ᐅ Heating system breaks down two weeks after costly maintenance – fuel tank cleaning?
Created on: 12 Feb 2018 10:46
M
Mizit
We moved into our new house just under five months ago and have unfortunately encountered quite a few problems so far. Now we’re having issues with the heating system as well. Since we are not very experienced technically or with what reasonable costs for certain services should be, I would appreciate your expertise and opinions on our heating system experience:
In mid-January, we had someone from a local heating company come to service our heating system. We contacted this company because they had apparently serviced the system several times for the previous owner and were familiar with it. The previous owner had told us he had the heating regularly maintained. However, according to the company, the last maintenance was nearly three years ago.
During the service, the following was done:
Maintenance of oil heating system: cleaning of the boiler, cleaning of the burner, replacement of nozzle and filter, burner adjustment using a special measuring device, and a CO2 measurement was performed. We were charged nearly 260 euros (about $280) for this, and several people around us said that this was quite expensive. Since this was the first time we ordered this service, we weren’t quite sure…?
Then, two weeks later, on a Saturday evening—very cold, snowing— all the circuit breakers tripped and the house lost power. We quickly found out it was the heating system’s fuse that caused it. The next morning, someone from an emergency service came out: the oil preheater was broken.
The problem on this freezing Sunday morning was that, for the first time, we learned that it was NOT a Buderus burner as we had assumed and been told, but some no-name brand. The emergency technician said that there are no authorized service companies for this burner in the city and that he would have to order the part from the wholesaler, which would arrive earliest Tuesday, with installation on Wednesday. It’s possible the situation was taken advantage of a bit, as we hardly wanted to stay for three days with two small children and a tenant during below-zero temperatures without heat or hot water. We were also told this burner was only 2–3 years old and never really a quality product. The replacement part would cost money including installation, and how long the new part would last was uncertain. So we agreed to replace the burner with a good-quality one.
The new burner was installed that Sunday but didn’t work because it was then discovered that the tanks were so full of sludge that instead of oil, only dirt was being pumped. This couldn’t be fixed on Sunday. So the burner replacement on a Sunday emergency call was basically useless.
On Monday at noon, other company employees came and installed what is called a “floating intake” – we have not yet received the full invoice, but we expect it might be very high.
We were advised not to refill the tanks for the time being but to have the tanks professionally cleaned by this company as soon as possible. The cost would be just under 500 euros (about $530), and presumably even more in the end.
This annoys us, possibly unfairly: We had the heating serviced for 250 euros (about $265) just two weeks prior. Shouldn’t the technician have noticed during the service that the oil preheater was broken or shown signs of failure? Or is this issue unrelated to the maintenance and simply bad luck?
Also: Each tank holds 1,500 liters (about 400 gallons), and currently, each still contains around 400 liters (about 105 gallons). Since the oil is now being drawn from the top, does that make the tank cleaning unnecessary for now and something we could delay, or should we have it done immediately?
In mid-January, we had someone from a local heating company come to service our heating system. We contacted this company because they had apparently serviced the system several times for the previous owner and were familiar with it. The previous owner had told us he had the heating regularly maintained. However, according to the company, the last maintenance was nearly three years ago.
During the service, the following was done:
Maintenance of oil heating system: cleaning of the boiler, cleaning of the burner, replacement of nozzle and filter, burner adjustment using a special measuring device, and a CO2 measurement was performed. We were charged nearly 260 euros (about $280) for this, and several people around us said that this was quite expensive. Since this was the first time we ordered this service, we weren’t quite sure…?
Then, two weeks later, on a Saturday evening—very cold, snowing— all the circuit breakers tripped and the house lost power. We quickly found out it was the heating system’s fuse that caused it. The next morning, someone from an emergency service came out: the oil preheater was broken.
The problem on this freezing Sunday morning was that, for the first time, we learned that it was NOT a Buderus burner as we had assumed and been told, but some no-name brand. The emergency technician said that there are no authorized service companies for this burner in the city and that he would have to order the part from the wholesaler, which would arrive earliest Tuesday, with installation on Wednesday. It’s possible the situation was taken advantage of a bit, as we hardly wanted to stay for three days with two small children and a tenant during below-zero temperatures without heat or hot water. We were also told this burner was only 2–3 years old and never really a quality product. The replacement part would cost money including installation, and how long the new part would last was uncertain. So we agreed to replace the burner with a good-quality one.
The new burner was installed that Sunday but didn’t work because it was then discovered that the tanks were so full of sludge that instead of oil, only dirt was being pumped. This couldn’t be fixed on Sunday. So the burner replacement on a Sunday emergency call was basically useless.
On Monday at noon, other company employees came and installed what is called a “floating intake” – we have not yet received the full invoice, but we expect it might be very high.
We were advised not to refill the tanks for the time being but to have the tanks professionally cleaned by this company as soon as possible. The cost would be just under 500 euros (about $530), and presumably even more in the end.
This annoys us, possibly unfairly: We had the heating serviced for 250 euros (about $265) just two weeks prior. Shouldn’t the technician have noticed during the service that the oil preheater was broken or shown signs of failure? Or is this issue unrelated to the maintenance and simply bad luck?
Also: Each tank holds 1,500 liters (about 400 gallons), and currently, each still contains around 400 liters (about 105 gallons). Since the oil is now being drawn from the top, does that make the tank cleaning unnecessary for now and something we could delay, or should we have it done immediately?
B
Bieber081513 Feb 2018 08:51For cleaning the tank, I would get 2 to 3 quotes (by phone) and ask when the best time for this is, whether the tank should be mostly full or mostly empty, and what happens to the remaining oil (how much loss occurs during cleaning). (You’re welcome to share the results of your research here ;-)).
Background: The oil needs to be heated to reach the proper viscosity so it can atomize correctly for ignition in the burner (small droplets, large surface area, good combustion). That’s why the preheater is needed.
Mizit schrieb:Remote diagnoses are always tricky. But: during maintenance everything was perfect, yet a few days later the tank was clogged with sludge and the 23-year-old no-name burner had no spare parts available and should preferably be replaced. That doesn’t add up to me.
It was said that everything was fine.
Mizit schrieb:A preheater is basically always necessary. In your case, the preheater was broken, but as far as I understood, the burner was then replaced. Since swapping the burner doesn’t fix a broken preheater, it was likely replaced implicitly too. So, exchanging the broken preheater for a new one and the old no-name burner for a new branded burner. This should be detailed on the invoice...
New burner a system without oil preheater?
Background: The oil needs to be heated to reach the proper viscosity so it can atomize correctly for ignition in the burner (small droplets, large surface area, good combustion). That’s why the preheater is needed.
Thank you for your responses.
My question is whether such a heavily sludge-covered tank should have been noticed during maintenance.
The maintenance and emergency service were actually carried out by two different companies.
Maintenance was done by a local company, and you can’t help but wonder if maybe they thought we wouldn’t say anything if something broke, since they would profit from it? Of course, I might be completely wrong about that, but that’s the impression I got here.
My parents’ heating system also runs on oil, it’s now 26 years old, and they have never had the tank cleaned...
There are only two companies here that offer this cleaning service, both charging around 400 euros plus tax, so basically the same price.
We’ve recently had to spend a lot of money unexpectedly — well, welcome to home ownership — and against that background, I wonder if we should really spend another 500 euros on a cleaning when a floating suction device has just been installed on the tank.
The sludge settles at the bottom. If we refill the tank now and postpone the cleaning, the tank will be full again, and since the suction now draws from the top using a floating intake, it shouldn’t be possible for anything to get damaged again, right?
My question is whether such a heavily sludge-covered tank should have been noticed during maintenance.
The maintenance and emergency service were actually carried out by two different companies.
Maintenance was done by a local company, and you can’t help but wonder if maybe they thought we wouldn’t say anything if something broke, since they would profit from it? Of course, I might be completely wrong about that, but that’s the impression I got here.
My parents’ heating system also runs on oil, it’s now 26 years old, and they have never had the tank cleaned...
There are only two companies here that offer this cleaning service, both charging around 400 euros plus tax, so basically the same price.
We’ve recently had to spend a lot of money unexpectedly — well, welcome to home ownership — and against that background, I wonder if we should really spend another 500 euros on a cleaning when a floating suction device has just been installed on the tank.
The sludge settles at the bottom. If we refill the tank now and postpone the cleaning, the tank will be full again, and since the suction now draws from the top using a floating intake, it shouldn’t be possible for anything to get damaged again, right?
Did you see the sludge? Or feel it? Is it soapy? Slimy? Did someone put vegetable oil in the tank, and now there are those darn bacteria in there? Diesel bug? Look it up. Then make sure to clean it thoroughly. And stay away from that stuff. Never ever fill up with it! Otherwise, you’re right. There’s always a bit of sludge at the bottom. You just shouldn’t run the tank completely empty. Karsten
Hello,
That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
The filter can be heavily soiled three years after the last maintenance.
Maintenance and malfunction are not related.
I don’t see any advantage in the floating intake.
If the liquid level in the tank drops, eventually the intake will be in the sludge again.
Therefore, a too deep drop should be avoided.
I would simply have shortened the intake hoses.
If you refill now, you will shut down the burner for several hours.
It takes some time for the sludge to settle back at the bottom.
Olli
That doesn’t necessarily have to be the case.
The filter can be heavily soiled three years after the last maintenance.
Maintenance and malfunction are not related.
I don’t see any advantage in the floating intake.
If the liquid level in the tank drops, eventually the intake will be in the sludge again.
Therefore, a too deep drop should be avoided.
I would simply have shortened the intake hoses.
If you refill now, you will shut down the burner for several hours.
It takes some time for the sludge to settle back at the bottom.
Olli
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