Flood Damage Repairs for Oil Fired Heating Appliances: Guide to Inspection, Diagnosis, & Repair of flooded heating boilers, furnaces, water heaters
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What items should be inspected, replaced, or repaired on an oil fired boiler, furnace, or water heater that has been wet or flooded?
Different depths of flooding have different implications for inspection & repair of heating appliances after hurricanes, rising flood waters, burst pipe leaks, of sewer backups
Recommended safety checks, inspections, & repairs for flood-damaged water heaters, boilers, furnaces
Questions & answers about diagnosing & repairing oil fired water heaters

This article describes procedures for inspection and repair of flooded heating appliances: flooded heating boilers, furnaces, and water heaters. Area flooding due to storms or building flooding due to a fire or burst water pipe can leave heating appliances inoperative as well as unsafe to use unless adequate inspection, cleaning, and repair or replacement of certain parts are made.

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This article series on oil hot water heat will answer most questions about oil-fired water heaters as well as many other building plumbing system inspection or defect topics. Our page top photos shows a client pointing to the level reached by flood waters in a building basement - the heating boiler, water heater, and other basement appliances had been inundated with muddy water from area flooding.

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Flood Response: Inspection & Repair Advice for Flooded Oil-Fired Boilers, Furnaces, Water Heaters

Question: How do I get my oil fired water heater running again after building flooding?

I am having problems restarting the water heater ever since hurricane irene slammed into New Jersey and my basement flooded. We changed the motor and oil filter, but are having problems getting oil to feed through the lines I was wondering if there were suggestions. - Antoinette

Reply: recommended inspection & repair points for flooded oil fired water heaters, heating boilers, furnaces

When an oil fired water heater has been flooded, such as by hurricane Irene that flooded the Northeastern U.S. in August 2011, there are a number of concerns that need to be addressed.

Before addressing flooded water heaters, boilers, or furnaces, if your building has been flooded, see FLOOD DAMAGE ASSESSMENT, SAFETY & CLEANUP for advice about priorities of entry, diagnosis & repair of homes or other buildings after flooding from any cause.

Now to the flooded water heater: you report having taken two important post-flood steps by changing parts (motor and oil filter) but below we have listed suggestions that might help get the water heater (or a flooded heating boiler or furnace) running again and also assure its safety and forward life.

The extent of disassembly, inspection, and replacement of parts of any heating appliance (water heater, furnace, boiler) after building flooding depends on the height reached by floodwaters and perhaps also the duration of flooding.

Our flood damage photo at the top of this page shows our client pointing to flood water markings on the heating system expansion tank - water had nearly filled the basement of this home - the heating boiler had been completely under water. Our oil fired water heater sketch (left, - Courtesy Carson Dunlop Associates, used with permission) shows the internals of that appliance and illustrates what gets wet at different flood water levels.

Certainly any water heater, boiler,or furnace component that was under-water or soaked needs to be inspected, and as appropriate, cleaned or replaced. On the other hand, basement flooding that did not even reach the level of the oil burner assembly may have left that component intact, but still may have entered and damaged the heating appliance combustion chamber.

We list some key post-flood inspection and repair points for water heaters, boilers, furnaces, just below.

What oil fired water heater parts are replaced after a building flood?

Chimneys & flues: In addition, a thorough inspection of the combustion chamber for damage and debris must be conducted before the equipment is returned to service. Mud, sludge, debris anywhere inside of the heating appliance (combustion chamber, heat exchanger, chimneys, flues) has to be removed and the appliance cleaned. In addition, if area flooding sent flood waters inside of chimneys or flues (don't forget the chimney base and cleanout door) those areas need to be opened, inspected, cleaned.

Combustion chamber & chamber liner: most oil fired water heaters use a masonry (fire brick) or synethetic fabric combustion chamber liner. The liner heats to very hot during oil burner operation - a condition that helps assure complete combustion of fuel oil being sprayed into the combustion chamber.

Firing up a flooded oil fired heating appliance before the combustion chamber liner has been dried or replaced risks damaging that component and possibly damaging the heater itself. Ask your service technician about the condition of the combustion chamber.

Controls on heating appliances: heating appliance (water heater, boiler, furnace) safety and limit switches and controls that have been flooded, in our OPINION, should be replaced. Other electrical components such as electrical wiring may be re-usable after inspection.

Electrical panels and circuit breakers that have been flooded should be replaced as even if they "look" fine, we're not confident that internal working parts have not been damaged by water, corrosion, or even silt and debris.

Heat Distribution: Ductwork: The inspection points listed above pertain to oil fired heating devices that have been exposed to flooding or sewer backups. In addition, for building heating systems, the heat distribution system may also have been flooded, damaged, or require repairs and cleaning. See FLOOD DAMAGE in DUCT WORK for examples.

Oil burner assembly: First, you said that the "motor" was replaced. If you are not sure whether just the electric motor on the oil burner was replaced or whether the whole oil burner assembly was replaced, see OIL BURNERS for an illustration of the different parts involved. If the oil burner was submerged, and if only the oil burner's driving electric motor was replaced, additional disassembly and cleaning are probably in order to be sure that the oil burner nozzle, blower assembly, and other parts are clean and working properly.

Oil filter: it makes sense to replace an oil filter cartridge after a building has been flooded; the cartridge canister is normally air tight and thus water tight. But repair steps, movement of equipment, or other events may have contaminated the canister itself or oil tank or piping, sending more debris into the canister and filter. For this reason it makes sense to not just replace the filter, but inspect and clean the canister that holds the filter.

Oil pump (fuel unit) internal filter screen: Debris, sludge, water, rust particles are often found in the bottom of the oil filter canister. If these enter the oil burner's oil pump (properly, the fuel unit), its internal filter screen may also be clogged - I'd be sure that the fuel unit has had its filter screen replaced.

Debris in the oil burner fuel unit will clog its internal check valves and the oil burner nozzle too, damaging the pump and leading to improper, even unsafe oil burner operation or total loss of heat later on. Also a clogged filter screen can prevent the fuel unit from being able to pump oil from the tank - and could be mistaken for a blocked oil line.

Oil piping: if oil piping has become contaminated with sludge, it may be possible to blow the lines clear, but if not, oil line replacement will be needed. Details are just below at Oil piping on flooded water heaters.

Pressure temperature relief valve: this important safety device should be flushed and tested as per the manufacturer's instructions. Dirt or debris in the relief valve interior could prevent its proper operation or, more often, it can cause the valve to leak if it has not been adequately cleaned. See RELIEF VALVES - Water Heaters

Water heater (or boiler or furnace) insulation: most heating appliances (water heaters, furnaces, boilers) include an insulated outer jacket or "skin" that helps keep heat and noise inside the device and that improve its operation. If the insulation on a flooded appliance is still wet when the appliance is turned back on you might get lucky and dry it out during the next operating cycle. Or equipment might be damaged, or the insulation might need replacement. Ask your service technician about the condition of the appliance insulating jacket.

Oil piping on flooded water heaters

Oil lines between an oil tank and the water heater can become blocked with sludge, silt, mud, and even water or sewage if the lines are open to the flooding environment. But normally an oil line between the oil tank and oil burner, say at a water heater, is always full of fuel oil, and sealed against oil leaks out and air leaks in to the piping system. So dirt or water from outside the system would not easily enter the piping system. Details about spotting oil or air leaks in oil piping are found at OIL LINE LEAKS. Other oil piping defects are detailed at OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS.

Check the oil tank: So how might debris enter and clog oil piping after a building flood? If the oil tank itself were flooded you might have water and mud or silt and dirt on the tank bottom - if your oil line feeds from the tank bottom all of that crud would enter the oil line. So a further check of the condition of the oil tank is in order.

A buried oil tank should, like the oil piping, be sealed against outside water entry (though in times of area flooding a partially empty oil tank might float-up and break lines or cause leaks).

An above ground oil tank should be ok IF flood waters never rose high enough to enter the oil tank vent or fill piping.

If your oil tank itself checks out as not contaminated with water and dirt, and provided we are sure that the oil burner assembly was itself entirely replaced and that the oil pump (fuel unit) is working properly, and if you are unable to draw oil from the tank, the usual step employed by the service tech is to use a CO2 gas cartridge and special "gun" assembly that connects to the oil line and attempts to "blow out" an obstruction. If you are unable to make the line usable following that procedure, and provided we remain convinced that the line is the culprit, I'd have the service company run a new fuel line between the oil tank and the burner.

Check the oil supply valves: fusible link oil piping shutoff valves should be found at the oil burner (just before the oil filter) and perhaps also at the oil storage tank. A valve at the oil tank is often used for service convenience if the oil piping exits at the tank bottom. If oil piping or the oil tank were open to floodwaters debris often collects right at the control valve. See FIRE SAFETY CONTROLS for a discussion of oil piping fire safety valves.

Bleed the oil piping properly: Also be sure the service tech was following proper procedure for bleeding air out of the oil piping during service restoration.

A Guide to Oil Fired Water Heater Controls & Operation

The principal controls on an oil fired water heater include the following water tank and oil burner parts and controls:

BOILER CONTROLS & SWITCHES (many controls on oil fired heating boilers are the same on oil fired water heaters)
Aquastat Functions - simple aquastats may be used as upper and lower limit controls on oil fired water heaters
Cad Cell Relay Switch Flame Sensors - turns off the oil burner if it does not achieve proper flame ignition
Circulator Pumps & Relays - may be used if the water heater is connected to a continuous hot water loop plumbing system or in (more rare) cases where an oil fired water heater is being used as a building area heating device (usually not code-approved)
Limit Switches, Boilers combination aquastats or single-limit simple aquastats may be used as upper and lower limit controls on oil fired water heaters
MIXING / ANTI-SCALD VALVES - used to permit keeping the water heater at high temperature (more total hot water will be available) without risking scalding the building occupants
RELIEF VALVES - TP VALVES - required on every pressurized tank, including oil fired water heaters
Stack Relay Switch - an older safety switch used to turn off the oil burner if successful burner flame ignition does not occur

Check the Sacrificial Anode & Dip Tube of Your Oil Fired Water Heater Tank

The dip tube on many water heaters functions as a sacrificial anode, as we show here. By constructing the dip tube of a metal which is more readily corroded than the steel of a steel hot water tank, the anode protects the hot water tank from early failure due to corrosion. Here Carson Dunlop's sketch shows the location of the sacrificial anode on an electric water heater.

If your water supply happens to be highly conductive or corrosive (see WATER TESTING GUIDE) then the dip tub/sacrificial anode in the water tank may indeed corrode away until it leaks (dropping the hot water temperature) or disappears entirely.

If your hot water smells like rotten eggs, you should definitely check the condition of the sacrificial anode on the hot water heater, no matter what kind of water tank you've got installed.

For details of how to inspect or replace the sacrificial anode or dip-tube on a water heater, please see Water Heater Anodes & Dip Tubes

Check the Oil-Fired Hot Water Tank Temperature and Pressure Safety Relief Valve

Please see Testing the Water Heater Temperature Pressure Relief Valve

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FLOODED HEATING EQUIPMENT REPAIR
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Carson, Dunlop & Associates Ltd., 120 Carlton Street Suite 407, Toronto ON M5A 4K2. (416) 964-9415 1-800-268-7070 info@carsondunlop.com. Thanks to Alan Carson and Bob Dunlop, for permission to use illustrations from their publication, The Illustrated Home which illustrates construction details and building components. Carson Dunlop provides home inspection education including the ASHI-adopted Home Inspection Training Program (home study course), publications such as the Home Reference Book, report writing materials including the Horizon report writer, and home inspection services. Alan Carson is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors.

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The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop. The Home Reference Book 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. InspectAPedia.com ^® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.

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Flood Response: Inspection & Repair Advice for Flooded Oil-Fired Boilers, Furnaces, Water Heaters

Question: How do I get my oil fired water heater running again after building flooding?

Reply: recommended inspection & repair points for flooded oil fired water heaters, heating boilers, furnaces

What oil fired water heater parts are replaced after a building flood?

Oil piping on flooded water heaters

A Guide to Oil Fired Water Heater Controls & Operation

Check the Sacrificial Anode & Dip Tube of Your Oil Fired Water Heater Tank

Check the Oil-Fired Hot Water Tank Temperature and Pressure Safety Relief Valve

Questions & Answers regarding this article

Ask a Question or Search InspectAPedia

Technical Reviewers & References

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