Oil boiler sooting up and additive for tank
Discussion
Our oil fired combi boiler has had a problem with sooting, with fine black powder coming out of the flue. The local boiler people fixed it six months ago and it was fine for a while, but has now been doing it again. They've been back twice recently but the problem persists and they have suggested that the tank is sludgy (the filter was filthy) and that I should put an additive in to break down the sludge before they try anything else.
There seems to be a wide range of brands of domestic oil tank additive - are they essentially all the same? Or what should I look for? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
There seems to be a wide range of brands of domestic oil tank additive - are they essentially all the same? Or what should I look for? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
Having had some involvement with contaminated yacht diesel tanks, I would suggest you need to get the tank clean and not rely on snake oil.
Sludge comes in different flavours, tar, biological etc.
The things I've found work are:
'polishing the fuel' basically circulate it through filters until it is clean.
or a new tank.
One of the key things IMHO is not to have water lying in the bottom of the tank.
Sludge comes in different flavours, tar, biological etc.
The things I've found work are:
'polishing the fuel' basically circulate it through filters until it is clean.
or a new tank.
One of the key things IMHO is not to have water lying in the bottom of the tank.
Can the boiler not be test run from a clean can of kerosene before doing any more complex fannying about?
A sooty flame is going to be down to a rich mixture so either the fuel is being starved by grotty fuel clogging things or it's not getting enough air. If it is muck then can you see the filter or just remove and clean the jet?
A sooty flame is going to be down to a rich mixture so either the fuel is being starved by grotty fuel clogging things or it's not getting enough air. If it is muck then can you see the filter or just remove and clean the jet?
tog said:
put an additive in to break down the sludge before they try anything else.
The trouble is, if the tank is full of water/sludge/whatever, adding a bottle of stuff doesn't make that disappear. It still has to go somewhere, and that's into the filter.There was a recent thread on this, first step is to dip the tank and establish if the tank is contaminated using water-finding paste. After that, it's into maybe being able to siphon the gunk out if it's not too bad, or draining and cleaning the tank.
Thanks, I was rather suspicious of their claim it would fix the issue adding now. I can now see the argument for adding it on a regular basis to prevent sludge building up, but as a cure for a sludge tank it seems a bit unlikely.
We have a local tank company so I'll ask for their views on draining and cleaning. We had a delivery only a few weeks ago so the tank is quite full at the moment.
We have a local tank company so I'll ask for their views on draining and cleaning. We had a delivery only a few weeks ago so the tank is quite full at the moment.
Counter-intuitive, the oil floats on top of any water and sludge, so you can have a buildup of a few inches of gunk before it causes any problems.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145433765799 and a long stick is probably the first step. You may find a surprising amount of water in there, but that's quite easy to remove.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145433765799 and a long stick is probably the first step. You may find a surprising amount of water in there, but that's quite easy to remove.
How old is your tank? - Recently I cleaned out a fairly old tank, tipped it on its end, reached in with a brush and a small pressure sprayer filled with heating oil and cleaned out a LOT of sludge (and a few branches that looked like the trees in the neighbours garden, kids now grown up..)
Would there be room to fit a larger filter? - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335196161159
Would there be room to fit a larger filter? - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/335196161159
shtu said:
Counter-intuitive, the oil floats on top of any water and sludge, so you can have a buildup of a few inches of gunk before it causes any problems.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145433765799 and a long stick is probably the first step. You may find a surprising amount of water in there, but that's quite easy to remove.
not sure that's really counter intuitive, water sinks in oil. But yes, it's fairly easy to remove.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145433765799 and a long stick is probably the first step. You may find a surprising amount of water in there, but that's quite easy to remove.
I would perhaps start with a 'Pela' type oil extractor and a stiff bit of tubing poked into the lowest point.
Keep removing stuff from the bottom until it comes out clean.
You'll want a 6mm or so bore hose for the pela, the standard thing intended to poke down dipstick holes will block in milliseconds.
The stuff you remove can be allowed to settle in cans. I've use 2l plastic milk bottles for diesel. You may recover fuel from the top, which at least reduces the disposal problem.
A more advanced approach is a pump and some filters. Ebay facet style pump and a CAV type diesel water separator filter works for us. Filter elements are cheap and the head was left over from a boat. A cleanable coarse filter and an inline fine filter from a car would be an alternative.
OutInTheShed said:
not sure that's really counter intuitive, water sinks in oil. But yes, it's fairly easy to remove.
I would perhaps start with a 'Pela' type oil extractor and a stiff bit of tubing poked into the lowest point.
Keep removing stuff from the bottom until it comes out clean.
You'll want a 6mm or so bore hose for the pela, the standard thing intended to poke down dipstick holes will block in milliseconds.
The stuff you remove can be allowed to settle in cans. I've use 2l plastic milk bottles for diesel. You may recover fuel from the top, which at least reduces the disposal problem.
A more advanced approach is a pump and some filters. Ebay facet style pump and a CAV type diesel water separator filter works for us. Filter elements are cheap and the head was left over from a boat. A cleanable coarse filter and an inline fine filter from a car would be an alternative.
Emboldened alternative - flex tube cable-tied to a stick I would perhaps start with a 'Pela' type oil extractor and a stiff bit of tubing poked into the lowest point.
Keep removing stuff from the bottom until it comes out clean.
You'll want a 6mm or so bore hose for the pela, the standard thing intended to poke down dipstick holes will block in milliseconds.
The stuff you remove can be allowed to settle in cans. I've use 2l plastic milk bottles for diesel. You may recover fuel from the top, which at least reduces the disposal problem.
A more advanced approach is a pump and some filters. Ebay facet style pump and a CAV type diesel water separator filter works for us. Filter elements are cheap and the head was left over from a boat. A cleanable coarse filter and an inline fine filter from a car would be an alternative.
jet_noise said:
Emboldened alternative - flex tube cable-tied to a stick
Whatever works which is on hand.Improvise, just get it done.
Optimally, try to end up with the minimum amount of stuff that needs cleaning and stinks of fuel oil.
A weighted flexible-ish tube can work too.
The main thing is to remove as much gunk/water as possible and be sure that the boiler or engine will be drawing clean fuel for the foreseeable.
Or failing that, your filters will easily cope.
There are further things you can do like agitating the fuel to get more gunk moving.
IMHO, there is a limited value in having a tank surgically clean, it won't stay that way.
tog said:
Our oil fired combi boiler has had a problem with sooting, with fine black powder coming out of the flue. The local boiler people fixed it six months ago and it was fine for a while, but has now been doing it again. They've been back twice recently but the problem persists and they have suggested that the tank is sludgy (the filter was filthy) and that I should put an additive in to break down the sludge before they try anything else.
There seems to be a wide range of brands of domestic oil tank additive - are they essentially all the same? Or what should I look for? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
Find a company t empty and flush the tank or get a new tank fitted. If the oil is contaminated it needs to be to be disposed of.There seems to be a wide range of brands of domestic oil tank additive - are they essentially all the same? Or what should I look for? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?
g7jtk said:
Find a company t empty and flush the tank or get a new tank fitted. If the oil is contaminated it needs to be to be disposed of.
99% of the oil is probably fine, just needs filtering.Emptying a tank and cleaning it is a major undertaking, probably cheaper to get a new tank.
Bill is likely to be north of £2k, compared to maybe spending <£100 on a pump and filters and some tubing to 'polish' the fuel.
If the problem is tar-like products then possibly a new tank is required. More likely it's water/bio products, relatively easily removed.
Getting a new tank may be an issue due to regulations about siting etc being stricter than previously.
There is a trade in used tanks due to people changing to heat pumps.
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