Do oil furnaces burn any cleaner than they use to? The last time I
lived in a house with oil heat was about 10 years ago and the furnace
was relatively new ( 5 yrs old). Every year or two when my wife did
her spring cleaning, she would wash the drapes and curtains. The water
from the washing machine would almost be black. Whenever I did
painting in the house, I would wash down the walls and have to emply
the bucket 5 or 6 times due to the grime from the oil heat. Is this
still typical for many people with a modern oil buring furnace?


1: Yes, they're cleaner.

2: The grime on the inside of your house is unlikely to
have come from a properly functioning oil furnace anyway,
since the combustion products are supposed to go OUTSIDE.
Thus, the grime was probably from someone who's house,
factory, or power plant was upwind of you.