We are often asked by Heating Oil users to recommend a Boiler type, style or manufacturer. Given the many options to choose from we have decided to dedicate this blog section to your own views and experiences so potential purchasers can make a more informed decision, with the ultimate goal being to find the overall market leader.
When replying to this blog please clearly state the make and model of your boiler and current length of service together with its current efficiency rating if known from last service, along with your general comments and views.
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If it’s a condensing boiler then that’s the way they work, pluming can be a problem if the boiler is not sited correctly. Yes Grant do make a vertical flue kit, but that will just fit Grant boilers. Fitting it to a non Grant BF boiler may create problems.
Our old Boulter boiler lasted 17 years before it developed a leak in the cast-iron heat-exchanger. Our neighbour’s identical unit apparently did worse at 12 years.
Once the heat-exchanger rusts through its goodbye.
We currently have a Grant Vortex condensing boiler with their special flue pack which sends the steam up a liner in the old flue. The flue option was about £2k more expensive (with fitting) but I consider it to be money well-spent; the alternative was to have a “cold-day cloud” right at the front of the house.
Very happy with the economy/fuel savings of the Grant Vortex boiler!
Cheers!
Peter L.
Jerry Says:
November 11th, 2008 at 6:54 pm
I have a balanced flue boiler which emits a huge amount of steam through its exhaust on the side of the house. On colder days it looks like the house is on fire! Does anyone know of an attachment to the flue which will condense the steam?
Yes you can buy diverter kits that will allow the balanced flue to be connected to an external vertical flue system so that the exhaust plume can be vented at a higher level where it will be less obtrusive. Grant UK make one. IMHO best to live with the plume if you can because you are looking at spending a lot of cash to sort out a purely cosmetic issue.
Suart
I have a balanced flue boiler which emits a huge amount of steam through its exhaust on the side of the house. On colder days it looks like the house is on fire! Does anyone know of an attachment to the flue which will condense the steam?
mistral is a good boiler and made locally not 100% about your boiler it would have to be serviced to find out
Im at present installing a new heating and hot water system, the boiler im using is a thermsaver 70/90 condensing outdoor type, Thermsaver have been very helpful regarding the installation ( im not a plumber). when speaking with them i learnt that you can have the most efficient boiler produced but without proper controlling you are not getting the full advantage of high efficiency condensing boilers. Zoning heating areas using programmable thermostats coupled to 2 way zone valves is the answer, by doing this you have complete control of your heating, TRV valves fitted to radiators do not switch the boiler of when the temperature of the area heated is reached if all TRV reach the required room temperature the boiler will still be running. programmable thermostats linked to zone valve will turn the boiler off. I have used wireless controlled room thermostats to eliminate lots of wiring.
We have a Potterton Statesman 50/70 which I purchased some 5 years ago.
I bought a spare burner on E Bay which I cannibalized for spares but so
far have not needed any parts. It just needs a brush out of the
combustion chamber every so often but doesn’t produce much scale at all.
We use 2000 litres of oil a year to heat our 3 bed detached bungalow
with the heating on all day in the winter and hot water in the summer.
The only problem I had with the unit was condensation running down the
chimney liner and flooding into the boiler due to the high efficiency of
the unit and therefore much lower flue gas temperatures than the old
boiler that it replaced. I had to fill the cavity between the flue and
liner with vermiculite and it’s been fine ever since. One thing I did
find was that these modern boilers are far less forgiving than older
models with respect to fuel/air adjustment and you need to make sure
there is no smoke in the flue gas or they can soot up so quickly that
you just wouldn’t believe it. It is also a good idea to adjust the CO2
in the flue gas to ensure the unit operates at maximum efficiency but as
this requires a special test set, in my experience, so long as you make
sure the boiler isn’t producing smoke it works just fine. In all I am
very happy with the unit and would recommend it.
Very interested in the vortex efficiency, Do you know how this compares to my existing Mistral RS boiler? Would I be wise to change ?
hiya i ave not serviced a boulter condensing but i ave serviced several mistral condensing and effciency was 98.3 and grant vortex was 98.3 aswell i live in shropshire hope i ave been of sum help
i have just replaced our under-floor heating with rads on the ground floor. in the last few weeks we’ve had the heating on morning and evening and the oil consumption has not dropped as much as i had expected. If the boiler stat is at say 2 (range of 1-5) and we are getting sufficient heat, is that better than having the boiler stat at say 4…ie does the boiler not need to run for longer to produce enough heat than say running at a higher temperature? any help would be much appreciated.
I have a Boulter “Economy” 70/90 oil fired boiler which appears to be working Ok but is almost 11 years old.
It was recently serviced and on flue testing the efficiency of burner was 90.9%.
I am considering changing to a condensing boiler which will have an overall efficiency in excess of 90%.
I do not know the overall efficiency of the existing boiler; can anyone advise please so that I can then estimate oil cost savings from making the change.
Does anyone know the likely life of these Boulton boilers before they need serious repairs ?
Thanks
Graham
In 1998 I had to replace an electric central heating boiler (yes electric, it was horrendously expensive to run and often ran out of heat in cold weather).
I installed myself a Potterton Statesman System boiler 65/85 which I purchased from the local Plumb Centre with a good discount. I connected it into the existing radiator system which has thermostats fitted to all rads. It stands in the corner of the kitchen and runs reasonably quietly with no smell. We have a medium sized 4 bed house plus conservatory. Hot water is on economy 7 electric.
We have the heating on full for 3 hours am and 5 hours pm and background heat during the middle of the day. We are not too frugal with the thermostat settings! Our oil use is usually around 2700 L per year.
I have the boiler serviced annually by a local man OFTEC reg who is very good and reasonable rates. Usually about £80.
I checked the last service report and the efficiency was 92.4% net and 85.7% gross.
Obviously this is not a modern condensing boiler, it is old technology with a cast iron heat exchanger. We have never had a problem with the system and I am very happy with it, particularly when I read about others problems with more modern hi tech boilers.
Experiment with the temperature you use for setting domestic hot water, try reducing the value on a daily basis – say 5 C at a time until you reach the point where you run low on hot water. I have a solar panel which normally produces heat on even a cloudy day in winter but my oil boiler nevertheless is the mainstay for 2 – 3 months of the year. I have set my domestic hot water at 40 C and never yet run out of hot tap water, the effective temperature in the storage tank is generally far higher than the minimum recommended to avoid bacterial contamination, which makes me wonder whether the widely-held opinion on the topic is fully reliable.
i am soon moving into a new house which has an oil tank but an open fire which i was thinkin about changing to an oil fire can anyone tell me if this is costly to run??as the fireplace i am gettin is cream with a cream harte and would get ruined with having an open fire..
Thanks your message has very much helped me:)
Just had a HRM 25/19 wallstar serviced – the first in 4 years (only mine for the last 10 months), Engineer was impressed with condition and managed to set it up to factory efficiency, so i couldn’t ask for much more.
PS am i allowed to sing praises of said engineer? Frank Thorpe of Parson Drove Cambs.
hi iam oftec engineer in shropshire area i have just serviced a grant vortex and i was very surprised at the efficiency rating it was 98.3% very good
hello graham,
If you have any questions about your Grant boiler you can call there technical line, number is on there web site, they are really helpful. fantastic customer service team.
the running cost of a boiler is driven by its thermal efficiency, which should be quoted in literature from suppliers. Compare either gross or net efficiency but don’t mix the two !
A 75% efficient boiler costing £900/yr to run could be replaced by a 90% efficient unit costing £750/yr.
Bungalows have an excessive roof/floor area ratio so pay attention to loft insulation as you don’t have cooler upstairs bedrooms insulating ground floor living space.
£500 a month is fairly loony, you shoud get an insulation assessment of the property. The walls and windows may also merit attention, Keep the living space at 20 C and unoccupied rooms at 16 C. Have the boiler checked for %CO2 or %O2 as well as flue gas temperature if you skin mels on the flue pipe then the efficiency is poor.
http://www.iphe.org.uk/databyte/legionella.pdf
65 C is dangerously hot, legionella (rarely a problem in enclosed hot water systems) are killed at 55 C with prolonged exposure as happens in a DHW tank.
as the previous person is somewhat correct but the hot water tank tempreture should be set at 65 degrees to kill any bacteria to prevent legionares disease
no idea about the oil consumtion, but the radiator valves should be set at whatever is comfy for that room, they should never need to change as if the room is cold they will open the radiator fully as it warms up they slowly close it off. If they are hot enough and all your water is hot enough your dial setting of 1 might be right- of course turning it up will increase your use!!
You dont say how long youve lived there or how much oil youve used but if it is a very old boiler with a hot water tank you should check if there is a strap on thermostat on the cylinder, if not i bet your hot water get way too hot? so you will be pouring money into the tank by overheating it- you need a valve and thermostat fitted to it.
If there is a seperate thermostat on the cylinder make sure it is on about 55 – deg c. hot enough for most.
If money doesnt stretch to a new system or new add ons make sure you insulate the living daylights out of the water tank and attics
Id go for the Veissmann- but check the oil compatability issue. They are by far the best boilers, made out of stainless steel by far more reliable than the aluminium heat exchangers on Worcester and a lot of other types (the oil fume condensate is more acidic than vinegar and over a few years can damage heat exchangers considerably)
As long as your oil has less than 500 parts per million of sulphur it should be fine. They are more expensive to buy than some but for god sake make sure they have stainless steel heat exchangers- unless you like buying £300 bits every 5 yrs.
Honestly- i dont work for Viessmann (i can barely spell it!) but ive had a LOT of places and their backup if needed is second to none.
We had a grant vortex 26 (external) installed last month. It’s big, but very quiet and efficient. Too early to say much about reliability, but so far very happy. With the current cost of oil it seemed to make sense to go for the most efficient available.
Hi I have just moved into an old property with oil heating. When we moved in it had 5 on the oil watch and on the 2nd of September it was done to 0 that was from 12th may the heating is on 2 hours in morning and 4 hours at night! We just had 500 litres put in on the 2nd September and already the oil watch is at 3 which I feel is a little quick? When we moved in the lady that had the house previous advised me to keep all radiators at 5 which is Max and put the boiler dial at 1, is this right?
Andrew
I have a Worcester combi boiler that is connected to the underfloor heating downstairs, radiators upstairs and has a self contained small hot water tank that gives you instant hot water without the usual problems you get with combi boilers.
The underfloor heating system has a mixer valve that automatically reduces the hot water inflow by mixing in small amounts of colder return flow thus taking the temperature down to around 55 degrees. All good UF systems should have this facility so it does not matter what temperature the boiler is operating at.
The upstairs radiators all have thermostatic valves on so I can run UF on its own, upstairs radiators on their own, have hot water on its own or any combination of the three.
Worcester service the boiler once a year and I find it very economical. I would reccomend the Worcester combi boiler to anyone.
hi.. I’m from Lisburn and need a new boiler..can you let me know who suppiled and fitted yours? many thanks
Hi
Trying to find an oil fired boiler that will heat the underfloor heating and also heat the hot water. My UFH supplier has said that they have previously used Biesmann boilers but they are designed for the German market where they use a different grade of oil, thus when combined with UK oil they tend to clog up. So instead I’ll have to use a blender to reduce the hot water temperature so that it can then be used in the UFH, so reducing the efficiency and wasting heating oil.
Can anybody suggest a boiler that will do the job, ie two temperatures and not clog up. Yes its a water based UFH system.
Can anyone recommend a boiler engineer covering Nrth Northumberland? I am new to all this and would like to go word of mouth rather than just taking a risk through a phone book.
I am currently selling my Worcester Bosch Greenstar HE 12 / 22 condensing boiler (only 2 Years old) (97% efficient) also the 1225 L oil tank, tiger loop,and watchman.
Alan in Norton
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
How do you find out about running costs of domestic boilers
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
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
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!
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
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 ?
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
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.
I am looking for some advice pls. We moved into our house on the 6th of Dec 2007, we got our oil tank filled at a cost of 47p a litre and our watchman is telling us that our tank is now down at 4 again! We have a star flow floor mounted boiler which was put into the house by the previous owners approx 6 years ago and I don’t think it has been serviced since then. We live on an island and fuel is very expensive anyway but getting a plumber to come and service the boiler is proving very difficult too! The boiler doesn’t smell very good and around the pipe from outside there is a black / brownish stain on the wall from the fuel. Im thinking these aren’t good signs…anyone else agree?! It seems to me that the boiler is using far too much oil, especially as my husband and I are out at work all day and the heating is only on for a total of 3 and a half hours a day during the week, more at weekends. I have a feeling we may need to replace our boiler…if and when the blooming plumber turns up! Can anyone recommend a good oil fired boiler pls, that won’t cost a fortune to run, even on a scottish island where fuel cost are much higher than the mainland? Many thanks.
Boulter Camray Model CAM 5 WH 50/70. I am pleased with this wall hung condensation boiler. No so pleased with the Watchman, the battery went after 12 months and we ran out of oil after using a piece of wood as a dipstick and the charge to get the air out of the pipelines. We had a decent man come to get the heating going again and he showed how to get the air out. The advice was needed a few times as the air block travelled.
Hi,
My fiancee’s house has an oil fired Rhino boiler.
Does anyone know if they are any good?
Would a specific model number be any help?
Thanks
I have a HRM Starflow boiler that came with the house which was built seven years ago. It has developed a pretty serious leak and I am advised it needs replacing!
I am looking at a Grant Vortex 26/36 utility system boiler – anyone got any views or advice?
Thanks
I was in your position in 2002. Our 30-yr-old boiler still worked fine though it needed a new burner unit at 23 yrs (fair enough!) We built an extension and I wanted a bigger condensing boiler. Gary our plumber said he had considerable trouble with them and difficulty getting spares (we live in N Ireland). So we bought a Furnray Firefly made in Lisburn N Ireland with the idea that the factory was only 14 miles away if the worst happened. It has proved first-class in every way, being quiet (in utility room next door to bedroom) and economical. Our heating/water heating in summer kerosene bill over past couple of years has been about £700 pa. (before the latest horrendous increases). Hope this helps, good luck!
Interesting comments; take a look on the OFTEC web site; [www.oftec.org] you should be able to find an engineer there that can or would be willing to help you; although if you have an old-ish boiler you should consider replacing it for a more efficient model…you could be wasting a lot of fuel with the one you have!!
Re Post by: Eddy McConnell on 6 Dec 2007 at 2:15pm
I’d change your boiler guy, not the boiler!!
He clearly doesn;t like the system, and probably won’t do as good a job looking after it, as the old guy. Find another guy who ‘likes’ the system and will look after it! Good luck
I have had a Worcester Bosch ‘Heatslave 20/25′ Combi boiler for the last 5 years.
Works well but beware of the horrendous cost of spare parts.
I have been stocking up with spares from eBay at a fraction of the cost.
Also, shop around for spares if needed – costs can vary by as much as 300 percent.
I have a ‘Centiheat’ drip feed oil fired boiler. It was installed when the house was built thirty years ago and is still going strong. Until the last two years we always had it serviced annually by the same engineer who always said that it was a good system and if looked after would last for ever.
The engineer has since died and we now have a young chap who does not like ‘this type of boiler’ and is dropping hints that it is ‘on it’s way out’ but can not offer any advice as to a similar replacement.
The present system has no need for radiators as it heats the core of the house.
The only replacement system we can see is gas which will mean radiators throughout the house.
Has anybody got any other suggestions or am I worrying purely because the young guy is not keen on my system.
My recommendation, whilst not a boiler is, if you can, install a Sandyford cooker/boiler. I have had one for 3 years now and the boiler runs at 87% with the cooker running at 83% efficiency. My requirement is for my central heating to run 365 days, so I have a Honeywell CM Zone radiator control system. Using the two together means my annual oil usage is just under 2500 Litres. I only have the tank filled once a year. This usage includes all cooking and hot water as well.
I know that the boiler is not condensing, but the manufacturers of the Sandyford are primarily boiler makers so the design is as efficient as they can make it.
Hope this helps, Philip.