Uncooked rice often contains the bacteria Bacillus cereus. These bacteria can form protective spores that survive the cooking process and if the rice is cooled slowly (and left between 5 Â°C and 60 Â°C for a long time), these bacteria spores can germinate, grow and produce a toxin (poison) that causes vomiting.
Obviously the colder a climate is, the more a furnace is required to run, and the shorter its life expectancy. With our relatively mild climate here in Seattle and the rest of the Puget Sound, the average life expectancy for a gas furnace is 15 to 20 years if well maintained, properly installed, and properly sized.
Either system will have a burner. 23 years may very well be beyond the typical life expectancy of a oil burner, but a furnace or boiler should last considerably longer than 23 years. The boiler of my house here in MA is 58 years old and still works fine. I am starting to consider replacements, however.