Below is a video on how to replace an oil filter for your oil fired boiler or furnace.
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Today we will be showing you how replace your oil filters for your furnace/ boiler. If this is the first time attempting this please do not so it during the heating season just in case you run into a problem its not in the middle of the heating season where it could be an emergency service call.
To start you will need to locate the off switch for the furnace/ boiler there should be one on the unit or if the unit is in the basement a shut off located at the top of the stairs.
With the furnace/ boiler shut off we can go over to our oil tank and locate the valve to stop the flow of oil to the furnace. Next we can turn the VALVE counter clockwise which will lower the handle and close the valve. If you kept turning it , it will remove the handle from the valve.
Next we can grab a 5/8 wrench and a 1/2 wrench to loosen the bolt that holds the filter housing together. We can take the 5/8 wrench and loosen the top bolt depending on how tight the bolt is you may need to use the 1/2 wrench and use the open end of the wrench to hold the bottom nut on the bottom of the oil filter housing. We can give it a few turns and then place a small bucket under the housing to catch the oil. It also good to go slow so that way you can make sure the tank valve is shut off. You may want to where some rubber gloves to keep the oil off your hands as they will smell for a while if the oil gets onto your skin. Once the bucket is in place we can loosen the bolt the rest of the way and lower the housing and old filter into the bucket.
Next we can slide the bucket out and remove and discard the oil filter. Once we removed the old filter we can grab a rag and then clean the filter housing make sure it is one you have used before as you don’t want to leave lint inside the filter housing as it could clog the burner nozzle. You want to make sure you clean the outer edge really well as this is where the new gasket will seal to.
Next we can open the new filter be careful as there is a small gasket in there. So you will find your new filter, the gasket for the filter housing which we can put into place. Next you will find two smaller fiber washer which going onto the two bolts on the top of the filter housing.
Next we can slide the gasket off of the larger bolt we removed from the center of the filter housing and wipe the bolt off and then slide the new gasket onto the bolt. You will also want to wipe the top of the filter housing where the bolt goes into to ensure it will seal properly. Next we can grab a ¼ wrench and loosen and remove the smaller bolt in the filter housing. Once we have it out we can remove the old gasket and replace it with the new one and the start the bolt by hand back into the filter housing.
Next we can grab the new filter and slide it into the housing making sure it goes around the nub in the bottom of the housing and goes all the way to the bottom of the filter housing. Now that we have the new filter and the new gasket on we can slide it back into position and grab the larger bolt and slide it down into the filter housing while pushing up to start the bolt into the lower part of the filter housing. With the bolt started we can grab the 5/8 wrench and snug it down. It doesn’t have to be super tight as it is a new gasket.
Next we can grab our bucket and place it under the filter housing again. With the bucket in position we can slowly turn the tank valve back on and bleed most of the air out of the small screw in the filter housing. You may need to loosen the screw or remove it to get the air to come out. You should hear the air coming out. You want a good steam of oil to come out to ensure you have gotten all of the air out. Next we can take the ¼ wrench and snug it down.
Next we can take a rag and wipe down the filter housing and then remove our bucket from underneath the filter housing. Next we can take a paper towel and place it under the filter housing to make it easier to see if we have a leak. Next we can turn the power switch for the boiler back to the on position. With the switch turned back on we can go back over and check the paper towel under the filter housing to ensure we have no leaks.
With a dry paper towel we have no leaks and that’s it we have just showed you how to replace your home heating oil filter.
Thanks for your video and for writing out all of the steps. I am now confident that I can change the boiler oil filter. It actually seems a little easier than changing my car’s oil filter. However, that is mostly because I don’t have to lie on my back to change the boiler oil filter.
Thanks for your video and for writing out all of the steps. I am now confident that I can change the boiler oil filter. It actually seems a little easier than changing my car’s oil filter. However, that is mostly because I don’t have to lie on my back to change the boiler oil filter.