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Thermo Pride OL5-85 Combustion Chamber Cracks

Damon
Damon Member Posts: 32
in Oil Heating
Hello I have an old OL5-85. I may be getting gas so it might go bye bye. It’s in a summer house so it has been rarely used. I was inspecting it and noticed some cracks in the HX. Are these a major problem? Thanks in advance.



Comments

  • Damon
    Damon Member Posts: 32
    Duh I wrote HX. Per the pics/title, the combustion chamber is what I meant.
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,214
    It is fine. Combustion chambers are pron to expansion cracks. What you have looks completely normal. I wouldn't give it a second thought
    SuperTech
  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,350
    Before you go and replace the Thermopride with a gas furnace, you might want to consider the durability of the two. A Thermopride is probably the most durable forced air furnace available, and extremely reliable when maintained properly.  I wouldn't be surprised your furnace outlasts many gas furnaces installed this year.  
    STEVEusaPA
  • STEVEusaPA
    STEVEusaPA Member Posts: 6,505
    This needs to be addressed...

    There was an error rendering this rich post.

    SuperTech
  • EBEBRATT-Ed
    EBEBRATT-Ed Member Posts: 16,214
    edited November 2020
    I agree @STEVEusaPA missed that. One reason why I prefer Carlin
  • Damon
    Damon Member Posts: 32
    Thanks for the input! The unit is 23 years old and will probably outlast me. It has been bullet proof and so easy to maintain which is why I originally had it installed. The only reason why I’m considering getting rid of it is to get rid of the tank in the basement which I need to move plus my electric hot water heater and sink as part of a rehab we’re doing which also requires all new supply ducting and an easy return mod. The tank is a single wall 14ga which I should probably switch to a Roth if I don’t convert to gas. I don’t need to move the HWH or sink if I install a vertical Roth. What I don’t like about the Roth is there’s no bottom tap to remove water. Having been involved in a $40k remediation of a leaking UST at another house back in 2003, I’m not going through that fun again.

    I changed the nozzle and cleaned the burner before I posted. The flash made it look much much worse than it was. It wasn’t really dirty.

    One last question, I know there’s a Wayne P250AF gas conversion kit for this which technical at TP said will drop the efficiency by 3 points at most. Otherwise they said the conversion was no big deal. Any comments on the gas conversion? Thanks!
  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,350
    I haven't seen a gas conversion done on a Thermopride, but I'm sure it could work without any problems. Are you considering switching to natural gas or propane? It might be more expensive to run on propane, depending on your rates. Oil creates more BTUs when burned. Where I work I have had a few customers complain about the higher cost to heat their home with LP, even when installing mod con boilers and condensing furnaces. 
  • Damon
    Damon Member Posts: 32
    Natural gas.
  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 5,192
    That unit has a Lifetime Heat Exchanger warranty.

    Check with Thermo Pride before converting to gas. You might be better just getting there gas model
  • Damon
    Damon Member Posts: 32
    Taken from the original furnace brochure: “All Thermo Pride octagon oil furnaces can be changed easily from oil to either natural or propane (L.P.) gas. For recommendations on selecting the proper burner, contact Thermo Pride”.

    It was another reason I selected TP. I called TP. It's just a matter of cost since I don't have a chimney liner. I haven't looked into the cost yet as the furnace is just one aspect of the rehab.

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