Can central heating oil freeze?

elljay

Good morning all

I went out yesterday afternoon (which was below freezing then) and my heating was due to come on on 4, but when I came back at about 7 it wasn't on, although it obviously had been as the radiators were lukewarm and the water hot. It didn't come on again, though the lights on the timer thingy were lit. I got up to a freezing morning, ice on insides of window panes bbrrrr, and pressed button on boiler ( I didn't do that last night as it's fairly inaccessible) The boiler tries to fires up, keeps clicking itself on and off but then gives up and stops. The outside pipe from the tank is on the north of the house and very exposed. Should I lag it in some way or protect it or is this unlikely to be the problem.. If it isn't, can anyone suggest anything else I might try? There should be enough oil, I checked a couple of weeks ago and there was over a third of a tank.

Thanks

Liz

Toiletduck

elljay wrote: »

Good morning all

I went out yesterday afternoon (which was below freezing then) and my heating was due to come on on 4, but when I came back at about 7 it wasn't on, although it obviously had been as the radiators were lukewarm and the water hot. It didn't come on again, though the lights on the timer thingy were lit. I got up to a freezing morning, ice on insides of window panes bbrrrr, and pressed button on boiler ( I didn't do that last night as it's fairly inaccessible) The boiler tries to fires up, keeps clicking itself on and off but then gives up and stops. The outside pipe from the tank is on the north of the house and very exposed. Should I lag it in some way or protect it or is this unlikely to be the problem.. If it isn't, can anyone suggest anything else I might try? There should be enough oil, I checked a couple of weeks ago and there was over a third of a tank.

Thanks

Liz

The viscosity will increase in the cold, maybe its too viscous to pump through the boiler?

elljay

Thank you., that makes sense. In that case is there anything I can do to thin it down a bit or is it just a matter of hoping the weather will warm up? After all, everyone else's heating doesn't die in the cold weather so they must be doing something I'm not.

BBBrrr,its a good thing it's a gorgeous day and I'm going to work to warm up or I'd be seriously fed up!

Liz

ormus

lag the pipes.
you can put some kerosene in it to help with the thickening viscosity.
heating oil becomes a serious problem at low temps of say -30 c.

Canucklehead

Hi.

When was it last serviced?

Corgi Guy.

elljay

About a yr, maybe 15 months ago, the guy said it was fine and didn't really need much doing, though he replaced and cleaned out all the bits. It's pretty ancient though and a service doesn't seem to include checking tank, pipes or anything else like electrics pump etc, (though those seem to be working ok on this occasion), just boiler. Maybe that's not right, if I have to get someone out what should I ask them to do? Also I thought that central heating oil is kero anyway, I'm sure that's what it says on the bill.

Ho hum, the joys of country life!Thanks for your help

Liz

ariba10

In the last big freeze (1963) when vehicle technology was not as advanced as it is now.

It was not uncommon to see lorry drivers but burning rags around the fuel lines of the vehicles to try and thin the diesel fuel to enable them to start.

NOT RECOMENDED TODAY!

foulden

Hi,

I have the exact same problem (I think) as Liz.

Dec 2006 - Lockout in v cold weather, boiler serviced (and weather milder) and OK
Dec 2007 - Lockout in v cold weather, boiler serviced (and weather milder) and OK
Feb 2008 - V Cold again and Lockout.

Boiler doesn't fire

I mentioned the temprature to the engineer last time and he dismissed this saying it was still well above the heating oil freezing level (which I believe is true).

My copper oil pipes are also N Facing in a cool rural area and exposed outside the house.

So definately I should lag them?

Any special materials/procedure for this? I haven't heard of lagging oil pipes before.

Any advice welcome

John.

ormus

always lag oil feed pipes, and esp in exposed areas.
it maybe a good idea to protect the tank too.
make some form of screening to protect the tank against the wind chill factor. wind chill can easily get below say -40 on the pennines.
(again, esp important in exposed areas).

elljay

Goodness, I had no idea. I'll get some pipe lagging tubes tomorrow and then wrap fertiliser bags round those so that should do the trick. I'm not sure though how to lag the various connectors and gizmos that come from the tank.

Anyway, just home from work and have managed to get it working again. As soon as the weather warms later in the week I'll get lagging.

Someone today also suggested that maybe it isn't the oil that freezes, just the bits of rubbish that collect in the oil, they could freeze and block the tubes. Whatever it is it's working now and although I probably won't take my coat off all night - at the moment the temp is off the bottom of my room thermometer - I really still so appreciate central heating 1000 ft up here in the Pennines. Thanks to everyone for sympathy and advice - and John, hopefully yours has come back on too.
Liz

Alias_Omega

What about the probabilty of condensation / moisture getting into the system and contaminating the oil. When the temperature drops, the water begins the freeze.?

Possible, or just possible on aircraft systems.