Waste Oil Burning Heaters

Waste Oil Burning Facts

Waste Oil Burning Facts

What is “waste oil”?

Waste oil fuel sources include used transmission and automotive oils, cooking and vegetable oils, hydraulic oils, combustible synthetic oils or any oils up to 50 S.A.E.

What will it cost to heat with waste oil?

If you generate a sufficient supply of your own waste oil, the cost of heating with waste oil is ZERO. If you need to purchase some or all of your waste oil there are oil suppliers in most states. The cost of waste oil varies; contact a local supplier to check on delivered cost. In my area Mesa Oil supplies waste oil at a very reasonable cost.

Where can I obtain waste oil if I do not generate it or do not generate enough to meet my heating requirements?

Because waste oil is truly a waste product that cannot be safely dumped into the ground, landfills or waterways, commercial entities that generate large quantities of waste oil must typically pay a third party for proper disposal. You can purchase waste oil from these third party recyclers or buy it directly from the producers of the waste oil. Examples of businesses in your area that produce waste oil are restaurants, quick lube oil change shops, automotive repair shops, factories with hydraulic equipment, transmission repair shops, etc.

What is the BTU potential of a typical gallon of waste oil?

A typical gallon of waste oil contains 153,000 to 180,000 BTU per gallon, which can be more than TWO TIMES the energy potential per gallon of LP gas. LP gas has a potential for 92,000 BTU per gallon.

Is there smoke or noxious odor when burning waste oil?

Modern oil burners emit little to no odor and smoke due to advances in technology that achieve a CLEAN burn. Make sure you look for a waste oil burner that meets or exceeds all EPA requirements for such appliances or devices.

Can I install a waste oil burner myself?

All local, state and federal codes must be met by the installer. Those codes vary from location and state and application. In most cases a boiler with a capacity above 200,000 BTU per hour must be installed by a contractor with the appropriate licenses and insurance. In many states however, those codes do not apply if the usage is to provide heating for growing or raising livestock or poultry or for greenhouse heating applications.

What sort of regular maintenance or service can I anticipate?

While this varies from unit to unit, maintenance typically consists of vacuuming residual ash and dust from inside the dual access doors in order to maximize efficiency. Total time to clean averages less than 30 minutes. Units with a reusable oil filter may require occasional cleaning which can be quickly accomplished by rinsing in a solvent bath.

How reliable are these burners really?

Again, this varies from unit to unit. But most any new heater you look at today should be just as reliable as a conventional gas fired burner system. Most of these units now used solid-state ignition systems and are industrial rated.

What are the most common problems with waste oil burners?

The most frequent complaints about waste oil burners involve frequency of required cleaning and no ignition due to plugged nozzles. If your installation is performed correctly and you follow the manufacturers recommendations for cleaning, you should have no problems or hassles.

Federal Regulation (EPA)
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) establishes the rules that allow for the burning of used oils for energy recovery and publishes the pertinent regulations in the Federal Register. The section that pertains to the waste oil burning industry is covered in 40 CFR, part 279. After several years of debate and uncertainty regarding listing or not listing used oils as a hazardous waste, the EPA handed down their final decision explained in this section in September, 1992. It was a very favorable determination for the manufacturers and users of waste oil burning equipment. Rather than monitoring the air emissions, the EPA has written the regulations from the premise of what is being burned. If the oil is acceptable, they then believe the emission will be acceptable. They’ve divided oils into two categories, those that are relatively benign and create little concern when burned are called “on-specification oils”, and those that contain more than the allowable limits of heavy metals, halogens, or the presence of low volatile fuels are called “off-specification oils”.

The EPA regulations allow the burning of “on-specification” used oils in equipment designed for energy recovery, generally without limitation. “Off-specification” used oils are also allowed to be burned, but are limited to devices that are 500,000 BTUs or less, the devices are vented to the outside, and they burn only oils generated on-site. People often misinterpret these regulations and apply the above limitations to the “on-specification” oils, so there is some confusion. There are few restrictions if the oil is burned in boilers by small generators, or when burning oils that were originally intended as a fuel (such as jet fuels). There are no permits or licensing requirements on the federal level for the burning of used oils by small generators.