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Q. We heat our residence with oil. I recently renewed my annual furnace service contract at $189. then called to schedule the annual checkup and cleaning of the furnace.
When I reached a representative of the fuel company I was told that they supplied me with a special clean burning fuel and no annual inspection or cleaning was necessary.
When I cited that I just paid my annual service contract and requested the inspection I was further informed the contract specified ‘periodic’ inspections which, when combined with their clean burning fuel, meant they only needed to check the furnace every two or three years or so.
Now I’m confused and concerned. In the past I would receive a telephone call reminding me of the necessity of the annual check up including evaluating efficiency, inspection for carbon monoxide leaks, checking proper draw of the furnace, checking the pro per operation of varied components, cleaning the stack, replacing the fuel jet, lubricating fan components etc. With the advent of their special clean burning fuel, is it true that a checkup is no longer advised? Am I paying for services no longer necess ary? I understand that the service contract also covers breakdown of the furnace itself. However I have seen no reduction in service costs with the cutback in services. Can you advise? Is this on the level ?
A.It doesn’t sound like a good deal to me. Take an automobile using extended use synthetic crankcase oil as an analogy. Just because you don’t have to change the oil at common three to five thousand mile intervals doesn’t relieve the owner from other mai ntenance tasks such as tire pressure and rotation, wiper blades, grease jobs etc.
I am under the impression that it's not the oil that is so super duper for clean burning but the burner type itself called a fame retention burner. The oil industry touts them as burning way cleaner, more efficient, producing a hotter flame with a better mixing of fuel and air. That being said I always recommend an annual check up of the surrounding components and that's what I would expect I was paying for in a prepaid service contract. I recently received a 20 page oil heating system inspection pamphl et (for home inspectors) from the National Oilheat Research Alliance that didn’t once mention the existence of any sort of upgraded fancy fuel.
To me paying $189. a year just to be on what sounds like a "preferred" customer list is a bit steep especially with unscheduled visits. I'd shop other service suppliers if I were you, asking exactly what comes with the service and what doesn't right dow n to the schedule of service visits.
Q. I read your article "Why does my frost free refrigerator not work in the garage in winter?" on your website. Very good article. I have a non-frost free (manual defrost) freezer in my basement which I want to move into my unheated garage. Having read y our article it would seem that I could put the unit in the garage since it is strictly a freezer and is manual defrost. I would value your opinion.
A. Stand alone freezers are not frost free as they are designed for longer term food storage and it is my experience that should the temperature in your garage get down to the temperatures inside the freezer that will just cause the thermostat to not cyc le on until the ambient temperatures warm up some with no affect on the food inside.
Frost free type freezers normally found in residential combination refrigerator/freezers have a thaw cycle in the freezer designed to just thaw lightly to convey what frost has accumulated off as water to pan under the refrigerator that then evaporates i t into the house air. The net effect over time of food stored in such a freezer is an unpalatable condition known as freezer burn. That's why they say to use the food in those freezers fairly soon after storage to avoid such a minor but a true form of sp oilage.