The heat exchanger is cracked or rusted through
This one ends the conversation. A failed heat exchanger can’t be repaired, and on an oil furnace it means combustion products where they shouldn’t be. We’ll show you before we recommend anything.
Oil Furnace Repair & Conversion
Oil heat service and conversions.
We service, repair, and replace oil furnaces and boilers, and we handle conversions to a heat pump or natural gas when that makes more sense. We’ll lay out the numbers and let you decide.
- Serving Hampton Roads since 2003
- 20+ years experience
- Master HVAC licensed
- Master Gas licensed
- Class A contractor
- Financing available
Before you replace anything
Does it need replacing or just service?
Oil furnaces are mechanically simple and durable. Plenty of the ones we work on are twenty-five and thirty years old and still heating the house properly, because they were built to. The most common reasons they stop working are a dirty or failed nozzle, a bad igniter or transformer, a clogged filter, a sooted heat exchanger, or a control problem, all of which are service, not replacement.
What tends to happen instead is that a homeowner calls three companies, two of them don’t service oil at all, and the third quotes a conversion. That’s a sales pitch, not a diagnosis.
We’ll tell you what’s actually wrong with it. If it’s worth fixing, we’ll fix it. If converting is the better long-term move, we’ll show you the math.
Just need it running again? Start with oil furnace repair
Five signs it’s actually time.
Here are some common signs, what they usually mean, and when it’s time to replace.
-
-
The tank or lines are failing
Corroded tanks, weeping fittings, and buried lines of unknown age are their own category of problem. Sometimes the furnace is fine and the fuel system is the reason to reconsider the whole setup.
-
Parts have become hard to source
Oil equipment from manufacturers who have exited the market can reach a point where keeping it running stops being practical. We’ll be honest when we get there.
-
It’s soot-heavy and won’t stay tuned
An oil furnace that soots up quickly after every service is telling you something about combustion, and past a certain age the fix isn’t another tune-up.
-
Your fuel costs no longer make sense for the house
This is the economic sign rather than the mechanical one. If you’re filling a tank several times a winter and a heat pump would carry the same house for less, that’s worth pricing, with real numbers, not a brochure.
Your Options
Three paths, and we’ll price all of them.
There’s no universally right answer here, and we’re suspicious of anyone who tells you there is. Oil isn’t obsolete, gas isn’t always available, and a heat pump isn’t automatically cheaper for every house. What matters is your equipment’s condition, your fuel costs, your electrical service, whether gas is even on your street, and how long you plan to be there. We’ll walk all three, with your actual numbers.
-
Oil furnace repairKeep the oil furnace
Repair or replace the oil equipment and keep the system you have. The right answer more often than people are told, especially when the furnace is sound and the fuel system is in good condition.
-
Heat Pump ReplacementConvert to a heat pump
One system for heating and cooling, no fuel deliveries, and strong efficiency in our mild winters. Requires adequate electrical service and duct evaluation.
-
Furnace InstallationConvert to natural gas
Lower operating cost than oil in most cases, and no tank. Only possible where gas service actually reaches your property, which often isn’t the case in rural Suffolk and Isle of Wight. We verify before we quote.
What We Work On
Oil equipment, and what replaces it.
Oil heat has become a specialty by attrition: companies stopped training on it, stopped stocking parts for it, and stopped taking the calls. We didn’t. That means we can diagnose what you have before anyone starts talking about replacing it.
-
Oil furnace repair and tune-ups
Nozzles, igniters, transformers, pumps, filters, controls, and combustion adjustment. The routine service that keeps sound equipment running.
-
Oil furnace replacement
New oil equipment when the furnace is done but oil still makes sense for the property.
-
Oil boiler service
Hydronic oil systems, radiators, and the distribution around them.
Boilers, Radiators & Apollo Systems -
Heat pump conversion
Complete changeover including load calculation, electrical coordination, and duct evaluation.
-
Gas conversion
Where utility service is verified available. Gas line, venting, and connections handled under our own Master Gas Fitter license.
-
Tank and fuel line coordination
Assessment of tanks and lines, and coordination of removal or abandonment when converting.
- Master Gas licensed
- Oil equipment service
- Load calculation
- Fuel system coordination
Load Calculation & Conversion Sizing
Oil furnaces were oversized. Your conversion won’t be.
A lot of conversions are sized by matching the BTU rating on the old oil furnace. That’s a guess, and on a conversion it’s a worse guess than usual: oil furnaces were routinely oversized when they were installed, so matching that number carries a thirty-year-old mistake into new equipment.
We run a load calculation on the house first: square footage, insulation, windows, ductwork, and how the place is actually built. Then, if you’re converting to a heat pump, we check your electrical service, because a conversion that needs a panel upgrade should be priced with the panel upgrade in it rather than discovered halfway through.
And if the ductwork was built for an oil furnace’s airflow, that gets evaluated too. Heat pumps move more air at lower temperatures, and duct that was adequate for oil heat sometimes isn’t.
Our Process
What’s included, start to finish.
Every replacement includes all of it. No line items that show up later as extras.
Before we order anything
-
We diagnose what you have
A real look at the existing equipment, the heat exchanger, the tank, and the fuel lines, so the conversation starts with facts about your system rather than assumptions about oil.
-
We run the numbers and the load calculation
Load calculation on the house, electrical service checked, gas availability verified if that’s on the table, and operating costs compared across the options. Permit pulled and inspection scheduled.
The day it goes in
-
We remove the old equipment
Old furnace out and disposed of properly, fuel lines safely capped, and tank removal or abandonment coordinated where it applies.
-
We install and verify
New system set and connected, gas connections leak-tested or refrigerant charge verified as applicable, venting confirmed, airflow checked, and every mode tested.
Before we pull out
-
We register the warranty
Filed for you. Most manufacturers require it, and most people never get around to it.
-
We walk you through it
How the new system runs, what it needs, what changes about your winter, and your questions answered before we leave.
The Numbers, plainly
Whether converting is actually worth it.
The honest answer is that it depends on your house, and anyone who gives you a universal answer is selling something. Oil delivers a lot of heat per gallon and a well-maintained oil furnace is a capable machine. What makes conversion attractive isn’t that oil is bad. It’s that oil prices move, deliveries have to be scheduled, and a heat pump gives you cooling from the same system you’re already paying to install.
The math turns on a handful of things: what you actually spend on fuel in a winter, the condition of your existing equipment and tank, whether your electrical panel can carry a heat pump without an upgrade, whether gas service reaches your street at all, and how many more winters you plan to be in the house. Conversions pay back over years, so someone selling in three doesn’t have the same answer as someone staying twenty.
We’ll put your numbers into that instead of a national average, and if the answer is that you should keep your oil furnace and spend the money on ductwork, we’ll tell you that too.
Testimonials
Hear from our customers.
-
Mike was very professional and thorough throughout the entire process. Haven’t felt with any HVAC service before Ductman and will never choose anything else now. Thank you for a great experience.
Robert Clark
Google review
-
Everyone was respectful, a pleasure to work with, and they got the job done in a timely fashion with a great quality of work. My house heats even better now than before. 10/10 I absolutely recommend them.
James Maurmeier
Google review
-
Furnace went out on what seems like the coldest day so far this year. Chris answered our call and promptly sent out a technician to review the issue and provide an estimate. They were able to order and install the part quickly for a reasonable price. I would definitely call them again if we had another HVAC issue.
Charisse
Google review
Our Work
Recent work
View Case Study : Matched split system, 1980s ranchMatched split system, 1980s ranch
View Case Study : Central air added to a 1940s bungalowCentral air added to a 1940s bungalow
View Case Study : Oversized unit right-sized after load calcOversized unit right-sized after load calc
Service Area
Where we find oil heat.
Oil is address-specific rather than area-wide, but it concentrates in the rural and older parts of the region, and those are the areas most companies have quietly stopped driving to. We serve them.
plus Smithfield, Windsor, Carrollton, and rural Isle of Wight.
Financing & Payment
A new system is rarely a purchase anyone planned for. Financing is available, and we offer a cash discount if you’d rather not finance. We’ll lay out both so you can see the real difference.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Does anyone still service oil furnaces around here?
We do. It’s become a specialty by attrition. Most companies stopped training on oil and stopped stocking parts, which is why people have trouble finding service.
Is it worth converting from oil to a heat pump?
It depends on your house. The math turns on what you spend on fuel in a winter, the condition of your equipment and tank, whether your panel can carry a heat pump without an upgrade, whether gas reaches your street, and how long you’ll stay, since conversions pay back over years. We’ll run your actual numbers, and if keeping the oil furnace is the better answer, we’ll say so.
Can I convert from oil to natural gas?
Only where gas service actually reaches your property, which often isn’t the case in rural Suffolk and Isle of Wight. We verify availability before we quote, and handle the gas line, venting and connections under our own Master Gas Fitter license.
How long does an oil furnace last?
A long time when it’s maintained. Plenty of the ones we work on are twenty-five and thirty years old and still heating the house properly. A cracked heat exchanger, a failing tank or lines, or parts that can no longer be sourced are what usually end it.
What happens to my oil tank if I convert?
We assess the tank and lines, safely cap the fuel lines, and coordinate tank removal or abandonment where it applies.
My oil furnace is making soot. Is that serious?
It needs a look. A sooted heat exchanger is often a service problem, but an oil furnace that soots up quickly after every service is telling you something about combustion, and past a certain age, the fix isn’t another tune-up.
Do you also work on oil boilers?
Yes. Hydronic oil systems, radiators, and the distribution around them. See Boilers, Radiators & Apollo Systems.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. Financing is available, and we offer a cash discount if you’d rather not finance. We’ll lay out both so you can see the real difference.
Get Started
Let’s find out what your system actually needs.
Whether that turns out to be a repair, new oil equipment, or a conversion that pays for itself, you’ll get a straight answer and your options in plain English.