Having Oil Furnace cleaned

[Kyoto]

Hey everyone,
We are having our oil furnace cleaned tomorrow. I am going to drive Kyo over to my parent's house, but I was wondering how long it will take for any smell etc to leave the basement? She is in the room farthest away from it, but I don't want to take any risks.

Thanks in advance.

 

[SailBoat]

Greatly depends on what they are cleaning and if they are using current methods!

If it is a forced air system and you are having the ducts cleaned, there should not been any dangerous chemicals anywhere in the house. If there is, you are using the wrong people, since all furnace and duct air is removed from the home through the furnace itself.

If you are having the burning chamber and burner chemically cleaned. Same as above, they should have a large flex tube connected to the chamber and vented 'under pressure' to the great outdoors.

In they are doing it without venting! You will need to open your home, nearly every window and for sure every door and use fans to move the chemically loaded air out of your home. Could be hours, especially if your basement is poorly vented and/or lacks doors/windows.

Not sure how old your burner system is, but if it is older than 10 - 15 years, you should be looking at a major burner upgrade.

 

[Kyoto]

Greatly depends on what they are cleaning and if they are using current methods!

If it is a forced air system and you are having the ducts cleaned, there should not been any dangerous chemicals anywhere in the house. If there is, you are using the wrong people, since all furnace and duct air is removed from the home through the furnace itself.

If you are having the burning chamber and burner chemically cleaned. Same as above, they should have a large flex tube connected to the chamber and vented 'under pressure' to the great outdoors.

In they are doing it without venting! You will need to open your home, nearly every window and for sure every door and use fans to move the chemically loaded air out of your home. Could be hours, especially if your basement is poorly vented and/or lacks doors/windows.

Not sure how old your burner system is, but if it is older than 10 - 15 years, you should be looking at a major burner upgrade.

Thank you so much for the info!

 

[Kyoto]

Just in case anyone else is wondering, there are definitely weird smells from having the furnace cleaned. We had to take Kyo to my parents house for today to keep her (and U.S.) safe from that gross fume smell. Luckily I had taken her into the car before he started cleaning it to keep her safe / company.

 

[Kyoto]

He also freaked out about how old it is and we are looking into upgrading.

 

[SailBoat]

I am guessing that the one freaked-out is the repair guy, correct?

Since you are in Canada, it is very important that your 'repair guy' is a Canadian Certified Furnace Installer/Repairer and specific to Oil Burner Systems.

Please have several (at least three) 'highly recommended' Installers provide you with additional quotations. The lowest price is rarely the correct Installer when you are dealing with Current Technology Oil Burner Systems. There are huge differences between burner systems and, therefore huge differences in price. It is well worth your time to educate yourself regarding what is available. Speak to your Oil Supplier regarding the type of Burner System they recommended and why. Ask friends, etc... what they have, its age, and their likes and dislikes.

Once you get several quotation, check them out and yes, you want to call each and everyone of the individuals that each Installer provided as a reference. Also, check with your local government to assure that the Installers are and have the proper documents and that they are current.

So, what kind of heating system do you have: Forced Air or Hot Water?

In all honesty, the repair guy should have stated that there would be strong fuel oil shells resulting from the cleaning of your burner. If they did not, they would not be my first choice for installing a new system!