Oil fired central heating..anyone?

[pie eater pete]

Myself and the wife have an opportunity to move into a oil fired cottage in the New Year and just wanted to see if there are any installers on here? Ease of maintenance/cost/...etc.

Cheers!

[Daveyboy]

Used to have one. Mine was a converted Rayburn so it warmed the house, did the hot water and you could cook on it.

 

The challenge was that if you let it go out - summer, out of oil etc - then it would take 3 days to get it back up to running temperature. And as it's a conversion, nothing seemed to fit correctly so once a year, the cracks would be cemented. Nearly lost a dog through the fumes.

 

But otherwise, once you're on it, it's only the price of oil that you need to worry about. although I hear you can put cheaper alternatives in the tank - google it.

[Scotty38]

Is it just a normal combi boiler? If so, in my experience (18 months only) it's no different to our gas boiler at the old house other than it runs on oil. Still needs the same maintenance that you'd do on a gas one (or not as the case may be). Price of oil is a consideration and the fact that you can now decide when to buy if you have a big enough tank to leave space for when it's cheap(er). We only have a 1000 litre tank so we fill up, use it then fill again. If it's near enough empty we have to buy regardless of the price. Given we're in rural location most heating engineers anywhere near us are oil certified. That may not be the case though if you're in an area predominantly covered by gas though.

[daveindales]

Yes we have one, as there's no gas in out area. We replaced out old 1970's boiler with a new one about 4 years ago. It's a lot more economical, with no problems with it at all yet. Ours is a boiler made by grant, which get quite good reviews.

[dogman]

I'm just waiting for the paperwork to be sorted then we will move in to our "new" place, & this will be our first oil fired system, as there's no gas in the village. Apparently there's a scheme where you can get together with others & buy your oil in bulk there by saving a few £'s.

 

Rob

[@Wildlife_Mgr]

I've lived in many a property that's had oil fired central heating. Never had any problems whatsoever with it.

 

There are, as Rob (dogman) states oil cooperatives whereby members buy oil in bulk as buying over a thousand litres reduces the cost compared to buying 900 litres.

 

There are also various schemes that oil fuel companies offer, most also can provide you with a plug in device that lets you know just how much oil you have in the tank.

 

One thing I found was filling the tank in summer was cheaper than autumn or winter.

[Scotty38]

I'm just waiting for the paperwork to be sorted then we will move in to our "new" place, & this will be our first oil fired system, as there's no gas in the village. Apparently there's a scheme where you can get together with others & buy your oil in bulk there by saving a few £'s.

 

Rob

 

Yes, Boilerjuice do this (others may too I'm not sure). We have a DD with them as well.

[Wood wasp]

Only major difference between oil and gas in my experience is oil is marginally more expensive and you have to take hit of filling tank in one go.

 

My current system is oil boiler outside coupled with boiler stove inside and accumalator tank in attic. Both systems work well on their own though usually I have stove on so use very little oil.

[Bren.]

Boiler juice are expensive. I just phone round the local suppiers. Some are better than others though, one last year poured over 100 ltrs of water into our tank. Cost quite a lot to sort that one out.

[Rye Oil Ltd]

Hi call around local suppliers or join a local buying group. Also check your tank and make sure it hasn't got any cracks in it. Good thing about oil is the ability to shop around. Also don't be afraid to haggle. If you want any advice give me a shout.

Jon