Although there are a lot of things that you can take care of yourself when it comes to the internal maintenance of your oil heater it is best to have a professional inspect and service your equipment. I don’t say this because the work is extremely difficult to do but because access to parts and tools to complete the job is worth having someone come out and do the work for you.
In this how to we will go over some of the things that you can expect to be done during an Oil Furnace / Heater Inspection. Because there are differences in these systems and regional differences can also exist the things that your service tech does may not be the same as someone five hundred miles away. Also there are different types of systems. Some furnaces drive a hot water boiler that provides hot water for your home and also heats your home through radiators. Other systems are very similar to HVAC Natural Gas systems and only provide warm air for heating your home.
If you recently purchased a home with a oil furnace and you have never lived in a home with one you should do your research about how these systems work. Unfortunately many of these systems are not as popular as Gas heat HVAC systems so finding actual documentation on your furnace probably won’t be possible. However it is worth the check especially if your system was installed less than 15 years ago.
The best time to have your system serviced will be in late summer or very early fall. The problem with waiting longer is that if repairs are necessary it will be during a time when you need to use the furnace for heating. Additionally the first cold night of the year everyone having problems with their systems will be making appointments and it will be very difficult to get a service checkup unless it is also an emergency. Many Oil Companies will schedule this work in the non heating months for this reason and it keeps their techs employed.
What Happens During An Annual Oil Furnace Service?
Annual Furnace Inspections will vary based on your system but there are a few key things that each system has.
When a technician arrives they should have a short conversation with you about any problems you may have noticed in the previous heating season or currently if your furnace also supplies hot water. After this they will begin their inspection and cleaning service.
First the technician should read the previous tags that were left by other technicians. This will give them some idea where problems might have been seen in the past and then they can determine a method of prevention.
The next thing that they should do is check your Oil holding tank and look for any signs of leaks either on the tank or the lines that supply oil to the furnace. They will want to check your fuel level indicator and look for an oil filter if you have one near the tank. Some tanks are inside in a basement and some can be outside if the tank is outside the technician might talk with you about ways to make sure the oil stays a specific viscosity during really cold months. This could mean mixing with Kerosene or other fluids. If the tank is inside in a heated area there is normally no chance of these problems.
The next thing they will do is check the oil supply at the furnace and make sure they are getting good flow. They do this by attaching a piece of tubing to a nipple on the oil pump and opening the valve. It will only take a few ounces of oil to let the technician know if there is a clogged filter or a blocked line. It is not always necessary to replace an oil filter but it is also not a bad idea to change them every year.
The next thing they will do is check and normally replace the injector nozzle. When they remove the nozzle they will stick a screw driver into the head where the nozzle burns and tap and rattle around the metal surface. This will tell them if there is any carbon buildup. If there is carbon buildup then the furnace is running to rich and they may need to make an adjustment to the nozzle. If not then they can simply replace the nozzle and adjust the igniter rods.
The igniter rods are what ignite the fuel oil in your burner. they should be placed in such a way that the ends point inwards and are about the thickness of a dime in front of the injector nozzle. This will allow for the best burn. Sometimes these rods wear down and need adjustment and sometimes they need replacement. They are similar to the spark plugs in your car that ignite the gasoline in your engine and good adjustment means a clean burn.
All of the parts should be cleaned and brushed so that black carbon buildup is removed.
After the injector is replaced the technician will fire up your furnace and look at the burn quality of the flame. Sometimes it is very apparant if there is a problem however this is where special tests need to be performed.
First is to check the air draft. A small device with a meter will be inserted into the back of the burn chamber. Normally there is a small plate that can be shifted open for this test. The meter will read the draft and the technician will decide if there needs to be adjustments to increase the flow. It might also point to other problems.
Now the technician should perform a combustion test. A hand held meter with a digital readout will most likely be used to read the burn quality inside the combustion chamber. A sniffer rod is inserted while the furnace is burning and then the technician can adjust the richness of the burn by providing more air to the burn chamber.
A simple smoke test can also be performed. This is where a tube attached to a hand pump is inserted in the flue of the furnace and air is sucked out and through a small strip of test paper. If there is no soot on the paper it is good. If it is black then an adjustment to the burn needs to be made. The digital reader first used also gives this indication. The paper burn test is looking more for soot than the actual gasses in the exhaust like oxygen, CO and CO2.
If you have a chimney that exits the top of your home for the heater then the technician should detach the flue duct and inspect inside the chimney. They will look for any fallen mortar or brick material that could mean replacement or repair.
Final Note
This is pretty much what will happen during your system inspection and service. There may be some small parts that are repaired and cleaned and some that are replaced. These small normal parts should not be much of an expense. Normally the cost is about a hundred dollars if you have a technician from the company that supplies your oil do the work. They have a vested interest in making sure that your system is working properly and often provide the best service but this is not always true.
Remember heaters shouldn’t be replaced because of their age. Oil heaters that are serviced and cared for might require a few parts replaced over the years but they can normally last 20 to 40 years which is normally the time someone lives in the home and longer.
Unlike gas furnaces they do require cleaning every year.
Also I strongly recommend that you watch your technician while they perform the work. Don’t just leave them alone. You want to know for yourself that the normal work is performed.
And before a technician comes you want to quickly go over your unit and oil tank. Look for any leaks of water or oil before they come so you know that when they say the oil pump is leaking and it was dry before they got there that you are being scammed. It doesn’t happen all the time but it can happen so you want to be aware.
That last point has to be noted. There are bad contractors that will want to sell you a new furnace when you don’t need one. If your technician is suggesting this then get an appointment from another company to confirm the problems. Anything that is over a couple hundred dollars you want conformation before continuing or signing anything. Sometimes its just the technician is incompetent and sometimes its that they get a cut of a new heater.
Also if you do need a new heater you should shop around. Prices can vary a lot and you can be oversold very easily.
But when you find a good company then stick with them. Don’t jump ship on them just because oil prices might be 10 cents a gallon less with someone else this season. It isn’t worth the trouble.