FiroMatic industries sells hand pumps made specifically for blowing out oil lines or pulling fuel from the oil tank. Compressed air WILL blow a hole in oil line that are both old and comprised. At least you're making an effort to flush the oil line which should be part of any annual service.
Agreed that there is a risk of a leak whenever the lines are under pressure. Especially if the oil line is underground, we avoid at all costs CO2 at the risk of compromised/deteriorated lines. We had actually wanted to do a full replacement with how severe these lines were clogged, but the homeowner would not agree to the costs at the time of the job. I did a bit more research myself on the subject since there seems to be a huge pro vs. anti compressed air debacle for oil lines. One thing I was not aware of until now was the safety release valve on these blowout guns. The cartridges themselves are easily pushing 800psi+ which without a doubt poses a huge risk with a line blowout. However, newer CO2 blowout guns like the one Darryl is using in the video limits output from the cartridge to 150psi, so it's undoubtedly less extreme and stressful on the copper piping. The oil tank lines we're commonly working with are Type L 3/8" soft drawn copper pipes which are theoretically able to handle up to 750-850psi before hitting their limits. I can see the huge potential of blowing a hole in the line if the CO2 gun lacks the safety valve in older models since it's dancing around the pipe's limits. I'm sure there have been a number of cases where lines, fittings, etc. have burst because of that, gaining its negative reputation. On the contrary, if the safety release valve is present and all other circumstances are allowing (no faults/kinks in the line, not buried or underground, etc.), it seems like we're able to safely proceed with the CO2 method. I think that's one thing that we should have definitely mentioned in the video, but speaking transparently here, neither Darryl or I knew that little bit of info 3 years ago when filming this video. We've used this CO2 method plenty of times without fail or breaks in the line over the years which made me scratch my head on why there has been such an anti-compressed air sentiment. We always appreciate the passion behind the trades since it's an art in its own special way. Thank you for watching and hope my research helped in some sort of way! ⭐️
What is the name and size of the attachment to the blowout gun? I purchased a T32 blowout gun, but it doesn't have the nipple yours does to attach to the line.
Fantastic, if you could had named the parts and how they are assembled would have help me know what to purchase, but never the less still a cool video .
Great question Ben! I've tried looking up many brands of cartridges but there doesn't seem to be an exact consistent psi rating. It's safe to say though that it is several hundred psi at the very least. It's an intense amount, so it's definitely for emergency situations like in the video where the lines are almost completely clogged with sludge and not meant for routine maintenance.
