filter for home heating oil

Joined
Jul 5, 2014
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479
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Ceciltucky
I heat my home with oil. The typical home heating oil filter has an element that looks like different colors of recycled wool compressed around a wire core. The design always looked sketchy to me, as I was worried about wool fibers detaching and plugging the burner nozzle. My local hardware recently started carrying a white plastic foam element made by Mitco. Trouble is, the plastic foam filter is only good for 50 microns, where the wool filter is rated at 10 microns. I have had nozzle clogging with the plastic foam filter.

Are the compressed wool filters fairly trouble free? Any other options that filter to 10 micron? I plan to change the element yearly and add Fuel Right sludge treatment once a year.

Thanks in advance for any advice.
 
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I bet that spin on needs a new head to work. I don't see how it could work with the old canister style arrangement. You'd need the whole filter housing I believe.
 
I have a General Large filter and never had any problems but do use the 4 in 1.

Maybe change filter more frequently. Like every 6 months.

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My mom has her system cleaned and inspected every year. I guess he guy that does it replaces the filter with what ever it calls for or that company uses. She is in PA so I can't check. But I do give her AMSOIL Injector Clean to put in her tank when she fills up. I have been doing that for the past 10 years and no issues. Might be a waste of money but I remember back before Injector clean the diesel fuel treatment AMSOIL had stated on the bottle it was good to use in home oil heating systems.
 
The wool type filter does a good job. Been using them for my customers for 40 years with no problems.
 
General Filter makes a gear tooth style polypropylene filter that fits your housing and works better than the wool type filters. They are rated at 10 microns like the wool filters but they do a lot better job of catching the sludge and gunk that is in most oil tanks. I service hundreds of oil furnaces and boilers and this is the only filter I recommend.
 
I have the spin on with a gauge that has been mentioned already in this post.

That is what I would get if I was installing a boiler.

Remember the home heating oil today is ULSD so a lot cleaner than it was several years ago.

I am sure there are some slime bag oil supply companies that buy bottom of the tank or ship oil that might be crappy. But heating oil from a reputable fuel oil dealer should be very clean these days.

But a filter is always needed.
 
the wool type filters have been used forever , cant be many problems with them if any
 
HHO is akin to diesel fuel.

Any local farm store would have a decent selection of those clear-bowl type cellulose-media filter units. If the OP is adept at some basic plumbing, that would be an easy fix IMO and he could see the fuel filter element via the bowl. Spin on fuel filters work well also, but you cannot see the media. That choice may or may not matter to the OP.
 
Originally Posted by walterjay
The wool type filter does a good job. Been using them for my customers for 40 years with no problems.


I think over the years as people worried about oil use and efficiency, the nozzle size has gotten smaller and so better filtering is needed. But as I said in another post at the same time the fuel going into your tank is cleaner than a decade ago. But plenty of sludge is probably in the bottom of most home oil tanks.
 
I been servicing my burner for 28 years.
Have used string filters, now use expanded foam filters.

This applies to a Carlin 99 FRD fired at 0.85 gph

I've had clogging issues in the past with:

1) Not keeping the tank topped off in humid weather
2) Delivery Company putting a "tank cleaner" in without my authorisation
3) Ignition points too close to the nozzle head with too wide a spark gap - burning the nozzle
4) No using a HAGO brand Nozzle - the brand that works correctly ( Monarch clog easily, DELAVAN have poor spray patterns)
4) Too much air forced though the flame retention head causing flame impingement on the nozzle. Adjust head position.
5) Loose nozzle filter

and service your filter and pump screen BEFORE adjusting nozzle and flame A good nozzel should work for at least 3 years,

Annual nozzle change out is NOT preventative maintenance, its just waste of time an $$ and looking for trouble.
 
Edwardh1 - Yes, I use a treatment called Fuel Right which supposedly prevents sludge and bacteria. Every time oil is added to the tank, it gets a small bottle of Fuel Right first, to allow the additive to mix well. Everybody has a favorite fuel additive and this seems to reduce the amount of sludge on the filter element and bottom of canister.
 
We also fought with those General Wool Felt filters plugging up at the least convenient times....

Installed one of these Baldwin B10-AL filters and never had another problem ever again.

[Linked Image from i5.walmartimages.com]
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
We also fought with those General Wool Felt filters plugging up at the least convenient times....

Installed one of these Baldwin B10-AL filters and never had another problem ever again.

[Linked Image from i5.walmartimages.com]



Yes that is pretty much what I was speaking about. Those are very reliable, easy to service, and you can "see" if you start to get contamination such as bacterial growth from moisture.

Use one like this, and put a valve directly ahead and behind it in the flow stream, and it's easy to change elements without a huge mess, and you can even "purge" it fairly easily as well.
 
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If it was me and this would be total overkill, I would find a filter head that accepts a commonly used diesel fuel filter for a truck - then use a good brand of filter like Racor, Fleetgard, Baldwin, Fram or Wix. Change it as needed.
 
Originally Posted by Linctex
We also fought with those General Wool Felt filters plugging up at the least convenient times....

Installed one of these Baldwin B10-AL filters and never had another problem ever again.

[Linked Image from i5.walmartimages.com]



Yes that is pretty much what I was speaking about. Those are very reliable, easy to service, and you can "see" if you start to get contamination such as bacterial growth from moisture.

Use one like this, and put a valve directly ahead and behind it in the flow stream, and it's easy to change elements without a huge mess, and you can even "purge" it fairly easily as well.
I could see this not allowed by code. Something cracks the plastic or breaks off the petcock and hours latter you have 275 gallons of heating oil on basement floor
 
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