Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

Greetings all:

I have a co-worker who is a new homeowner, and she was just asking me
about how frequently I get my chimney cleaned.

We have a fireplace that we use a lot in the winter, and we have it
cleaned every year. But she doesn't have any woodburning appliances in
her home, just the oil furnace, and this is what she was talking about.


We get our furnace cleaned annually, it's leased and the
cleaning/maintenance is included in our lease price. I didn't have any
idea we needed to get the chimney cleaned for the oil furnace! Am I
nuts, or is she? :)

KD

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

On 11 Jan 2006 10:00:42 -0800, "KD" wrote:

Greetings all:

I have a co-worker who is a new homeowner, and she was just asking me
about how frequently I get my chimney cleaned.

We have a fireplace that we use a lot in the winter, and we have it
cleaned every year. But she doesn't have any woodburning appliances in
her home, just the oil furnace, and this is what she was talking about.


We get our furnace cleaned annually, it's leased and the
cleaning/maintenance is included in our lease price. I didn't have any
idea we needed to get the chimney cleaned for the oil furnace! Am I
nuts, or is she? :)

It should be inspected annually, but it would be suprising if it
needed to be cleaned, pretty much ever.

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

If it needs cleaning very often (or as Goedjn suggests, "ever"), I
would suspect the furnace of not working properly.

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

OK, that's better. The furnace itself is inspected and cleaned
annually, but not sure if the tech actually looks at the chimney.
Furnace is working fine, so I don't think that's a problem.

Thanks!

KD

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

In 50 years my parents never had their oil furnace chimney cleaned until it
was almost a disaster. I would at least recommend a chimney cap so a
squirrel doesn't build a nest in it like at my parent's house.


"KD" wrote in message
oups.com...
OK, that's better. The furnace itself is inspected and cleaned
annually, but not sure if the tech actually looks at the chimney.
Furnace is working fine, so I don't think that's a problem.

Thanks!

KD

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

Chimneys connected to only an oil heater do not normally need to be cleaned.
The chimney base should be vacuumed out during the annual tune up.

"KD" wrote in message
ups.com...
Greetings all:

I have a co-worker who is a new homeowner, and she was just asking me
about how frequently I get my chimney cleaned.

We have a fireplace that we use a lot in the winter, and we have it
cleaned every year. But she doesn't have any woodburning appliances in
her home, just the oil furnace, and this is what she was talking about.


We get our furnace cleaned annually, it's leased and the
cleaning/maintenance is included in our lease price. I didn't have any
idea we needed to get the chimney cleaned for the oil furnace! Am I
nuts, or is she? :)

KD

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

KD wrote:
Greetings all:

I have a co-worker who is a new homeowner, and she was just asking me
about how frequently I get my chimney cleaned.

We have a fireplace that we use a lot in the winter, and we have it
cleaned every year. But she doesn't have any woodburning appliances in
her home, just the oil furnace, and this is what she was talking about.


We get our furnace cleaned annually, it's leased and the
cleaning/maintenance is included in our lease price. I didn't have any
idea we needed to get the chimney cleaned for the oil furnace! Am I
nuts, or is she? :)

KD


Call it uneducated! Yes, an oil burning furnace
and the chimney need to be inspected annually for
correct operation and the chimney needs to be
cleaned out every few years. If the burner is
working ok, the inspection should take about 10
minutes and you can learn to do it yourself.
Unburned stuff falls down and if it accumulates
you might find the stuff blown throughout your
house. Happened to my parents, every surface in
the house needed to be clean and all the walls and
ceilings painted. He could have avoided that by
just cleaning out (that's what the opening is
called) the bottom of the chimney.

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

On Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:38:55 GMT, "Art"
wrote:

In 50 years my parents never had their oil furnace chimney cleaned until it
was almost a disaster. I would at least recommend a chimney cap so a
squirrel doesn't build a nest in it like at my parent's house.

My cap blew off, and blew off again after reattached. Didn't get it
replaced for a few months or more, and white crud started coming out
of the seams where the flue bent around to go into the chimney. I
guess it was a mixture of water and soot and something else.

More below.
"KD" wrote in message
roups.com...
OK, that's better. The furnace itself is inspected and cleaned
annually, but not sure if the tech actually looks at the chimney.
Furnace is working fine, so I don't think that's a problem.

I'm sorry. Didn't the first two replies tell you the chimney should
be checked. How did you get from that to, If the furnace works fine,
then the chimney is clean.

You just heard what you wanted to hear.

You don't watch the tech when he is there? If not, call them and see
if that is part of their routine furance iinspection/claning, or at
least make sure someone checks it the next time. afaicr, you didn't
say how many years you've been there.

Thanks!

KD




Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

That "white crud" is actually sulfur that's eating away at your flue pipe
and chimney. It should be going out the top of your chimney with the flue
gases. Your heater stack temp is probably too low. IMO, a net stack
temperature should be no less than 325 degrees F, and preferably at least
350 degrees.

"mm" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:38:55 GMT, "Art"
wrote:


My cap blew off, and blew off again after reattached. Didn't get it
replaced for a few months or more, and white crud started coming out
of the seams where the flue bent around to go into the chimney. I
guess it was a mixture of water and soot and something else.

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

replying to KD, AM in MA wrote:
Chimney Safety Institute points out that oil burner servicepersons do not
clean out the flue, and only some even check it. They recommend annual service
that checks and cleans the flue:
http://www.csia.org/homeowner-resour...e_chimney.aspx
Granted, they are in the business of chimney sweeping; we have a new flue
liner, the warranty for which requires annual maintenance, but it seems to me
at least every two years would be a good idea, esp. if you use the burner a
lot in the winter as we do in MA. If you don't, be sure you have a good CO
monitor!!!

--
posted from
http://www.homeownershub.com/mainten...ace-79314-.htm

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

replying to George E. Cawthon, rose wrote:
I have a kerosene burning wall furnace that has to be lit with a match. I have
had it cleaned annually in the past, but I skipped last year and now I can't
find the person I used to have do it and I can't find anyone else who does it.
The cleaning included the furnace, pipes, and chimney.

--
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Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

rose posted for all of us...



replying to George E. Cawthon, rose wrote:
I have a kerosene burning wall furnace that has to be lit with a match. I have
had it cleaned annually in the past, but I skipped last year and now I can't
find the person I used to have do it and I can't find anyone else who does it.
The cleaning included the furnace, pipes, and chimney.

--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/mainte...ace-79314-.htm

That's too bad.

--
Tekkie

Chimney cleaning for oil furnace?
 

replying to Bob, Jim wrote:
White Crud. When 4 inches of rain fell (and I had no chimney cap), white
crud seeped out at the very bottom of the chimney (in a basement, onto a
sealed floor). I scraped it up with a razor blade scraper. I thought it
might be from bones of a dead bird or squirrel. (I didn't buy the house new,
but did put a wire cage over the top of chimney to keep animals out. After
the 4" rain I put a small chimney cap on it (like a umbrella over the hole).
THANKS for your post about white crud.
Some soot was coming out of the "exhaust flue hole". Serviceman said to get
chimney swept. First time I ever heard about that. Found this site via
Search. 9/2019

--
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