We have been getting a persistent oil smell in our apartment from
our radiator vents ever since a new steam furnace was installed
three months ago.

The oil company, who maintains the boiler, has been saying that
it is due to the cutting oil that was used to store and lubricate the
machinery, and they have been "top-flushing" the water to get rid
of it (I have had them over to do that every week or two - they must
have done it at least six times by now).

However, the flushing has made no difference so far, not even
temporarily after each flush. Initially we were told the odor would
go away in about two weeks, but it's been three months, and I am
thinking that it must be something else.

I assume they would have seen any leaks during their visits, and I
have held a CO detector over the radiator vents during venting
without anything being registered.

Any recommendations? I'm about to break my lease because of the
health concerns.

Andre

There is some truth to that. There is always going to be some residual
smell after a steam boiler installation. When exactly it burns off
completely depends on how long the boiler operates, so you can't really
determine it exactly. You might need one complete heating season to get
rid of the smell. However, continued flushing is a good idea.

No, there does not seem to be a "whoompf" noise. When the
heat goes on, (what I suppose is) the ignition assembly does run
for about 10-15 seconds before it ignites the flame, but when
it finally does, it seems to ignite smoothly, at the moment the
little ignition light goes on.

The basement also smells of the oil, and specifically only when the
furnace has been running - not so much otherwise.

Regards
Andre

"andre" wrote in message

The basement also smells of the oil, and specifically only when the
furnace has been running - not so much otherwise.

Regards
Andre

Sounds like someone is BSing you. The residual oil should have been burned
up long ago. I don't know what you mean by top flushing. When put into
service, a boiler is often boiled out with some chemicals to get rid of any
residue in the steam/water chambers. It is then flushed and closed up.
Steam boilers should be give a "blow down" on a regular basis also. This is
done when there is pressure in the system to flush out any accumulated
minerals in the water.

Yes, it is not healthy. If you can smell it, there are solids in the air
that you are breathing. The entire system may have to be flushed as
whatever was in there has been spread around. Good installation practice
would have helped.

When discussing this with anyone. you have a boiler, not a furnace. Boilers
heat water and make steam. Furnaces heat air.

"andre" wrote in message
ups.com...
Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

I don't know what you mean by top flushing. When put into
service, a boiler is often boiled out with some chemicals to get rid of
any
residue in the steam/water chambers. It is then flushed and closed up.

What they say they do is removing all the dirty water
from the water chamber.

Something else I don't quite understand - how could the smell move
between the basement and the radiator vents inside the house.
Isn't the water/steam system supposed to be separate from the
basement air? Could it be two separate problems?

Andre

You can be looking at two problems. If there was residual oil in the boiler
and it was not properly flushed at startup, some of the residue would be
carried by the steam into the system, thus contaminating the entire system.
When heated it will give off an odor that may come out the steam vents on
the radiators. They are designed to purge air from the system. This should
diminish in time. Any oil in the system should be long gone.

Another potential problem is the oil burner itself. There may be a leak
someplace after the flame. This can be some bad gasketing on the burner,
leaks in the flue pipe, some downdraft in the stack, etc. In any case, you
should not be smelling oil of any sort. If it is from the burner, it may be
seeping into your place from all the crack in the joints and air moving in
the stairwell, or even as the flue gasses move across the roof and can seep
back in if the flue it not right.

There is a difference between the odor of the fuel oil burning and the
oil/water mix being heated. Get someone that may be familiar with them to
visit and maybe give you a better idea of what the smell is. Anyone that
works on car a lot can probably tell the difference as they washed down an
oily engine and would know the odor you get when it is heated the first time
or two.

In any case, you need a competent service tech to sort it out. Sounds like
all you've had is a hack.

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

There is a difference between the odor of the fuel oil burning and the
oil/water mix being heated. Get someone that may be familiar with them to
visit and maybe give you a better idea of what the smell is. Anyone that
works on car a lot can probably tell the difference as they washed down an
oily engine and would know the odor you get when it is heated the first time
or two.

Yes, it's definitely a raw oil smell. Inhaling the airstream
coming out of the radiator vents from close up, even for just
a moment, causes a buzz, like having had a couple of
glasses of wine or sniffing glue.

In any case, you need a competent service tech to sort it out. Sounds like
all you've had is a hack.

Well, a series of hacks, since every time it's someone different.
Their initial reaction when I complained about the smell was that
I wouldn't even notice it after an hour or so, having gotten used to
it. The one guy's response regarding health effects was that the
technicians work with it all day so I shouldn't worry. They're
probably inured to the smell and think it's in our heads, and
having a foreign accent probably does not help.

It looks like the only way I'm going to get any satisfaction is by
hiring an independent contractor behind their (and my landlord's)
backs.

Thanks
Andre

Just to clarify, I'm the one who has the accent
(just to avoid possible misunderstandings).

Andre

"andre" wrote in message

Yes, it's definitely a raw oil smell. Inhaling the airstream
coming out of the radiator vents from close up, even for just
a moment, causes a buzz, like having had a couple of
glasses of wine or sniffing glue.

They should have use something like this before putting the boiler on line.
http://www.thermidaire.on.ca/hd.html

More information he
http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache...t=cln k&cd=97

A. Pre-operational Cleaner: All systems shall be flushed with
water prior to chemical cleaning. Use water meter to fill, record, and tag
(permanent tag) the system with the actual system volume. Chemical cleaner
shall be added to remove grease, mill oil, organic soil, flux, iron oxide
etc. All terminal control valves and valves at end of runs ("dead legs")
shall be opened so that cleaner is circulated through the whole system.
After cleaning, all strainers shall be flushed, and strainer screens cleaned
or replaced. Once closed loop is chemically cleaned, system shall be dumped
and flushed with water so that all cleaning chemical is removed from the
system.



B. Chemical treatment: Shall be an alkaline, buffered,
nitrite-based corrosion inhibitor, maintained at proper levels to prevent
corrosion to the system.



What you can do now to help is to blow down the boiler frequently, a few
times a day. That will help replenish with fresh water and dilute what
residue is in there. In most cases, there is a drain valve on the boiler
that is piped into either a drain or sump to be pumped. You slowly open the
valve while there is pressure in the boiler and drain some of the water.
There should be an automatic feed system to bring in new fresh water. Never
take it down more than an inch or so at one time. There is a sight glass
showing the water level and some sort of permanent mark on the boiler or the
water column showing the minimum level.

BTW, I didn't even notice you had an accent

--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/