oil to GAS

[davek]

Safety note

Another safety note is to make sure that your oil filler is at least blocked off and removed if possible. I've lost the link, but I read once about a home that was converted to gas, but the oil filler was still present as a pipe, uncapped, going into the basement. Noone was home when the oil truck came, so they didn't realize that anything was wrong until they had put in enough to fill an empty tank. This literally resulted in the house being written off. No fire or anything occurred, and the family was able to save most of their stuff, but it was not economically feasable to repair the home. You never know when the oil truck might come to the wrong house.

Your basement is cleaner than most people's homes.

 

[countryguy]

Excuse my ignorance, but how is the house actually heated? hot water radiators? hot water radiant baseboards?

Gary

 

[yogitunes]

oil pumped into an non exitisting tank, that happened here in jersey to a friend...they went to the wrong house, pumped in 200 gallons of fuel into the basement, mess doesn't describe it, many years ago and the house is still boarded up! EPA issues even after the clean up...

there are many models out there, I had a TELEDYNE LAARS system at the last house installed, with the WATER JACKET hot water storage, very tiny unit 24X24, and it vented out the back or side depending on how you looked a it, this was installed in a tight crawl space, superb machine.

I love when they install new stuff like this and its so neat and tidy, not an octopuss of wires and pipes making no sense and getting in your way...

I built a "WALL" around mine now with peg board(4ft tall), to keep the kids and pets from getting to the wiring and hotpipes, and the peg board allows for air around the system and you can hang items on it at the same time, this is just an extra measure of safety if needed, and pulls away easily for service if needed, just a thought!

 

[rayjay]

The problem with oil is that it fluctuates so much. Our friends paid approximately in the heating season of 2007 2008 500.00 a month for oil. Now the house is just a standard spile level from the 50's. My gas bills are the time were around 300.00 a month.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Gary,

I believe a steam system was mentioned. These typically have old-fashioned radiators.

Looking at the boiler it is a steam system. One sees the water level gauge, the manual water fill, steam header, the steam riser and the harford loop.

 

[countryguy]

Thanks Toggles, up here in Canada you don't see too many hot water systems although I think they are becoming a little more popular. Normally most homes are gas or oil forced air. Radiant floor heating is also becoming a lot more popular.

Gary

 

[bobbyderegis]

Greg:
I did the same at work with a new Boderus boiler. The bills have been cut more than in half. I hooked up my old Maytags where the oil tank was. No more smell either. I got rid of the hot water tank and put in a 50 gallon SuperStore for the hot water.
Bobby in Boston

 

[andrewinorlando]

In 25 years with a gas boiler when I lived in NYC, never a single problem with it, never a single service call on it except to replace a couple of worn drain valves that had started to drip. It was quiet as a mouse to boot! Loved that aroma of steam in the house when the heat would first start to come up in the mornings.

 

[toggleswitch2]

WIth regard to tweaking the system.

IMHO, the high-pressure limit should be set no higner than 3 p.s.i, and may be able to go as low as the setting in your home where the furthest radiator from the boiler gets hot. (Typically an upper story if there are mutliples.)

Also the pressure difference before cut-in should be high enough such that the boiler doesn't cycle (re-start) too quickly/frequently when the system is full of steam and the gas cuts off.

I too had my fuel bills cut in half when I went from my Homart by Sears from the mid-forties to a new boiler in 2005. I stayed with oil in that I did not want to deal with a gas inspection. The cost for me with a free promotional boiler by the gas company (but I'd have to pay for the plumber) turned out to be the same as a new oil burning boiler, installed.

 

[gregm]

cycling...

I have installed all new vents on each radiator and adjusted accordingly so that they all heat up relatively evenly. I do miss the gold, round honeywell thermostat where you can set an "anticipator" on it (higher for steam systems usually than hot water) so that the boiler does not cycle on and off to frequently or vice versa. Although no such setting on my new programable therm that does still seem to do a good job at maintaining the existing temp. Oil did heat the water "quicker" With a steam system you don't want to "crank up" the therm to high because once that thing gets at "full steam" so to speak and then shuts down, all that residual heat from the radiators is still heating the room, hence the room(s) will get MUCH warmer than your orig setting. That is why I don't have it set for wide swings, 61 at night, I bring it to 62 or 63 in the AM, leave it there all day and then have it come up to 65 in the afternoon til I go to bed. The more even temp you can maintain I think saves energy versus big temp swings from day and night every day.

 

[sudsmaster]

I remember we had an oil fired furnace in the basement of our home in Connecticut. It was noisy if you were in the basement, but I don't recall hearing it upstairs. It was non-forced air ducting. I also remember the HUGE black oil storage tank down there. It was kind of scary to a kid.

All the home heating I've had in California has been natural gas powered. Everything from floor grate heaters (ouch!) to the current forced air system. It's the most economical way to heat out here, but insulating and weatherizing the home can slash heating bills dramatically as well.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Greg,

My Lux brand thermostat had the equivalent of a heat anticipator. As a matter of fact I have a Honeywell brand thermostat controlling my air-conditioner, in my new place. I found it to be unintuitive and went and bought a Lux as I had before when I had my house.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Fascinating ot me is that in my area when a home is inhabited it's at 68*F (20*C)to 72*F (22.2*C). I see that in New England there seems to be a pattern of keeping it lower.

I once spent a long weekend in a home that was kept at 55*F (12.8*C) all day and all night. By the end of three days I had gotten used to it and my home, at 70*F (21.1*C), felt like an oven.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

hey gregm,
What is that machine next to the Frigidaire front load machine.

 

[gregm]

machine next to frigidaire ...

Thats a Norge 70's coin-op commercial 20 lb front loader bolted to the floor. Its great for pillows, rugs, comforters and other large or bulky items that cannot or should not be washed in a traditional top loader.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

very nice machine!! I have never seen one of those. A Front loader by Norge? Does it run on standard 110V? What is the cycle time? Does it have a gravity drain?

 

[gregm]

answer your ques ... ...

A Front loader by Norge? YES, I am not sure if its a "badge" name by them or actually made by them.

Does it run on standard 110V? I think its 120v but yes standard plug with ground

What is the cycle time? I think the wash time is 10-12 minutes? then it does a spray rinse, goes into higher speed for half a minute, another spray rinse (drain pump running this whole time), 30 sec higher speed and then TWO fill and rinse, it probably uses the most water during the extended spray rinse(s). Then an even higher final speed extract for five min.

Does it have a gravity drain? No, a pump.

 

[supremewhirlpol]

Very interesting!! Does anyone know how rare those are?

 

[toggleswitch2]

Greg,

In Massachusetts I have seen a thermal sensor near oil burners in the ceiling that cuts power should the room temperature get up too high (FIRE!) does you new gas boiler have this as well?

 

[gansky1]

testing 123