| What size used oil burner
do I need?
This will depend on:
 |
The size of the building you want
to heat, |
|
The amount of time you plan to use
the burner for heating the building, |
|
And the amount of used oil that is
generated by your community. |
The best way to determine the size
of the used oil burner is to contact any of the distributors
listed in the table in step 3 and talk to them
about your specific situation.
The table below lists a few different-size burners,
the amount of oil they use, and an estimate of the area
they will heat:
| Size of Used Oil Burner (BTU’s/hour)* |
Quantity of oil burned
(gallons/hour)
|
Approximate heating area (square feet) |
| 100,000 |
0.75 |
2,000 |
| 144,000 |
1.0 |
3,000 |
| 240,000 |
1.7 |
5,000 |
| 350,000 |
2.2 |
8,500 |
| 500,000 |
3.5 |
12,000 |
*Note: the
higher this number, the more heat is produced.
To get a very rough idea of the size
of the burner you need, figure out the full size of the
building in cubic feet, and then multiply that by 4 to
get the approximate BTU’s/hour needed.
 For example:
Say your building is 50 feet wide, 60 feet
long, and 12 feet high.
Multiply 50 x 60 x 12 = 36,000 cubic feet.
Then 36,000 cubic feet x 4 = 144,000.
So, 144,000 BTU/hr used oil burner is the approximate size you need.
You can also use the table above to
determine the amount of oil you will use for your size
burner. For example, to use the 144,000 BTU/hour burner,
look at the 2nd row of the table. To heat a building for
9 hours each day, 4 days each week, and for half the year
(26 weeks), you would use approximately:
1 gallon oil/hour
X 9 hours X 4 days/week X 26 weeks/year = 936 gallons
of oil/year
Keep in mind that there are other things
to consider when sizing your used oil burner. For example,
if the doors in your building are opened and closed several
times a day, then you will lose a lot
of heat. A larger burner may be needed.
Another factor is the amount and type
of insulation your building has. A used oil burner distributor
might ask if you know the ‘R’ rating of the
insulation in the building. This is a number that indicates
how good the insulation is. If you don’t know,
tell them the type of insulation you think you have (if
any). Tell the used oil burner salesperson as much as
you can about the building you want to heat so they choose
the right equipment for your situation.
  
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1) I’m interested in a used oil
burner. Where do I start?
2) What is a used
oil burner?
3) Where
can I purchase a used oil burner and how much do they cost?
4) Which brand should
I choose?
 5) What size used oil burner do I need?
6) Can a used oil burner save my community money?
7) What types of oil are acceptable to use in a used oil burner?
8) Installing a used oil burner
9) What about maintenance of a used oil burner?
10) Operating a used oil burner
11) Safety precautions
12) Who uses used oil burners in Alaska
13) Used oil burner success story
14) Storing and Collecting used oil
15) Related Links
|
