Oil Boiler Technology

For starters, we should all be concerned about a clean burning machine.

It’s good for the environment and also good for lower fuel bills.

For the longest time, people have associated oil burners with soot and odor.

This is no longer the case.

Today’s oil boilers can burn as clean as natural gas.

The oil boiler that my company sells has a stainless steel combustion chamber that the burner fires into and acts similar to a self-cleaning oven.

Because all boilers eventually need servicing, they should be easy to clean.

Some models have passageway that are so narrow, even the skinniest brush can hardly pass through to clean the heat exchanger surfaces.

Here is an example of an easy to clean boiler.

In reality, the only time a heating system needs water temperatures that high is on the coldest day of the year.

A better approach is one that varies the water temperatures according to the outdoor temperature and the heat demand of the building.

This is called weather responsive control or outdoor reset.

Right now it is 38 degrees F outside and my boiler temperature is 94 degrees F and the house temperature is a cozy 70 degrees.

This strategy can save 15% to 20% on fuel usage and also increases comfort levels by eliminating temperature swings associated with typical on/off operation.

Some boiler manufacturers do incorporate this type of control system but caution you not to let the boiler water temperature fall below 118 degrees F because of potential heat exchanger damage and sooting.

Limiting the minimum water temperature also limits the energy savings.

In my area of upstate New York, water temperatures below 118 degrees F are able to heat a home for over 80% of the heating season.

With this is mind, the full potential of weather responsive control is limited.

To take full advantage you need a boiler that can withstand lower water temperatures.

Rather than trying to adapt different control systems, a good oil boiler will have a plug and play integrated system.

Some of the advanced controls even have a troubleshooting mode to help find problems that might occur.

Another energy saving feature is a well insulated boiler.

Some manufacturers install only 1” of insulation and some go the extra mile and use 3”.

This reduces heat loss from the shell of the boiler, putting more heat into the house as well as increasing he overall efficiency of the boiler.

One manufacturer that has all of the above mentioned features is Viessmann , a German boiler manufacturer.

I had tried many brands of boilers over a twenty year period with mediocre results.

For the last 11 years, I’ve installed nothing but Viessmann products and the results have been phenomenal.

In my opinion they have the highest standards in the industry.

These standards are the benchmarks I use if I have to make a comparison of another brand.

If you are looking for an oil boiler, just ask if they have the same features that I’ve discussed.

If they do, you’ll enjoy all of the benefits of the ideal oil boiler.

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