# Power Venting an Oil Boiler?



## velvetfoot (Jan 30, 2014)

What is the ideal setup for this?
Are there any potential problems?

Thanks.


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## STIHLY DAN (Jan 30, 2014)

Not as good as a chimney for there are more things that can fail. I would suggest getting one that the motor and electrical are on the inside. not out in the temps and elements.


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## velvetfoot (Jan 30, 2014)

I was just looking at a stainless Field Controls model where the stuff is on the outside.

Wow, $781.
http://www.amazon.com/Field-Control...e=UTF8&qid=1391147145&sr=8-1&keywords=SWG-4OS

$544 here:
http://www.patriot-supply.com/products/showitem.cfm/5529

The tjernlund ss-1 is $552 here:
http://www.amazon.com/Power-Venter-...&qid=1391148335&sr=8-4&keywords=tjernlund+ss1

This fan seems to be inside the building.   I bet it makes more noise inside the house though.


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## peakbagger (Jan 31, 2014)

Most of the installs I have seen exhaust through a cap on the outside wall and inevitably there are soot stains on the siding after a season or two. If its vinyl or aluminum siding I expect it washes off but it does tend to stain cedar.


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## NE WOOD BURNER (Jan 31, 2014)

I bought one years ago, similar to the third one you listed. I did not install. the wind has an impact on the fan and shuts down burner. from what I have been told by a few neighbors. I elected not to use.

my thought was to use the PV to free up a good flue in the chimney.

I think location of PV is critical for wind shielding. I would sell the one I have if your interested.


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## velvetfoot (Jan 31, 2014)

This would be on the leeward side of the house, so I'm sure soot, but maybe it would work okay.

I have two metal chimneys in a chase.  One is for the insert on the first floor and has a 6" liner.  The other is for the oil boiler. It's Metalbestos of some type, if the literature left behind by previous owner is correct-6" flue on the boiler -assume the flue is 6".  

I wonder what the liklihood is I could use that existing oil burner flue anyway.  Like I said, the house is 10 years old but the boiler didn't see much use for 6 years or so.  There MIGHT be more room for another flue in the chase.  It'd involve, I imagine, taking off the chase siding and some, if not all, the sheathing, creating a new chimney cap.

Currently there is a little smokey smell down in the basement from downdraft through the mostly unused oil chimney.  I guess a power venter could help with this since the wood boiler would be hot all winter.

Or, I could do a direct vent pellet boiler.  More convenient, possible direct vent, more operating cost, less or possibly no storage.  But...I have about 35 stacked cords in the yard.  

While I have the fever, which for me, historically, is very dangerous, deep down I don't want to do something really dumb.  It would be nice to have a more even heat.  My plan is to head over to AHONA this morning if he's open (2 hr. drive).  I'm sure that'll fan the fever.


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## Boil&Toil (Feb 1, 2014)

Lived in a building that was retrofitted from electric heat to oil, and no chimneys installed. A boiler and a furnace with power vents. If I've ever seen a clearer message to build a chimney (even a metal one) I can't imagine what it might be. Endless annoyance and fuss-budgeting with flameouts and poor performance. While I suppose it might be a bad install, it was contrasted for a while with a very ordinary oil boiler into chimney (in a different building) which ran fine and never saw a service guy more than once a year, while these things were in need of multiple visits per year, no-heat calls, etc. They also soot up the side of the house...

Yes they are noisy - and they get noisier as the bearings fail.

I would vote to avoid if at all possible.

As for the 35 cord .vs. the pellet boiler, you could always sell the firewood.


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 1, 2014)

Iv been using one for about 10 years. Trouble free. If the boiler gun is adjusted right ,you should get NO SOOT in your system or at the vent area.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 1, 2014)

Seasoned Oak said:


> Iv been using one for about 10 years. Trouble free. If the boiler gun is adjusted right ,you should get NO SOOT in your system or at the vent area.


May I ask which brand you have?


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 1, 2014)

No sure of the brand as its in a rental. The chimney was huge 1.5Ft by 4 Ft and in bad shape where it exited the roof. It also went up 12 Ft after exiting the roof to compensate for a steep roof pitch. Was WAAAAAAAY cheaper to just knock down the chimney and vent the boiler thru a converted window opening in the basement.


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 1, 2014)

I have a gas boiler vent about 10 feet from the oil vent,no problems there either.


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## NE WOOD BURNER (Feb 1, 2014)

I have a new model ss2 Tegernland power vent if you find you want to use one. brand new. Im not sure which is best product to use. I only chose not to use due to wind from lake. when I bought this house it had a gas fha furnace that was power vented to outside that worked good with only 2inch pvc.


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## hockeypuck (Feb 1, 2014)

Power venting should be a last resort.   What about converting to gas condensing boiler?


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## heaterman (Feb 1, 2014)

Seasoned Oak..............you are one in a million. I avoid add on or aftermarket power vent jobs like the plague.


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## nrcrash (Feb 1, 2014)

I have a tjernlund ss-1 connected to my oil boiler and have not had any problems with it....  But then again it doesn't turn on very often


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## Hydronics (Feb 2, 2014)

I have a field controls venter, for 8 years now. No issues but it isn't used much either.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 2, 2014)

I just now looked at a friend's power venter.  She said she replaced the original one in the 9 years she lived there, but no other problems.  The drilled a hole through the foundation and it discharges just above the ground.  Not sure about the snow thing.  It is a field controls model.  The question for field controls is which control model to get-electronic or thermal.  This one looked like it was thermal.

PS:  We ran into a local chimney guy on the way to the firehouse breakfast and may get an estimate from him on putting in another pipe in the chase.  As I said though, there is a somewhat smokey smell down there sometimes when the oil boiler, which isn't used much, gets cold and the draft must reverse.  A power venter would cure that.


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 2, 2014)

NE WOOD BURNER said:


> I have a new model ss2 Tegernland power vent if you find you want to use one. brand new. Im not sure which is best product to use. I only chose not to use due to wind from lake. when I bought this house it had a gas fha furnace that was power vented to outside that worked good with only 2inch pvc.


The brand sounds familiar. I think thats the brand im using. One gas and one on oil for 10 years. NO problem so  far.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 6, 2014)

Well, I just got a quote for an 8" chimney in the chase, new SS chase cover, and revision of chimney heights to avoid smokey odor in basement, and something else to hoopefully prevent an occasional water leak.  Apparently it's slow now for chimney masonry work.   I think I'm gonna do it.


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 7, 2014)

I think i paid about $250 for my direct vent kit. About 10% of a chimney job.


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## bpirger (Feb 7, 2014)

I have a Riello OC3 burner on my Buderus oil boiler, which uses the direct vent.  Installed in 2003 and no problems, though since 2010 she hasn't fired because of the Garn.  Never had a problem....though they did change the settings a time or two.  Only issue I had with the burner is the tiny nozzle for my 0.6gpm (or is it 0.65) rating....it tends to clog somewhat easily.  But no problems with the direct vent.  Yes, it is somewhat loud, I think all oil burners are.  Mine is installed outside in its own boiler building.  Without a basement, I didn't want to hear any oil boiler cranking away from the utility room.   There are efficiency advantages since the flue losses should be considerably lower.


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## BoilerMan (Feb 7, 2014)

Never been a fan of power venting.  IMHO, the best option if you want to stick with oil as your backup is either another flue, or a direct vent setup.  Other than wind, the biggest problem with direct venting, or power venting is the distance from the ground.....Most installers just cut a hole in the sill and stick it out, _anyone heard of the stuff called snow in the winter when tis thing is going to be venting combustion byproducts to the atmosphere?  _

A good direct vent setup is where there is at least 5 feet of ground clearance PERIOD.  Do what ya gotta do to make that happen. 

TS


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## Seasoned Oak (Feb 7, 2014)

Iv used these things 3 times All 3 are still going and working fine. One 12 years ago, one 10 and the other about 9. All 3 are for primary heat sources. Id do it again in a heart beat vs building a new chimney especially for a backup heat source.


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## Jean-Claude (Feb 7, 2014)

The house I bought in 2012 has a Fields power vent for the oil furnace and the unit is around 15 years old. Last spring I was home and the furnace fired up as usual, then there was the sound of a jet engine coming from my furnace room. Ran downstairs expecting to meet a room full of fire or smoke but all went quiet suddenly. The burner would no longer fire up.

Opened up the Fields unit and the squirrel cage had disintegrated inside the housing with rusty metal fragments everywhere. Found a wholesaler who would sell direct to me and you can't just order the blower wheel, you need to order a complete motor assembly that's ready to bolt in place. $460+ taxes. Burner service co's were quoting $800-900 to supply/install the same component.

I see non-PV oil venting around my place with soot stains on the siding. My unit has a slight oil smoke smell for a few seconds when the burner fires up and never any visible smoke or staining. The non-PV side wall installs seem to be a 24" piece of insulated chimney stuck out the wall with a cap. I can see an improperly adjusted oil burner causing soot deposits in those set ups since there is no forced draft.


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## velvetfoot (Feb 8, 2014)

After some reading, I'm changing the flue to 6".


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## otsegony (Feb 12, 2014)

Probably a moot point here, but I'll throw my 2 cents in for the record.  I have a Burnham oil fired boiler that vents through a Field Control power vent that is now in its 10th year of operation.  Every thing considered I would recommend the set up for a back up, but not for the primary heat source.  For the first four years living in the house (new construction completed in 2003) we did not have a wood stove hooked up and just used the oil boiler.  With that set up I find that the boiler with the vent is overly noisy, it contributed to an odor problem caused by the house being so tightly constructed. The only operational problems that I have had with it were once I hit the vent with the stream off the snowblower and plugged it and about 3 years ago it stopped working and I discovered the fan had rusted itself to pieces as described above.  I was able to buy a replacement fan and motor unit at the local supply house for about $225 and got it back up the same day. Right now we get most of our heat (90%) from the wood stove, but do run the boiler when it gets in the single digits.  Hopefully this will be the year that we get a wood fired boiler going and can stop using oil altogether.  
Also, in regular operation the heat coming out of the vent will melt snow, so it isn't really a problem that it is close to the ground and mine has not stained the siding...
Good luck!


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## velvetfoot (Feb 12, 2014)

I might as well chime in again to say that I'm getting an 8" flue after all.  March 7th.  Nothing else is ready.  Still have to move the oil tank to the other side of the basement.

I think it'll be nice, anyway, to have a flue in the basement, especially since I didn't think it was possible.  Expensive though.


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