home heating oil
- Thread starter genius
- Start date
I have the pellet insert for my fireplace. Along with my oil burner. After I got the insert I worked out the numbers and I use 1/3 less oil. And the way they make these pellets and the very little ash that is made. ( much different from the 70's) the cost of the amount of pellets I use vs. The amount of oil I would be using, , I'm saving a significant amount.
The pellet stove can be used as a separate heat source or there are fireplace wood pellet inserts. Only thing to realize is the initial cost of the stove. Also storing the pellets which come in 40 lb bags. Usually clean the stove after you burn a ton (50 bags).
If the home owner isn’t in shape to hump these pellet bags daily then I’d advise not entertaining the idea.
I burn usually a bag a day and if it’s real cold and windy it could be 1.5 bags.
Two tons of pellets (100 bags) this year delivered cost $800. I don’t burn any oil all winter for heat just burn oil for hot water.
I fill the oil tank once a year when burning wood pellets.
If the home owner isn’t in shape to hump these pellet bags daily then I’d advise not entertaining the idea.
I burn usually a bag a day and if it’s real cold and windy it could be 1.5 bags.
Two tons of pellets (100 bags) this year delivered cost $800. I don’t burn any oil all winter for heat just burn oil for hot water.
I fill the oil tank once a year when burning wood pellets.
I'm not claiming that your deal wasn't good. I was just commenting on the word Free
To wit copied directly from Slomins site:
$3.699, with 12 month price lock.
Slomin's Service Plan Invoiced at $199.0
$3.999, with 12 month price lock
Slomin's Service Plan included free
To wit copied directly from Slomins site:
$3.699, with 12 month price lock.
Slomin's Service Plan Invoiced at $199.0
$3.999, with 12 month price lock
Slomin's Service Plan included free
Just curious.
How do you distribute the heat from the fireplace insert throughout the house?
If I relied on a fireplace insert I could not figure out how to maintain appropriate temperatures throughout the house. (I thought about it but guess I'm just not smart enough to figure it out - maybe running the central air fan mode only would help distribute the heat, IDK)
Perhaps you can enlighten me as I also would like to be "saving a significant amount"
In my house I have 2 zones with a thermostat controlling each ( set each zone up myself as the house only had one zone when I bought it. I did the plumbing and electrical as doing it myself resulted in me "saving a significant amount".)
One zone controls the bedrooms and associated bathrooms.
The other zone controls the areas used during the day and evenings, i.e., living room (has a fireplace that I use for effect and not for heat) , kitchen, dining room.
The basement has a workshop, finished section with exercise equipment, and laundry room with each not needing baseboard heating or thermostat control as the boiler is down there and throws off sufficient waste heat to keep the area conformable in the winter.
I keep the bedroom temperature rather low during the day (to save energy as it is not occupied then) and the rest of the house warm as it occupied.
During the night the temperature profile scheme is the exact opposite.
With extra insulation and other things I did to conserve energy I use about 600 gals of oil a year. so a 1/3 saving would be 200 gals. That is not all the savings of using pellets as there is a cost to them plus the maintenance and cleanings.
How do you distribute the heat from the fireplace insert throughout the house?
If I relied on a fireplace insert I could not figure out how to maintain appropriate temperatures throughout the house. (I thought about it but guess I'm just not smart enough to figure it out - maybe running the central air fan mode only would help distribute the heat, IDK)
Perhaps you can enlighten me as I also would like to be "saving a significant amount"
In my house I have 2 zones with a thermostat controlling each ( set each zone up myself as the house only had one zone when I bought it. I did the plumbing and electrical as doing it myself resulted in me "saving a significant amount".)
One zone controls the bedrooms and associated bathrooms.
The other zone controls the areas used during the day and evenings, i.e., living room (has a fireplace that I use for effect and not for heat) , kitchen, dining room.
The basement has a workshop, finished section with exercise equipment, and laundry room with each not needing baseboard heating or thermostat control as the boiler is down there and throws off sufficient waste heat to keep the area conformable in the winter.
I keep the bedroom temperature rather low during the day (to save energy as it is not occupied then) and the rest of the house warm as it occupied.
During the night the temperature profile scheme is the exact opposite.
With extra insulation and other things I did to conserve energy I use about 600 gals of oil a year. so a 1/3 saving would be 200 gals. That is not all the savings of using pellets as there is a cost to them plus the maintenance and cleanings.
The design of your place is not typical of most homes, IMHO.
The open floor plan just doesn't help — it is everything in most house designs. Plus in your case, since hot air rises, you will get some benefit in heat distribution to the 2nd floor.
However if you had a ranch with walls between the rooms unless you ran the central air fan or if hot air heat ran that fan, the pellet scheme would not be practical as the room with the pellet insert would be greatly overheated and the rest greatly underheated.
Couple of tips:
find a way to supply outside air to the fire box intake (w/o mixing with the heated air) as will increase efficiency as you are not using heated air from the house for the combustion air and thus up the chimney. This is especially important (although few people do it) if you are burning wood in a the conventional way (using logs) in a fireplace. A roaring fire in a convectional fireplace can actually have a net heat loss as it sends oil heated air from the remainder of the house and sends it up the chimney.
Buddy of mine has a heat operated fan sitting on top of his stove that circuits the air to an adjacent room (doesn't have open floor design) which helps reduce overheating. Saves a little energy (not much) over an electric fan. I don't see how it could work with an insert.
Just curious, how much is the cost of the pellets compared to the oil saved?
The open floor plan just doesn't help — it is everything in most house designs. Plus in your case, since hot air rises, you will get some benefit in heat distribution to the 2nd floor.
However if you had a ranch with walls between the rooms unless you ran the central air fan or if hot air heat ran that fan, the pellet scheme would not be practical as the room with the pellet insert would be greatly overheated and the rest greatly underheated.
Couple of tips:
find a way to supply outside air to the fire box intake (w/o mixing with the heated air) as will increase efficiency as you are not using heated air from the house for the combustion air and thus up the chimney. This is especially important (although few people do it) if you are burning wood in a the conventional way (using logs) in a fireplace. A roaring fire in a convectional fireplace can actually have a net heat loss as it sends oil heated air from the remainder of the house and sends it up the chimney.
Buddy of mine has a heat operated fan sitting on top of his stove that circuits the air to an adjacent room (doesn't have open floor design) which helps reduce overheating. Saves a little energy (not much) over an electric fan. I don't see how it could work with an insert.
Just curious, how much is the cost of the pellets compared to the oil saved?
Just to have it clear where I am coming from — especially why I started this thread:
I have sufficient retirement income (pension, royalties, nest egg) to enjoy a decent last years of my and my SO's life (legit expenses), and I value my comfort/time which is why I want a top oil company (and corresponding service), landscaper, etc. What I don't want (this is a philosophical problem I have I guess) is to go thru a total BS dance every year with my oil company (or Sirius, or cable, or cell contract). Its also same thing I find very annoying when I purchase a car (I wonder if the salespeople for the different products get form the same company the tiny pieces of paper that they write the "special for you price I got arguing for you with my manager —maybe he likes my taste in the style of socks I wear?)
Although, convenience isn't everything which is why I still use a charcoal BBQ (clean out the ashes, hump the bags home in the car) instead of gas.
I also don't mind splitting logs (with a wedge and maul) as I find the exercise invigorating (I skip the gym those days) and I find the pile of split wood satisfying to look at. However I don't want to be involved with doing something that I find inconvenient to save some $ whose spending would not effect my life style.
My problem is obtaining cash for mongering that is not easily obvious to my SO. I spend at least 10-15K/per year on mongering (several times a week plus cash for burner, parking outside my area, local hotel paid in cash, etc.) and its not all that easy to obtain that cash w/o raising suspicions with my SO.
I have sufficient retirement income (pension, royalties, nest egg) to enjoy a decent last years of my and my SO's life (legit expenses), and I value my comfort/time which is why I want a top oil company (and corresponding service), landscaper, etc. What I don't want (this is a philosophical problem I have I guess) is to go thru a total BS dance every year with my oil company (or Sirius, or cable, or cell contract). Its also same thing I find very annoying when I purchase a car (I wonder if the salespeople for the different products get form the same company the tiny pieces of paper that they write the "special for you price I got arguing for you with my manager —maybe he likes my taste in the style of socks I wear?)
Although, convenience isn't everything which is why I still use a charcoal BBQ (clean out the ashes, hump the bags home in the car) instead of gas.
I also don't mind splitting logs (with a wedge and maul) as I find the exercise invigorating (I skip the gym those days) and I find the pile of split wood satisfying to look at. However I don't want to be involved with doing something that I find inconvenient to save some $ whose spending would not effect my life style.
My problem is obtaining cash for mongering that is not easily obvious to my SO. I spend at least 10-15K/per year on mongering (several times a week plus cash for burner, parking outside my area, local hotel paid in cash, etc.) and its not all that easy to obtain that cash w/o raising suspicions with my SO.
I just had a delivery for 150 gallons at $3.609 on Monday from CODFUEL.COM which should set me up to have a full tank fill-up top-off just before the cold hits and prices increase that should get me through until late winter and I'll try to order on the unseasonably warm days when prices drop... take a little more management than a service contract and monitoring my tank daily in the winter to keep track of consumption
Some (unsolicited) advice if you are going to go COD:
Spend a lot of time researching you maintenance contract company.
Do not rely on the float gauge below 1/2 tank. Use a stick to determine how much is left If you want to rely on float gauge at least calibrate it using a stick. Here is some info https://www.fuelsnap.com/heating_oil_tank_charts.php
Note the they don't fill tank to the top (to allow for expansion) and the a good design doesn't use the bottom 30 gals or so to allow for water (condensation over the years) and sludge to sink there.
If I was to do COD I would not have just a 275 tank (plus you get a better price with a larger delivery.
Also (very important) if your tank is 30 + years old at the least have a white towel or heavy paper underneath. Not a bad idea to run your fingers there too (once a year when you fill up) to check for leakage due to corrosion. I just replaced mine. So now I'm good for (my) life.
Spend a lot of time researching you maintenance contract company.
Do not rely on the float gauge below 1/2 tank. Use a stick to determine how much is left If you want to rely on float gauge at least calibrate it using a stick. Here is some info https://www.fuelsnap.com/heating_oil_tank_charts.php
Note the they don't fill tank to the top (to allow for expansion) and the a good design doesn't use the bottom 30 gals or so to allow for water (condensation over the years) and sludge to sink there.
If I was to do COD I would not have just a 275 tank (plus you get a better price with a larger delivery.
Also (very important) if your tank is 30 + years old at the least have a white towel or heavy paper underneath. Not a bad idea to run your fingers there too (once a year when you fill up) to check for leakage due to corrosion. I just replaced mine. So now I'm good for (my) life.
If you’re not handy, inherited an old oil burner and can’t afford to upgrade, go with the big companies like Petro, Slomins, etc….. Yes you may lock into an undesirable rate, but the 3-6 visits from there oil burner mechanics more than makes up for it.
That was the case with my first home. The burner and Tank were original to the home (1953) . And It was a monthly ordeal having them clear the sludge out of my lines and replacing filters and other parts. Would’ve cost a fortune if I wasn’t under contract…
That was the case with my first home. The burner and Tank were original to the home (1953) . And It was a monthly ordeal having them clear the sludge out of my lines and replacing filters and other parts. Would’ve cost a fortune if I wasn’t under contract…
I use the stick, no idea what my tank is like, is still buried underground and has been since 1950's [original equipment to the house, lol], when/ if it fails I'll have to replace it. So far visual inspections from the inside with a camera indicate no water problems or rusting and I can only hope that the original installed left me with the bottom 2-3 inches as unreachable to the fuel line.
I do my own maintenance on the boiler, with the October top off [I get no deliveries bergen Apr and Oct], I'll be doing the fuel filter this weekend giving the sloshing fuel time to settle and dirty up the old filter. I do the same thing with the last before Spring top off, changing the filter a week later. In general my filter screen is pretty clean, not enough to gum up the filter
I do my own maintenance on the boiler, with the October top off [I get no deliveries bergen Apr and Oct], I'll be doing the fuel filter this weekend giving the sloshing fuel time to settle and dirty up the old filter. I do the same thing with the last before Spring top off, changing the filter a week later. In general my filter screen is pretty clean, not enough to gum up the filter
I spend maybe 60-90 minutes a year maintaining and cleaning the boiler itself, and about 20-25 minutes in total each year measuring the oil levels and inspecting the oil tank and setting up the delivery schedule. Aside from saving a few bucks, it also keeps me apprised of the condition of my heating system and any patterns [is their an undetected leak, is the fuel nozzle or filter getting gummed up, etc].