Archive for the ‘Good Investment’ Category

Can Purchasing A Waste Oil Burner Really Save Me Money?

Monday, December 12th, 2011
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Most items that the average homeowner purchases in his lifetime will end up costing him money in the long run.

Vehicles, boats, appliances, furniture, various forms of entertainment and the actual house itself are not only expensive to buy but expensive to maintain during its lifespan.

So you can understand why I am a firm believer in any homeowner at least exploring the idea of investing into some kind of waste oil technology.

It is only item I have ever purchased for my home that has made me money instead of taken it away.

Any waste oil burner you purchase will not just save you money but put money back into your pocket.

Depending on which part of the country you live in you can potentially save yourself several thousand dollars a year in heating costs.

My current waste oil boiler that I bought back in 2007 is giving me an annual savings of over $4,500.

I have made some new additions to my home and without being supplied free heat my monthly bills would easily topple $500 a month.

But, where do you get the oil?  I do not have access to enough used motor oil every month to run my waste oil burner?

True, I am in a unique situation.  I owned a mobile oil change company and getting a steady supply of used oil was never a problem for me.

But, since I started this blog I have sold that company.  I get all my oil from a local tire shop two miles away from where I live.  Though their primary service is tires they offer oil changes as well for their customers.

That one store is able to supply me all the oil I need.

If that ever ran out I would go to several mechanic or transmission shops and cut a deal with them.

Most businesses that generate it just would like to get rid of it.  Very few shop owners will expect you to pay them for something that is considered a headache. They would not mind at all someone coming every week, or month, to take it off their hands.

Isn’t maintenance really high for waste oil furnaces or boilers?

These heaters have a bad reputation for breaking down often.  Many people make the argument that waste oil technology is great…when it’s working.

This industry has come a long way since its inception.  The products being manufactured are better than ever now.  I have owned my waste oil boiler from Energy Logic for 4 ½ years and it has never broken down on me.

I can attribute my boiler being problem free for two main reasons:

First, I do an excellent job at filtering the waste oil going into it.  Not only do I let each barrel sit for several days so that all the sediment settles to the bottom but I also run all my oil through a waste oil centrifuge.  Before I purchased my centrifuge I ran all my oil through a 30 micron filter, twice.

Second,  get a tune-up every single year.  I not only get my boiler cleaned but get it checked out by a certified technician. Several potential problems that would not have affected my boiler for months were caught and fixed well in advance.

For what waste oil burner can potentially save you I firmly believe that it is worth every homeowner at least checking into it.  Some neighborhoods and city ordinances so not allow them but it is very rare.

Best Time To Buy New Furnace is Spring and Summer

Sunday, April 18th, 2010
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If you have an old furnace, or one that has been giving you a lot of problems, now is the best time to so something about it.  Spring and summer can be the best time of the year to either fix or upgrade your current one.

When winter is over many people stopping caring about their heating system because they will not need it for a while.  But by the time October rolls around it will be too late to take advantage of some great deals that are available right now.

The cost to get anything on your furnace, boiler, or oil burner repaired or installed right now is cheap for one reason: demand.

First, most  HVAC technicians who specialize in heating are very slow now.  Its about this time of the year they see their business drop off to just a trickle.

Just a month ago their phones were ringing off the hook.  Now they are happy if it rings once a week.  The companies who also deal with air conditioning just phase into their “cooling” division within their business but not everyone in this field can do both.

Many companies start to slash their rates just around April.  Especially now because it is not even hot enough for enough people who even be worrying about their AC units.  HVAC guys are looking anywhere they can for work and will be willing to offer potential customers HUGE savings and incentives.

There is also a good chance they have a lot of leftover furnaces and oil burners in stock that are just sitting around.  Because they want to move them and recoup their money they may be willing to give these to you at or close to their cost.

I would recommend upgrading your heating system now to a more efficient one if you have an older furnace, or boiler,  and can afford it.  You will be able to save hundreds of dollars, possibly thousands depending on the type of home you have.

Start by getting several estimates.  Three to five quotes is a good number.  Make sure you get a price for the parts and installation.  Make sure that whatever company does the install offers some type of warranty with it.  Then when you see winter in the horizon again you can breath a sign of relief because you took care of it now and got it done cheaply.

Oh, and one more thing to consider!

Now is an especially good time to think about buying a new gas furnace for your home. The government, as part of the stimulus package, is giving homeowners incentives to do so. When you purchase a new Energy Star Furnace you are eligible for a federal tax credit, up to $1,500, on next year’s taxes. This program went into effect on January 1, 2009 and will last until December 31, 2010.