[Greenbuilding] power vs. direct venting on the Buderus G115 oil boiler

[Irina Golfman]

Dear Greenbuilders,

We just had a Buderus G115 oil fired boiler installed. It provides heat via 
the cast iron radiators and baseboard, and indirect DHW. The system has 
been running for about a month and a half and we still have a very strong 
smell of oil in the boiler room and all adjacent rooms.

The G115 is a direct vent system. Our exhaust pipe is a galvanized pipe, 
about 15 feet long with three elbows (much longer than what Buderus 
recommends), it has many unsealed seams that are already covered with soot. 
Two separate companies have suggested that the smell is due to the 
incorrect venting and recommended that we power vent the boiler.

One company suggested that we have an additional issue of the oil being too 
cold (the oil tank is outside about 50 feet from the boiler with the new 
two pipe underground oil line) which prevents the burner from working 
efficiently and suggested that we switch from the 2 pipe system to the 
"tiger loop".

My questions are these:

1.	Do people have experience with power venting the G115?
2.	Is it considered OK to power vent the boiler that's designed to be 
direct vented?
3.	How loud are the power vents? Do you hear them when the doors and 
windows are closed?
4.	Does the power vent run all the time or only when the boiler is running?
5.	What are the draw backs of power venting (other than the use of 
electricity and noise pollution)?
6.	Does anyone have any suggestions regarding switching from the 2 line 
system to the "Tiger loop"?

Any other thoughts on this issue would be very much appreciated.

Thank you very much for the help.

Irina Golfman Rosenblum
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Belmont, MA