A waste oil heater is a shop furnace that burns used crankcase oil, transmission fluid, and similar petroleum products to heat your building instead of paying to have that oil hauled away. Every gallon of waste oil holds about 140,000 BTUs of energy — the same energy it had before it was used — so a shop that generates its own used oil can heat itself with a fuel it already owns. NuEra Heat sells, stocks parts for, and services EnergyLogic waste oil heaters, with over 30 years of waste oil heating experience supporting equipment in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest.
Used oil is collected and transferred into a storage tank, where water and sludge are given time to settle out of the burnable fuel. The best practice is to add fuel while the machine is off and let it settle overnight before running again, so the tank can do its job of separating fuel from impurities before that fuel reaches the filter and pump.
From the tank, fuel passes through filtration to a metering pump. EnergyLogic uses a patented metering pump that delivers a specific volume of fuel regardless of viscosity, which is why the same unit runs on both synthetic and non-synthetic waste oils. The fuel then moves through a preheater that warms it for atomization, and the burner mixes it with compressed air and ignites it in the burn chamber. A blower moves the resulting heat into the shop as forced air.
Because you are burning dirty fuel, residue is unavoidable and routine maintenance is part of ownership — nozzle service, air compressor checks, filter changes, and an annual clean-out keep the unit burning correctly.
Sizing starts with the square footage of the space you need to heat. Each EnergyLogic furnace is designated by its total BTU output, which corresponds to the size of the space.
Output: 140,000 BTU/hr
Heats: Up to 3,500 sq ft
Fuel use: 1.0 gal/hr
View the EnergyLogic EL-140HOutput: 200,000 BTU/hr
Heats: Up to 5,000 sq ft
Fuel use: 1.4 gal/hr
View the EnergyLogic EL-200HOutput: 350,000 BTU/hr
Heats: Up to 9,000 sq ft
Fuel use: 2.5 gal/hr
View the EnergyLogic EL-350HCeiling height, insulation, and how often the doors open all affect sizing, so call 1-800-347-9575 if you want a second opinion before you buy. Browse the full lineup of heaters, furnaces, boilers, and parts in the NuEra Heat store.
Fuel mixtures must have a minimum flash point of 140°F (60°C) and a maximum flash point of approximately 400°F (204°C). Your EnergyLogic heater or boiler keeps its UL listing only if approved fuels are used, and flash point information can be found on the MSDS of the product in question.
Burning unapproved substances can lead to poor equipment performance, premature product failure, and explosive or hazardous conditions — and it voids both the warranty and the UL listing. More detail is in What Can I Burn? and Fuel Management.
A waste oil heater is only as good as the maintenance behind it. NuEra Heat stocks nozzles, electrodes, preheaters, burner assemblies, filters, gauges, and complete service and tune-up kits for EnergyLogic and Black Gold heaters and boilers — with instructions and diagrams for using every component. If you are not sure which part you need, the interactive explosion charts let you find the component on a diagram and jump straight to the matching product.
NuEra is a Veteran Owned Business certified by the State of Washington. For sizing help, troubleshooting, or a parts lookup, call 1-800-347-9575 or use the support and resources library.
The UL listed approved fuels for an EnergyLogic waste oil heater 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, and heating oil are also known to burn well. Fuel mixtures must have a minimum flash point of 140°F (60°C) and a maximum flash point of approximately 400°F (204°C). Note that USED crankcase oil is specified — unused crankcase oil will not burn in an EnergyLogic unit.
Never mix inappropriate or hazardous material into your used oil. That includes new motor oil, gasoline, hazardous waste, anti-freeze, carburetor cleaner, paint thinner, any chlorinated material, parts washer solvents, oil additives, and animal fats. Burning fuels that contain unapproved substances can cause poor performance, premature product failure, or explosive and hazardous conditions, and it voids both the product warranty and the UL listing.
Every gallon of waste oil contains roughly 140,000 BTUs of energy — the same amount of energy the oil had before it was used. If you are paying a hauler to take that oil away, you are giving up that energy and paying again to heat your building with another fuel.
Start with the square footage of the space. The EL-140H produces about 140,000 BTU/hr and heats up to 3,500 sq ft of open shop space. The EL-200H produces 200,000 BTU/hr for spaces up to 5,000 sq ft. The EL-350H produces 350,000 BTU/hr and handles up to 9,000 sq ft. Ceiling height, insulation, and door openings all matter too, so call NuEra Heat at 1-800-347-9575 to talk through your building.
The EPA has approved the use of used oil heaters for businesses under its Used Oil Regulations. The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, CFR Title 40, defines used oil and the guidelines that must be followed to burn it safely for energy, and Regulation 279 of CFR Title 40 covers the equipment that may be used. Each state has its own used oil regulations — most closely mirror the federal rules with small variations — and they are not allowed in California.
Yes. The preheater assembly has two heating circuits, and the standby circuit is powered any time the unit has power, holding fuel at around 140°F. During the heating season the furnace cycles and that fuel moves, but over the summer the oil simply sits and bakes, carbonizing on the preheater vanes and hurting heat transfer. Shutting the power off over the summer protects an expensive component and makes the annual cleaning much easier.
