Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
my first winter in a oil heated home.
according to my nest thermo by the time i get home its around 58 to 60 deg and I feel comfortable around 68 to 70.
unlike gas heat where it constatly blow hot air until it reaches a set temp. I guess my oil furnace kicks on then maybe shuts off it 20 30 mins. then kicks back on after 20 30 minute cycle and wont heat the house continously until a set temp is reached.
is this usually how they are supposed to work?
does your furnace kick on then stay on for 1 or 2 hrs?
sometimes according to my nest it tells me jt will take 3 hr before reaching 70 from 58 to 60 deg.
Far from an expert, just a homeowner of 3 different houses over the last 40 years. Never had hot air heat, but hot water baseboard radiators emit residual heat even after the boiler shuts off which causes less on-off cycling than furnaces. That said, if both your houses have hot-air heat: your previous furnace may have been more efficient and your previous house may have been better insulated. Both would cause your current furnace to cycle more often. However, when trying to reach target temperature, I don't think it should cycle on the way to achieving that temperature, unless it's a safety feature. My gas boiler runs continuously until it reaches thermostat temperature. Can you temporarily install a simple thermostat to check if it's the Nest causing the cycling? Did you have a Nest in your other house? As a side note, keeping the house at 58-60 especially with the frigid temperatures lately is not the most energy efficient approach when your at-home temperature is 10 degrees higher. The furnace needs to stay on much longer to reheat the house. Do your own research, but I think around a 6-degree difference is the optimal range for the daily away temperature versus home temperatures. My away and night temperature is 62 and at-home during the day temperature is 67 degrees.
You should not be dropping more the 4-5 degrees below your set point. It’s costs more money bringing it back up to set point temperature.
I'm hearing more and more that this is not the case and that was a myth put forward by heating companies who want your money.
I certainly saved money by turning down my thermostat when no one was home (60ish during the day and making sure blinds were open for sunlight) and then at 69/70 when we were home and say 62 at night.
But I can't speak for everyone and everyone's heating system/insulation/personal comfort varies.
For it to take 3 hours to get from 58 to 70, wow maybe the OP has some seriously bad insulation or an old burner.
I am on oil and have Ecobee thermostats and at most I need 45minutes or so to go from 60 to 68. I do have a newer burner which I am sure helps.
Gas or oil makes no difference. It’s the delivery method that matters. I always had baseboard heating with oil or gas. Takes the same amount of time to heat the house. Never had forced hot air.
Forced air runs more often that hot water (radiator/baseboard) oil or gas doesn't matter. when you boiler turns off it should still be heating your house as the water is hot, once water isn't hot enough the burner will will go back on. I can bring my 1st floor about 1550 sq ft from 61 set overnight to 68 in about 35 minutes on a gas fired forced air furnace. Home is extremely well insulated and great windows.
In my old gas radiator home the same sq footage would take 90-100 minutes to do the same but home was drafty and the furnace was 30+ years old.
Keep in mind oil burners needs to be maintained, they need to be cleaned yearly and the nozzle usually needs to be replaced or adjusted.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
