Subject: Re: Switching to oil heat - furance advise

From: [email-masked] (John Mills)
Date: 8 Oct 1995 00:33:33 GMT

>How efficient are the oil burners?
>Is the water radiator heat reliable with not to many problems?
>Are the power vents very reliable?
>Do the power vents cause the siding of the house to be covered with soot.

>How much would we reduce the electric/heating bill by switching to oil?
>What is the expected life of the oil furnace.
>How reliable are the oil furnaces and how often do they need matenance?

Oil furnaces & boilers are at least 80% in ANNUAL efficiency now days. 
Many up to 85%. This is not combustion efficiency but real life rating.

What are you looking at? A boiler to heat water or a furnace to heat air? 
Using a boiler is lots more expensive to put in but can heat domestic hot 
water, heat air using a coil in the supply air, and heat water for a 
baseboard radiator in the family room.

Power vents are reliable but can be a bit noisy. Question 4, if not 
burning perfectly, can have some soot out the vent. Leads us to Question 
7: oil burners need GOOD annual maintenance to keep them burning cleanly 
and not soot up the heat exchanger & flue passages.

Post your electric rate in kwh and your oil cost per gallon and we could 
better answer question 5.

Life? A boiler could last 40+ years before splitting open although by 
then will be less efficient due to crud buildup. Typical forced air 
furnace can run 20-30 years depending upon brand. A super well built 
furnace, like a ThermoPride, will outlast a generic oil furnace, like a 
Ducane - sold under names like Carrier, Trane, York, etc. 

>From  what I read in oil heating trade magazines, common installation in 
the NE is using an oil boiler heating water. That circulates in a 
separate tank to heat your home water. You can keep the existing blower 
for the heat pump and add a hot water coil AFTER the built in heating 
coil. That way the heat pump can be assisted by the oil. At what point 
the heat pump shuts off is based on heat loss of the house and economic 
differences in the fuels. A GOOD (scarce) dealer can compute this for you.
 Doubt that it will be done but should be! The family room can have its 
own thermostat for the baseboard so you only have to heat it when using 
it. This is the most expensive way to do it but most comfortable & saves 
the most $$ in heating costs.

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From: Simon White <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 08 Oct 95 10:36:20 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>
           [email-masked] "John Mills" writes:
[snip] 
> Many up to 85%. This is not combustion efficiency but real life rating.
[snip]

Such high efficiencies surprise me a little. The CIBSE Guide (table B18.15)
gives the seasonal efficiency of an intermittently operated, automatic
centrally fired radiator or convector system as 63%. A similar warm air
ventilation system is given a seasonal efficiency of 60%.

This Guide was published in 1986 - have there been any significant advances
in oil furnace/boiler technology since then?
-- 
Simon White                                       Aequam memento rebus in
[email-masked]                            arduis servare mentem

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From: Dave Nelsen <[email-masked]>
Date: 10 Oct 1995 00:16:13 GMT

The efficency ratings listed are A.F.U.E. annual fuel utilization eff. 
Most oil fired equipment is between 80% (minimun allowed by US GOV.) and 
87% . There are some in the 90% range but this generaly means fuel gas 
condensation combined with sulfur in the fuel which shortens the life of 
the equipment.