Oil Fired Boilers - Satisfaction Survey

Posted by: boiler poverty, need change,which one ? on 13 Jun 2008 at 3:31am

we moved in here in dec 2001 oil was 28p litre, it is now 62p litre !!!
We have a detached bungalow, very long, almost 90 feet.
the boiler is at one end and the tank etc is at the other,quite a large property 4 beds 4 bathrooms, 3 reception . in winter months it is costing us almost £500 a month, did ask plumber to put in combi boiler, but said it couldnt be done, so he "upgraded" existing boiler, despite promises, we have not found any savings, grateful if anyone can advise, plumber or consumer.
really cant carry on like this, the oil bill is more than my wages !
grateful for ant help
Sue

Posted by: ian s white on 10 Jun 2008 at 8:02am

How do you find out about running costs of domestic boilers

Posted by: Bob C. on 5 Jun 2008 at 11:07pm

I am in need of a new repacement oil fired boiler. I am looking at three different makes. Which one do you recommend.?
#1 Peerless 3 Pass wet base.
#2 Utica 3 pass wet b ase.
#3 Biasi 4 Pass wet base .

Please help. This is a tough decision.

Thanks, Bob

Posted by: Graham Eaves on 23 Apr 2008 at 2:45pm

I have a Grant oil fired boiler. I have run out of fuel so had the tank topped up. Do I need to bleed the pump bfore starting if so how?
Graham

Posted by: Stephen on 6 Apr 2008 at 8:43pm

we live in a 4 bed potton style home and have a combi boiler supplying underfloor heating and hot water, house temp is quite a steady 18o, this is our first winter in the house and complared to our previous home we seem to use quite a lot of oil, approx 13litres per day over the past winter months - is this average - look forward to your comments!

Posted by: Roy on 21 Mar 2008 at 9:30am

Its time to change the boiler, 12 years old and it is on its last legs. Can anyone recommend a condensing boiler which is lean for these oil price challenging times. And what is a reasonable price to pay

Posted by: Jon on 19 Mar 2008 at 12:10pm

Brian, we propbably have the same boiler.
How high have you set the thermostat on your hot water tank ?
How high have you set the thermostat on inside the boiler ?
Did the plumber tell you the boiler efficiency ?

Posted by: Brian on 17 Mar 2008 at 6:41pm

Hi all...can anybody help with advice.. we moved into our bungalow in oct 07 we had at least 1000 lts in the tank well I then put in 1000 more at the end of Nov so it was almost full.. I have just this week put in 1000 more so I know there is something not right.....as we dont leave it on all the time, 3 hrs in morn 4 hrs at night we had a plumber come and clean the boiler and hoover it out and he said " my thats old " and it probably is the original Thorn boiler fitted in 1971 so ??? who can advise me on which boiler I need for a two bed bungalow one bath and two sinks..... also we cant control the heating seperate from the water so its either water and heating or water no heating .... so we need new system !!! all help gratefully accepted.... Brian

Posted by: Nigel Kenneth on 9 Mar 2008 at 10:10pm

I have a turco 90/115 combi approx 4 years.
The welded boiler seams leaked upon installation I had to get a welder to repair it. 2 new expansion vessels, diverter valve, diaphragm, mixer valve, temp sender. It has two subsequent welding repairs in other places including the boiler floor which involved a total disconection and inversion to weld, and has just sprung another leak which has finally prompted this posting It is a nightmare YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Posted by: jules on 29 Feb 2008 at 7:45pm

Angie,

Your boiler requires servicing. It is burning incorrectly damaging your boiler and reducing efficiency just a small carbon or sulphur coating in the heat exchanger reduces your boilers efficiency by 10%. From your description the boiler is considerably sooted up and if it hasn't been serviced for as long as you state it is unlikely to be producing a correct spray pattern in the combustion area and the pressure may have drifted also, you may also have distorted baffles. The boiler will likely have to be de coked. You don't need a plumber you need an OFTEC engineer like my self with the correct tools and analysis equipment to repair it.
An Oil boiler should be serviced a minimum annually and sooner if it displays any signs of distress, smoke, staining etc. IT IS A FALSE ECONOMY NOT TO SERVICE YOUR OIL BOILER REGULARLY I service gas boilers and they too should be serviced annually but it is generally less critical to do so due to the nature of combustion. Think of your oil boiler as your car engine it needs regular servicing so too does your oil boiler.

I am too far away to help you in person (unless you want to pay the air fare ;-) )but try the OFTEC website a link is available on my site if you can't find it http://www.flamefix.co.uk and they can give you a list of the nearest engineers to you.
Pretty much all the boilers are similar efficiencies now. Build quality varies some as does easy of installation. Personally if you can wait I would look to the new Viessmann range to launch in Autumn as I fit their gas products and solar products and I like them a lot. Typically I fit Grant and Worcester oil boilers at the moment and both have their pluses and minuses.