Hi –
Does anyone out here service their oil boiler on their own, i.e. the annual serivce (changing filter, checking/replacing the nozel, etc.)? If so, would you recommend it to someone who was ‘handy’?
Also… how religious should one be with servicing a boiler, every year or if you have a decent system and just change the filter every year & clean the chamber – can hold off on the other areas until a later date.?.?
I had a cleaning done last Nov. and watched what was done. In short the tech. said it was a solid boiler, nothing was out of spec., with a good gun and it should last at least 10 more years (roughly 20 years old).
I am new to the ‘OIL’ area since my previous homes were natural gas, I went 3 years in between ‘cleanings’ and even then there was very little done to the system. It ran like a top.
Thanks
-Mike
Replies
Unless you have the right testing equipment you will never set the combustion mixture correctly. Or more importantly SAFELY. You could have dangerous carbon monoxide gas besides wasting fuel.
A 20 yr old system is already wasting a lot of fuel.
Do it right, get a professional to tune the system with a combustion analyzer.
Also consider getting a new high efficiency system.
Edited 9/10/2006 10:28 pm ET by PatchogPhil
I used to "service" my own gas furnaces until I started to learn how much I don't know.
Now that I know a fair amount, I work with my service guy - he brings the furnace knowledge, I bring the combustion and CO analysis knowledge.
And in my area, more furnace guys don't have a clue than do.
Did he test the draft with a draft guage? Check the CO levels in the flue gases over a period of time?
I'd say most the time, nat gas furnaces don't need any significant work.
The few times they do, they could kill you if it isn't done and isn't domne right.
You weigh the risk.
>>In short the tech. said it was a solid boiler, nothing was out of spec.,
Unfortunantly, more often than not, when I do CO analysis on a furnace and call out a major problem, the seller's furnace guy comes out and says "nothing's wrong."
Fighting Ignorance since 1967
It's taking way longer than we thought