Waste oil heater

[Boss 302]

Anybody using one of these to heat your shop, if so I would like to hear pros/cons. Based on what I have seen they are right expensive to purchase.

 

[tomplum]

They are expensive to purchase. I've considered making one to keep things warm enough to refinish in the winter. 2jeffs1 on Youtube has a real nice set up in his shop in Wisconsin.

 

[5030]

I've had a Clean Burn years. Other than having to clean the nozzle and ignitor of carbon and the strainer in the fuel delivery pump, it's been a good runner and burns up all my drain oil plus what I can collect from my friends. I use a repurposed heating oil tank for used oil storage.

 

[mikester]

I don't have one but the neighbor does. Uses an old house furnace, more and more are available these days cheap because house insurers are telling homeowners to get rid of oil or no insurance.

He takes oil from neighbour's etc. His number 1 recommendation is double filter. Strain the oil going into the tank, use a large capacity filter on the outlet.

 

[5030]

My Clean Burn has a built in centrifugal filter plus a spin on filter on the intermediate tank. The oil must be clean or they will fail. Not sure how a residential oil furnace would handle used motor oil, I bet it would need a different orifice to operate properly as motor oil has a higher viscosity than fuel oil which in reality is just off road diesel. Even with the filters, regular cleaning of the burner is mandatory. Mine emits no visible smoke at all from the vent. Plenty of heat however. From what I've observed, residential units have minimal flitering on the fuel input line. Mine runs used motor oil, brake fluid and even a tad bit of antifreeze if it's in suspension with the oil.

 

[5030]

I don't have one but the neighbor does. Uses an old house furnace, more and more are available these days cheap because house insurers are telling homeowners to get rid of oil or no insurance.

He takes oil from neighbour's etc. His number 1 recommendation is double filter. Strain the oil going into the tank, use a large capacity filter on the outlet.

Canada must have different regulations. Not that way down here.

 

[workinonit]

My biggest issue was getting enough oil to run one. Turns out, collecting oil is a huge PITA that I don't have time for.

 

[Sigarms]

Canada must have different regulations. Not that way down here.

Keep in mind, New York city has just banned natural gas to any new structures less than 7 stories tall and then will change to over 7 stories high in 2027. On top of that, the state of New York is also looking at a statewide ban of natural gas.

There is a part of me that will be glad I'll be dead within the next 50 years.

 

[RalphVa]

A friend has an auto repair garage. He burns waste oil to heat his garage. He just drips it into an old barrel which is exhausted out through his roof.

 

[Hay Dude]

A friend has an auto repair garage. He burns waste oil to heat his garage. He just drips it into an old barrel which is exhausted out through his roof.

Mine, too. He has a nonstop source in me for oil! I get treated extra nice! Lol

 

[oosik]

The Kubota service facility in Spokane has a waste oil furnace. It also has overhead ducting to blow hot air to all areas within the building. The furnace is a big green thing. Large, easily accessible double filters. Big inside storage tank.

It's now about 8-10 years old. Service manager said it will pay for itself after 12-15 years of use. They use ONLY oil from their own shop. Eliminates the problem of other waste products from outside sources - gas, antifreeze, water, etc.

An obvious addition to any large service facility.

 

[5030]

Kleen Burn's are red and black. I tend to only burn my own waste oil as well and I don't keep the shop toasty constantly anyway. It has in floor PEX heat and I maintain the slab temp at 60 degrees in the winter. Nice thing about in slab heat is, it keeps your feet warm and once you get the slab up to temp, it takes very little to maintain it (so long as it's insulated from the ground underneath properly).

 

[ponytug]

@oosik that seems like a really long payback. (I am not doubting you.) I would have thought that the labor handling waste oil disposal alone would have had a shorter payback, plus disposal fees, etc. Is it because electricity is so cheap where you are, so there is no payback from the heat savings?

All the best,

Peter

 

[LouNY]

A few shops I know of have them. It all depends on the quality of the oil handling.
Do a good job of filtering the used oil, keep the tank clean and under cover they work good
and save a bunch of money.
Get sloppy about keeping the oil filtered, let barrels sit around outside,
it will be a maintenance nightmare and always quit when it's needed the most.

 

[oosik]

Ponytug - well, since I have no knowledge of these waste oil systems - I didn't ask about the payback time length. Yes - our electricity is some of the cheapest in the nation - less than seven cents per KW hour. Maybe the fellow didn't figure in all the savings using the waste oil furnace.

He did say it was a very expensive system. He was very happy with the way it worked.

 

[Oaktree]

I don't have one but the neighbor does. Uses an old house furnace, more and more are available these days cheap because house insurers are telling homeowners to get rid of oil or no insurance.

Canada must have different regulations. Not that way down here.

What is the rationale on this? Given that it's the insurance companies demanding the change, not the gov't implies it's not a fossil fuel ban.

Keep in mind, New York city has just banned natural gas to any new structures less than 7 stories tall and then will change to over 7 stories high in 2027. On top of that, the state of New York is also looking at a statewide ban of natural gas.

There is a part of me that will be glad I'll be dead within the next 50 years.

+1 on your last statement.
Curiously, what do they expect people to use for heat in the future? Electricity? That's pricey and N.Y. can be cold in the winter. The electric grid can barely keep up with demand now, and between this and EVs being crammed down our throats looks like a recipe for disaster.

 

[jaxs]

On a scale with many build it yourself projects seen here,a waste oil burner isn't difficult nor expensive. Spraying oil into burner apposed to dripping increase's btu per gallon. Suffecient pressure to atomize oil farthar increase's effeciency. Introducing ample air is neccessary for complete combustion and reduction of smoke from flue. Even a rudamintary heat exchanger can scavenge heat from flue. I don't bring up effecience so much as to cut cost (oil is free afterall) I mention effeciency in the interest of reduced smoke from flue. Some places would get on your case and some might even fine you over excessive smoke.

 

[jigs_n_fixtures]

We have one in the road shop at work. The equipment operators turn into mechanics in the winter and do the annual service on all the vehicles. They generate enough oil to heat the shop every year.

It has been in for about twenty years now. Except for the year we did a hazmat clean up, and the guys decided to burn, a couple of 50-gallon drums of linseed oil, and a few drums of some kind of solvent. The combination burned a bit too hot compared to waste motor oil and burned out the nozzles. Other than a that it has been a pretty good investment.