
Your source for Oilheat information ... from price issues to tank replacement ... and much more!
We hope we were able to answer your questions about Oilheat throughout the pages of this web site. This section lists Frequently Asked Questions about heating oil, plus what we think will be helpful answers.
If you have specific questions regarding equipment brands, prices, full service benefits or other matters pertaining to home heating oil, please consult with your local Oilheat dealer. Often, these dealers are listed on their state/local Oilheat association web sites. For a listing of those web sites, please click here.
Technical Questions
Today's versatile Oilheat systems can heat with water, steam or warm air. Additionally, a boiler can dispense hot air through the home by using hydro-air. Thus, any Oilheating system is compatible w... Click Question For Full Answer
Some new systems do not require chimneys, they vent directly. In fact, the newest trend is to put the boiler outside of your home, or to combine a furnace and an air conditioner, and have that unit outside.... Click Question For Full Answer
One way to determine a system's age is by checking the serial number; the date of manufacture is sometimes "hidden" within the serial number. Look for labels and tags near the unit. It's possible that the installer tagged the system with th... Click Question For Full Answer
The oldest kind of oil furnace you are likely to encounter will be connected to a gravity warm air heating system that was designed to burn coal and has been converted to oil. As the name implies, the air to heat the building is circulated ... Click Question For Full Answer
The oldest kind of oil boiler you are likely to encounter had been converted from coal. Due to antiquated design, high draft loss and poor heat transfer plague these systems. The oldest systems are steam heat and gravity hot water. The grav... Click Question For Full Answer
There are two kinds of Oil-fired water heaters: direct-fired water heaters, and indirect that use the heating system water from the boiler to heat the domestic water.
A direct-fired water heater heats the water in a storage tank ... Click Question For Full Answer
In the near future, the Oilheat consumers will reap the benefits of biodiesel technology. The use of Bioheat, a blend of heating oil and biodiesel fuel, will further reduce emissions, lessen our depen... Click Question For Full Answer
Oilheat equipment manufacturers have made the most dramatic advances for Intelligent Warmth. New oil-powered equipment is significantly cleaner burning and more efficient than it was thirty years ago.... Click Question For Full Answer
AFUE is an attempt by the Department of Energy to measure how much heat stays in the system versus how much escapes up the chimney. The higher the AFUE rating, the greater the efficiency. However, AFUE test procedures have some problems. NO... Click Question For Full Answer
The degree day system was developed by heating engineers who wanted a method to relate each day's temperatures to the demand for fuel to heat and cool buildings.
To calculate the heating degree days for a particular day, retail h... Click Question For Full Answer
The efficiency levels of Oilheat systems can exceed 95%. For every gallon of oil burned, a whopping 140,000 Btus of energy are released. ... Click Question For Full Answer
Heating oil in liquid form must be turned into vapor and mixed with air before it can burn. The oil pump lifts the oil from the storage tank, pressurizes it and delivers it to the burner's nozzle that sprays the oil in a fine mist of small ... Click Question For Full Answer
To heat the home a furnace uses air and a boiler uses water. A furnace uses the flame from the oil burner to heat air, which is distributed throughout the house. A boiler uses the flame to heat water that is either sent around the house in... Click Question For Full Answer
In a steam system, water heated in the boiler turns to steam, and the steam rises to radiators to heat the home. For the most part, steam boilers have not been installed in new homes since the
1950s, when forced hot water heating systems p... Click Question For Full Answer
Carlin has developed a Sentinel Advanced Primary Controller which can be installed in homeowners' heating systems. From the heating system to the dealer's computer system, the dealer will be able to gather data from the heating system, suc... Click Question For Full Answer
With a 96% AFUE the Efficiency Expert Condensing Furnace made by Adams is designed to heat instantly on fire-up 50,000 through 250,000 BTU - more heat and more savings! However, National Oilheat Research Alliance is continuously researchin... Click Question For Full Answer
Energy Kinetics is developing a combined heat and hot water condensing oil boiler application. This unit will provide customers with highly efficient heat and hot water while promoting environmental-friendliness. ... Click Question For Full Answer
Questions About Oil
There are over 36 oil-producing countries. The U.S. is not overly dependent on any one region for our supply. More than 40% of our crude oil comes from the USA. Canada, Mexico, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia are our other main suppliers. The w... Click Question For Full Answer
Heating oil is refined from crude oil. The refining process first separates crude oil into different "fractions" by using a distillation process. The middle distillates are then further refined to produce gasoline, kerosene, jet fuel, diese... Click Question For Full Answer
After refining, No. 2 heating oil is the color of champagne. For tax purposes, regulations require that heating fuel be dyed red before it is sold. This is so the authorities can tell the difference between heating oil and on-road diesel fu... Click Question For Full Answer
Over the past 20 years, the sulfur content of heating oil has been reduced from over 1% to as low as .05%, a reduction of over 93%. This has done a lot to clear the air. Oilheat is good for the home and good for our planet!... Click Question For Full Answer
Consumer Attributes
You can feel the difference with Oilheat. There are many technological reasons that contribute to Oilheat's legendary warmth. A high percentage of Oilheated systems are hydronic rather than warm air. Hydronic systems provide a more steady h... Click Question For Full Answer
Home heating fuel consumer consumers tend to report high levels of satisfaction with all aspects of heating fuel that were measured including: Safe, Clean, Accessible, Fast service, Local, Efficient, Convenient, Dependable, and Reliable.Click Question For Full Answer
If you want heat that is clean, comfortable, environmentally friendly, efficient, economical, dependable, safe and versatile, Oilheat is for you.... Click Question For Full Answer
Cleanliness is an important Oilheat improvement. Today's Oilheat is 95% cleaner than it was in 1970. When properly adjusted and maintained, new Oilheat systems create absolutely no soot, dirt, or odors in the home. It's the intelligent warm... Click Question For Full Answer
Heating oil is safe. It takes an advanced high-tech burner to ignite the oil. If you drop a match into heating oil it will go out as if dropped into water. Heating oil must be vaporized before it will ignite or burn.... Click Question For Full Answer
Over the last three decades, Oilheat equipment has improved its environmental performance. Before the development of the modern oil burners, the emissions of particulate matter from an Oilheat system were 10 pounds per 1000 gallons burned,... Click Question For Full Answer
New oil fired heating boilers and furnaces are much smaller than older ones. The average boiler today is as big as a three-drawer filing cabinet. Furnaces are similarly sized.... Click Question For Full Answer
Oilheat can be installed into any home and be easily combined with air-conditioning. If you don't currently have Oilheat, using Oilheat should not be a problem. It will require the installation of a tank, which may be installed inside, ou... Click Question For Full Answer
An Oilheat system with one of today's modern burners is capable of burning 99.9% clean. The oil burners of today are so clean that they produce on average six ounces of particulate emissions (soot) a year. To put that in context, consider t... Click Question For Full Answer
The Oilheat Industry has made great progress with energy conservation. In 1978 the average American home burned 1,297 gallons per year. In 2005, the average number of gallons burned is 860. This is a 33.6% decrease per household! A new syst... Click Question For Full Answer
We have dramatically reduced the amount of sulfur in the fuel from over 1% in 1970 to an average of .2% today (an 80% reduction). This leads to improved efficiency, cleaner burning, lower environmental impact, and increased longevity for he... Click Question For Full Answer
New Oilheat system components are amazingly reliable. They are so reliable most manufacturers offer 3 to 5 year warranties, and if something ever fails it is easy to get replacement parts thanks to Oilheat's standardized interchangeable par... Click Question For Full Answer
Tank Questions
Tanks are an effective way to store oil, and with proper maintenance can last virtually forever. You should not be concerned if you or your oil dealer are taking care of the tank.... Click Question For Full Answer
No, a properly functioning oil tank should not produce odors. If you notice an oil smell in the building it may be a sign that there is a problem with your tank, the piping or your heating appliance. You should contact your oil dealer abou... Click Question For Full Answer
Home heating oil tanks last a long time. They are made of high-grade steel, fiberglass, or sometimes double wall tanks of plastic and steel, and can last for decades. Maintenance of the tanks and inspections prolong the life of the tank. ... Click Question For Full Answer
Consult with an Oilheat professional as to the ideal tank size, type, and installation location for your home. NORA recommends that if possible install the tank inside a building or enclosure to protect it from the elements.... Click Question For Full Answer
A professional should install it. Tank installation is NOT a do-it-yourself weekend project.
Have it inspected periodically. This can be done during your oil burner preventive maintenance check. The service personnel should look... Click Question For Full Answer
The answer is corrosion. Corrosion is a natural process. It is essentially rust. Corrosion can only occur in the presence of water. That is why it is very important to protect the tank from exposure to water inside the tank. An outside ... Click Question For Full Answer
Hot Water with Oil
Homeowners with oil-fired water heaters have discovered they have low-cost access to virtually unlimited amounts of hot water. Oilheat's ability to produce a reliable, inexpensive supply of domestic hot water is one of its strongest feature... Click Question For Full Answer
Ideally, a thermostat should be mounted on an inside wall about five feet from the floor. It won't communicate proper heating needs if it's near a heat source, like a lamp or television, or if it's in an area prone to drafts, such as near a... Click Question For Full Answer
In addition to the tank, a heating oil storage system includes the fill pipe and the vent pipe. The oil driver connects the hose from the delivery truck to the fill pipe when making a delivery of fuel.
The vent pipe releases air ... Click Question For Full Answer
Economic Issues
The United States sources of heating oil are domestic refineries and imports from foreign countries. Refineries produce heating oil as a part of the "distillate fuel oil" product family, which includes both diesel fuel and heating oil. Dist... Click Question For Full Answer
Oil prices fluctuate for a variety of reasons. These include: Seasonality in the demand for heating oil - When crude oil prices are steady, home heating oil prices tend to slowly rise in the ... Click Question For Full Answer
Each fuel is different. Gas is sold by the Therm or cubic foot, electricity is sold by the kilowatt and heating oil and propane are sold by the gallon. However, a gallon of heating oil and a gallon of propane have different characteri... Click Question For Full Answer
Heating oil consumers should first talk with their heating oil retailer about Oilheat buying programs such as price caps and fixed price programs. They should also establish a budget plan with their retail dealer.
The best strategy ... Click Question For Full Answer
In the view of noted energy analysts, heating oil dealers are simply passing along the steady increases in heating oil that have been occurring for the past year. The extreme spikes in heating oil prices cannot be absorbed by the local... Click Question For Full Answer
A fixed price program is first developed when an Oilheat dealer secures heating oil contracts for his/her customers on the wholesale market for a specific price. The dealer then adds on the overhead costs of running the business (employee w... Click Question For Full Answer
A "pre-buy" allows customers to effectively buy heating oil, agreeing to take a certain number of gallons at a set price during the next heating season.... Click Question For Full Answer
These programs provide a variety of alternatives for Oilheat consumers, but every customer must decide what works best for their energy needs and budget. ... Click Question For Full Answer
No. Most full-service Oilheat dealers will try to offer these programs to a portion of their customer base. But smaller Oilheat operations, the COD companies, will most likely not offer these types of programs. ... Click Question For Full Answer
A heating oil contract is an agreement to purchase or sell fuel for delivery in the future: (1) at a price that is determined at the time the contract is executed (usually 10 percent less then wholesale); (2) that commits each party to the ... Click Question For Full Answer
A customer can buy home heating oil by paying the daily market rate. Since heating oil is a commodity that is traded on world energy markets such as the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), the price can change from day to day. The daily r... Click Question For Full Answer
The wholesale price is the price the dealer pays for his oil from large, and generally multinational companies. These prices reflect the daily trading activity that occurs on world energy trading markets such as the New York Mercantile Exc... Click Question For Full Answer
Due to strict anti-trust laws regarding commodity pricing and competition among Oilheat dealers within the marketplace, we are advised not to discuss or speculate on specific profit margins for heating oil retailers. Also, every retail oper... Click Question For Full Answer
Families in need of assistance and the elderly can apply for fuel assistance (Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program - LIHEAP) through state agencies such as the Department of Housing & Community Development. Every state has diffe... Click Question For Full Answer
Service Issues
The NORA Oilheat Technician Certification Program provides a national standard for Technician Training. It gives credibility and recognition to Master Technicians. It encourages Technicians to become perpetual students by requiring Continui... Click Question For Full Answer
Primary controls have a reset button. This button allows the homeowner to restart the burner should a problem cause the unit to shut down. (For example, burners may need to be restarted after a power outage.) Pushing the reset button should... Click Question For Full Answer
A complete professional tune-up generally takes from one to two hours. It typically includes a series of safety and operating tests and any needed adjustments. These include, among many others, testing the draft, the stack temperature, burn... Click Question For Full Answer
"Automatic" delivery means that an Oilheat dealer will automatically determine when a customer needs fuel by using degree day monitoring. The customer does not need to place a call to the dealer for a delivery. The dealer will automatically... Click Question For Full Answer

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