Heating Oil Tank & Piping Sludge Problems & Cures

OIL TANK SLUDGE - Heating Oil Sludge: a cause of oil piping or filter clogs and loss of heat - diagnosis and prevention of heating oil tank, line, filter, nozzle clogging problems
Questions & Answers about heating oil tank sludge, clogs, and relating heating equipment malfunctions
References

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This article explains the causes and cures for heating system problems due to sludge in home heating oil tanks, including problems of clogged oil piping, clogged oil filters, oil burner malfunctions, and loss of heat due to sludge in the oil tank. We explain why sludge is a problem in home heating oil & why it leads to loss of heat. We give first aid advice for what to do if you ran out of heating oil and want to avoid stirring up sludge when oil is delivered. We continue with all of the methods used to avoid sludge problems in heating oil storage tanks: blowing out a clogged oil line, using additives to break up oil tank sludge, installing a Scully Snorkel® to avoid picking up oil tank sludge & water, improvements in oil line filter capacity, steam cleaning oil tanks & lines, & oil tank replacement options.

Heat System Failure (heat loss) due to Sludge Clogging of Heating Oil Lines, Filters, Nozzles, or Dirty / Debris-Loaded Heating Oil Storage Tanks

Why is Modern Heating Oil Showing a Sludge Problem?

When we serviced heating equipment in the early 1970's, we often found oil fired heating boilers or furnaces that had worked ok for years without any oil filter installed whatsoever!. We were amazed until we learned the history of heating oil cleanliness. We're not talking about the number of BTU's per gallon of heating oil, just how clean or dirty it is.

Before the 1970's oil crisis when much of the heating oil sold in the U.S. was from the middle east, if you put some heating oil in a bottle and examined it, it was a lovely clear yellow color, much like cooking oil. Currently (2008) heating oil in most of the U.S. is black goopy stuff with lots of large molecules that tend to settle out as black sludge in an oil tank, heating oil line, or oil filter.

Heating oil companies are not to blame for this messy stuff. Heating oil is being produced by "cold cracking" - it is chilled and centrifuged rather than distilled into clear oil as in the "old days".

A result of this change in heating oil manufacture is that even overnight in a heating oil delivery truck, a driver may see evidence that some components of heating oil in the tank are settling out as sludge material. The same thing happens in a home heating oil tank. What problems does sludge in an oil tank cause?

Other Caused of Dirty Home Heating Oil - deliberate mix of waste or recycled oil with heating oil

In some locations it may be possible to have received a delivery of contaminated home heating oil. For example, in 2013 the New York Times reported on an investigation of New York heating oil businesses who had "... cheated tens of thousands of customers for years, selling fuel diluted with recycled or waste oil ..." The report described raids on at least five heating oil companies located in and around New York City. Named in the article were Statewide and County Oil and several related or subordinate companies. [17]

Separately (not part of the raids, commercial and residential building owners filed class-action lawsuits against Castle Oil Corporation and Hess Corporation, making a similar claim - that waste oil had been mixed in with home heating fuel. The mixed, contaminated oil may have been delivered by independent trucking companies hired to deliver oil according to the article, and the report made clear that neither Castle nor Hess had come under scrutiny in the criminal inquiry. [17]

Watch out: on a much smaller scale, we also have occasionally encountered home or business owners who thought that it was a great idea to dispose of waste motor oil by dumping it into their heating oil tank. Such mixing is not only illegal and stupid, risking loss of heat and related buidling damage, it also contaminates the environment by releasing toxic pollutants such as benzene, toluene, and xylene along with heavy metals such as mercury, lead, arsenic, cadmium, antimony lead, and zinc (all known carcinogens) in flue gases emitted by the heating appliances burning such an oil mix. Don't do this.

Financial Aid for Converting from No. 4 or No. 6 Heating Oil to Cleaner Fuels

The Times article also noted that beginning in 2011 New York instituted the "NYC Clean Heat" program by adopting new regulations to phase out the use of No. 4 and No. 6 heating oils that emit soot and reduce air quality. The NYC Clean Heat program coordinates oil companies, banks, environmental groups and property owners to provide financing intended to help property owners switch to use of cleaner heating fuels like natural gas or low sulfur No. 2 heating oil or biodiesel. [17]

How does Oil Tank Sludge Cause Loss of Heat?

Bad effects of sludge in a home heating oil tank: Sludge settles to the bottom of an oil tank where, if the oil line to the oil burner exits at the tank bottom, it readily enters the oil line and over time can clog that piping system. Other points in the heating oil system can become clogged too: oil safety valves (OSVs), filters, the screen in the fuel unit, the fuel unit check valve and stop valve, and the oil burner nozzle itself. Any of these clogs can quickly mean loss of heat in the building.
Oil tank sludge leads to loss of heat: sludge, even suspended in heating oil, can clog an oil burner filter, resulting in oil burner shut down if the filter is not changed frequently enough. Heat Doctors, in Poughkeepsie, NY convinced us to install a "System 2000" High Efficiency oil fired heating boiler in a rental house. From the time of new installation we never made it through a heating season without a no-heat call for this new system.

Eventually we traced the problem to sludge in the oil tank which was clogging the new, high-efficiency filter on our oil burner. Our installer suggested the solution was to install a new heating oil tank.

Since the oil tank was not leaking and was otherwise in good condition, and because removing the old and installing the new tank would cost thousands of dollars we were not happy with this "advice". We asked instead for a new, larger capacity oil filter to be installed to keep oil flowing between annual service calls. That step seems to have helped.

What to Do About Sludge in an Oil Tank - the Solutions to Oil Tank Sludge

In addressing heating oil waxing and oil line clogging in cold weather, we discussed use of oil tank additives to reduce the temperature at which this problem occurs. That article is at HEATING OIL CLOUD WAX GEL POINT. But taking our own advice taught a new lesson in oil tank sludge problems.

Sludge causes rapid oil filter clogging: We have seen problems with rapid clogging of heating oil filters and thus loss of heat from sludge that was brought out of an old oil tank and into the filter.

Emergency Measures: what to do if you run have run out of oil and had sludge in your oil tank?

Emergency Procedures to Deal with Oil Tank Sludge & Loss of Heat

Oil companies may recommend that if you have to fill an old maybe sludgy oil tank that was nearly empty, turn off the boiler or furnace for a few hours to let the sludge return to the bottom of the tank (and be sure your heating equipment is fed fuel from the tank top tappings not from the tank bottom tapping.

We are not sure how much trouble someone wants to go through in dealing with oil tank sludge, but because tank replacement is so costly I would take several steps to try to work out the sludge problem without replacing an old sludgy but otherwise good-condition oil tank.

Emergency Oil Tank Sludge Measure - Turn off The Heat: If you know that the oil tank has a sludge problem, if you can't do anything else, at least try turning off the heat for a time during and after the oil delivery. (Don't let the building get so cold that pipes freeze or other damage occurs.) We MIGHT have avoided our oil filter sludge-clog problem discussed above if we'd been able to keep the heat OFF for 3 to 6 hours from the time of the delivery. The idea is to let the worst of the sludge stirred by the delivery settle out to the tank bottom.

Emergency Oil Tank Sludge Has Clogged Oil Lines - Line Blowout: If the oil line(s) from tank to burner become badly clogged with oil tank sludge, you need help from a heating oil service technician. Sludge often clogs heating oil lines, especially if the oil lines leave the bottom of the oil tank en route to the burner. A service tech finding a clogged oil line (diagnosed by opening the oil line at the burner or by measuring the line vacuum when the burner fuel unit is running) can temporarily "blow out" sludge in the line using a CO₂ cartridge and special fittings.

This is a short term fix that may keep things going until the sludge has been removed. It usually works but not always. If the CO₂ blowout fails you need to replace oil lines between tank and burner as well as deal with the sludge. Oil lines that come off of the top of the tank, since they don't pick up oil (and sludge) from the very bottom of the tank, will be less prone to clog by sludge in the oil tank, so this is another approach to consider if sludge-clogged oil lines between oil tank and burner are a problem.

How to use an Additive to the Heating Oil Tank to Gradually Break Up Sludge or Remove Water

How to Gradually Remove Oil Tank Sludge Without System Clogging

An example of a heating oil additive used by some oil companies to both prevent sludge build-up in modern heating oil tanks and also to (over time) remove sludge in an existing older heating oil tank is "Ultra Guard" a product from Beckett Additives. http://www.beckettadditives.com/

One of our local heating oil delivery companies (Nash Oil, Dutchess County NY) informs us that they are the only local heating oil delivery company who uses this additive in their heating oil. The oil tank delivery truck drivers base their opinion on what they see. We're told that the interior of the Nash Heating Oil Truck Tanks is visibly clean as a result of using heating oil with a "maintenance dose" of Ultra Guard(TM).

Some heating oil technicians may recommend that a "treatment dose" of this additive be tried in an older oil tank which has been suffering from a sludge problem in the tank or oil lines. If this product works as claimed (there is evidence for it) you may be able to avoid an expensive oil tank replacement for an older oil tank which is sludge-contaminated but not leaking. Ask your heating oil company about this or similar products.

Note that this product is not a pour point depressant to avoid waxing or gelling, but sludge, too, can lead to a loss of heat which may be exacerbated in cold weather. (More frequent deliveries, running the oil tank too low on oil, stirring up sludge during oil delivery, clogging the oil burner filter or nozzle as sludge passes through the system all can lead to loss of heat in a building.

Ultra-Guard™ heating oil additive won't un-clog a blocked heating oil line but heating oil additives can be used to break up sludge rapidly (watch out!) or gradually by using the additive in a "treatment dose". Treatment doses of sludge breakup chemicals can be added by an oil company who has that product - not all companies carry it since it adds cost to their heating oil deliveries.

I don't think you can buy it yourself in a consumer-sized quantity. The "maintenance dose" of Ultra guard � included by a heating oil company in an oil delivery will probably be insufficient, at least in just one or two oil deliveries, as a "cure" for a serious sludge problem if yo are already seeing sludge clogging.
Other sludge break-up products which can be added to an oil tank (4-In-One Hot (TM) was an example I tried) might also work to remove sludge (as well as water and also to avoid waxing or cold weather jelling or waxing of heating oil in the case of some products) and are commonly available from many oil companies. These heating oil additive products are always added manually to an oil tank whereas a "maintenance dose" of UltraGuard™ (and there may be other products like it) is included in heating oil deliveries by some oil companies (not all of them).
Sludge treatments can also lead to an immediate problem even though they're "fixing" the sludge: As I discussed above, it was using one of these other sludge-break-up products in an oil tank that taught me that the de-sludger can also contribute to a no-heat call IF its use is combined with an oil fill-up of a sludgy-oil tank which was run nearly out of or fully out of oil - the delivery stirred up the sludge, probably more so because of my additive, and the stirred goop immediately clogged the oil filters at my oil burner leading to loss of heat.

What Happens when we use an oil tank additive to break up sludge?

When we added a pour point depressant to our heating oil we hoped it would also break up the sludge - after all, the product also claimed to break up sludge - which sounds good if the oil lines are old and perhaps partly blocked with sludge.

But in this case the combination of use of a heating oil additive with a "de-sludger" combined with the sludge agitation up from the bottom of the oil tank during filling of a nearly empty oil tank led to loss of heat from filter clogging.

Problems With Heating System Reliability When Heating Oil Additives are Used or Low-Level Oil Tanks are Filled

Watch out: anything that significantly disturbs accumulated sludge in a heating oil storage tank risks sending that sludge-crud through the oil piping to the oil filter and oil burner assembly where clogging can lead to loss of heat and even recurrent loss of heat difficulties. One way that oil tank sludge gets disturbed is when an "empty" or nearly-empty oil storage tank receives an oil delivery. The pouring of heating oil against the oil tank bottom disturbs accumulated sludge there.

When we serviced and installed heating equipment we often recommended use of heating oil additives to remove small amounts of water or sludge in oil storage tanks, or to act as a pour point depressant for outdoor aboveground oil storage tanks. But while these are good products, things didn't always go well. If additives to a heating oil storage tank send increased levels of broken-up sludge through the oil piping too rapidly the risk is that we are sending that crud right into the oil piping, valves, filter, screen, fuel unit and oil burner nozzle: asking for clogs at any point along the way.

Handle Oil Tank Sludge By Increasing Heating Oil Filter Capacity

This is an excellent approach can keep the heat working while we're waiting for our sludge solvents to do their job over a longer time. In a property where we were having sludge clogging problems at the filter but where the oil tank was both in good condition and also difficult to remove even if we wanted to, we took a much less costly approach by doubling the oil filters.

Adding a high capacity oil filter at the burner, or adding two oil filters in parallel at the oil burner should not be too costly and is another way to keep the oil burner going when sludge is moving through the oil lines to the burner where it might otherwise clog a filter, strainer, or nozzle.

Doubling the oil filter capacity meant that the oil filters at the oil burner had enough total flow capacity that they never clogged between occasions of annual service (when the heating oil filters are replaced). This step ended recurrent oil tank sludge-related no-heat calls at this property.

Scully Snorkel or Piping Changes Leave Oil Tank Sludge Harmless at the Oil Tank Bottom

Scully Snorkel oil tank gauge & fuel pick-up - Scully Signal Company

Install a Scully Snorkel at the oil tank. Scully Signal Co. produces a line of MagneLink™ Snorkel® Gauges - oil tank level indicators that include a floating oil-burner feed line fuel pickup. The "Scully Snorkel" as it's popularly called among oil heat folks, incorporates a floating heating oil pick-up that uses a float to pick up oil from one inch below the surface of oil in the heating oil storage tank. [16]

By picking up heating oil just below the surface in the oil tank we avoid picking up sludge or water that - if present - will be at the bottom of the oil tank.

Incidentally, the Scully Snorkel gauge and oil pickup assembly can communicate with Scully's IntelliTank™ electronic automatic fuel recorder system.

Scully Signal Company, 70 Industrial Way, Wilmington MA 01887, Tel: 800-272-8559, email: sales@scully.com, website: scully.com

Illustration (left) of a Scully Snorkel gauge and heating oil pickup, courtesy Scully Signal Co. (permission req. 2013.)

Oil tank piping from tank top - 2-line (C) Daniel Friedman

Change oil tank piping pick-up taken off of the bottom of the oil storage tank to enter the tank from a fitting at the tank top. Close off the piping at the oil tank bottom.

Some techs just close the service valve at the tank bottom and remove the piping. I'd also install a cap on the valve outlet to assure that the valve can't just feed oil to the building floor.

A new oil supply line (or pair of lines if it's a two-pipe system) are routed from the top of the oil tank. Inside the oil tank the pick-up line is not dropped all the way to the tank bottom. rather the line is kept 4-6" off of the tank bottom to avoid picking up water or sludge.

Watch out: when re-routing oil tank piping from tank bottom to connect through oil tank top, check the total lift required against the capacity of the oil burner fuel unit.

Steam-Cleaning Fuel Oil Tanks & Tank Piping to Get Rid of Sludge

Heating oil tank repair, cleaning, & lining companies offer heating or fuel oil storage tank cleaning services that can include pumping out the oil tank, squeegee-cleaning of debris from tank interior, steam cleaning the oil storage tank, and steam cleaning the oil piping lines. More often this service is performed on large commercial-sized (thousands of gallons) oil storage tanks, not on residential tanks. The service will typically guarantee the removal of sludge from the oil storage tank and from plugged sections of heating oil return lines.

Watch out: oil tank steam cleaning experts who provide this service may offer these warnings about steam-cleaning of heating oil piping lines:

Oil piping system leaks may appear after steam cleaning because the cleaning process removes sludge that may have actually been sealing marginal oil piping sections or connections. The heating contractor or service company should be sure to perform a vacuum test on the oil piping system after this or any other oil storage & piping system cleaning procedure.
Heavier Fuel Oil Heating & Pre-Heating Systems: Steam cleaning of oil piping systems does not include the cleaning of any fuel oil heating equipment (such as a below-line side-arm heater) that is used with heaver heating oils such as No. 6 heating fuel oil. The cleaning of heating equipment for fuel oil heaters used on heavier-oil systems should be discussed and if needed, added to the cleaning contract.
Document problems found: the oil tank or oil piping cleaning contractor should leave a service ticket or similar document with the customer indicating the conditions found, such as evidence of oil piping leaks or oil tank damage.
Re-Prime the oil piping, pump & burner system: Air or steam condensate left in the oil piping system (lines, pumps, tank) will usually require additional service steps including having to re-prime the oil burner fuel unit.

Should You Replace the Oil Tank Because it Contains Sludge?

Replacing a sludged heating oil tank is a last resort: even though your oil company will take the safe route and recommend this much more costly solution, you may not need to replace your sludge-contaminated heating oil tank UNLESS the heating oil tank is itself one that should be replaced for other reasons anyway, such as:

You have an oil tank which is buried and can be replaced by one that is indoors and less of an environmental risk.
You have an oil tank which is leaky and needs replacement anyway.
You have an old oil tank which is not yet leaking but is in badly rusted condition with indications that rust perforation is a serious risk.

What the Oil Company Recommends for Sludgy Old Oil Tanks

The oil company will advise you to replace the tank - that's the safest advice for them to give, doesn't cost them a dime, and is most profitable too. The concern faced by the oil company is whether or not the sludgy tank will

result in a loss of heat, burst pipes, water damage, costly mold cleanup
leak into the building resulting in a costly oil spill cleanup.

The oil company is concerned that these problems are most likely to occur when an oil tank is being stressed by the increase in pressure that occurs in the tank during fill-up. That pressure increase risk is still greater if the tank is not properly vented or if the tank vent is clogged.

Possible Alternatives to Replacing a Sludged Oil Tank

A possible alternative to simply replacing an old oil storage is to have the tank steel thickness measured - if the tank is not corroded and thus not at unusual risk of failure, it makes sense to try to clean out the sludge - a service some oil companies can provide.

If your oil company provides a tank cleaning service we recommend that step. The sludge, debris, and water in the tank are removed by a vacuuming procedure. Because these contaminants are normally sitting on the bottom of the oil tank, this procedure can be used even when the tank is full of heating oil.

You can add an oil tank additive like 4-in-one hot that also breaks up sludge, but if there is a lot of it in the tank it could take a very long time to pass the suspended sludge out and risks clogging the oil filters (and loss of heat) to boot. When adding an oil tank pour point depressant that also is intended to remove water and also to break up sludge in the oil tank, the risk is that the additional suspended sludge caused by the additive, especially right after filling a low-nearly-empty oil tank will clog the oil filters. See A Guide to No. 2 Heating Oil Waxing, Gelling, or Clouding - for a discussion of additives.

What we recommend if you are unable to find a local company who can remove the oil tank sludge:

Test and confirm that the tank steel thickness meets minimum standards. If the tank steel thickness does not meet your oil company's recommendations, the tank should be replaced.
Inspect and confirm no visual evidence of oil tank or oil piping leaks, damage, or improper/unsafe/leak-prone oil fill, vent, or delivery piping such as plastic piping or under-sized vent.
Instruct the property occupants not to let the tank get to "empty" before re-filling it - filling a nearly empty tank stirs up more sludge and risks clogging the oil filter.
Clear any clogged oil lines between tank and burner, or simply replace these lines.
Route oil lines out of the top of the oil tank that delivers oil to the burner, not out of the tank bottom. This installation will keep the oil pick-up pipe inside the oil tank a few inches from the bottom, or above the sludge top. If your oil tank piping uses a two-pipe system (supply line and return line to the tanks) then sometimes swapping the role of the two lines will help clear out a partly-blocked supply line.
Where a pair of tanks is installed, wait until the tanks are nearly empty and, catching any spillage, replace the oil line that is intended to flow oil between the two tanks.
Blowing out a clogged oil delivery line with a CO₂ cartridge may help, but as long as that oil pipe has to be disconnected to do the blowout, it may be a better long term solution to just replace it. If a larger diameter line can be fitted, better still.
Install a pair of double-sized oil filters in parallel on the oil line at the oil burner - this helps assure that heat will keep running without oil filter clogging between annual maintenance service calls (when the filter cartridges are replaced)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Sludge & Clogging Problems in Heating Oil Piping, Pumps, Oil Tanks

Question: would a blocked oil line or sludge problem cause oil smells in my house?

is this why i smell a oil smell when coming into the house. ? how do i know what caused this? - Anon 5/10/11

Reply:

Sludge in the oil tank would not itself be the first cause of an oil smell in the home. More likely that odor would be from an oil leak in the piping system or an oil spill during fill-up. ALSO see ODORS FROM HEATING SYSTEMS the article link is found at page top or left

Question: should we switch from oil to natural gas?

A more reliable and much less costly solution is to switch to natural gas. Imagine how much time and effort, not to mention anxiety late at night on cold nights when the heat stops, would be saved by eliminating the messy, apparently insoluble problem in the first place. - John Coburn 5/16/11

Reply: one size does not fit all

Both oil and natural gas as heating fuels have their own individual advantages and disadvantages. But the switch to natural gas is simply not an option in areas where no natural gas service is available. In those locations the switch would have to be from oil to LP gas, requiring the installation of a sufficiently large LP gas tank and appropriate piping, as well as of course complete replacement of the heating equipment.

Question: how do I extend the fuel line up from the bottom of the oil tank to get above the sludge? How can I install an extension without creating an oil spill in the process?

Are there any standard extensions available to extend the furnace fuel line up into the oil tank? For a DIY, a 1/2" copper pipe fits snugly inside a 1/2" iron pipe nipple and the assembly screwed into the tank outlet. Is a 2" extension about right. Unless the tank is empty or nearly so this can be a little messy. - Gil 8/20/11

Reply:

Interesting idea, Gil, but not a part I've come across.

In cases I have dealt with in which there was sludge in the oil tank bottom (or water) we

asked the oil company to pump out and remove as much as they could
ran the oil piping out of the top of the tank (as in our photo at left), and made sure the tubing stopped several inches from tank bottom
installed larger capacity or even dual in parallel oil filters to protect the oil burner and keep the system running.

Those are steps you can take that avoid having to drain the tank and having to make a leaky oil mess on the floor trying to retrofit a solution from the bottom of the oil storage tank.

Of course if you are using a one-line oil system and relying on gravity, depending on where tank and oil burner are located, going to a two-pipe system could require more changes at the fuel unit, and more cost; It is probably possible to pump out the oil tank or use up most of its oil, try blocking the drain at tank bottom from inside temporarily, or just work quickly over a pan large enough to catch the brief oil spill as you remove the old fittings and install the new ones (having them ready and prepped at-hand).

Reader follow-up:

Thanks for your comments. I did ask my oil company if they could pump out the sludge and they said no. I have had this company for a long time and they treat me well so I hesitate to go elsewhere. I used a 3 GPM oil pump to vacuum most of the sludge along the bottom of the tank but did not try to clean very far up the sides. I also pumped out the line to the furnace.

My furnace man did not recommend a line from the top unless we went to a two line system. That got a little pricey for a problem that seemed solvable another way. I did search suppliers of new tanks to see if they offered an extension piece with new installations but did not find any. I'll look further.

At this point there is about 8" of oil in the tank and I can lower a weighted plastic bag over the outlet to help minimize spillage when removing the outlet line. I have a temporary plug ready and then plan to replace the nipple in the outlet plumbing with my made up extension piece. The outlet plumbing includes a shut off valve which also helps minimize spillage. - Gil 8/12/11

Reply:

Good project Gil. Send us some photos of your procedure and parts solution - it may help other readers. Use the CONTACT link at top, side, or bottom of any page

Reader follow-up:

Mission is accomplished! The extension of the fuel line is in place in the oil tank and all is reassembled. The spillage was minimal, most was caught in a motor oil pan and plenty of newspaper for the splash. I did photograph the extension piece but it is simply a piece of 1/2" copper pipe inside a 1/2" iron pipe nipple. I did secure the copper piece with solder. I can e-mail more details if it would be useful but it may be a week or so. 8/13/2011

Question: two line continuous flow oil piping - do we need an oil filter on the line?

Our oil tank was installed ~ 15 years ago. It has a 2 pipe from the top system to deliver oil to the burner. The Company called it a continuous flow system. Yesterday a new tech came out to service the furnace and said we needed a filter on the line. Is this necessary for a 2 line top system? We lean to the if it isn't broke don't fix it school. - Kathleen 10/25/2012

Reply:

Kathleen, no modern oil fired heating system should be run without a filter on the supply line ahead of the oil burner itself - doing so is asking for higher service costs and loss of heat as crud in the oil clogs the oil burner.

It's already "broke" and asking for trouble.

Question: flame goes out or changes color on my AGA/Kerosene Cooker

THE BLUE FLAME OF MY AGA/KEROSENE COOKER DISAPPEARED AND HEAT WAS REDUCED WHEN I LEFT THE DOOR THAT HOUSES THE BURNER OPEN FLAME RETURNED AND HEAT PLEASE EXPLAIN - Carol 11/20/12

Folks who shout in all caps get tiny font.

Reply:

Carol:

Watch out: your heating appliance may be unsafe - and may be lacking adequate combustion air; You need help from a qualified installer/repairman to be sure that your system has proper combustion air supply and that the air intake to the appliance itself has not become blocked.

I suggest having it examined by an expert. I suggest contacting AGA directly for help and to obtain a technical guide for your heater.

The size of combustion air inlet opening required for your AGA kerosene heater/cooker depends on the model and will be specified in its installation instructions; For example, the similar Rayburn 600K requires 61 cm2 of unobstructed air intake area. The company points out that for this model, an oil fired unit,

The air controls of the burner are factory pre-set, however small adjustments may be necessary to suit the site conditions. [15]

You will want to review the installation and operation manual for your AGA heater - easily downloaded from the company's website.

AGA, Station Road, Ketley, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 5AQ, UK, rayburn-web.co.uk

Question: Rayburn Cooker / Heater won't work, is the oil line still clogged?

My Rayburn isn't working. It will start up and then promptly shut down. Can the oil line still be clogged if I bled the line and the kerosene ran clear and without disruption? - D.Witmer 1/3/12

Reply:

D Witmer:

We're guessing that your Rayburn Heater is a UK device similar to the AGA heater. Rayburn makes cooking appliances, solid fuel, wood, oil, gas and electric heating appliances. Model specifications also vary between in-UK and export equipment.

For example the Rayburn Heatranger includes a cook stove, and it also provides hot water and/or central heating, thermostatically controlled to automatically maintain a constant temperature.

You can contact AGA, Redfyre, or Rayburn directly at AGA, Tel: 08457 626 147, or 08458 152 020, Website: rayburn-web.co.uk. In our references we include more contact information for AGA or Rayburn. [15]

The company's website provides links to both current and obsolete products' installation manuals and parts lists.

If you have not already done so, I would start by checking or replacing the oil filter that was supplied with your Rayburn heater. Usually the oil filter is located close to the wall where the oil line enters the building, or inside close to the heater itself.

Rayburn also requires a fire-safety heck valve in the oil line; check that your valve is not closed or jammed.

There are other things to check such as for an air leak or failure to purge air from the line after a de-clogging operation; I expect your service tech would also perform a vacuum test on the oil piping system.

...

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Technical Reviewers & References

Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.

[1] Oil Tanks Above Ground, UL Standards, guidance for home owners, buyers, and inspectors
[2] Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners, Charles H. Burkhardt, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York 3rd Ed 1969.
[3] National Fuel Gas Code (Z223.1) $16.00 and National Fuel Gas Code Handbook (Z223.2) $47.00 American Gas Association (A.G.A.), 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209 also available from National Fire Protection Association, Batterymarch Park, Quincy, MA 02269. Fundamentals of Gas Appliance Venting and Ventilation, 1985, American Gas Association Laboratories, Engineering Services Department. American Gas Association, 1515 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22209. Catalog #XHO585. Reprinted 1989.
[4] The Steam Book, 1984, Training and Education Department, Fluid Handling Division, ITT [probably out of print, possibly available from several home inspection supply companies] Fuel Oil and Oil Heat Magazine, October 1990, offers an update,
[5] Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
[6] The Lost Art of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, 516-579-3046 FAX
[7] Principles of Steam Heating, Dan Holohan, technical editor of Fuel Oil and Oil Heat magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004 ($12.+1.25 postage/handling).
[8] "Residential Steam Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
[9] "Residential Hydronic (circulating hot water) Heating Systems", Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
[10] "Warm Air Heating Systems". Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
[10] Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Volume I, Heating Fundamentals,
[12] Installation Guide for Residential Hydronic Heating Systems
[13] Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
[14] The ABC's of Retention Head Oil Burners, National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers, TM 115, National Old Timers' Association of the Energy Industry, PO Box 168, Mineola, NY 11501. (Excellent tips on spotting problems on oil-fired heating equipment. Booklet.
[15] AGA, Redfyre, or Rayburn directly at AGA, Station Road, Ketley, Telford, Shropshire, TF1 5AQ, UK, Tel: 08457 626 147, or 08458 152 020, Website: rayburn-web.co.uk
[16] "Scully Oil Delivery Systems", Scully Signal Company, 70 Industrial Way, Wilmington MA 01887, Tel: 800-272-8559, email: sales@scully.com, website: scully.com, retrieved 3/14/13, copy on file as Scully_Delivery Systems Catalogue.pdf.
[17] William K. Rashbaum, "Heating Oil Companies Face Inquiry on Purity of Fuel", The New York Times, 21 March 2013 p. A22.

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.

The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.

Or choose the The Home Reference eBook for PCs, Macs, Kindle, iPad, iPhone, or Android Smart Phones. Special Offer: For a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference eBook purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAEHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.

Building inspection education & report writing systems from Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd

Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, have provided us with (and we recommend) Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates' Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment
Special Offer: Carson Dunlop Associates offers InspectAPedia readers in the U.S.A. a 5% discount on any number of copies of the Technical Reference Guide purchased as a single order. Just enter INSPECTATRG in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space.
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Heat System Failure (heat loss) due to Sludge Clogging of Heating Oil Lines, Filters, Nozzles, or Dirty / Debris-Loaded Heating Oil Storage Tanks

Why is Modern Heating Oil Showing a Sludge Problem?

Other Caused of Dirty Home Heating Oil - deliberate mix of waste or recycled oil with heating oil

Financial Aid for Converting from No. 4 or No. 6 Heating Oil to Cleaner Fuels

How does Oil Tank Sludge Cause Loss of Heat?

What to Do About Sludge in an Oil Tank - the Solutions to Oil Tank Sludge

Emergency Measures: what to do if you run have run out of oil and had sludge in your oil tank?

How to use an Additive to the Heating Oil Tank to Gradually Break Up Sludge or Remove Water

How to Gradually Remove Oil Tank Sludge Without System Clogging

What Happens when we use an oil tank additive to break up sludge?

Problems With Heating System Reliability When Heating Oil Additives are Used or Low-Level Oil Tanks are Filled

Handle Oil Tank Sludge By Increasing Heating Oil Filter Capacity

Scully Snorkel or Piping Changes Leave Oil Tank Sludge Harmless at the Oil Tank Bottom

Steam-Cleaning Fuel Oil Tanks & Tank Piping to Get Rid of Sludge

Should You Replace the Oil Tank Because it Contains Sludge?

What the Oil Company Recommends for Sludgy Old Oil Tanks

Possible Alternatives to Replacing a Sludged Oil Tank

What we recommend if you are unable to find a local company who can remove the oil tank sludge:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Sludge & Clogging Problems in Heating Oil Piping, Pumps, Oil Tanks

Question: would a blocked oil line or sludge problem cause oil smells in my house?

Reply:

Question: should we switch from oil to natural gas?

Reply: one size does not fit all

Question: how do I extend the fuel line up from the bottom of the oil tank to get above the sludge? How can I install an extension without creating an oil spill in the process?

Reply:

Question: two line continuous flow oil piping - do we need an oil filter on the line?

Reply:

Question: flame goes out or changes color on my AGA/Kerosene Cooker

Reply:

Question: Rayburn Cooker / Heater won't work, is the oil line still clogged?

Reply:

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Technical Reviewers & References

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

Heating Oil Tank & Piping Sludge Problems & Cures