A used oil heater burns the oil your shop already generates — used crankcase oil, transmission fluid, gear oil — and turns it into shop heat instead of a disposal bill. The single most important thing to get right is the fuel. EnergyLogic units are well known for burning a wide range of fuels, but that range has hard edges: every mixture must fall between a 140°F minimum and roughly 400°F maximum flash point, and the UL listing holds only if approved fuels are used. This page lists exactly what is approved, what is not, and where the gray areas sit.
The metering pump on an EnergyLogic unit is a patented design that pumps a specific volume of fuel regardless of viscosity, so the same machine operates efficiently on both synthetic and non-synthetic waste oils with no manual adjustment.
It is worth repeating that USED crankcase oil is specified. Unused crankcase oil will not burn in an EnergyLogic used oil furnace or boiler — the EnergyLogic priming procedure even warns not to pre-fill a fresh fuel filter with new motor oil for that reason.
The EnergyLogic Installation and Operation manual states it plainly: "The addition of inappropriate substances to the fuel is not approved and can lead to poor equipment performance, premature product failure, and/or explosive/hazardous conditions. Burning of fuels that contain unapproved substances will void the product warranty and the UL listing." Use of unapproved fuels can be downright dangerous. More detail is in What Can I Burn?
Transformer oil comes up often, and the short answer is yes — EnergyLogic machines burn it easily and cleanly. It is usually a highly refined mineral oil of lower viscosity, generally very clean, and stable at normal operating temperatures. ASTM D3487 ("Standard Specification for Mineral Insulating Oil used in Electrical Apparatus") describes the oil used in distribution transformers, and mineral oil flash point is typically above 290°F, comfortably inside the burnable window.
The real concern is contaminants and PCB concentration, which fall under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Per an EPA letter NuEra Heat keeps on file: the presence of PCBs in used oil is not one of the criteria under the RCRA used oil specification standard, but used oil containing PCBs is subject to TSCA requirements, and TSCA rules for marketing and burning used oil with detectable PCBs under 50 ppm incorporate certain RCRA Part 279 "off-specification" oil requirements by reference. Our interpretation is that oil at or under 50 ppm PCBs is fine to burn in an EnergyLogic unit. Full write-up: Transformer Oil — Is it OK to burn for heat?
Even approved oil burns badly if it arrives at the burner full of water and sludge. A purpose-designed EnergyLogic waste oil tank has space at the bottom for water and sludge to separate from the burnable fuel, and the fuel pickup sits about six inches above the bottom of the tank so only oil is sent to the furnace. Annual tank maintenance keeps it that way and reduces the risk of corrosion or premature tank failure.
Pre-screen oil before it goes in, never add fuel suspected of carrying debris such as an oil-dry product, check the tank drain regularly for water and coolant, and do not let the tank run dry — an empty tank pulls air and contamination into the fuel delivery system and forces a re-prime. An EnergyLogic low-fuel cut-off switch shuts the unit down before that happens. See Fuel Management for the full routine.
Used oil collection is not free anymore. When the largest collection service raised prices, NuEra Heat customers reported rates as high as $2 per gallon just to have their oil hauled away — roughly what clean fuel oil costs. Paying to remove the oil and then paying again to heat the shop from another source is paying twice for the same BTUs. If you are hauling away 100 or more gallons a month, that money can cover a lease payment on a used oil heating system instead, and once the unit is paid off it stays in your pocket. Details in Used oil pickup/collection costing big money now.
In the United States, CFR Title 40 Part 279 governs managing used oil, and you must comply with all EPA regulations for gathering, storing, and burning it, along with local codes. In Canada, only used oil generated on the owner's own premises may be burned in this equipment unless written authorization is obtained from the regulatory authority.
Sizing follows square footage: the EL-140H heats up to 3,500 sq ft on 1.0 gal/hr, the EL-200H covers up to 5,000 sq ft on 1.4 gal/hr, and the EL-350H handles up to 9,000 sq ft on 2.5 gal/hr. If you need hot water or in-floor radiant heat rather than warm air, a boiler is the right machine — the differences are laid out on the waste oil furnace page, and the model lineup is covered in the waste oil heaters guide.
For parts, use the interactive explosion charts to identify a component on a diagram and jump to the matching product, or browse the store. Free phone tech support is available at 1-800-347-9575.
The UL listed approved fuels for an EnergyLogic used oil heater or boiler are used crankcase oil, used automatic transmission fluid, and ASTM D396 No. 2 fuel oil (#2 diesel). Hydraulic fluid up to 90wt, gear oil up to 90wt, heating oil, and diesel fuel are also known to burn well. Every fuel mixture must have a minimum flash point of 140°F (60°C) and a maximum flash point of approximately 400°F (204°C), and flash point information is on the MSDS for the product in question.
No. USED crankcase oil is specified for a reason — unused crankcase oil will not burn in an EnergyLogic used oil heater or boiler. New motor oil is on the list of substances that should never be added to the tank, and the EnergyLogic priming instructions specifically warn against pre-filling a fresh filter with new motor oil because it will not burn.
Yes, with one caveat. EnergyLogic machines burn transformer oil quite easily and cleanly — it is typically a highly refined mineral oil of lower viscosity, generally very clean, with a flash point above roughly 290°F, which makes it an ideal candidate. The concern is contaminants and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl) concentration, governed by RCRA and the Toxic Substances Control Act. The EPA has issued a letter stating that TSCA requirements for burning used oil for energy recovery apply to oil with detectable PCBs under 50 parts per million by incorporating certain RCRA Part 279 off-specification oil requirements. Our reading is that oil containing 50 ppm or less PCBs is fine to burn in an EnergyLogic unit. NuEra Heat has the EPA letter on file and will send it to you on request.
Burning fryer oil is an open-ended question. It does work, but the process is not yet UL approved in any waste oil furnace or boiler. If you are interested, call NuEra Heat at 1-800-347-9575 and we can walk through the challenges involved.
The EnergyLogic Installation and Operation manual is direct about it: the addition of inappropriate substances to the fuel is not approved and can lead to poor equipment performance, premature product failure, and explosive or hazardous conditions. Burning fuels that contain unapproved substances voids both the product warranty and the UL listing.
