Oil Heating System queries

[awemawson]

It's a 3 bed end of terrace with 1 bathroom and 1 en suite, though that is only an electric shower and 8 rads. The original system was coal boiler (Trianco) fitted by my dad 42 years ago, 20 years ago it was revamped with an oil boiler, (boulter Camry 5) never serviced until I took over the property last year.

Oil we use just about 800 litres a year occupancy 2 adults 3 kids on a part time basis as we're doing it up slowly

Oh. Oh I wish my consumption was only 800 litres a year !

My last delivery was 3000 litres and that will last about 6 months. Three oil boilers on the farm (all Grants) System boiler for the house, combi shared by the two one bedroom holiday cottages and my office and another combi for my workshop. House has a wood burner in snug and sitting room that are the main source of heat. Just loaded, dumped, split and stacked three truck loads of ash that should last hopefully three years.

 

[DAPPH]

I'd go with the mains pressure hot water tank

you'll have better water flow - non of that turning the tap on low so it comes out hot enough stuff

and with a combi boiler the boiler has to fire up every time you turn a hot tap on..... all those short on/off cycles are no good for an oil burner, much better to have a tank


swapping to a mains pressure tank should be the cheapest option by a mile too? - spend the money you save on extra insulation for the house :-)

Our Worcester has a 25 litre hot water store IIRC the boiler does not come on at every hot water use only when the 25 litre heat is seriously depleted .

 

[gaz1]

It's a 3 bed end of terrace with 1 bathroom and 1 en suite, though that is only an electric shower and 8 rads. The original system was coal boiler (Trianco) fitted by my dad 42 years ago, 20 years ago it was revamped with an oil boiler, (boulter Camry 5) never serviced until I took over the property last year.

Oil we use just about 800 litres a year occupancy 2 adults 3 kids on a part time basis as we're doing it up slowly

thats not too bad for partial living there

but to give you an idea whats involved

with the likes of higher bills coming in its worth considering dual purpose systems

in my case its solar and use of a wood stove that also means going back to a tank system

now i know alot wont like it as they like to be warm when they get up cylinder tanks have changed enough to offer this option many dont want the morning lighting so you can use gas or lpg boiler to zone valves and swap to the wood stove later on

since i play with rocket stoves

thats 40 gallons heated by very little wood for 6 showers unless someones greedy

 

[DAPPH]

Oh. Oh I wish my consumption was only 800 litres a year !

My last delivery was 3000 litres and that will last about 6 months. Three oil boilers on the farm (all Grants) System boiler for the house, combi shared by the two one bedroom holiday cottages and my office and another combi for my workshop. House has a wood burner in snug and sitting room that are the main source of heat. Just loaded, dumped, split and stacked three truck loads of ash that should last hopefully three years.

One big consideration I suggest is for people to think of their old age. For us it was that I'm 80% disabled and as I was in my 54 th year humping logs or cleaning a stove out was rejected . Now I'm 71 I count my blessing that we made the right decisions on the Worcester oil boiler and top up insulated to the very latest standard 2 yrs ago , then tripple glazed throughout so we are now rated as B + energy efficient .

When we had LPG ( we lived way out in the sticks then even with a new LPG boiler and tanked system we found it was horrifically expensive .
Especially when Flo-gas changed the receiver got it filled for us , failed to test pipe work for leaks 7 also left the shut off valve wide open . .. they filled the tank on the Friday afternoon and by 07.00 Sat mornind when I got up it was empty .

 

[awemawson]

Doing those logs certainly doesn’t get any easier as you get older. I’m 72 going on 73 and certainly knew that I’d done it when finished!
I do have the luxury of a tractor mounted splitter though.

 

[Turbo]

If the pipework is already there stick with the tank fed system. The major problem with a mains pressure system is if your water supply is off you have no water in your house at all, hot or cold! At least with a decent sized tank you will have enough backup for a day or 2.

 

[DAPPH]

With all the crud accumulated in the bottoms of the tanks would you really want to drain it off and use it all ?

Any major failure of the water system and the stand pipe, tankers & bottled water plans get activated , just like they did when Ireland experienced the few weeks of sub zero weather a few years back .
When we had one of nasty toxic bacterial problems in the mains system scare sometime around late summer 1997
https://www.drinking-water-testing.co.uk › DWT › clostridium

Clostridium | Drinking Water Testing​

, it lasted almost six days , till all the pipe lines had been flushed out & loads of testing done .... the local broadcasts were " Only use bottled water, boiling would not kill it Do not bath in it or bath babies " .

I drove 30 mile round trips to my mates place who was not affected taking two 45 gallon food grade barrels to get it for the small mammals in our breeding sheds as well as two 5 gallon caravan water barrels for the house to be filled . .