If You Were Me, Looking to Convert Oil to Gas

First, I'm assuming that you have a Hydronic hot water heating system and a boiler of some sort, correct?

I can only comment on the Weil-McLain boilers from personal experience. I'm not a Mechanical Engineer/HVAC tech guy. My present home, has an oil-fired boiler that's 26-years old. Since I've lived here we've only had to have the unit cleaned every year as a part of routine maintenance + replace the domestic hot water heating coil due to sand clogging (as a result of a water main break along the municipal system that wasn't adequately flushed). Other then that issue, it has run flawlessly and has been very dependable each winter. I have no complaints. Sure, we could upgrade the burner unit for better efficiency, but right now it's not a good ROI for us. My HVAC/Electrician/plumbing contractor buddy said to me recently that the damn thing would last a lifetime, and if anything needed a future replacement it would probably be the recirculating pump and some seals as well as the Honeywell controllers.

My previous house, a remodeled 1896 Victorian home had two gas-fired Weil-McLain boilers, and other than routine cleaning and maintenance, there were no issues with either one of them. By the time I left that house they were both around 15 years old. Again, no complaints!

All of their boilers are build like Sherman Tanks....extremely well built & durable!!!

I don't know much about the others that you have listed....

I can only suggest that you conduct a Google Search on independent reviews and comments of boilers and see what others (including un-biased HVAC-Heating Contractors) have to say.\

Not only because I worked for Weil McClain some years ago. But, their units were and are by far the best made. They also are made here in the USA, Northern Indiana, by some of the finest folks around. (only a little bias) But, no joking I put a Weil McClain unit in a friends house 30 years ago and to-date have had not one issue with it. Even the pumps are still going strong.

why have you limited yourself to only three options? why did you decide to switch from oil to gas?

i would consider the effiency and cost per btu before deciding on what heating system or manufacturer that would be the most economical in your area before making a twenty year commitment on the cost of an upgrade.

These are my reasons for switching to gas.

1. My old boiler is almost 40 years old,time to go before it goes.

2. natual gas is cheaper than oil and the price is regulated in my state by a public utility commishion.( no gouging during the heating season)

3. Tired of third world countries and hedge funds dictating what i spend to heat my house.

4. I want the oil tank out of my basement to free up more living space.

5. It's easier to sell down the road if i convert to gas(no one wants to deal with the maintence of oil).

6. The new boiler will be smaller than my old* see reason#4.

Now, if anyone has an opinon on the reliability of units i've mentioned, i'd love to hear from you.

Thanks in advance,

George

Question fer ya, how long does take fer oil burner to develop enough soot to degrade the efficiency? Soot on heat exchanger after 40 hours use will degrade efficiency rating to a degree best not thought or held long in the mind of those using oil burners. I try not to think about it but the BTU's per pound issue melts away quickly....

I suspect the reason that the OP wants to switch fuels is that #2 Fuel oil prices typically fluctuate wildly during the home heating months, whilst Natural Gas prices remains fairly constant.

We heat our home with #2 Fuel Oil, and unless we are "locked into" a price (already too high to begin with IMO) at the beginning of Fall, the price typically soars according to the market during the heating season, from October to the following May. It drives me bonkers when the speculators in markets drive up the cost of oil, as it costs me an arm and a leg to heat the house. Just criminal! Also, you're at the mercy of the oil delivery guys....

Really, I wish that I had an option here to choose NG fuel to heat the house because it's regulated, but it isn't available here yet, although it is across the Hudson River.

I understand that it's possible to just change the burner unit of a Weil-McLain boiler (and not replace the entire boiler) when switching fuel types. Of course you have to get rid of the oil tank and supply line + install black iron NG service line and valve.

Maybe some of the HVAC and ME's can elaborate further regarding this issue?

why is the government afraid to deal with oil speculaters? i have read that they alone are responsable for 1/3 of the cost of gas. it's my understanding that big oil is shipping a large percentage of oil overseas where they can get a better price. we have enough oil being pumped within our own country to supply our own needs. why did obama squelch the canadian keystone pipe line that was meant to run to our southern shores and compete with big oil here in the usa? how long are we willing to be whipping boys for the sake of big oil and wall street's enormous profits? a simple excize tax on exporting oil would be all it would take, yet no politition will even mention the subject. we have been played for fools long enough.

i think we as a group can enlighten the average hard working joe as to how big business and there money control both parties.

the solution? a third party system.

sorry for the rant. it pisses me off every time there is a discussion about the price of heating our homes. it's a no win situation for those who are spending there last dime to heat there homes. my neighbor froze to death a few years back.

No "Wukkas" duckie about the rant. It pisses me off too.......don't get me started! LOL

Hello,

Options for my clients are what we develop here daily, at my company so I will freely present a few if allowed to, here in this topic. While LNG, is currently abundant & cheap, my personal belief is that the price may actually not last as long, as it's projected. It's also not a clean break, from the oil companies strangle, upon your wallet either. Let one terrorist detonate, just 1 ship carrying LNG through a shipping lane or hit one of those sitting in NY harbor and those prices will surge vastly too, regardless of the big oil companies pipelines ability, to supply their customers. If you wish to break all the holds, that big oil has on your money, you might then seek to become more self- sustainable and "green" in your heating choices. Now, If solar thermal, is just not possible as your first choice ( a 1% condition in most cases, since most of the earth's residents, receive this free nuclear power - though some locations don't receive enough due to an array of conditions ), I would suggest then, you might consider 2 other options :

1. Convert existing equipment to Alcohol Fuel. It's an easy drop in fuel as a replacement for heating oils, when caster oil is added to the mix ( just as for diesel engines). Now, As a heating fuel it is a little lower in final BTU's received, than some other choices but, small producers can easily make their own alcohol fuel, from multiple waste products, ( cattail plants to old doughnuts & so on ) and all at about $1.00 a gallon. Don't worry, A free BATF permit is also available for your experimental fuel production in America, up to a total of 5,000 "proof" gallons per permit annually, and if your clever you will also have others, using your equipment with their permits, producing and stockpiling enough alcohol fuel, to also operate your personal fleet of transportation too.

2. Converting existing equipment, to burn waste oil, is another option too. Waste motor oil is free from many garages and there is also restaurant cooking oils too, all for free if you haul it or either, one can schedule delivery by local waste oil companies working the restaurants in your area. The conversion of existing equipment to waste oil is normally a few hundred dollar event yet, the future is bright with lots free fuel, from waste oil products. Also Bio-fuel conversion from cooking oils is also possible, and at a low expense when you Do it yourself, and then this fuel will drop in, just like your original fuel does. Several companies today, are making bio-fuels this way, just for this one reason - heating oil replacement.

I hope some of this helps you have a few other options, that free you from big oils hold on your life . Self-sustainable homes and businesses are also worth infinitely more to buyers than big oil dependent structures are in any market condition, when your resale day comes.

Best Regards,

Joe Woodall, Rogue Eco-Architect

Georgia Adobe