Oil fired furnaces and boilers are popular choices among Northeastern residents as an opportunity to use renewable fuels for heating the home. Unlike heating systems that use natural gas, oil fired heating systems can use alternative fuels like biodiesel and biofuel as an environmentally friendly energy source. This opportunity allows customers to reduce dependence on foreign oil as well as reduce their impact on the environment.
All About Oil Fired Heating Systems
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Heat is distributed three ways: warm air, hot water, and steam. In a water-based system, an oil fired heating system uses oil to provide hot water for heating as well as to provide for the household’s running water. If your system uses warm air, a furnace heats the air.
There are three types of oil fired water heaters:
Direct Fired Oil Water Heaters
Direct fired oil water heaters are the most efficient system and use oil as the source to heat the water.
Indirect Fired Water Heaters
The second type is indirect fired water heaters. This type of system uses heating coils and hot water from a boiler to distribute the hot water or steam throughout the home through a central heating system. The indirect fired water heaters house the coils and water in a storage tank, which is different from the third type of heating system.
Tankless Coil System
This system doesn’t use a tank but is still indirect. Called a tankless coil system, it’s part of a boiler home heating system and is ideal for colder climates.
So, How Do Oil Fired Heating Systems Actually Work?
Understanding the inner workings of your oil-fired heating system can help you keep it going strong all year long to give you and your family optimal comfort!
When heat is needed, a signal is sent from the thermostat to the furnace or boiler, which activates the oil burner. Oil is pushed through a nozzle at the end of an air tube as the burner blows air into the same area, becoming highly flammable. A spark then ignites the vapor for combustion and heats the air. This air is then pushed through the heating system in your home and distributed through vents if your heating system uses air as opposed to water.
In all three types of oil fired water heating systems, oil is used to heat water for use in a household water system and also for heat through baseboards or radiators if made into steam. In the case of water-based system, the oil is used to heat the water in a steel boiler and is then dispersed through baseboards or made into steam dispersed through radiators.
PFO Can Help Your Oil Fired Heating System Run Hotter, Cleaner, and More Efficiently
An oil fired heating system is a great way to live environmentally conscious lives. Not only can you decrease your dependence on foreign oil through alternatives like biofuel, but you can also use renewable oil for a cleaner and more efficient heating system. Princeton Fuel is proud to be Princeton’s only biofuel heating oil dealer. Give us a call at 1-800-253-9001 today to learn more about your oil fired heating system, switch to biofuel, or purchase a protection and service plan that will keep your home and the environment safe.