Monitoring heating oil usage

ennisjim

Hi,
Just turned on UFH in new build a couple of weeks ago. I am using oil and solid fuel, but oil is main fuel. Considering oil price and lack of experience with UFH I was interested in knowing is there is a reasonably-priced way to monitor
(i) litres used over a period (eg. day, week, etc)
(ii) how long the burner is active (eg. over a day, week, etc)

(i) would probably be sufficient I suppose but (ii) would be nice to know too.

The common approach of dipping tank or having some simple indicator of how full tank is would be a bit crude I think. It would be nice to get the info reasonably quickly and adjust usage/settings/etc rather than have to wait weeks/months. Maybe this is unrealistic though.

Thanks
James

JamesM

Years ago, I remember seeing where a guy had connected an electric mains powered clock between the boiler thermostat and the burner. This measured the running time of the burner. Depending on the size of the house and output of the boiler etc., most burners have nozzles between .60 gal and .75 gal. This means that if a burner is running continuously for an hour it will use about 3/4 of a gallon.

That would be a simple cheap way of checking - I am sure that there are more sophisticated and costly methods.
Jim.

ennisjim

Thanks Jim, Idea to use clock sounds like a good and novel one. Might try that out. Must look into the novel flow rate also as you suggested.

ennisjim

This looks interesting http://radionics.rs-online.com/web/search/searchBrowseAction.html?method=getProduct&R=2989517

10-10-20

Hmmm - I have an issue with the previously mentioned solution!

As most boilers now modulate (adjust) the flow of oil/gas, the hard and fast rule of .60 gal etc does not apply as the run rate will likely be less.
Otherwise, it's a great idea!

JamesM

That radionics unit look like it would do the business.
Checking the nozzle size cannot be a "hard and fast rule" because, if nothing else, it will depend on the oil pressure as well as the nozzle size.
It just helps to give you an idea.
Jim.

ennisjim

I've ordered the unit. €25 incl vat and delivery so not the end of the world if it doesn't work out to be useful.
Even if the oil flow rate varies I think it will be very useful to know how long the boiler is running, eg. per-day, per-week, etc.

JamesM

10-10-20 wrote: »

Hmmm - I have an issue with the previously mentioned solution!

As most boilers now modulate (adjust) the flow of oil/gas, the hard and fast rule of .60 gal etc does not apply as the run rate will likely be less.
Otherwise, it's a great idea!

One other point - no oil burners that I am familliar with (All domestic) modulate the flow of oil. The oil pressure is constant !
Jim.

10-10-20

They don't? At all? Is this a technical issue with oil burning? Would there not be better efficiency if it did? How does it compensate for a rise in the inlet temperature then?

(I'm eager to learn here...)

JamesM

10-10-20 wrote: »

They don't? At all? Is this a technical issue with oil burning? Would there not be better efficiency if it did? How does it compensate for a rise in the inlet temperature then?

(I'm eager to learn here...)

An oil burner is very simple. It fires a flame into the boiler. The flame stays the same size. There is an oil pump and an air intake. The same motor drives the pump and a fan, so the oil pressure and air flow are constant. The thermostat on the boiler switches the burner on and off as the temperature rises and falls.
In larger industrial burners, there is a second nozzle which kicks in a short time after the flame gets established - I am not really familliar with those.
Lesson over
Jim.

BelaC

JamesM wrote: »

An oil burner is very simple. It fires a flame into the boiler. The flame stays the same size. There is an oil pump and an air intake. The same motor drives the pump and a fan, so the oil pressure and air flow are constant. The thermostat on the boiler switches the burner on and off as the temperature rises and falls.
In larger industrial burners, there is a second nozzle which kicks in a short time after the flame gets established - I am not really familliar with those.
Lesson over
Jim.

Dear Jim

I'm new in Ireland and also the heating with oil new things for me. I'm not shure is my Riallo burner set corretly in or not? I ordered around 500L kerosene a month ago and I don't know why near empty my barrel? I bought a room thermostat and (for the test) a set it only 19 grade Celsius in and over one month used the burner my oil up. Before I ordered I asked my neighbour how many time is enough and he told me around 2 months. They have only switchclock and the boiler running every hour 15 minutes. I don't understand why used my burner up 500L kerosene under one month. Please tell me any solution in connection this problem I think so I can do I'm a handyman and we haven't so much money for the service at the moment.

Thanks for the help
Bela

JamesM

Hi Bela,
In cold winter months I have known some oil boilers to use 1000L in 6 weeks.
It really depends on many things, like the size of the house, the number of radiators, the hours the heating is on, the make of boiler, (the burner is Riello - what make and age is the boiler), and if the boiler is very dirty inside - has it been serviced recently - the main part of a service is cleaning out the boiler. If the outlet vent looks clean and there is no smoke from the vent. the burner is probably set up OK.
If the boiler/burner seems OK, then the only way you can save oil is to cut down the time that the heating is switched on and turn off radiators not in use. In rooms you do not use, but you want some heat, you can turn the valve almost off and just have a low heat in the radiator.
I am afraid that's all I can suggest.
Jim.

Andrea B.

When you say you set a domestic thermostat at 19c, it probably doesn't mean actually 19c as they are fairly crude and dependent on positioning. You need to set the thermostat at a setting that turns off the boiler when you feel that the house is a satisfactory temperature.

To set it up for yourself; from cold, with your boiler "burning" and your thermostat set "high" (Eg 22c) and when you feel that the temperature is sufficent, bring the thermostat down until the boiler stops. This should be the ambient setting for you.

On another point are you sure you are the only one using your oil :rolleyes:

BelaC

Andrea B. wrote: »

When you say you set a domestic thermostat at 19c, it probably doesn't mean actually 19c as they are fairly crude and dependent on positioning. You need to set the thermostat at a setting that turns off the boiler when you feel that the house is a satisfactory temperature.

To set it up for yourself; from cold, with your boiler "burning" and your thermostat set "high" (Eg 22c) and when you feel that the temperature is sufficent, bring the thermostat down until the boiler stops. This should be the ambient setting for you.

On another point are you sure you are the only one using your oil :rolleyes:

"On another point are you sure you are the only one using your oil" This is a good question and what think you under this. Pls let me know if have any idea or any things with connection this case. This oil-heating is absolutely new for me. I know the next: around me are exactly same houses. (allegedly good insulated houses, one of using electric heating!) About one I asked how many enough how many time. He told me they ordering two monthly as same as I ordered. They have only switch-our also they have worse efficiency if have know right. We have a digital(!) termostat what can work in +/-0.5C and have know very important the place of the thermostat - I used mainly a similar in my original country and worked well- also I know and put a right place, and we felt a really 19C what is not to warm for a family with 3 kids.
Also it's possible to using up more fuel the boiler what necessary without any visible error on outside?
I welcome any idea or tip, I'm a a kind of man-of-all-work, a real handyman.