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Oil furnace nozzle clogged - is this common?
QUESTION:Oil furnace nozzle clogged - is this common?
I have an oil furnace. It underwent it's annual service in January. Less than two months later I awoke one cold morning to the smell of fuel oil throughout the house. The chimney was spewing thick black smoke, and the furnace itself was covered with soot and smoking. The serviceman told me it was a clogged nozzle. MY QUESTION: Is this a common problem? Why did it happen? Does the oil service company have any responsibility for this occurring? Can the nozzle clog up in such a short time - or did they not do a good job in servicing the furnace less than two months ago?
ANSWER: First two guys are correct.
Also, if you have a tank is outside and above ground, these are very prone to condensation build up. If you let your oil go real low prior to delivery, it stirs up all that crap.
If your filter has gone too long for its annual change, debris may have been forced past it. Many oil pumps have a safety screen that can get clogged. This will diminish the oil flow and appear that the nozzle is clogged.
Some less than desireable firms try to clean and re-use old nozzles. This is rare and hopefully not your case.
Put about ten gallons of Kerosene into your tank to help thin and parafins that might have built up in the lines. Also buy the anti-jelling additive at your local plumbing/heating supply. Comes in quarts and you pour it in while the fuel is delivered to mix it up good. Some suppliers will do this for you for a modest fee. (I used to set the can out on the tank and they obliged.)
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