| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
OK, so I just got a house with an oil furnace. Works VERY well...but I've never had oil before. I've been heating my house with a pellet stove for the last 16 years. Run out of bags, buy more pellets. Pretty simple. I have a dipstick for the tank. I've been checking and checking, just to be safe. (and, in 2 weeks, it doesn't seem to have budged) Anyone have any suggestions on: 1. what's a good price for fuel oil? (MD/PA area) onlineheatingoil.com shows right around 3.50/gallon for this area, but none of the local vendors have pricing on their websites. 2. is it better to set up the "automatic" delivery so I don't have to worry about it? The house also has a heat pump (3 ton). I know there needs to be heat in the air for it to work, but it also has an electric heat element. Any guess which would be cheaper in the long run (oil or electric)? The house is extraordinarily well-insulated. The only big advantage the furnace has is, it's divided into four zones so I can heat the portions I use most often; the heat pump is single zone/whole house. | ||
| Fahren |
Heat pumps will still work on those not-so-cold winter days. They get less efficient as heaters as it gets colder outside, and the electric backup strip will send your meter into a wallet-emptying frenzy. I'd keep the heat pump to a three-season usage, especially if it is not really new and really high end, able to still work efficiently at lower temp's. Maryland is right at the cusp of where you can still get efficient performance in winter for heat pumps - a mild winter like this one has been can still be ok to run the system. You will probably feel more comfortable with the radiators or baseboard units your oil system is kicking out, though, if that's your setup. It's hard to beat the comfort from a hydronic heat system. Oil heat is good. You can get a gauge to screw into the opening in the top of the tank that will show the fuel level - cheat, at a plumbing supply house. Oil heat prices fluctuate daily, so you can call around to get the best price you can on that day, but it may go up or down the next day. The fuel companies don't sell the fuel they bought for what they bought it for plus a mark-up; they sell it for what the current price plus markup is. Get the boiler cleaned/serviced annually, and have the fuel filter checked - if the filter is catching a lot of goo, then a good fuel delivery company can add some goo-eating additives to the next fuel delivery, to clean the goo from the tank, which will result in better efficiency. Most delivery companies will give you a better price for COD, and some also give a break for having your card info on file so they don't have to bill and chase the money. Some will give a better price for at least 100 gal. delivery (they don't want to come out for a small quantity fill). Ask when you call. Also, if you can turn off the furnace so it does not go on while filling, and also not until the tank settles, the gunk at the bottom of the tank will not get into the supply line to the furnace. Not essential, but it helps, if you can do that. Calling around will get you the best info on pricing setups. You will find a fair range. | ||
| Bartimus |
What size is your storage tank? Our house back in NH had like a 3 or 5 hundred gallon tank. We would fill it in October and be good to go until March. | ||
| Mark61 |
Fahren covers it well!But many delivery companies charge MORE for automatic delivery or deliver as much as possible the day BEFORE they lower the price! mark61 | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
The price of oil fluctuates so I follow the NY spot price and buy when the price is low if possible.  Never buy oil with a contract and automatic delivery. With that system the oil company gets you two ways: you don't know what the price is and they decide when you'll get it, and how much you'll pay: a lot. I measure my tank once a month with a purpose made stick - they have them at Home Depot, which also helps me figure out how much I am using per day. A digital programmable thermostat is a must, they cost about $50 and the payback is very fast. One month in my case. You set it for day, night and have it turn down when you're at work. There should be a filter on your supply line. Change it once a year. That's just about all there is to it! | ||
| Aesquire |
Most Heat pumps work down to 32f. By 20f, you're done. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Well, it's been cold enough here the last couple days that the heat pump's thermostat (it is digital) shows "auxiliary heat on", which means the electric side is running AFAIK. It's a 3 ton unit that's 2 years old. I'm still looking for the manuals; they're here somewhere, but been a little busy trying to find clothes (now...what *&#^$&^@ box did I put my socks in....?). Digital thermostats for the furnace are an idea, but I need to pull the existing ones to see how they're driven - they're the round old-school Honeywell 'stats, and there are four of them. Living room, dining room, upstairs hall, upstairs guest room. I'll get something figured out. It's a 500 gallon tank and I figure I have about 1/4 left...my understanding is, she never "filled" it, just got a shot of oil now and again when prices were down. Is there a resource to find out what prices are doing? This is all greek to me...I feel like such an idiot! | ||
| Guell |
yea aux heat on is going to suck down a lot of electricity | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
How old is the oil furnace? The latest gen are way more efficient so if it's a recent one it may be worth keeping. If not I'd junk it & replace it with a wood pellet furnace. I don't know about fuel costs where you are, but here it's about the most economical setup. Where we lived before the winters were much less severe & we had a liquid/liquid geothermal heat-pump that gave 4 for 1, underfloor too, so toasty toes in the winter. |
