Oy, they joy of homeownership, indeed. We had an oil furnace in the house in Denmark where I grew up, and it was an ancient affair my dad would often curse extensively at.
I wish you and yours warmth and success in keeping the can filled till you get modern heating...
The system isn't that old, but oil sucks. The reason the ex-owners didn't change it is the cost of putting in geo-thermal heating is very high. WE are putting in an air/ water heat exchanger that has been designed for the Nordics - and it is cheaper than the geo-thermal as there is no 250m deep well drilling needed.
Managing lockdown?