New boiler time ?

[andyinscotland]

Back in May you guys helped me to repair my old Boulter boiler.
It is still going strong.... but
The old beastie is getting very expensive to run, 3000L of oil in the last 3 months.
I know it has been winter time but it has not been that cold and I shudder to think how much it would cost to run in a hard winter.
I have looked it up in the sedbuk tables and it is only about 70% efficient
So I think it is new boiler time.
The question is what do you guys recommend?
It will have to be an oil boiler as there is no gas supply here and probably a combi as there is no hot tank and no cold one in the loft.
It needs to run 24 rads in a big old house in Scotland (the wife’s idea not mine  )
I have been leaning towards the Grant vortex 36 but then saw the Kroll range and now I’m undecided
What do you guys think or recommend?
Thanks Andy
ps sorry for the long post

 

[Nixt]

I'm sure your existing boiler can be set up to run more efficiently than 70%. You'll gain very little from changing the boiler and are better advised to take a serious look at the heat loss from your property and also the latest controls available. A form of secondary heating is also worth a look.

 

[andyinscotland]

The 70% is the sedbuk rating for it?

i think it has other problems though, i removed the burner unit back in May and found that the air flow baffles had been fitted incorectly and everything was very sooty in there.
the adjustment screw for adjusting the baffle position was missing.
and the burner produces an orangy flame.
I don't know if an oil burner should be producing a blue / translucent flame but this one is definitely orangy and sooty.
perhaps the oil jet nozzle is incorrect (to big) or the baffle (air directer with slotted cuts in it to produce a swirling effect) is incorrectly positioned.
but something is not right.

i bought the house from and old navy guy who liked to fix things himself with varying degrees of success!

 

[Nixt]

Instead of looking up its SEDBUK in a book try getting an oil engineer to service, re-commission it then you can see its % efficiency for yourself on the engineer's FGA.

 

[andyinscotland]

Instead of looking up its SEDBUK in a book try getting an oil engineer to service, re-commission it then you can see its % efficiency for yourself on the engineer's FGA.

i tried to do that back in may when it was not working
but no one would touch it!

Worcester came and took one look at it and said i have not seen one of those before and wandered off again.

Thats how i ended up on here and with help from people on here i fixed it myself

if you know an oil engineer or are volunteering to do it then please do so
i would be more than happy to have it done.

 

[Nixt]

In which case how do you plan to install and maintain the new one?

 

[andyinscotland]

In which case how do you plan to install and maintain the new one?

Well i was hoping that with a new current model boiler there would not be such a problem getting it fitted and maintained.

unlike trying to get an obscure 14 year old boiler repaired when everyone i ask says that either they have never see one before or you can't get the parts or whatever other excuse they use not to come and do the job!

Even Worcester who now own Boulter say they cannot and will not service or repair it.
but they would be happy to sell me a new one and get it fitted and sell me a maintanance contract to boot!

i am only 35 miles norhtwest of glasgow but you would think it was outer mongolia trying to get someone out to look at it.

 

[andyinscotland]

getting back to the point of this topic....

Any recomendations for a new oil boiler?

Thanks guys

 

[Doctor Drivel]

getting back to the point of this topic....

Any recomendations for a new oil boiler?

Thanks guys

There is much of muchness about oil condensing boilers. The cheapest. Look at a heat pump, ground sourced is the better.

 

[andyinscotland]

Does no one have any opinions on a new boiler?

One that would use less than 3000L of oil in just over 3 months

At £400 for a 1000L I cannot afford to spend £1200 every 3 months

I do not believe that it is normal for an oil boiler to cost £4800 a year to run.

This old boiler is rated at 70% from the manufacturers figures.

I know that Nixt says it could be made more efficient than it is now,
but wouldn’t that only bring it up to the 70% the manufactures quote as optimum for this boiler?

With new boilers quoted as up to 99% efficient then surely they must use less oil than this old beastie I have lurking in the corner.

Or are these efficiency figures quoted a bit of a con and a new boiler will use as much oil as this old one?

 

[andyinscotland]

getting back to the point of this topic....

Any recomendations for a new oil boiler?

Thanks guys

There is much of muchness about oil condensing boilers. The cheapest. Look at a heat pump, ground sourced is the better.

sorry you posted as i was writing mine to post

I have thought about a heat pump system

But the house is set on a hillside with the only flat ground about 50 ft away down the hillside about 20ft below the level of the house so the trenches would be quite a distance away and 20 ft down from the house.
I don’t know if it could be done with that sort of layout and height differences

Or if it would make it way to expensive to do?

The EST said that it would cost between £10 to £14k for a “normal” installation so mine with the hillside involved might be a bit more than that?

Then there is the cost of changing the radiators to 30% bigger ones that the EST say are needed as the system would be running a bit cooler than a boiler heated system.

I think a heat pump system is something for the future for me. In a couple of years when the costs of them come down a bit and I can afford one.