Where is ol furnace smoke coming from?

[Ricky]

I have a 21 year old Carrier oil furnace that Friday evening started making an unusual smell, hard to describe, maybe sort of acrid.

At the start of the weekend, of course, and I found a modest amount of "smoke" curling up from both the left and right sides of the burner. On the left it's right between the round air intake and the wall that has the fire chamber on the other side. On the right, no air intake but same place.

I can't manage to see better with a mirror.

I thought until Tuesday I could just plug the hole with GE Hi-temp silicone sealant. I've seen that used on my neighbor's oil furnace and it doesn't seem damaged by the heat. But I haven't found the hole. There must be a hole.

It's cold out, so I'd like some advice to get through the weekend warm but without making things worse. Or maybe until the middle of march, when I'm going away for two weeks and I shouldn't need heat when I get back. Then I can buy a new furnace.

The CO detector is brand new, upstairs in my bedroom and shows zero CO.

Any help would be appreciated.

[Vic Smith]

Weekend is over now. I suggest you get a furnace pro in ASAP to look at it. Might price the new one with him too. Don't know how you've maintained it, but besides CO you've got firebox and chimney fire to think about. Sometimes you have to ask yourself what risk is worth taking.

--Vic

[Ed Pawlowski]

Sounds like it is not venting properly. Has it been cleaned recently? Every

1000 gallons or so it needs a cleaning as soot build up in the passages above the firebox. It is not a difficult job, but you need a few tools and furnace cement to even do a quickie job until a pro can get to it.

I put in a new oil boiler two years ago. Based on degree days, the first year my savings were 38.2%, this year I'm at 40%. It is a System 2000 by

Give them a look when you are ready to buy.