Guide to Oil Filters on Oil-Fired Heating Equipment
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Oil filter types, sizes, capacities used on oil fired boilers, furnaces, water heaters
How to change the oil filter cartridge and how to bleed air out of oil filter canisters
Reasons to install double parallel heating oil filters on oil fired equipment - two oil filters?
Best locations to install heating oil filters
Proper placement of service valves & check valves on oil lines at oil filters
Oil leaks and air leaks at oil filters & oil filter fittings, connections - where to leaks occur, how are they diagnosed, how are oil line leaks corrected & prevented
Questions & answers about installing, servicing, and repairing oil filters used on oil-fired heating equipment & water heaters

Oil burner filters: here we explain the installation, use, maintenance, and repair of oil filters used on oil-fired boilers, furnaces, and water heaters. We discuss tracking down air and oil leaks at or near the oil filter canister and we describe proper oil filter location and problems to check for during oil filter cartridge changes.

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Guide to Oil Filters on Oil-Fired Heating Equipment

Why do we need an Oil Filter at Oil Burner?

This oil burner fuel piping article series describes defects in heating oil piping, filters, safety valves, and oil tank fill and vent piping. All of these oil storage tank and piping installation defects can easily be found by visual inspection. We include considerations of oil pipe leaks out (fuel oil leaks), oil piping leaks in (air in the system), clogged, damaged, noisy, or mis-routed fuel oil piping, and oil fill and vent piping size and location requirements. We also discuss the need for and location for heating oil or fuel oil filters and safety valves.

Beyond the costly problem of leaky oil piping, this document lists other important safety or oil-fired equipment operational defects in home and light commercial heating oil storage and piping systems. If your heating appliance fuel is LP gas or natural gas, see GAS PIPING, VALVES, CONTROLS.

Modern heating oil quality varies depending on the oil fields from which the crude oil was refined. In much of North America a significant portion of heating oil comes from Venezuelan crude which produces a more tarry product than product from the Arabian oil fields.

A shift to alternative oil sources began in the 1970's oil crisis. A result is that oil fired heating equipment that had worked fine for decades with no oil filter installed began failing due to oil fuel unit (oil pump) strainer clogging and oil burner nozzle clogging.

As a result, today all oil-fired heating equipment such as home heating boilers, furnaces and water heaters should have an oil filter installed.

Best Oil Filter Location

Sometimes the oil filter is installed at the oil storage tank outlet but the most common and recommended installation location is shown in our photographs at page top and above: the oil filter is installed close to the oil burner where it is easily accessible for service and where it filters oil immediately before the heating oil enters the oil burner assembly.

Location of Fire Safety Controls at the Oil Filter

The best place for the fusible link oil valve (Fire-o-Matic Safety Valve™ for example) is on the oil supply line just before the inlet to the oil filter canister (red arrow, below left), not between the canister and the oil burner as shown at below right (orange arrow). This allows the service tech to shut off oil just before the filter canister in order to open the canister and change the oil filter cartridge.

Heating oil filter at the oil burner (C) Daniel Friedman

Oil burner oil line switch (C) Daniel Friedman

With the shutoff valve between the filter canister and the oil burner (above right), changing the oil filter in the canister will require the service tech to go to the more distant oil tank to find and close a valve in that location (if one is even present).

Bad, Dangerous, or Stupid Locations for Heating Oil Filters

Improper use of two oil fusible link valves (C) D Friedman

hidden oil filter locations that may be missed by the heating service technician
hard to access oil filter locations such as the stupid ceiling installation shown in our photo at left - just imagine spilling heating oil in your face as you try to carefully drop the oil filter canister base to change the filter.

Notice in our photo at above left that there is no fusible link oil shutoff valve installed on the oil return line exiting at the bottom of the fuel unit. A second valve in this location is a fire hazard. Use a check valve on the return line instead. Details about this hazard are at DUAL OIL LINE 2 VALVES. Details about the selection, use, and installation of fusible link oil line safety valves are found at OIL LINE SAFETY VALVES.
Remote oil filter locations such as at the bottom of the oil tank located across the basement or in another room. Anything that makes the job more difficult for the heating service technician increases the chances of this important oil heat maintenance detail being ignored or delayed.

Servicing the Oil Filter: Step by Step Procedure for Changing the Heating Appliance Oil Filter Cartridge

The oil filter cartridge should be changed during oil heating equipment annual cleaning, service, and tune-up. You should not have to change oil filter cartridges more often. If the cartridge clogs and leads to service calls or heat loss between annual service calls then we suspect the oil tank is contaminated with water or sludge - problems that need to be corrected at the oil tank.

The procedure for changing the oil filter cartridge is simple, but if it's performed improperly you could be left with no heat.

Turn off electrical power to the heating appliance (boiler, furnace, water heater) whose oil filter is to be serviced
Place a catch pan or basin below the canister to catch any oil spills or drips
Turn off oil supply to the system by closing the fire safety valve that should be located between the oil filter and the oil feeder supply line from the oil tank. If the valve is a fire-safety-valve it includes a spring-loaded fusible link that closes the valve in case of fire. These valves work in the opposite direction from conventional plumbing valves. Screwing the valve top out or counter-clockwise closes the valve.
Remove the oil filter canister base: For oil canisters with a center bolt such as the unit shown just above, loosen the bolt found in the center of the canister top and remove it. Take care not to lose the fiber washer that seals the canister bolt and take care not to lose or damage the O-ring that seals the canister base to the canister lid.

Watch out: for oil filter canisters that are supported only by oil piping you'll be wise to support the canister lid or assembly whenever loosening parts. Otherwise you may twist, bend, and cause leaks in the oil supply piping. Use two wrenches to loosen or tighten the canister bolt: one on the bolt itself and one on the rectangular projection at the canister lid inlet or outlet side. Leaks here cause oil burner startup bang, puffbacks, loss of heat. Details are at OIL LINE LEAKS - Oil Line leaks found.

Watch out: the canister bottom may simply fall off at this point - you will want to catch it to avoid unnecessary oil spillage. Other oil filter canisters may lack the bolt and may have to be opened by un-screwing the canister base from the top.
Remove dirty oil filter cartridge and place it in a plastic bag for suitable disposal along with any waste oil and sludge collected during this process.
Clean the oil filter canister: remove any oil sludge, dirt, debris from the bottom of the oil filter canister base.

Check for water contamination in the oil tank when changing the oil filter cartridge. Water contamination in oil tanks can be detected by examining the bottom of the oil filter canister. If you see actual water, or more likely rusty red sludge, that may be good evidence that water from the oil storage tank has been trapped in and rested in the bottom of the oil filter canister. For details see OIL TANK WATER CONTAMINATION

Heating oil filter cartridge & gaskets (C) D Friedman

Insert the new oil filter cartridge into the canister base. If your oil filter replacement package included a new O-ring for the canister base-to-lid seal, use it to replace the old O-ring that we told you to save in step 4.

Our photo (left) shows a typical heating oil canister filter and the gaskets that are packaged with it. The filter shown at the left of our photo is in most canisters inserted with the screen up where it fits into a recess in the canister lid.

That large round gasket is used to seal between the oil filter canister top and the base.

Inside the large gasket we show two smaller ones. The smallest red gasket is used under the air bleed screw found on the top of the oil canister, and the larger red gasket is used under the mounting bolt that secures the oil filter canister base to its top.
Heating oil filter canister reassembly: Carefully, keeping the filter cartridge centered in the canister base, place the canister base up under the canister lid in proper position.
Replace the heating oil filter canister mounting bolt (and a new fiber washer if one was provided in your oil filter cartridge kit) to secure the canister base to the lid, tightening the bolt securely but not so tight as to damage threads. If your canister does not use a center bolt the base usually assembles by screwing in in place into the lid.

Watch out: as we warned above, for oil filter canisters that are supported only by oil piping you'll be wise to support the canister lid or assembly whenever tightening parts. Otherwise you may twist, bend, and cause leaks in the oil supply piping. Details are at OIL LINE LEAKS - Oil Line leaks found.
Open the oil supply valve to allow oil to enter the oil filter canister and then
Bleed air from the oil filter canister using the procedure we detail just below at Bleeding Air from the Heating Oil Filter Canister. Use a new fiber washer for the air bleeder screw if one was provided in your heating oil filter kit. Remember to close the bleed screw at the end of this procedure.
Turn on electrical power to the heating appliance and
Allow the oil burner to run to assure that the system starts and runs properly.
Leak check: Check the oil piping, canister top, center bolt and air bleeder bolt and any nearby fittings for evidence of oil leaks. Details are just below at Oil Filter Leak Check.
Dispose of heating oil: if you collected heating oil in your drip pan and see that the oil is clean you can simply pour it into your oil tank through the filler pipe. Don't pour sludge, dirt, debris into the tank however.

Bleeding Air from the Heating Oil Filter Canister

Once you have installed the new oil filter cartridge inside the canister you will need to bleed air out of the canister and filter before restoring the system to service. If your heating oil tank is at a level higher than that of the filter itself this is an easy task.

With your catch-basin below the oil filter canister, simply loosen or remove the air bleeder screw located on the canister top just before the canister outlet fitting (red arrow in our photo at left, courtesy of reader E.S.).

Then open the oil supply valve to permit oil to flow from the oil tank into the canister. You may hear or feel air escaping at the air bleeder opening.

Once you see a clear flow of heating oil at the bleeder opening you can replace the screw that closes that port.

Watch out: don't forget to include the fiber washer that seals the screw to the canister head or you may have oil or air leaks at the canister.

Oil Filter Leak Check: Make sure that your oil canister installation is not leaking oil nor air

Notice that there's a heating oil leak below the connection to the filter outlet? This leak will suck air into the oil burner when it's running, leading to improper and possibly unsafe operation, risking a puffback.

After any service procedure that disturbs oil line, filter, or burner oil piping fittings we recommend checking for evidence of oil leaks again after the system has been in use for a day or so, because slow leaks and small leaks in the oil piping system may not show up immediately.

As we report and illustrate in detail just below and as we also cite at at at OIL LINE LEAKS, oil leaks anywhere in the oil piping and filter system may be hazardous. Keep in mind that an oil leak out is an air leak in to the oil piping system as well, leading to improper oil burner operation, a dangerous puff-back, or loss of heat in the building.

Common Heating Oil Leak Points at the Heating Oil Filter

At OIL FILTERS on HEATING EQUIPMENT we described changing the oil filter as part of oil burner maintenance. And there we warned about leaks in piping fittings at the burner and at the oil filter canister assembly. Here are the details.

At left we illustrate a dripping heating oil leak below the connection to the filter outlet? This leak will suck air into the oil burner when it's running, leading to improper and possibly unsafe operation, risking a puffback.

Oil piping leak at the copper piping flare to iron piping connection.

As we explained earlier, oil leaks anywhere in the oil piping and filter system may be hazardous. That's because even though the absolute amount of oil that drips out may be trivial, an oil leak out is an air leak in to the oil piping system as well.

Air may be drawn into the oil line when the fuel unit is pumping leading to improper oil burner operation, a dangerous puff-back, or loss of heat in the building.

Where Do We Usually Find Leaks at the Heating Oil Filter Canister Assembly?

Here are more illustrations of places where we often find leaks at heating oil filters: at the canister air bleed screw (not tightened, stripped threads, or failure to install a fresh gasket), at the canister top center bolt (same), and at the joint between the oil filter canister lid and base.

The oil filter assembly shown in the photos below was in deed leaking. But it took a bit of work to find out exactly where the problem was. Because oil flows from a leak anywhere on the canister top down the canister sides, you can be fooled about exactly where the heating oil leak is occurring. That's why an expert cleans and dries all of the surfaces meticulously. That makes watching for leaks easy.

Heating oil leak points at the oil filter (C) Daniel Friedman

We examined the connections at the inlet side of the oil canister, the flare itself and the IPT threaded fitting entering the canister lid (above left). We examined the filter mounting bolt at the center of the canister lid (above right).

Other tricks for finding an oil leak include using tracer powders on the cleaned surface, pressure tests, and even a paper towel on the floor below suspected drip points.

Next we examined the air bleed screw (below left) - ultimately we found both the center top bolt loose and the air bleed screw loose - the heating service tech had just forgotten to check & tighten them.

At above right we indicate where you will often find wet heating oil - in the gap between the canister lid and canister base. But this is a confusing "wet oil" location. It could be wet in this spot for the following reasons:

The service tech did not adequately wipe everything clean after s/he installed the new oil canister. This is especially true if air is bled from the small bleeder screw (above left) allowing oil to run over the top of the assembly where it enters the gap at above right.
There is a leak at any point high on the oil canister assembly lid, including heating oil leaks at all three of the leak points in our first photo: the filter canister input side threaded fitting, the center mounting bolt, or the air bleeder screw.
There is a bad gasket (old, nicked, broken, too small, or even forgotten) between the oil filter canister lid and canister base
The oil canister mounting center bolt was left too loose.

Below at Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) about Heating Oil Filters on Boilers, Furnaces, Water Heaters we describe these oil filter leak points and how they occur in still more detail.

Installing Duplexed Parallel Oil Filter Canisters - A Pair of Oil Filters Handles Oil Tank Sludge

In some difficult cases we found that we could not make it from one annual service call to the next without debris clogging in the oil filter and canister.

A solution that was far less costly than changing out the sound but sludgy indoor oil storage tank was the installation of duplexed oil filter canister cartridges.

As shown in our photo at left, we installed the filter canisters side by side and routed piping so that they operated in parallel, not in series. (In series the first filter clogs and shuts down the system and the second filter is not helping.)

The copper oil line feeds a fusible-link oil valve shown at the left side of our photo. The oil piping then feeds a tee that in turn connects to two high-capacity oil filter canisters (center of the photo). The outlets of each oil filter canister feed back into a common line that exits through a second tee, passes by an oil pressure (vacuum) gauge, and then connects by a flexible line to the oil burner inlet port.

Once installing this system we had no more heat outages due to oil filter clogging between annual service calls.

Watch out: generally it's preferable to remove sludge from an oil tank rather than add oil filters. In this case we had our oil company service technician check the indoor oil storage tank soundness (see OIL TANK TESTING) before we elected to install the duplex oil filter system shown here. Had the tank not been sound it would have had to be replaced.

See OIL TANK SLUDGE for details about methods for correcting this problem.

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) about Heating Oil Filters on Boilers, Furnaces, Water Heaters

Watch out: leaks in heating oil appliance piping or filters can be much more serious than just a drip spot on the floor. The same leak that allows oil to drip out of the oil filter or piping connections allows air to be drawn into the system when the oil fuel unit (oil pump for the water heater, oil fired boile or furnace) is running. That air leak into the system results in improper oil burner operation, soot clogging, and even a loud bang at oil burner start-up or worse, a dangerous puffback. Detailed explanation of why an oil line leak causes a bang or puffback at the oil burner, and loss of heat is at OIL LINE LEAKS - Oil Line leaks found

Question: Why is my oil filter canister leaking oil - apparently from the bottom of the unit?

I recently replaced my oil filter (I actually replaced the entire oil canister with a new oil canister that included the filter already inside of it). The burner is working properly, the flame is on,and I'm getting hot water.

The problem is that I seem to have a small/minor leak from the oil canister itself. Oil is dripping from the canister (I think it's leaking from the bottom of the canister). I've checked all the fittings to make sure they're not loose. They're all tight, as are all the connections in and out of the oil canister.

Do you know why the oil canister could be leaking? Was I supposed to tighten the bolt/screw that's on the bottom of the canister (underneath the filter) as well? I assumed the oil canister came ready to install and that I wouldn't have to adjust the top or bottom bolts on the canister.

Any idea why the oil canister is leaking oil (from the bottom)? - Thanks, Ed Salva

Thanks to Mr. Salva for the Mitco oil filter canister photo (above left). Mr. Salva's photo illustrates an important detail: place a suitable container below the oil filter canister to catch any spills before you attempt to service the unit.

Reply: Check for missing or damaged fiber washers and o-ring as well as leaky flare fittings

Ed, The oil filter canister does not normally leak through its bottom as that is solid steel on the models I am familiar with. Only an older canister with rust perforation would leak there.

The oil filter canister is installed with a bolt that goes down through the red top and taps into threads in the bottom of the canister. In our photo (left) my pencil points to the top bolt that secures the oil filter canister base to the top.

There are two seals: a (usually red) fiber washer that mounts under the bolt head and an O-ring seal between the lip of the canister and its top.

There is also a tiny fiber washer underneath a small air bleeder screw found on the top of the oil filter canister. My pencil points to this air bleeder in our photo at left. Above at Bleeding Air from the Heating Oil Filter Canister you can see a closeup of this oil filter air bleed outlet on another oil filter canister brand, and there you'll see the fiber washer too.

If any of those three seals were omitted or damaged, that would make an oil leak that might begin at the edges of the canister or even its top but then run down the device and appear to be dripping off its bottom. Tightening the bolt won't fix it.

Where to leaks occur at heating oil filter canister assemblies?

In our oil filter canister leak photo (left) my pencil points to the joint between the oil filter canister base and the red oil filter assembly top. This is where I found wet heating oil that was leaking because a hasty service tech had forgotten to tighten the top bolt. Common leak points at or close to a heating oil filter assembly include:

Leaks between the canister base top edge and the canister top, due to an old, faulty, gasket or due to a loose assembly top bolt

Leaks at the oil filter air bleeder screw due to a faulty or missing gasket or due to a loose bleeder screw

Leaks at the oil filter fittings entering and leaving the canister assembly, particularly at flare fittings that may have been wiggled and jiggled around by a heavy-handed service person who used just one wrench to loosen or tighten the top bolt. Use two wrenches, one on the bolt and one on the rectangular inlet or outlet casting to avoid twisting oil piping and causing still more oil piping leaks.

If you never have opened the oil filter canister, I'd shut off oil at the fire-o-matic valve between canister and oil tank, turn off the oil burner of course, and open the canister - to be sure it contains a filter and to be sure that all of the gaskets and o-rings are in place and un-damaged.

At OIL TANK PIPING & PIPING DEFECTS you'll find more about oil piping and filter leaks, photos, and suggestions.

In the article above (at OIL FILTERS on HEATING EQUIPMENT) you will see photos of the filter canister type I'm discussing.

Send me a photo of your filter/canister as it may be a different brand or model than what I describe above.

Continued from Ed:

Thanks for the quick response. I have to say that this website has a TON of valuable information!

I'm at work now but when I get home I'll try to attach a picture of the oil filter. It actually looks very similar to the one in the picture on this website (the picture under "HEATING OIL FILTER - NONE - No Oil Filter Installed on Oil Fired Equipment"). The silver one.

I replace the filter yearly on my burner. This year, I decided to change the whole canister as I felt it needed to be changed (it's the original canister that was installed 8 years ago). Then I ran into the problem of oil leaking from the oil canister.

When I first replaced the oil canister a couple of days ago, that's when I noticed the oil leak. I thought immediately that I had bought a defective oil canister. So I decided to take it apart. Surprisingly, everything in the canister was intact (filter, o-ring, etc). Then I went back to the hardware store and purchased ANOTHER oil canister and installed this new one. Same problem, oil leak from bottom of oil canister.

That's when I started researching and came across this site and posted my question.

Can the nozzle have anything to do with this leak? It's not a major leak, just a few ounces per day. Nonetheless, any oil leak is not good and I want to stop the leakage if I can on my own.

When I got home last night, I took some pictures of the oil canister.

I don't know how to attach photos to the comments section here, thus I can email them if interested.

I also noticed that the small leaks seems to be coming from the 'OUT' part of the oil canister. I checked to make sure the fitting was tight, and it was. I will take the brass fittings off and put on pipe joint compound on the pipe threads. Then I'll reattach the brass fittings to the oil canister/pipes and make sure that the lines are air tight. Hopefully, this will stop the leak.

I don't want to make them to tight where I risk stripping the threads or the brass fittings.

Continued from DF:

Ed mail photos using the CONTACT link found at top, left, or bottom of our web article pages.

Try using blue LeakLok™ thread sealing compound (available at auto supply stores, plumbing and heating suppliers, or from Argo [1]) on thoroughly cleaned threads at the outlet fitting on your canister. I'd clean the reads carefully on both mating surfaces and then use that product or a similar one rated for use on piping systems for heating oil.

I agree with taking care not to strip threads. Using a sealant can help avoid trying to fix a leak just by tightening. Also FYI iron pipe threaded fittings are tapered so that the fitting gets tighter as it is turned inwards.

But that means that every time you disassemble and re-use a fitting it has to be turned in further than before to get tight. In turn that means on some devices a fitting can bottom out or reach end of threads without being satisfactorily tight. That's why plumbers often will not re-use brass-to-steel fittings such as the adapter on your filter canister inlet and outlet sides. If you disassemble and reassemble, it's cheap to use a new fitting plus leak-lok.

Beware: an oil leak OUT is also an air leak IN under varying operating conditions and an air-leak in causes burner operating problems, sooting, and even risks a puffback.

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OIL FILTERS on HEATING EQUIPMENT

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.
Arlene Puentes, an ASHI home inspector in Kingston, NY, contributed the example photograph of an outdoor aboveground oil tank. Ms. Puentes can be contacted at ap@octoberhome.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.
Dave Ferris - M&S Environmental Systems, Dutchess County, New York. Mr. Ferris was an HVAC expert. Personal communication to DJF 1987. Remove the firematic or fusible oil supply line valve on return oil-line side - in case of fire if this one closes first the pump continues to run, blows its seal, and sprays oil all over the fire. Proper installation is to have a fusible link valve only on the supply side, and to install a check valve on the return line to prevent back-siphonage from the tank.
"HUD Regulation for Manufactured Homes; Requirement that Heat-Tape not include a GFCI [ copy on file as /plumbing/GFCI_Heat_Tapes_HUD_CPSC_Letter1994.pdf ] - ", Meeting Log, US CPSC, HUD, Dennis McCoskrie, ESEE, 2/14/1994
[1] LeakLok™ blue thread sealant compound is available from Argo, Inc., 2610 Commerce Way, Vista CA 92083, tel: 800-854-1015. Quoting from the company's product literature:
Leak Lock Blue Joint Sealing Compound 1.3 oz. tube Soft setting joint compound that seals threaded joints, gasket surfaces and mating surfaces. Resin-based brushable paste which remains permanently flexible, internal surfaces and fills voids. Excellent for use on metal and plastic materials subject to extreme vibrations.

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Guide to Oil Filters on Oil-Fired Heating Equipment

Why do we need an Oil Filter at Oil Burner?

Best Oil Filter Location

Location of Fire Safety Controls at the Oil Filter

Bad, Dangerous, or Stupid Locations for Heating Oil Filters

Servicing the Oil Filter: Step by Step Procedure for Changing the Heating Appliance Oil Filter Cartridge

Bleeding Air from the Heating Oil Filter Canister

Oil Filter Leak Check: Make sure that your oil canister installation is not leaking oil nor air

Common Heating Oil Leak Points at the Heating Oil Filter

Oil piping leak at the copper piping flare to iron piping connection.

Where Do We Usually Find Leaks at the Heating Oil Filter Canister Assembly?

Installing Duplexed Parallel Oil Filter Canisters - A Pair of Oil Filters Handles Oil Tank Sludge

Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQs) about Heating Oil Filters on Boilers, Furnaces, Water Heaters

Question: Why is my oil filter canister leaking oil - apparently from the bottom of the unit?

Reply: Check for missing or damaged fiber washers and o-ring as well as leaky flare fittings

Where to leaks occur at heating oil filter canister assemblies?

Continued from Ed:

Continued from DF:

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