Questions tagged [oil]

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1 vote
2 answers
87 views

Can I enclose my oil furnace with drywall?

I want to enclose my oil furnace with drywall and use the other space as a gym. Can I close off the furnace and add an electric fan from gym to the furnace room?
2 votes
2 answers
51 views

Would paint or stain last longer on 15 yr old, badly weathered cedar fascia

Preparing to move into 15 yr old home that has (4) 12/12 & 14/12 Aesthetic gables in the front of house. The gables were initially stained with a dark stain, & are VERY BADLEY weather worn ...
  • 379
0 votes
0 answers
31 views

Inline pump? Split sump? How to separate two water streams in a sump?

I have a 6' deep sump with two pipes coming in. The sump is 3' x 3' at the top and rectangular. A 1.5" pipe has oil contaminated water occasionally. A 4" pipe drains a parking lot, and just ...
  • 10.6k
0 votes
0 answers
47 views

Can I convert my oil furnace to "cold start?

The domestic hot water coil has been removed from my oil fired furnace and the aquastat limits are 130 low / 160 high degrees F. The furnace comes on frequently to maintain the low limit however we ...
  • 1
3 votes
6 answers
895 views

Electric backup just for heating system?

It occurs to me that it shouldn't take much power to operate the relays or electronics if a gas or oil heating system. That has me wondering about the practicality of putting that one device on a ...
  • 21.4k
0 votes
1 answer
434 views

Latex paint or oil paint for pressure treated wood outdoors

I recently bought some fence panels like the ones shown here: It is my intention to paint them white. However I am finding it difficult to get consistent information on best practice. As far as I ...
0 votes
0 answers
64 views

Direct Drive Washer is going into spin cycle and then into neutrAl drain

I have a 30 year old Kitchen Aid Direct Drive Washer. I recently replaced the Neutral Drain Pack. I also replaced the oil with 80w- 90 gear oil. All functions work well except the machine goes ...
0 votes
1 answer
43 views

repair a leak for an electrical oil heating radiator

I have a radiator that has started leaking oil, by its bolt. I assume that cause can be that metal is a bit rusty around the bolt, as it is easy to remove the paint when scratching and a bit of rust ...
1 vote
1 answer
450 views

What are these pipes sticking out of the ground and foundation wall?

The following pictures are from a 1930s home, which was initially heated with charcoal, then converted to oil, and then converted to natural gas. The previous owner who did the conversion from oil to ...
2 votes
1 answer
545 views

Cleaning up essential oil from wood

A badly closed bottle of essential oil spilled out on my wooden wine shelf and soaked through, dissolving the paint from anything it touched. No amount of washing with dish washing liquid helps. It's ...
2 votes
1 answer
292 views

I have painted posts and unpainted horizontal rails on my fence. Can I stain the rails after I install them or will the stain harm the painted posts?

I currently have my 4x4 posts installed for my fence. I am going to be installing horizontal 1x4 redwood strips between the posts. I am going to seal the redwood with an oil based stain/sealer. Do I ...
  • 133
0 votes
0 answers
63 views

Should I drain the shipping oil from my new compressor?

I've just bought a small home-use air compressor, that came with a bottle of oil with a label "Warning, please add proper oil before starting". There was another label indicating to fill ...
-1 votes
1 answer
776 views

Only one zone heating in a two-zone hot water based heating system (oil)

I have two zones in my oil heating system, down and up -stairs with two separate thermostats one circulator and two zone valves. For some reason the downstairs zone works perfectly well, but the ...
  • 99
0 votes
1 answer
73 views

Why is the oil tank cap articulated?

The cap for the oil tank on a chainsaw I recently bought has an articulated flip section with a strange golden sponge looking circle in it. What is the purpose of this? (The oil tank supplies oil to ...
  • 2,043
1 vote
0 answers
1k views

Can I replace this old mercury thermostat with a digital one for wood/oil furnace?

I recently moved into a house that was built around 1999, and it has an old Newmac wood/oil combo furnace that seems to be the original heating equipment. It has two separate thermostats in the ...
  • 43
0 votes
0 answers
105 views

Should rough, rustic terracotta tiles be treated with linseed oil? Or what else?

I have seen advice (for example here - note, scroll down 1 article) to seal terracotta tiles with one or more coats of boiled linseed oil and then floor wax. The pictures I've seen attached to this ...
  • 221
0 votes
2 answers
91 views

Home heating is oil furnace and gas water heater - electrical backup

When electricity goes down, oil furnace and gas water heater will not be able to cycle on and off, correct? Is there an alternative to a generator for these appliance, preferable battery backup?
  • 101
0 votes
1 answer
451 views

Fish oil stained hardwood floor

We have several fish oil stains that have soaked into our hardwood floor. I have tried to clean it and sand it out but it does not seem to be coming up. If I can't get it out, is there a way I can ...
  • 31
0 votes
2 answers
310 views

How to clean shop vac of oily residue?

There was a heating oil leak in my basement, which I soaked up with spill absorber. It worked like a charm, but then I made the mistake of trying to clean up the mess with the shop vac. The oil-soaked ...
  • 333
7 votes
5 answers
3k views

Can I use common vegetable oil (e.g. rapeseed/canola) for chain-and-bar lubrication in a chainsaw?

I have just acquired a small battery powered chainsaw (Makita DUC245), and would like to use an eco-friendly and skin-friendly chain oil if possible. Lots of sources suggest the possibility of using ...
0 votes
0 answers
12 views

Adding central cooling to home with oil furnace but with basement height limitations and basement functionality concerns

My house is 20x30 and 1.5 stories (6' concrete basement). The basement height is just functional at 6' and I'd like to minimize obstructions (e.g. sprawling supply ducts). I'm planning to switch from ...
  • 1
0 votes
0 answers
85 views

How to seal oiled wooden bathroom floor?

I am buying a house which has a pine floor in the bathroom, treated with Osmo oil. Having the boards themselves well-oiled will make them waterproof, but there will also be cracks and gaps which ...
  • 221
0 votes
3 answers
891 views

Why is the spigot on my oil heater dripping?

We have fuel oil and a Beckett oil burner that heats our house. I just noticed water is dripping out of this hosebib/spigot at the bottom of it: What could be causing this and how can I troubleshoot? ...
0 votes
1 answer
78 views

Can I reuse lightly used oil when I change an oil filter? [closed]

I recently replaced the oil on my 4 stroke lawnmower engine, but - stupidly - I did not think to change the oil filter. I've used the engine for maybe 2-4 hours subsequently. I have now drained the ...
  • 265
2 votes
2 answers
766 views

Sealing a stained cutting board

I recently built a stovetop cover or "noodle board" using a hardwood so it can be used as a cutting surface. I stained it with minwax gel stain and from what i understand it should be food ...
  • 29
1 vote
0 answers
224 views

How to reduce or clean up vegetable oil that spilled on books?

My partner and I have been moving house recently, and in all the action of packing, some cooking oil has spilled over a few of the books. The books are irreplaceable, they are not made of any special ...
2 votes
2 answers
236 views

How to treat outdoor wood for use as a bar for drinks etc

I want to build a bar at home for serving drinks etc and want to use reclaimed wood. So far I've managed to get hold of a softwood fence panel. How would I treat it and get it to a usable condition?
  • 21
0 votes
2 answers
61 views

What type of wood treatment does my garden office / summer house need?

The exterior wood on the top of my garden office / summer house is looking a bit tired / worn out - see picture below. What kind of treatment should I use to restore/protect the wood? See the lower ...
3 votes
4 answers
591 views

Indoor fuel tank removed - How to eliminate lingering smell

Background: I recently replaced my home heating system (an oil burning furnace) for a modern heat pump (air-water). There is a room in our basement (2.9m x 3.5m, or roughly 10ft x 13ft) where the 10'...
  • 328
1 vote
2 answers
4k views

HELP: 4-stroke engine oil mixed with gas in 2 stroke engine

I accidentally poured Briggs and Stratton SAE 30, 4 stroke engine oil into my 2-stroke snow-blower (note: in the right gas-oil proportion of 40-1). It starts and runs well; however, it seems to be ...
  • 195
0 votes
2 answers
300 views

Winter Oil for 4-stroke Engine

I live in Chicago where the night-temperature averages in low 20-degrees-fahrenheit and last year’s (2019) record low went to 23-degrees below zero. To prepare for another (possible) year of low ...
  • 195
-1 votes
1 answer
154 views

Desk stain still tacky in a few places after a week and a half

I have been reading all of these looking for an answer. I stained my desk with two coats, oil base, then we had humidity. I have yet to do a clear coat. Most of this desk has dried yet still some ...
  • 1
3 votes
6 answers
15k views

What to use so concrete doesn't stick to plastic bucket?

I'll be using regular plastic buckets to make some concrete planters, something like this. My goal is to reuse the buckets. The problem is that she sprayed each bucket (generously) with canola oil ...
  • 1,975
1 vote
1 answer
348 views

Frigidaire FEX831FS4 transmission leaked oil. Should I refill? With what?

While rebuilding the Frigidaire FEX831FS4 washer's transmission, I did not remake the gasket between both transmission halves. So, for the next few days there was a little bit of oil splattering going ...
2 votes
1 answer
2k views

Furnace Connect G Wire

I have a dual energy electric/oil furnace that is wired to a thermostat with 2 wires R and W. I don't have any AC. Inside the furnace there is a switch relay to control the fan but it is not connected ...
2 votes
3 answers
125 views

Door squeaks - which oil?

I have a squeaking door hinge and a some things that may possibly fix it, but which one should I prefer for the use case? Fine Oil "Grease" (other languages say sth. like "Oil lubricating and ...
  • 153
0 votes
1 answer
4k views

Paint still sticky

My problem is a bit different from the good advice provided. I have a table (picnic, covered balcony) that was previously painted with oil base. For 2 years, it remained tacky. Anything heavy would ...
  • 1
1 vote
1 answer
803 views

Is there a more environmentally-friendly alternative to using oil to heat a house with oil heating installed?

I currently live in a house (in the UK) which is too remote to be connected to the mains gas supply, with an oil tank which is used for central heating. This is obviously not great for the environment,...
1 vote
1 answer
144 views

New primary control switch problems

About a week ago , I had someone to come in and replace my old RA116 stack switch with a Honeywell R8184G oil primary , for the first day it was fine, next thing I know the furnace turned off and ...
1 vote
1 answer
365 views

How much should I tighten the gauge on my heating oil tank?

Bought a new gauge for my heating oil tank because the previous owner installed one that was too short for the tank. The gauge came with a tiered fitting that is listed as a 1-1/2" & 2" Male NPT. ...
  • 179
2 votes
1 answer
938 views

Repair asphalt driveway damaged by transmission fluid leak

I am looking to repair a driveway damaged by transmission fluid (ATF) in the photo below. As you can see the driveway has pitted and cracked where the fluid was standing. Once winter comes I expect ...
1 vote
1 answer
905 views

Fuel oil burner running intermittently

Fuel oil (Beckett oil burner) here. It's -20°F outside right now and the house is at 61°F even though I have the thermostat cranked up to 75°F (we have a thermometer in the house as well, ...
  • 697
0 votes
1 answer
3k views

Wrong oil in my lawn mower

I put 2 stroke oil in my 4 stroke mower. Is that what is causing it to smoke? I have emptied it but there'll still be traces of it in the engine. Can I still refill with the right oil and use the ...
0 votes
1 answer
109 views

Why is my chainsaw stalling?

The last time I used my chainsaw, It kept stalling. I could not keep it running. I had just used a new batch of gasoline with two-stroke engine oil added. As this was the only difference from the ...
0 votes
1 answer
112 views

Do I have my steps right for painting over stained trim?

I bought a 30 year old home that was a bit of a project and I'm currently updating the kitchen. All the rooms in the house have white trim except the kitchen. It has stained wood and it looks horrible,...
  • 3
0 votes
0 answers
308 views

Removing excess Decking Oil

I have oiled my decking for the 1st time yesterday and on checking it today there are patches where I have applied too much and these patches are shiny and sticky. Whats the best approach for removing ...
6 votes
3 answers
5k views

Is it OK to use motor oil instead of household oil for hardware lubrication?

I was about to buy a bottle of 3-in-1 for random stuff around the house, but I realized I have motor oil in the garage already. Is there any harm in using, say, 5W30, for door hinges or whatever?
  • 73
3 votes
2 answers
7k views

How clean up linseed oil stains after spill on stone patio?

A contractor spilled linseed oil on my stone patio, staining a large area. I tried cleaning the stone with simple dish soap & water, and it had absolutely no effect. I fear that the oil has been ...
  • 139
0 votes
3 answers
228 views

Lawn tractor stalls after a few minutes

I have a Craftsman lawn tractor with an 18.5 HP Intek Engine (97700 series). It starts fine; but, after a minute or so, it begins blowing white smoke, then stalls. The smoke is not real thick, but ...
  • 103
0 votes
2 answers
4k views

What is the best way to clean a 300 gallon Water tank that was storing Canola Oil?

i'm not sure if this is the best place to ask this question, if not please let me know a better place. I just purchased a very cheap 300 gallon water tank. It was cheap due to the fact that they ...
  • 265