Westfall’s Hot Discovery Gets Warm Welcome During Cold Winters
MEMPHIS, Tennessee, September 29, 1995-on a sweltering August day Westfall GMC's Randy O'Dell made an even hotter discovery: a heater that would cut his firm's fuel bills by thousands of dollars and, at the same time, resolve an environmental concern that threatened to become a major expense.
O’Dell is the Light Duty Service Manager for Missouri -based Westfall
GMC Inc., one of the country's largest GMC dealerships. In 1992 he was
at the Missouri State Fair when he came across a waste oil heater demonstration.
“It was hot as the dickens--about 95 degrees- and the last thing I
was thinking about was a heater," recalls O'Dell, who is with Westfall
GMC Truck, Inc. "But when I learned of the demonstration, I remembered
a memo I had received about looking into waste oil heaters and I was interested."
"I'll admit I was skeptical. But to my surprise, I discovered there was something really new on the market-a heater that requited no end-user adjustments. That was a key for me because we generate profits from service and repair on trucks and not-from tinkering with space heaters."
After further investigation and a personal demonstration, O'Dell ordered
two Reznor waste
oil heaters for the firm's Kansas City, Missouri, facility.
The results, according to O'Dell, were even better than expected.
The two furnaces were placed in the firm's service and repair shop, which
is l00 feet by 225 feet with doors that faced north and south.
“There was a tremendous difference," O'Dell said. "Before, on really cold days our people would have to wear coats to work in, but after installing these heaters we could bring the temp up to the 70's. It was fantastic, we not only got the shop warm, but we were saving money on heating costs."
The fact that since 1992 Westfall has purchased 13 Reznor waste oil
heaters for its facilities
in Tennessee and Colorado as well as in Joplin, Columbia, Kansas City
and Springfield, Missouri, is the best demonstration of the firm's confidence
in the product.
Another key factor in O'Dell's strong advocacy of the waste oil heater
is that it solves a
sticky environmental issue and does so very economically.
"The waste oil heater has addressed the problem of disposing of waste
oil in an
environmentally safe manner—an aspect of the business we all have to
deal with now," O'Dell
said. "With increasing disposal costs usually passed on to the
customers, and the cradle-to-grave liability for the proper disposal of
the waste oil, we have definitely benefited from this technology.
We are able to dispose of our waste oil without any additional expense.
In fact, our waste oil is cutting our heating bills, so we come out ahead."
Obviously, the waste oil heater has emerged as one of the most reliable ways to save energy, money and be environmentally responsible. It particularly makes sense for many of those in the aftermarket business because of the large amount of waste oil requiring disposal.
In the case of Westfall's facility in Kansas City, for example, between 1,500 and 2,000 gallons of waste oil are drained every month. The used oil is transferred into a 10,000 gallon aboveground storage tank and is automatically pumped back inside to supply the waste oil heaters during the six month heating season.
The company is conserving natural resources in two very important ways:
For a business that purchases a waste oil heater, the typical payback is less than two years, according to Bill Powis, a product manager at Reznor. Payback can be determined by figuring the savings on heating and the cost of waste oil removal.
O'Dell has learned that today's waste oil heater no longer requires frequent cleaning. "The heaters have been relatively trouble-free," O'Dell says. "We have a maintenance agreement with the company that sold us the heaters. All these heaters need proper maintenance to keep efficiency up. Having this service available to us has kept our heaters in top operating condition and contributed to out decision to purchase more."
Today’s Reznor product has a remote flow control pump that virtually has eliminated the problems associated with burning different viscosity oils. No longer is it necessary for someone to adjust the furnace when burning different fluids, such as transmission fluid and motor oil. It is done by a positive displacement pump that controls the flow of fluid to the furnace.
The Reznor units come standard with either a UL listing or CSA certification, a10-year combustion chamber warranty, and an on-board air compressor.
Other waste oil heaters requiring compressed air must tap into the shop's source--a distinct disadvantage because it means the shop's air system must be operated overnight. Also, if the shop's air supply is moist, dirty or inconsistent, it could-result in reliability problems with the heater. These situations are avoided with an on-board air compressor.
O'Dell says most everyone at Westfall has agreed the waste oil heater is a welcome addition.
"While some are impressed by the dollar savings for heating the building, and others are just enjoying the more comfortable working conditions, we all agree that the waste oil heaters are a welcome addition," he says.
In short, O'Dell's notion to check out a waste oil heater at the fair
really was a hot idea.