New oil boiler required!!

[ali68]

Would like to get rid of my storage heaters and water heating cylinder (all electric at present) and replace it with an oil system.

Main questions are should I go with a vented or unvented system and what boilers are more reliable than the next one?

Small house consists of living room, 2x bedroom,kitchen bathroom and hallway approx 75m/2. Would like to keep existing power shower if possible.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[oilman]

There is not much, if anything, to choose in terms of reliability as most manufacturers use Riello or Sterling burners, and other than that it's just a waterjacket with some thermostats. All oil boilers are generally very reliable.

How many problems do you see on the forum compared to gas boilers?

You can please yourself whether you have a sealed system or open vented, but my view the open vented is cheaper to live with, they don't need as much looking after. If you had a sealed system and an unvented cylinder, you could dispense with the power shower pump, and still have the mains pressure shower head.

Before fitting one of the mains supplied hot water systems you should check your mains pressure and flow rate.

For a house your size you can use the smallest boiler you can get, ie about 12kW to 15kW. It can be set to run at the low end, but if you have a combi, it will be twice as big, just to provide the hot water supply, so stick to a cylinder.

You could look at Gledhill thermal stores, they do an electric system. Have a look at this, because the fuel cost might be greater, but the servicing cost of electric equipment is near zero. We have an electric AGA, it has had a fan and a thyristor in the last 18 years, and no other costs whatever. It doesn't get an annual check either, though I am about to give the fan a new set of bearings (£3.50)