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OT - Furnace Oil Preheater

blake in spokane

Hot Rolled
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Location
spokane
Any ideas out there on a clamp on or inline preheater just before the pump. I'm tring to run a 20-25% mix hydraulic oil with the diesel. Before the pump is not to put such a load on the pump. Oil is a 65' or so & would like to get it up to a 100+ Clamp on or inline is there is no other ports in the tank.
 
Any ideas out there on a clamp on or inline preheater just before the pump. I'm tring to run a 20-25% mix hydraulic oil with the diesel. Before the pump is not to put such a load on the pump. Oil is a 65' or so & would like to get it up to a 100+ Clamp on or inline is there is no other ports in the tank.

Run that by us again. "Oil is 65'". What is that, feet? If you want to preheat the fuel then run a coil or loop through the combustion chamber.
 
Don't know if it'll work for your app but those tankless water heaters are quite small. If you can adjust the temp low enough to suit your needs.

Ben
 
If the burner is heating water or making steam, use a heat exchanger, since the boiler is always maintaining temperature.

Bill

If you need this 65(°) press and hold the alt key and on the number keypad type 248 and release the alt key and you get a ° bingo. Then we all know what the 65' means
 
A small cartridge heater in an aluminum block, drill a through hole in the aluminum for the oil to pass through. You'll likely need a thermostatic control for the element.

100 degrees may not do it for you. I run mine around 250 degrees.
 
Just trying to heat the shop. A 20-25% mix with the diesel is like a dollar off a gallon to stay warm.

Hello Blake in spokane
Am I missing something here? Around here, diesel's selling for around $1.10/ litre & hydraulic oil's selling for around $3.40/litre. What, more BTU's in hydraulic oil? Or are you talking about getting rid of used hydraulic oil?:confused:
 
It's used hyd. oil, the stuff I'm getting is clean before I filter it one more time. Light weight, no gear lube, no gasket goo. The stuff is good enough to use as a machine lube oil.
 
You might want to try a screw in type immersion heater. They come equipped with a thermostat. You can get them from 500 watt on up. I always used the 500w jobs. They're usually 1'' pipe thd. Weld a coupling on a sealed tank and screw in the heater. Oil in and out fittings. Probably need to keep it at 200º, and close to the oil pump of unit. A drain is handy too. A coil inside the combustion chamber will varnish up in no time, plus sounds deadly to me....way to hot in there! I'd hate to think what could happen if the coil split with the pump pumping oil into the chamber.
 
You could wrap the incomming line with "that stuff" they use to keep pipes from freezing in cold environments. I beleive it is 120VAC and has thermostat built in. Cruze som plumbing supply sites, I don't see why this wouldn't work instead of heat exchangers and tubing etc. KISS ya know keep it simlpe.......
 
My question: What happens when it starts up cold? Are you going to keep the pump warmed all the time? It will be more than the incoming line that needs to be heated. What about the fuel in the line between the pump and the nozzle? I don't want to be a wet blanket but I know what kind of a mess a flooded furnace can be.

Ed.
 
So are talking about heating < 1 quart an hour?

That is if the burner is nozzled for somewhere near 1.5 gal/hr and you want to replace < 1/4th of the fuel oil with waste oil.

Automotive tank heater? That would give a nice package with it's own controls.

True the Inlet and outlet would be a little large ;-)
 
I don't think you're going to get much benefit from heating the oil as it comes through the line. How about a magnetic heater on the bottom of the tank? It won't do much but it should warm things up a little.

The other suggestion I'd have is to find a way to get either the whole tank or a smaller intermediate tank inside the building. Could you transfer enough oil to a small tank inside to run for a day or so, and just do that daily?
 
Build a wooden box around your oil tank and keep a light bulb burning within the box 24/7. It works for alot of people around here and it sure gets alot colder than Washington. Check with your oil delivery company first.
 
Having lived in Spokane years ago...

Record low in Washington.. -48, Maine -48 ....

Now in nice toasty Alaska... Record low -80 ..
,
Why not a standard radiator/heater hose heater, heating a water filled container ( with in and out ports arranged vertically) with copper tubing loop with hydraulic oil for a heat exchanger...

I have seen the silicon mat type, glue on oil pan heaters, installed on inlet filter housing on waste oil burners used for preheat..
 








 
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