Waste Oil Heaters
Waste oil heaters can be an economical and environmentally friendly way to heat your home. If you have access to a sufficient supply of waste oil, you can heat your home for nothing when relying on a waste oil heater. But even if you purchase your waste oil, you will find it one of the cheapest home heating options available. And by reusing used waste oil, you are also making a positive choice for the environment. Waste oil cannot be safely disposed of in landfills or waterways, and waste oil heaters help turn what would otherwise be a hazardous waste material into a useful resource. Purchased waste oil also does not tend to be subject to the same market fluctuations you see with propane and natural gas, making it a more financially reliable heating source.
When burning, waste oil has little odor or smoke if you have a quality waste oil furnace. The best waste oil heaters will burn the oil cleanly and exceed EPA standards. Maintaining waste oil heaters requires little effort. You will need to periodically clean out the residual ash and dust from inside the heater in order to maximize the efficiency of the unit, and the filter needs to be washed or replaced occasionally as well. If installed correctly, the waste oil heater should burn cleanly and require only minimal regular maintenance. However, waste oil heaters that are not installed correctly or are of low quality (such as some home built models) may have problems with blocked nozzles and other issues that requires more frequent maintenance.
The energy potential of waste oil tends to be much higher than that of regular LP gas. For example, used motor oil has between 150,000-180,000 BTU per gallon and used vegetable oil has 128,000 BTU per gallon, while LP gas only has 92,000 BTU per gallon.
For an example of an excellent waste oil heater meant for shop applications, check out the Eliminator at Amazon.com:
This waste oil heater is ideal for garage, shops and other industrial applications. It will burn about 4/5ths a gallon of waste oil each hour of use, and has a BTU output of 120,000. It is easy to maintain and generates clean, dependable heat from used (or if desired, new) oil sources. It also has some additional useful features such as a remote thermostat.
Some other popular manufacturers of waste oil heaters and furnaces include Lanair and Reznor. You should do some careful price comparisons online before making a selection, as prices and qualities can vary considerably from manufacturer to manufacturer.
Waste oil heaters have a huge financial and environmental benefit and should be seriously considered by a heat source by any home owner. Thank you for visiting the Waste Oil Heaters site!
