# How often to service oil boiler?



## jslinger (May 14, 2013)

Now that I am burning pellets to heat my house, I only use my oil boiler to heat my water.  I was initially instructed to have the fuel company service my boiler every 6 months. 
Do I still need to have it done that often, since it doesn't run nearly as much as it used to?


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## Chain (May 14, 2013)

It would depend upon how much the boiler actually burns throughout a year. If, say, you burn a couple hundred gallons or less per year, I'd say maybe every two years at the most. I'd say 500- 600 gallons or more per year and I'd have it cleaned and serviced once per year. Anything over 1,000 and yes, maybe twice per year.  It also depends upon what the "service" actually includes.  Filters changed?  Nipples replaced each service?  What, exactly, is included in a service call?


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## Lousyweather (May 14, 2013)

I'd say once a year, regardless of usage....


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## imacman (May 14, 2013)

I use mine for some heat, and all the hot water.....once a year is fine.


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## PoolGuyinCT (May 14, 2013)

Yup, don't skimp on maintenance. Murphy's law will have you waiting for pellet stove parts and oil burner service at once.


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## simple.serf (May 14, 2013)

Once a year... Sitting idle can be just as hard on equipment as heavy use. Our Carlin 701 that we use for maple syrup sometimes gets corrosion on the ignitor from sitting. This causes hard starts and sometimes burner lockout. A once a year tuneup catches these things.


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## smalltown (May 14, 2013)

I have ours cleaned once a year. We time our cleaning for the spring and get a small discount for cleaning at that time of the year.


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## john193 (May 15, 2013)

Out of curiosity how much are you guys paying for service? I'm being quoted around 170 including parts from multiple companies around me. Not sure how that price compares.


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## mralias (May 15, 2013)

I service mine myself twice a year. One big clean where I vac out all tubes, change out  porcelains, nozzel, wipe the eye clean and change all filters then a spring cleaning where tank filter is changed, porcelains, nozzel and eye checked and cleaned, no vac. Seems to keep it running good for a 20 year boiler. Just used mostly for hot water.


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## john193 (May 15, 2013)

mralias said:


> I service mine myself twice a year. One big clean where I vac out all tubes, change out  porcelains, nozzel, wipe the eye clean and change all filters then a spring cleaning where tank filter is changed, porcelains, nozzel and eye checked and cleaned, no vac. Seems to keep it running good for a 20 year boiler. Just used mostly for hot water.


Thanks for the reply. I'm considering doing it myself, but I know little about oil burners. Any tips? Seems to be as straight forward as changing oil on a car, but I'm not sure if I'm bring too naive. Where do you purchase the parts?


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## mralias (May 15, 2013)

john193 said:


> Thanks for the reply. I'm considering doing it myself, but I know little about oil burners. Any tips? Seems to be as straight forward as changing oil on a car, but I'm not sure if I'm bring too naive. Where do you purchase the parts?


 
Yep, find someone that is licensed and is a friend that can show you how to do it right. My understanding is you are not supposed to be doing you own as it is not "legal". You inherit the risk if something happens as a result of you messing something up. If unsure, hire a professional. IMO. Having issued the disclaimer, there are some videos out there in internet land that show you some basics. 

I have purchased parts on ebay and at my local plumbing supply.


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## bdaoust (May 15, 2013)

I've always heard service the furnace once a year.  I personally would never do it myself. Some insurance policies are funny.  If you ever have an issue due to the boiler and can't provide proof that you had it professionally serviced, you might have a claim issue.


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## TheMightyMoe (May 15, 2013)

If you aren't comfortable / lack know-how, once a year is a safe bet. Expect around 200$, and I would demand a combustion analysis. 

I check my stack end of season, and mid-season to check if anything is wrong / will need a sweeping.

My specific boiler is very easy to clean because it was made with cleaning in mind, so I do all that myself. (Takes less then a hour to brush/vacuum, I spend more time prepping/cleaning up)

I clean and test my own photocell, and I have a new set of electrodes / nozzles photocell on hand.

Whether you do it yourself or hire someone is up to you, I've been doing my since before I was a boiler operator. The main benefits of having someone tune-up up your boiler in my opinion is they can use a combustion analyzer to fine tune your flame for best efficiency (Not to mention they likely have some experience with burners/boilers =D )


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## heaterman (May 15, 2013)

Annual tune up and inspection should be done regardless of the actual hours of run time. Some parts dry out, get brittle, crack, corrode etc. others gum up, get dusty, rusty and otherwise stuck even if the burner never runs. Bottom line is, when you want it to run, you want it to run and good maintenance is key to that.


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## heaterman (May 15, 2013)

TheMightyMoe said:


> If you aren't comfortable / lack know-how, once a year is a safe bet. Expect around 200$, and I would demand a combustion analysis.
> 
> I check my stack end of season, and mid-season to check if anything is wrong / will need a sweeping.
> 
> ...


 

Thumbs up on the analyzer recommendation. Any tech who attempts to "adjust" and oil burner with a combustion analyzer is not worth of the title.


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## briansol (May 15, 2013)

once  a year.

my oil company does it free for people on auto-delivery.


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## moey (May 15, 2013)

$140 around here Id suggest every year if your using it for hot water. The good thing about paying someone vs doing yourself is they recognize problems that are starting to creep up that you may have been oblivious to.

On a happy note, the whole oil boiler and tanks are going next week..... Geo after that.. Not many pellets next year for me stove will be there still but would not make much sense to run.


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## peakbagger (May 15, 2013)

The tech that works on mine suggested it was a waste to have it worked on every year, he supports every other year. I usually run a brush through the heat exchanger on alternate years


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## raybonz (May 15, 2013)

simple.serf said:


> Once a year... Sitting idle can be just as hard on equipment as heavy use. Our Carlin 701 that we use for maple syrup sometimes gets corrosion on the ignitor from sitting. This causes hard starts and sometimes burner lockout. A once a year tuneup catches these things.


If the OP is using his furnace for DHW it will cycle the burner approximately every 1/2 hr. to maintain water jacket temperature..

Ray


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## fire_man (May 15, 2013)

The techs that service my oil fired hot water heater and hot air furnace all say every other year is fine for my <200 gallons each burns per year. Both have been running fine for 25+ years.


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## simple.serf (May 16, 2013)

mralias said:


> My understanding is you are not supposed to be doing you own as it is not "legal".


 
Hunh? There may be issues with insurance if it blows up and burns the house down, but illegal? Time to move to a different state.

Anyhow, I do my own, but I will throw in that I am an equipment mechanic who fixes commercial ovens. If you are comfortable doing a full tuneup on a lawnmower you should be able to tune up an oil burner.


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## Lousyweather (May 16, 2013)

raybonz said:


> If the OP is using his furnace for DHW it will cycle the burner approximately every 1/2 hr. to maintain water jacket temperature..
> 
> Ray


 
depends on the furnace/heating system/relays, etc......you're thinking of a hot start system, but there are systems out there, like mine, which are cold starts.....my boiler only comes on when the hot water storage gets below the set temp....and since its well-insulated, mine generally doesn't come on more than a few times per day.....hot start systems are better for fast hot water, and hotter hot water.....


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## bdaoust (May 16, 2013)

Lousyweather said:


> depends on the furnace/heating system/relays, etc......you're thinking of a hot start system, but there are systems out there, like mine, which are cold starts.....my boiler only comes on when the hot water storage gets below the set temp....and since its well-insulated, mine generally doesn't come on more than a few times per day.....hot start systems are better for fast hot water, and hotter hot water.....


 
This is probably off topic - but how do you know if you have a hot start or cold start?  My hot water is fast (almost instant) and it is tankless.  I hear the boiler come on a few times per day.


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## mralias (May 16, 2013)

simple.serf said:


> Hunh? There may be issues with insurance if it blows up and burns the house down, but illegal? Time to move to a different state.​


 Yep, you have to have a license in MA to do that type of work. Wish I could move. Insurance will always be an issue no matter what state you are in if they find out you do it yourself and the boiler was the cause of the loss.


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## Lousyweather (May 16, 2013)

bdaoust said:


> This is probably off topic - but how do you know if you have a hot start or cold start? My hot water is fast (almost instant) and it is tankless. I hear the boiler come on a few times per day.


 
well, you'll be sitting there on a hot summer day, watching tv and sweating yer butt off, no one running water, taking showers, laundry, etc., and what was that noise you heard? The dang furnace is running?! Why?! What the heck?! THATS how you know.......


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## maple1 (May 16, 2013)

Anyone who is using oil solely to heat their hot water should take pause & fully evaluate their situation. Factor in all the maintenance costs, fuel costs, liability potentials (oil leaks are very bad things), tank upkeep & replacements, space requirements, insurance issues, etc. etc., and you may be farther ahead getting rid of it all together & replacing with an electric water tank for DHW, & a few electric baseboards for backup heat if needed.

That said & back to the topic, my old oil/wood combo unit that had a Riello burner was only serviced twice in the 17 years it was in use. It was always kept hot, burned regularly (way too regularly) making DHW in the off-heating season, but 'only' went through a couple hundred gallons a year (90% of that for off-heating DHW). Had no issues with burner performance - that Riello worked like a top. It is now a memory though and I am off the oil.


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## Lousyweather (May 16, 2013)

maple1 said:


> Anyone who is using oil solely to heat their hot water should take pause & fully evaluate their situation. Factor in all the maintenance costs, fuel costs, liability potentials (oil leaks are very bad things), tank upkeep & replacements, space requirements, insurance issues, etc. etc., and you may be farther ahead getting rid of it all together & replacing with an electric water tank for DHW, & a few electric baseboards for backup heat if needed.
> 
> That said & back to the topic, my old oil/wood combo unit that had a Riello burner was only serviced twice in the 17 years it was in use. It was always kept hot, burned regularly (way too regularly) making DHW in the off-heating season, but 'only' went through a couple hundred gallons a year (90% of that for off-heating DHW). Had no issues with burner performance - that Riello worked like a top. It is now a memory though and I am off the oil.


 
true, but some of us already have the oil equipment in place prior to our pellets, and in certain areas, pellet, wood, or coal heat is not acceptable as your primary source of heat as per the building department, banks, and insurance companies (sadly)........most of us have electric available, but not all of use have natural gas either


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## maple1 (May 16, 2013)

I also had all the oil things in place.

I chose to get rid of all of it & replace with electric DHW tank, and electric boiler for backup heat, and along with doing that got rid of all associated oil related liability potential, freed up quite a bit of basement space, and substantially reduced my monthly DHW operating costs.

I also had other things to think about, like my insurance company coming after me in a couple of years for mandatory oil tank replacement.

Everyones situation is a bit different, and that is likely not everyones solution - but everyone should at least evaluate & consider it. It was hard to break the oil habit & take that plunge, but am very glad that I did.


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## raybonz (May 16, 2013)

bdaoust said:


> This is probably off topic - but how do you know if you have a hot start or cold start? My hot water is fast (almost instant) and it is tankless. I hear the boiler come on a few times per day.


Are you referring to a boilermate? This might be the ticket for me if so..

Ray


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## mepellet (May 16, 2013)

peakbagger said:


> The tech that works on mine suggested it was a waste to have it worked on every year, he supports every other year. I usually run a brush through the heat exchanger on alternate years


My oil company who cleans my boiler said the same thing to me.


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## mepellet (May 16, 2013)

raybonz said:


> If the OP is using his furnace for DHW it will cycle the burner approximately every 1/2 hr. to maintain water jacket temperature..
> 
> Ray


Not necessarily so. My boiler cycles every couple hours to maintain boiler water temp. Not every half hour.


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## mepellet (May 16, 2013)

Lousyweather said:


> depends on the furnace/heating system/relays, etc......you're thinking of a hot start system, but there are systems out there, like mine, which are cold starts.....my boiler only comes on when the hot water storage gets below the set temp....and since its well-insulated, mine generally doesn't come on more than a few times per day.....hot start systems are better for fast hot water, and hotter hot water.....


Mine is a hot start and does not cycle every half hour.


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## raybonz (May 16, 2013)

mepellet said:


> Mine is a hot start and does not cycle every half hour.


What is your aquastat set at?


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## moey (May 16, 2013)

If your boiler is running every 30 minutes you need to do some investigation your wasting some serious coin.


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## simple.serf (May 16, 2013)

mralias said:


> Yep, you have to have a license in MA to do that type of work. Wish I could move. Insurance will always be an issue no matter what state you are in if they find out you do it yourself and the boiler was the cause of the loss.


 
I understand if you are running a business or something, but to work on your own equipment?


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## iceguy4 (May 16, 2013)

cleaning and servicing your oil burner without analyzing the combustion can easily cost more $$$ then having a pro do it....Too much CO ...possibility of insulating soot on heat exchanger...to lil and your sending heat up chimney...Impossible to properly adjust oil burner without instruments. I purchased an old school (non electronic)  Bacharach Combustion set up kit. (chemical CO tester, exhaust temp thermometer, Draft gauge,  SOOT TESTER,...ect
  My oil burner is 86.5 % .... Definitely needed to be cleaned when it was my primary...once a season
   Now it has only run 60 hours and I'll clean it this fall...expect to re-use the nozzle (more then likely it will be ok) and set  it up (adjust for max % efficacy )


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## maple1 (May 17, 2013)

If your oil burner is set up & tuned in right by a tech on initial setup, and you maintain after that by keeping everything clean & maybe replace the nozzle with a new one of the same size every couple of years, how would it get out of whack so that it would need re-tuned? Air & fuel gets mixed, and as long as everything is kept clean & the nozzle stays the same - wouldn't the mix stay the same (more or less?).


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## Lousyweather (May 17, 2013)

mepellet said:


> Not necessarily so. My boiler cycles every couple hours to maintain boiler water temp. Not every half hour.


 
never said it did......they go off boiler temp, not time


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## iceguy4 (May 17, 2013)

maple1 said:


> If your oil burner is set up & tuned in right by a tech on initial setup, and you maintain after that by keeping everything clean & maybe replace the nozzle with a new one of the same size every couple of years, how would it get out of whack so that it would need re-tuned? Air & fuel gets mixed, and as long as everything is kept clean & the nozzle stays the same - wouldn't the mix stay the same (more or less?).


 




> - wouldn't the mix stay the same (more or less?).[/


 

IMHO  no  If you miss by say 4% (easy to do with no tools) ...burn 800 gallons @ 4.00/gallon is $128.00...And that doesn't take into account that the problem will get worse due to soot


 ...quick story...air= 21% Oxygen (needed for combustion)...79% nitrogen (completely useless BUT must be heated and sent up chimney)   OBJECT... to allow just enough air for complete combustion BUT NO MORE...too much air will send the heat up the chimney... this is a tricky balancing act that requires proper tools....Cut air to proper levels and check with a soot test(special tool that measures soot in exhaust)

I kinda snicker when I read "my oil company does my services for free"  Its like having the wolf guard the chicken coupe!!    Just saying


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## mepellet (May 17, 2013)

Lousyweather said:


> never said it did......they go off boiler temp, not time


You got it!


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## DBCOOPER (May 17, 2013)

maple1 said:


> If your oil burner is set up & tuned in right by a tech on initial setup, and you maintain after that by keeping everything clean & maybe replace the nozzle with a new one of the same size every couple of years, how would it get out of whack so that it would need re-tuned? Air & fuel gets mixed, and as long as everything is kept clean & the nozzle stays the same - wouldn't the mix stay the same (more or less?).


 
If you have never done one I wouldn't recommend trying without some training. Setting up the electrodes after a nozzle change requires a little experience and some special tools.


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## maple1 (May 17, 2013)

I serviced one of ours just last week, that heats an out building. Didn't touch the electrodes as it was starting good. The nozzle was dirty though. Gave the eye a cleaning while I was in there too, and changed the oil filter.

They are pretty easy to service - but getting the mixture right would require an analyzer & know how. I guess my point was, if it was set right to start with, and you keep it clean & the nozzle in good or new shape, then neither the air or fuel flow shouldn't change all that much to require regular re-tuning. Kind of like jetting a carb - once you get it right you usually don't have to mess with it. Unless you're tuning for changing weather or altitude, which you wouldn't do for an oil burner.


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## DBCOOPER (May 18, 2013)

maple1 said:


> They are pretty easy to service -


 
I guess it depends on the boiler. I've done a bunch where there is no way to get the nozzle out without removing the electrodes. Plus the electrodes need to be serviced too.
When you go to the doctor they always check your blood pressure and temperature. Same thing with the analyser. It would detect a blocked heat exchanger, flue or chimney but whats a little CO among internet friends.


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## MCPO (May 18, 2013)

maple1 said:


> Anyone who is using oil solely to heat their hot water should take pause & fully evaluate their situation. Factor in all the maintenance costs, fuel costs, liability potentials (oil leaks are very bad things), tank upkeep & replacements, space requirements, insurance issues, etc. etc., and you may be farther ahead getting rid of it all together & replacing with an electric water tank for DHW, & a few electric baseboards for backup heat if needed.
> 
> It would be very foolish to think about getting rid of any central heat system soley because you burn pellets..


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## Lousyweather (May 18, 2013)

maple1 said:


> If your oil burner is set up & tuned in right by a tech on initial setup, and you maintain after that by keeping everything clean & maybe replace the nozzle with a new one of the same size every couple of years, how would it get out of whack so that it would need re-tuned? Air & fuel gets mixed, and as long as everything is kept clean & the nozzle stays the same - wouldn't the mix stay the same (more or less?).


air inlets get clogged with dust/crap, messing with your air/fuel mixture, electrodes need gapped, nozzle needs changed (and all nozzles ARE NOT THE SAME!), heat exchanged needs cleaned, burn chamber should be checked for integrity, etc.....so, it will need retuning.....I still stand by the once a year cleaning by a competent technician.....frankly, amazes me that folks in the forum who go to the lengths of sifting their pellets, putting graphite in their pellet bin, worrying about the fines in their pellet bags would simply shrug off a cleaning of another appliance who's fuel is even more expensive than pellets....baffling.


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## maple1 (May 18, 2013)

_*It would be very foolish to think about getting rid of any central heat system soley because you burn pellets..*_

I don't think I said get rid of your central heating system solely because you burn pellets.

The whole heating system should be fully evaluated when a major change such as switching the primary heat source is made. Such evaluation may lead no doing nothing else. That's OK - at least it was evaluated. But not thinking about making other changes taking into conderation the change in primary heat source would be the foolish part. In my case, since I was upgrading to a gassifying wood boiler, I replaced my oil (combo wood) boiler that heated DHW with a tankless coil, with an electric hot water tank for DHW (that can also be heated by the wood boiler) & a very cheap electric boiler, that takes up negligible space, for backup heat source. Getting rid of everything oil related was like getting off a leash. Cheaper & easier to operate & maintain, and losing oil-related liabilities is something not very many people seriously consider. Lots of horror stories out there about oil leaks, and insurance companies up here at least are taking an increasingly dimmer view of oil heating & its associated components. My parents insurance company is forcing them to replace their oil tank, kept in a very secure heated basement space, again, after doing the same thing only 6 years ago.

What to do or not to do would depend on the existing situation - but, say, if my new pellet appliance was leaving my old oil boiler inactive save for summer DWH heating, I would be very hard pressed to not replace the oil boiler with an electric DHW heater & electric boiler for backup heat. Throw in other potentials like heat pump water heaters and mini-splits, even solar items, and it's a big world of alternative possibilities out there.


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## iceguy4 (May 18, 2013)

Lousyweather said:


> air inlets get clogged with dust/crap, messing with your air/fuel mixture, electrodes need gapped, nozzle needs changed (and all nozzles ARE NOT THE SAME!), heat exchanged needs cleaned, burn chamber should be checked for integrity, etc.....so, it will need retuning.....I still stand by the once a year cleaning by a competent technician.....frankly, amazes me that folks in the forum who go to the lengths of sifting their pellets, putting graphite in their pellet bin, worrying about the fines in their pellet bags would simply shrug off a cleaning of another appliance who's fuel is even more expensive than pellets....baffling.


 
X2

Just because it works when your done doesn't mean you did it right



> whats a little CO among internet friends.


 
DB...you are 100% right in this thread  BUT I feel compelled to respond to this... whats a little CO among internet friends....EVERYTHING   as you know...run the CO as high as you can get it...do a soot test....back down CO till you have zero soot (on a newer burner) and your done...tools AND KNOW-HOW  required

 special note:  I'd bet everyone here is quite "handy".. That said..   Working on an oil burner is a profession In-and-of-itself. Have read a book (one...kinda boring) on oil burners, and have had the opportunity to work with a professional for a time  and actually helped him tune my boiler up 2X.I learned first hand how to use the equipment, and have since purchased said equipment off E-bay for around $400..new if memory serves me well. The Knowledge of the  nuances of oil burners is very high.  If you aren't in the position where you can observe YOUR burner being "set up"  PLUS  have proper tools...leave it for a professional


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## Seasoned Oak (May 18, 2013)

Best thing to do with an oil burner is retire it. Iv been swapping out oil since 2002 in my rentals and rehab properties. Aside from the cost of fuel which may be the highest in the heating field they are a maintenance nightmare. Both new and old alike having 
various problem like bad fuel right off the oil truck containing water or dirt,outside tanks freezing at the worst possible time in winter. I use double mico filters on every oil system im forced to keep because of lack of alternatives. Id swap them all out for nat.gas if i could. For my own home i burn solid fuel only.


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## maple1 (May 18, 2013)

iceguy4 said:


> X2
> 
> Just because it works when your done doesn't mean you did it right
> 
> ...


 

Agreed with everything you said - regarding setting up and tuning.

I was here when mine was professionally tuned/setup when commissioned, and I was here the other two times after that when it was professionally serviced. Helped the tech by holding a light for him in the right place a couple times. The servicing amounted to cleaning the whole thing, replacing the nozzle, and checking electrode gap. He checked the burn & combustion with the analyzer but had to make no changes - it was still in tune. The electrodes were still good. So that's kind of my point - if you can keep it all clean and a new nozzle in it yourself, it shouldn't need tuned on a regular basis. If one can't comfortably do that themselves, or an issue arises with soot buildup or something else like that - then sure, get a tech in. But I'd guess 90% of the time a burner goes 'out of tune', it will be brought back into tune with a decent cleaning & a new or cleaned nozzle and no air or pressure adjustments will be needed.

As to the OP again, if one is not comfortable working on oil burners and wants the peace of mind of having it professionally serviced (very understandable), I'd feel very safe having it done every two years.


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## Ashful (May 18, 2013)

I do once per year, and the company who does the service (also my oil co.) warranties the boiler for that year.  Anything fails, and they repair at their cost.  I think the cost is $145 for the year, and they're on-call 24/7.  Good peace of mind for me, when I'm traveling and wife is home with the kids.


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## raybonz (May 18, 2013)

http://www.inspectapedia.com/heat/Aquastat_Settings.htm#H1

Interesting and informative link to boiler aquastat settings..

Ray

Note: I have set my DIFF from 10 to 25 degrees now that I understand this control with the low set at 140 and high at 160 and my boiler cycling went from 30 mins. up to 2.5 hrs.! Shower works fine with no difference noted and I might go a little lower on the low t-stat perhaps 130-135 and see how that works.. The link in this post is explained by experts not amateurs!


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