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EFM oil burner pressure

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WKay
WKay Member Posts: 1
edited August 2019 in THE MAIN WALL
Thanks in advance for any help...
We just bought a house with a 16yr old EFM oil burner. It hadn't been serviced in 4 years. Had a company come out to take care of it. The tech said there was no pressure registering on the gauge (luckily water still circulated through the heating pipes), and it would cost $ or so to switch out a valve going to an expansion tank. He also said I could take a garden hose, attach it to a washer hose (double male end) and just hook it up to get the pressure to about 5psi (based on single floor house) He didn't explain where to connect the hose to do this. Can anyone explain?

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  • Jamie Hall
    Jamie Hall Member Posts: 23,280
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    You can connect the hose to any handy drain on the system. It's all connected. However, before you do, is there anything to suggest the gauge is correct? The first thing I would do is get a good gauge and the necessary fittings and hook that up to any handy drain and see what it says. It wouldn't be the first time than an older gauge was lying.

    You also need to check the expansion tank to see if it has the proper charge in it -- for a single floor house 12 psi is probably adequate.
    Br. Jamie, osb
    Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England
    STEVEusaPA
  • Steamhead
    Steamhead Member Posts: 16,832
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    @WKay , where are you located?
    All Steamed Up, Inc.
    Towson, MD, USA
    Steam, Vapor & Hot-Water Heating Specialists
    Oil & Gas Burner Service
    Consulting
  • HVACNUT
    HVACNUT Member Posts: 5,834
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    It sounds like the Tech is referring to the Pressure Reducing Valve. They do go bad. They (residential) come factory set to 12 psi. No reason to alter that for a one story home.

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