really hate to say this,but) try the local code enforcement officer and see if he can get in to have a sniff and take appropriate action.Better safe than sorry.

Weezbo

apparently you missed the post of...

the furnace that had the hole burned entirely through the combustion chamber,the heat exchanger,and the skin ....no, .....fire comming out of the vent dampers is NOT normal nor are "oil smells". which one does the guy need to have happen first?

ask him....

go to one of the vents pull it open ,reach back inside of it to your shoulder and *grag a handful out of the pipe...just how much heat
and oil is that going to take to ignite?

*Weezbo word= grab and drag