Insulating oil fired boiler

Skipeeee

Hi, I am looking for some advice with regard to fireproof insulation.
My oil fired boiler has some rust holes in it and is very inefficient. Can anybody inform me of the safest insulation to use to lag the boiler?
I was considering Flexible Ceramic (Extra High Temp) Insulation sheets. Is that over specifying, would Rock Wool do the job?
I know i should replace the boiler, but that is not an option at the moment!
Cheers!

meercat

if its the boiler,i think the best and safest option is to replace it
save you spending money on something that will have to be done anyway

Sparkpea

you can buy a firesafe boiler jacket, its got fibreglass inside it to keep the heat in.

Mad_Mike

I assume you mean the casing?
If the boiler had rust holes in it, you'd be in bother!! LOL
Ceramic blanket or board is way over spec for the job as that goes to about 1260 degrees C. All you need is Rockwool packed in well between the boiler and the casing.

dnme

Sorry to hijack but I have a similar question after reading this thread.

I have an oil burner right outside the house. It is in a grey kinda aluminium case. Does this need insulating? Is this what the OP is talking about?

I woulda thought it just fired the oil, heated the water and immediately pumped it into the house / system, so why would we insulate here?

Mad_Mike

Theoretically thats exactly what it does, but as with all things where heat is concerned, there are areas where you can improve efficiency.

So take your boiler for example, imagine there is no rain and no snow etc, take the outer grey casing away. It would still work, but now the flame could blow into the atmosphere also, so you'd have huge loss. Even if the flame was contained, the water in the boiler would heat up, and the back wall (facing away from the burner) would be warmer than the ambient air around it, so immediately the air around it would cool it down and you'd waste heat

Now put the casing back on, pack between the casing and the boiler with some nice snug insulation and you keep as much of that heat in the boiler as possible, so all the heat from the burner goes towards heating the water and not heating the metal casing and the air outside.

dnme

Many thanks Mike

Is there a waterproof insulation I could use? I fear stuffing it with fibreglass would become soaked as I doubt the casing is waterprof.

Skipeeee

Hi all, thanks for your replies!!:D
Mad_Mike - Mine does not have a grey aluminium case, as it is in its own boiler house, it is the actual boiler that has rust holes in it!! But the burner is working fine, surprisingly!
I was told (not by a professional) that it would be possible to insulate the boiler, ensuring that I use a fireproof insulation and that I do not block any air intake vent.
Sparkpea – Would the firesafe boiler jacket would be safe and suitable in this instance?
My house is up for sale and I am reluctant to spend money on a new boiler!:( If i can get it to see me through this winter I would be happy!!
Thanks again!

dnme

Just looked at my outside boiler casing. It has a 1" insulation with foil backing all around its inside. Pretty happy with that. PS: I'm a tennant.

meercat

meercat wrote: »

if its the boiler,i think the best and safest option is to replace it
save you spending money on something that will have to be done anyway

still think this

Mad_Mike

@Skipeeee
I'm sorry, but you've lost me. If the boiler itself had rust holes in it, then it wouldn't work. It would be just pouring water everywhere. Is there any chance you can pop up a photo of what you mean?

Sparkpea

a jacket as seen on this boiler is what I'm talking about for insulating an old boiler that has no insulation on it (boilers within the last 8-10 years should all be insulated as factory standard)

this is designed and used for boilers so of course its safe


won't do anything with the rust holes except hide them to any surveyor

meercat

skipeeee
has the back of the boiler burnt through
can you see the flames through the casing

Skipeeee

Thanks again for all your replies!!

Sparkpea – Thanks for pic of boiler, that is exactly what i need!! Also it will hide the rust holes, haha!!


Meercat – The front and top of boiler have burnt through, that’s why I am nervous about putting insulation over the naked flame!

Thanks again
Skipeeee

demanufactured

Skipeeee wrote: »

Thanks again for all your replies!!

Sparkpea – Thanks for pic of boiler, that is exactly what i need!! Also it will hide the rust holes, haha!!


Meercat – The front and top of boiler have burnt through, that’s why I am nervous about putting insulation over the naked flame!

Thanks again
Skipeeee

NAKED FLAMEEE!?!?!?!?!

FROM A BOILER????

Jesus , whatever you do dont use that boiler, get a new one ffs

meercat

Skipeeee wrote: »

Thanks again for all your replies!!

Sparkpea – Thanks for pic of boiler, that is exactly what i need!! Also it will hide the rust holes, haha!!


Meercat – The front and top of boiler have burnt through, that’s why I am nervous about putting insulation over the naked flame!

Thanks again
Skipeeee

i got this impression from your first post alright
if its a naked flame you see through the boiler,you need to replace it asap

Sparkpea

meercat wrote: »

i got this impression from your first post alright
if its a naked flame you see through the boiler,you need to replace it asap

yeah I wouldn't put that jacket on if theres a naked flame coming from your boiler, it needs replaced even with a 2nd hand boiler or else get some steel welded over the holes as a temp fix.

Skipeeee

Oh I give up!! I agree I need a new boiler, not gonna chance taking short cuts!! Cheers everyone!!

maddragon

Check out this thread and forum for advice on boilers.

http://www.askaboutenergy.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1179339081

Skipeeee

Cheers maddragon!

Skipeeee

Well just to finish this thread and let you know what i eventually did with the boiler. The cold just got too much and blowing the place up even seemed favorable to having ice on the inside of the double glazed windows in the bedrooms!! :eek:

So I cut out the shape of the holes in a sheet of aluminum, fitted that on the inside of the boiler casing and then lagged it with Knauff loft insulation externally! I am not recommending that anyone else try this, but it has worked a treat for me and cost nothing! :):)

Thank you for all your replies, and warm New Year to you all!