How to Inspect Oil Burners for Proper Operation, Defects, Safety Hazards InspectAPedia® -
Guide to oil burner inspection, visual examination for signs of trouble
Oil burners on boilers, furnaces, or water heaters are similar or even identical - This article describes how to inspect that equipment for signs of trouble
How to diagnose loss of heat, heating boiler noises, leaks, odors, or smoke
Troubleshooting heating boiler oil or gas burners & controls
How to measure oil burner smoke level and CO2 level to evaluate system efficiency and operation
How to inspect & repair oil fired central hot water heating boilers or warm air furnaces
Questions & answers about oil burner inspection, diagnosis, & repair
This article explains how to inspect oil burners used on oil-fired heating boilers or furnaces using a visual inspection approach as well as (optional) test equipment.
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We include a description of common oil burner adjustment and operating problems and we illustrate some of the basic oil burner tests and measurements made in servicing and adjusting the equipment for safe, efficient operation. We illustrate oil burner smoke testing and oil burner carbon dioxide level measurement.
This website answers most questions about central hot water heating system troubleshooting, inspection, diagnosis, and repairs. We describe how to inspect
residential heating systems to inform home owners, buyers, and home inspectors of common heating system defects.
The articles at this website describe how to recognize common oil-fired heating appliance operating or safety defects, and how to save money on home heating costs. Readers should see HEATING SYSTEM INSPECTION PROCEDURE wHere we explain an organized approach to inspecting the entire heating system, beginning outdoors, continuing indoors, and ultimately in most detail in the boiler or furnace room. Also see CHIMNEY INSPECTION & REPAIR GUIDE for details of chimney inspection, diagnosis, and repair, including blocked chimney flues, chimney backdrafting, leaks, and odors from flues.
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Visual Inspection of Oil Burners on Heating Boilers, Water Heaters, Furnaces
If the building heating equipment is simply not working, start at Heating Loss Diagnosis. In the oil burner inspection article provided Here we explain visual and other clues of oil burner problems.
An expert inspection of an oil burner begins either with having made note of building owner/occupant concerns (noises, odors, no heat, high fuel costs), or with having made some basic visual observations outside: a sooty chimney top, for example. The sketch is courtesy of Carson Dunlop. )
The oil burner inspection continues indoors, even before entering the utility room where the oil burner (or often more than one of them if oil fuel is used for both heating and a separate water heater) is located: look at the building interior as you enter: are there odors, soot deposits, noises associated with the heating system?
The oil burner inspection becomes detailed, and diagnostic, when you can actually see the equipment. It's obvious that you should notice oil leaks, soot in the boiler or furnace room, noises, odors, signs of repeated repairs, piles of junked parts, signs of unprofessional work (covers off of controls, sloppy wiring or plumbing). But just what each of these clues might mean bears some additional explanation that we offer below.
Outdoor Clues of Oil Burner Troubles
How old is the building? Is it likely that older oil fired heating equipment is or was installed?
Where is the oil storage tank? Is it outdoors, subject to water, condensation, gelling? Let's not just blame the oil burner for problems if there are other issues at the property that can impact oil burner operation. Also see OIL TANKS and see OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS.
Soot at the chimney top of the flue used to vent oil fired equipment almost always indicates that the oil burner is or was operating poorly, producing smoky sooty exhaust. You might even see smoky exhaust if the oil burner is running while you are approaching the building. So take a look at the chimney(s) before you go indoors.
If the chimney top is sooty we don't yet know the cause of poor oil burner operation but we know there is a problem. If your inspection of the chimney top, even from ground level, perhaps with binoculars, shows water, frost, or mechanical damage to the chimney itself, or a missing chimney cap, these conditions may not only affect the operation of the oil burner, but they may be very unsafe. See CHIMNEY INSPECTION DIAGNOSIS REPAIR.
Indoor Clues of Oil Burner Troubles
On entering the building or by customer interview,
Are there signs of water leaks onto or into the oil burner, boiler, or furnace? As our house fire investigation photographs show (above/left), water passage down a chimney (say from a missing chimney cap) easily continue into the heating boiler or furnace where they may cause damage to the oil burner, boiler, furnace, or its controls.
Oil burner and boiler damaged from building fire:
Notice those rust stains below the oil burner inspection port above and to the left of the burner tube? This oil fired heating boiler has been flooded. The photo at above left shows the probable passage of water entry, down the flue.
While the basement of this building was reported not to have contained substantial water (notice there are no flood lines on the outside of the heating boiler itself), water from above during extinguishment of a house fire ran down the chimney and flooded the boiler itself. Inspection and possibly repairs are needed before this equipment can be safely used.
Signs of Trouble at the Oil Tank that Cause Oil Burner Problems
We mentioned outdoor oil tank problems above, but even indoors you may spot signs of trouble that affect oil burner operation.
An oil leak anywhere in the oil piping between the oil storage tank and the oil burner will usually cause improper oil burner operation - leaks of oil out of the oil piping become air leaks into the oil piping system when the oil burner is running and trying to draw oil from the oil storage tank. Air leaks in the oil piping and burner cause improper oil burner shutdown, spewing unburned or only partially burned oil at oil burner shut-down, and risking dangerous (and sooty) puffbacks as well as telltale noises at oil burner start-up.
Boiler or Furnace Room Clues of Oil Burner Troubles
Identify the heating system components in each building area. How old is the equipment, what are the signs that parts have been replaced (new transformer, new valves, new oil piping, new filters, new fuel units, discarded parts nearby).
Look for damage to the furnace or boiler itself: if the boiler or furnace is old, cracked, rusted-through, leaking, damaged, repairing the oil burner may be the least of the owner's risks. And if the boiler, furnace, or water heater is unsafe or needs immediate repair or replacement, fixing the oil burner and leaving the job is dangerous.
Our photo (left) shows a furnace that should not be used, and needs immediate replacement. Fixing its oil burner, or even inspecting it would be foolish - this furnace should be left shut down, red-tagged, and appropriate oral and written warnings issued. If the furnace, boiler, or water heater has had a safety recall, that's critical information for the owners to know about. For example, see Blueray Heating Boilers/Furnaces Safety Recall by the US CPSC, with additional history, photos, and technical details.
Look at the heating equipment's service tag: has the equipment been serviced annually; are there records of other no-heat service calls - often a good service tech will note on the service tag the no-heat call, the diagnosis, and what parts were replaced. At Heating Cost Reduction Advice: How to Save on Home Heating Costs, we discuss heating tuneup tips for oil burners to reduce heating cost.
Oil fired equipment efficiency measurements: If you do not see a small (roughly 1/4" diameter) hole in the flue vent connector just above the boiler, before the barometric damper, then this heating equipment has never been properly tuned and measured for proper operation.
While it was possible to "eyeball" older oil fired equipment (spit on the flue for temperature and blow cigarette smoke at the burner for draft), modern oil fired equipment requires more accurate measurement and adjustment for good operation.
As our sketch from the Audel Oil Burner Guide shows, measuring the stack temperature and CO2 level gives a critical indication of the heating system efficiency, in other words, measuring what percent of each dollar spent on heating oil is going up the chimney versus into the building as heat.
The little hole we describe is where the service tech inserts test equipment to measure stack temperature, smoke level, and CO level. Some tech's use two holes to permit more than one measurement simultaneously. No hole = never measured. (Or new flue vent connector parts have just been installed on older equipment and no one has made a hole yet.)
Details about this procedure for measuring oil burner efficiency are at Oil Burner CO2 Test.
Our photo (left) shows a Bachrach stack temperature measurement being made "in the breech" above a troublesome oil burner and boiler installation.
Watch out: don't record the stack temperature before the oil-fired heating system has been running for five minutes or so - you want to be sure the system has reached its stable and "normal" operating temperature.
Waiting a few minutes at this boiler we saw the flue temperature rise to 600 degF. At 600 degF. this heating system was left running a bit "hot" by the service tech. Why? Because a too-short chimney meant the system had a history of inadequate draft, sooting, backpressure, puffbacks, and loss of heat. This "fix" was a band-aid that kept the system running longer between (frequent) service calls, but at the expense of higher heating bills and wasted fuel.
We could have addressed this short chimney with a draft inducer fan, but a taller flue would be smart anyway, to get the chimney top higher than the roof surface. We discuss examples of extending chimney height to improve draft, performance, and fire safety separately at Chimney Height Extensions. We discuss draft inducer or "draft boosting" fans for heating systems (and maybe for some fireplaces) in detail at Draft Inducer Fans.
Just how short is "too short" for a chimney is a problem along with roof clearance requirements discussed at Chimney Height & Clearance
At the heating boiler or furnace, identify the fuel source and follow fuel supply piping to its source (an oil tank, LP gas tank, or
gas meter, for example) - you may spot the oil leaks and piping problems we mentioned above.
Look at the oil burner combustion air supply - it's remarkable how often the oil burner service tech tunes up the system with the door to the boiler or furnace room open (who wants to work in a little closet), then leaves, closing the door, and shutting off the only combustion air supply to the equipment - a likely cause of sooty operation and other troubles. See COMBUSTION AIR DEFECTS.
Look at the furnace or boiler connection to the chimney - the flue vent connector, barometric damper, and for signs of trouble with the chimney itself (no cleanout door, air leaks, blocked flue).
Look at and look into the barometric damper or draft regulator: is there one installed, is it properly installed, is the flue thick with soot, is soot blowing out of the draft regulator?
Our photo, left, shows so much debris in the breech of this oil fired heater that the oil burner is likely to see trouble itself.
See DRAFT REGULATORS, DAMPERS, BOOSTERS for details. A discussion of this particular photo and those rusty sooty fragments in view is found at How to Inspect a Barometric Damper.
Signs of Trouble at the Oil Burner Itself - Visual Inspection
Are there signs of backpressure in the combustion chamber? The cause may be a dirty boiler or furnace, a blocked flue, inadequate draft, etc.
We have seen oil burners that suffered through three or four transformer replacements, in one job every few months: the service tech had not realized that chimney problems and backpressure were causing so much heat blow-back into the oil burner tube that the transformers were being "cooked" - the clue was obvious if you knew that tarry goop leaking out of a transformer means it's overheating.
Our photo of backpressure burns at an oil fired boiler (left) shows rust around the inspection port - a hot combustion chamber has burned off the paint in this area.
The oil burner itself, a Beckett oil burner, was tolerating the backpressure in this case and was undamaged. But the backpressure cause (a dirty boiler) needed to be addressed. More often we see soot around the oil burner as a sign of backpressure, such as this horizontal furnace oil fired unit backpressure photo.
Are there oil leaks at the oil burner or at the fire-o-matic fusible link oil valve (that should be installed at the oil burner burner) or at the oil tank? See OIL LINE SAFETY VALVES. Also see OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS.
Is the system safely connected to a chimney? If not, stop worrying about the oil burner and shut the system down.
Look at the temperature/pressure gauge: normal operating values? Boiler temperature and pressure are indicated on the TP gauge and should show increase not to exceed normal operating limits (200 deg F or less and less than 30 psi) - Gauges on Heating Equipment.
If the aquastat settings controlling a hot water heating system boiler are set to unusual temperatures that may indicate an operating problem, a heat distribution problem, an un-trained service tech, or homeowner meddling. On hot water heating boilers, the pressure and temperature gauge reads about 12 psi cold, less than 30 psi hot. Over 30 psi the temperature will cause spillage at the temperature/pressure relief valve.
Typical operating temperature
settings on the oil burner primary control: LO-120-160 HI-180-200 degF.
Typical operating temperature observed at the gauge will be below the high, and can be as low as
nighttime room temperature in non-heating season if no tankless coil is in use. The temperature/pressure gauge may help in checking for
normal conditions before and during boiler operation. However the gauge can be wrong! - Gauges on Heating Equipment
Furnace temperatures on oil burner-fired warm air heating systems are not normally measured by a gauge but are reflected on the settings of the FAN LIMIT SWITCH.
Steam boilers and their oil burners in most residential installations operate at low pressure (a fraction of 1 psi) - if the steam boiler pressure switch is set high, that may indicate a heat distribution problem that has been "fixed" using an expedient but improper approach. (See Steam Heating Systems).
Oil burners on water heaters use similar (but generally simpler) high limit and low limit temperature controls but a temperature/press rue relief valve that is designed for water heater operating temperatures and pressures.
Water leaks at valves or fittings which drip into the jacket of a steel boiler or onto controls or zone valves or for warm air systems, plumbing leaks onto the furnace, or condensate leaks from a combination heating and air conditioning system that drip onto the heat exchanger risk failure, dangerous carbon monoxide gas hazards, and
ultimately loss of heat.
Oil burner air shutter (photo above right) debris, dirt, or shutter adjustment problems or inadequate combustion air; because there is invariably a thin oil film on these parts, building pets, especially dogs and cats, may shed hair that collects-on and blocks combustion air entering the oil burner.
Our photo (above right) shows our pen (photo above right, at bottom center) pointing to the very small opening in the air shutter at this Beckett oil burner. You can see that even a small amount of cat hair sticking on this opening will easily block the flow of combustion air into the oil burner, thus causing improper (and sooty) oil burner operation. In this photo the opening is not blocked by debris, though we see a little soot there.
Oil leaks at air bleed valves (photo above left) or other fittings on the fuel unit on the oil burner. In our photo (above left) our pen points to the bleeder valve used to purge air from the oil line; Look for oil drips here as well as at the oil line fittings (and look at the fittings and gaskets and connections on the OIL PUMP FUEL UNIT (photo above left).
Signs of Trouble at the Oil Burner - During Operation
Furnace noises of shrieks, whining, or grinding coming from the electric motor or blower assembly of a furnace air handler probably mean that the system has a bad bearing (or fan belt) and prompt repair service is needed. It's best to shut down such a system since
certain failures, such as sucking a furnace filter into the blower assembly, can lead to overheating and cause a fire.
Noises & soot buildup can lead to a potentially dangerous "puffback" which can damage the heating equipment and blow soot and smoke throughout the building.
An experienced heating service technician may recognize the following diagnostic list of heating system or oil burner noises as well as perhaps other signs of trouble:
Noises during oil burner startup - a "bang" or "puffback" which blows soot into the room through the barometric damper or through other equipment openings: the oil pump may not be shutting down properly at the end of
an oil burn cycle, leaking incompletely burned oil into the combustion chamber. That oil ignites at startup causing a potentially dangerous puffback. Immediate service and repair are needed.
Noises during oil burner startup - a "rumbling" sound (which usually continues all during operation" or a "stumbling" sound in the combustion chamber probably indicates that the system needs inspection and cleaning very soon. Some noise is normal however, but the normal sounds tend to be more smooth and continuous.
Noises during oil burner shut-down - a stumbling or rumbling after the oil burner motor has stopped, indicate that oil is continuing to leak into the combustion chamber and risks a dangerous puffback - see "Noises during oil burner startup" above. Immediate service is recommended.
Oil burner noises of shrieks or grinding coming from the electric motor or oil pump on the oil burner mean that immediate service is needed - probably a bearing is failing.
Oil burner electric motor off on reset - if the reset switch on the electric motor that drives the oil burner keeps going off (see Reset Switch - electric motors) you'll need help from a trained service technician to determine the problem.
The basic measurements made by any competent oil heat service technician include the stack temperature, draft, smoke level, and carbon dioxide level. These data tell us whether or not the equipment is properly adjusted and operating safely and economically.
One of these most basic tests performed by an oil heat service technician is the "smoke test" using a strip of filter paper and a pump to sample the oil burner exhaust, measuring the level of smoke in the exhaust.
Our photo (left) shows a traditional smoke testing pump (the black cylinder with a handle at its right end) used for decades. This equipment was produced by Bachrach, an oil burner test equipment manufacturer.
The technician allows the oil burner to reach normal operating temperature (perhaps after it has been on for five minutes),
A clean white strip of filter paper is inserted into the end of the smoke testing pump.
The nozzle of the smoke tester is inserted into a 1/4" diameter hole in the flue vent connector pipe, typically just a few inches above the top of the oil-fired heating boiler or furnace.
The pump is operated
The filter strip is removed and the "blackness" of the sample spot is compared with a scale that rates the soot level. An experienced oil heat service technician simply looks at the black or gray spot on the filter paper.
Zero-level smoke is actually "too clean" for most oil burners, and means that there is too much air entering the oil burner, causing the burner to operate too hot, and sending too much heat (and thus the money the homeowner spent on heating oil) up the chimney.
A smoke level of "1" or "2" is normal. In our oil burner smoke test results photo (at left) you can see four smoke test samples. #1 is certainly too dirty, #'s 2 and 3 are a bit high, though we might accept sample #3. Sample #4 is just slightly above zero and is a good setting. [Click any image or table to see an enlarged, detailed version.]
Higher smoke levels indicate that the system is operating too "dirty" or smoky. High levels of soot in the oil burner exhaust mean that the system will deposit soot more rapidly inside of the furnace or boiler heat exchanger, interfering with heat transfer into the building heating air or water, and thus increasing system operating cost - meaning higher heating bills and more frequent oil burner service needed.
Very high smoke levels may indicate or even cause plugging up of the furnace or boiler, leading to improper oil burner operation, an unsafe system, and possibly other malfunctions, even a "puffback".
Oil Burner CO2 Test - Carbon Dioxide Level Indicates System Efficiency
The second common test performed by an oil heat technician evaluates the oil burner efficiency by measuring the carbon dioxide level or CO2 level in the oil burner exhaust. While there are electronic sensors used by some technicians for this purpose, many oil heat service tech's continue to use the time-tested Bachrach Fyrite™ oil burner tester shown below.
Our photos above show the rubber bulb and tubing used to pump oil burner exhaust gases into the CO2 level tester (the bulb and tubing atop the smoke tester, above left), and a closeup of a well-used CO2 tester (above right).
Measurement is made at the same flue vent connector location as we discussed above.
In fact when the author (DF) attended oil burner school we were taught to make two openings into the flue so that smoke level and CO2 measurements could be made through one opening while a thermometer or draft gauge monitored those two additional data points at the second opening.
The CO2 tester is filled with a red fluid that changes volume in response to carbon dioxide level. The Fyrite test unit is inverted, returned to upright, tilted at 45 degrees, to prepare it for use and to calibrate or set the "zero point" on the CO2 gauge. A cap on the unit is depressed to vent the unit to the atmosphere and the zero point is set on the adjustable gauge.
Exhaust gas is pumped into the CO2 tester, the tester is treated with flue gas exhaust for the required number of strokes (18) to purge the tubing and bulb and analyzer (tester). The analyzer is inverted, then returned to upright, tilted 45 degrees, returned to upright, and the CO2 scale is read.
The Carbon Dioxide vs Oil Burner Efficiency chart below explains how the percent of carbon dioxide in oil burner exhaust gases translates into oil burner efficiency. Bachrach Fyrite instructions and Oil Burner efficiency chart below, source: Audel's Oil Burner Guide.
[Click any image or table to see an enlarged, detailed version.]
Signs of Trouble Inside the Oil Burner - Simple Disassembly, Inspection, Testing
We look for obvious trouble signs before making any changes or adjustments to the oil burner assembly by turning off power to the equipment, shutting off the oil supply line at the closest service valve, and opening the oil burner for inspection.
Our sketch (left) shows how an oil burner gun atomizes and sprays heating oil into the combustion chamber - Audel Oil Burner Guide
Most oil burners are opened by loosening two screw clamps at the front of the transformer box mounted atop the oil burner tube and folding the hinged transformer back to expose the interior of the tube, the oil burner nozzle assembly, and other parts. Some obvious trouble signs inside the oil burner include:
Cad cell sensor sooty or dirty (probably from backpressure in the combustion chamber combined with sooty operation - can force an oil burner to remain "off on reset" when the cadmium cell sensor that informs the safety control cannot sense that a flame is present. See CAD CELL RELAY SWITCH for details and also see Reset Switch - Primary Control.
racked, damaged ceramic electrode insulators on the oil burner assembly - a short here will cause improper ignition
Dirty turbulator assembly (if present) mounted on the end of the oil burner nozzle - can interfere with proper air flow around the nozzle and thus with proper heating oil combustion. The turbulator is a fan-like collection of fins that is mounted, usually on the end of the oil burner nozzle by a bracket, and that provides increased air turbulence to improve heating oil atomization and spray pattern, thus improving combustion efficiency. Debris and soot can block the air space between the turbulator blades, causing this device to stop working, and leading to dirty sooty oil burner operation.
Dirty oil burner nozzle, especially crud build-up that is blocking oil flow or shorting out the oil burner nozzle electrodes - see OIL BURNER NOZZLE & ELECTRODES
Loose, damaged, mis-aligned oil burner electrodes (use a simple oil burner nozzle gauge or a small steel rule to see that the position of the oil burner electrodes in their gap apart, their distance above the oil burner nozzle orifice, and their distance forward or backwards relative to the face of the oil burner nozzle are according to the manufacturer's specification. See OIL BURNER NOZZLE & ELECTRODES for details.
Damaged squirrel cage blower assembly - loose, wobbly bearings, bent fins, dirt and debris; this problem will reduce combustion air input to the oil burner and will result in poor, sooty operation.
Damaged coupling joining the electric motor that drives the oil burner, the combustion air blower squirrel cage fan, and the shaft that turns the fuel pump unit itself.
Oil and debris inside the oil burner tube - possible leaks, incomplete combustion, improperly mounted oil burner gun assembly
Overheating inside the oil burner tube, tarry goop leaking out of the transformer assembly
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Additional technical contributors & reference sources for this article are listed below.
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Beckett Corporation, 38251 Center Ridge Rd.,
North Ridgeville, OH 44039 440-327-1060 Email: sales@beckettcorp.com supplies residential and commercial oil burners for boilers, furnaces, and water heaters - see www.beckettcorp.com/
Audels Oil Burner Guide, Installation, Servicing, Repairing, Frank D. Graham, 1940's edition (obsolete). Updated versions of this guide are available in various editions, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1965, 1967, and at prices from around $3.00 to nearly $70.00 - useful for simple, clear, but not current, explanation of how heating equipment works. The original retail price was $1.00. Used copies are available at Amazon.com
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, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of 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.
Oil Tanks - The Oil Storage Tank Information Website: Buried or Above Ground Oil Tank Inspection, Testing, Cleanup, Abandonment of Oil Tanks
Audels Oil Burner Guide, Installation, Servicing, Repairing, Frank D. Graham, 1940's edition (obsolete). Updated versions of this guide are available in various editions, 1947, 1950, 1955, 1958, 1959, 1962, 1965, 1967, and at prices from around $3.00 to nearly $70.00 - useful for simple, clear, but not current, explanation of how heating equipment works. The original retail price was $1.00. Used copies are available at Amazon.com
Domestic and Commercial Oil Burners, Charles H. Burkhardt, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York 3rd Ed 1969.
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.
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,
Principles of Steam Heating, $13.25 includes postage. Fuel oil & Oil Heat Magazine, 389 Passaic Ave., Fairfield, NJ 07004.
"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
"Warm Air Heating Systems". Instructional Technologies Institute, Inc., 145 "D" Grassy Plain St., Bethel, CT 06801 800/227-1663 [home inspection training material] 1987
Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning Volume I, Heating Fundamentals,
Boilers, Boiler Conversions, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23389-4 (v. 1) Volume II, Oil, Gas, and Coal Burners, Controls, Ducts, Piping, Valves, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23390-7 (v. 2) Volume III, Radiant Heating, Water Heaters, Ventilation, Air Conditioning, Heat Pumps, Air Cleaners, James E. Brumbaugh, ISBN 0-672-23383-5 (v. 3) or ISBN 0-672-23380-0 (set) Special Sales Director, Macmillan Publishing Co., 866 Third Ave., New York, NY 10022. Macmillan Publishing Co., NY
Installation Guide for Residential Hydronic Heating Systems
Installation Guide #200, The Hydronics Institute, 35 Russo Place, Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922
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.)
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