OIL VS. PROPANE

titleist1 wrote:

anthony7812 wrote:Also look more into the furnace/heater you will be using with propane. Propane throws alot of moisture into the air when burned, and can lead to mold growth without proper cleaning and what not.

Won't that moisture be contained within the burn chamber, and unless the heat exchanger is cracked be exhausted outside the structure?

Berlin wrote:I think anthony may have been referring to vent-free propane/NG appliances, which, in this discussion of a central heating system won't be applicable.

Samhill, oil requires yearly combustion chamber vacuuming, changing the oil nozzle/fiter and possibly an electrode check in addtion to the yearly maintenance involved (such as changing air filters etc. that you've mentioned) in propane/ng systems. If you do just a little reading, anyone technically inclined can do all oil maintenance themselves (short of air adjustments or possibly pump adjustments which, should you be using the same brand/angle nozzle etc. and have good oil filtering, won't really need to be adjusted once properly set the first time). Oil fired furnaces typically are made MUCH heavier and will easily last 60 years, modern propane and NG furnaces will burn through/crack the firetubes in less than 25 years and often much earlier. The additonal costs of new propane/ng systems involve the replacement of the often expensive and stupidly complex electronic components and the rather frequent replacement of igniters, some of which is more difficult to troubleshoot and replace yourself. Living in a NG area (i have NG myself) I can tell you that regardless of the brand of furnace, igniter and circuit boad replacements are very common in the first few years of ownership sometimes to the tune of over 1K. Bear in mind that, for around $350 you buy your own oil tanks and if they're properly pitched and maintained you'll easily achieve a 50 year+ lifespan. With propane, you either buy a much more expensive tank or pay to rent that tank from someone else (in which case you can't shop around for the best propane price).

Berlin wrote:sulfur and moisture in the fuel oil has little effect on the tanks if pitched properly. I've taken out many 50 and 60 year old tanks that weren't in a damp area and were pitched properly and had little corrosion inside of them...8<

The only time I've seen old oil furnace heat exchangers cracked or burned through was in poorly maintained/overfired furnaces usually with a burned out combustion chamber.

whistlenut wrote:LP always seems to be a 'secret sales society' with some paying 1.25/gal, others pay 4.65/gal........