switching from oil to solid fuel range - advice needed please

notsotoasty

Hi,

I'm currently using an oil fired burner to heat 15 rads but aside from costing €500 a month in oil, its not doing a great job of getting the rads hot.

I'd like to install a solid fuel range in the kitchen to work along side the oil, but I'd like the range to be the main source of heat, as I have access to cheap turf and timber.

The budget is tight to say the least, so I am looking at buying a 2nd hand range. With this many rads (1 double, 14 singles) would it be a complete waste of time to install something like a Stanley Super 80 / 90 / #8 or #9 ??

The entire house does not need to be heated however and I can shut half of these rads down if need be. The house is well insulated, so heated rooms should hold any heat fairly well and room temp does not need to be in excess of 20*, anything above the current 8* would do!!

Any suggestions will be well received as I don't want to go to the hassle and expense of fitting a range that would be a complete waste of time.

Many thanks in advance!

shane0007

If an oil boiler cannot heat 15 rads, a solid fuel range certainly won't. €500 per month for 15 rads is also off the planet. There is something dramatically wrong with your system as all the money you are spending is going somewhere & it ain't into your house! More than likely you have a boiler issue & a heating issue & sludge.

Before spending anymore on the system have it evaluated and finding remedied.

jimf

what boiler are you currently using make and model

500eu per month is crazy usage how many hours per day

TPM

notsotoasty wrote: »

Hi,

I'm currently using an oil fired burner to heat 15 rads but aside from costing €500 a month in oil, its not doing a great job of getting the rads hot.

I'd like to install a solid fuel range in the kitchen to work along side the oil, but I'd like the range to be the main source of heat, as I have access to cheap turf and timber.

perhaps oil leak?
As shane said there is something wrong, if the oil wont heat the rads you would be wasting your time and money trying to heat it with a solid fuel range.

Just to be aware of how much fuel a solid fuel boiler can get through your cheap source may not fulfill your needs

notsotoasty wrote: »

The budget is tight to say the least, so I am looking at buying a 2nd hand range. With this many rads (1 double, 14 singles) would it be a complete waste of time to install something like a Stanley Super 80 / 90 / #8 or #9 ??

You really need to look into this before you move on, even if your heating was working correctly buying the range could be the cheapest part of the job, you could be looking at changing your copper cylinder, substantial plumbing/pipework changes.

Untill you get your heating working off the oil you wont know how much heat is required to heat the house and so what output the range will need to have.

notsotoasty wrote: »

The entire house does not need to be heated however and I can shut half of these rads down if need be. The house is well insulated, so heated rooms should hold any heat fairly well and room temp does not need to be in excess of 20*, anything above the current 8* would do!!

Saying that and still not being able to heat your house brings us back to a major problem with your heating system. Big leak, blocked pipework/rads/boiler, knackered circulating pump.

notsotoasty wrote: »

Any suggestions will be well received as I don't want to go to the hassle and expense of fitting a range that would be a complete waste of time.

Many thanks in advance!

My suggestion would be to get an oftec registered plumber in to look at your boiler and heating system, you can then see what is involved in geting the heating working (I would imagine you will be looking at a service, new circulating pump and pressure test/powerflush to start with).

At the moment any money spent on a range would be a complete waste of time, use your budget to sort out your heating system.

notsotoasty

Thanks for the replies.

Current burner is a Rjello G5T - 24 - 42 kw

Circulation pump is a Tuscon - type GPD 25-65

Boiler is an old Sime and with the temp set at a little over half way, its thermostat reads around 50*

My room temps might have been misleading, Current temp of 8* is down to not running the system at all due to its excessive consumption. When it is up and running, average room temp is 20*, but consumes approx €500 per 30 days to achieve that, burning for around 8 hours a day.

I had to replace a lot of pipework as well as the circulation pump 2 years ago after the big freeze, but the remainder of the system is the original old "gun barrel" stuff.

When the rads do heat, their temp is uniform, with no cold spots, so I dont think the rads themselves need to be flushed or bled. Could the pipes have a blockage?

I dont suspect a water leak as I imagine my water pump would be running constantly and I'd hear or see my attic tank filling on a regular basis.

The oil tank is just on the other side of the wall from the boiler with very little distance to travel and there is no evidence of a fuel leak.

The house was built in the 70's and has a suspended timber floor, so the underneath of the entire house is a large open space, so there is going to be some heat loss here at least, but other than that, would it suggest that my burner is the problem, or the boiler perhaps, or both?

Should this system be capable of more or are the boiler / burner combo from "the land before time", with the efficiency of a 1970's Rangerover??

Thanks again!

Dtp79

notsotoasty wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.

Current burner is a Rjello G5T - 24 - 42 kw

Circulation pump is a Tuscon - type GPD 25-65

Boiler is an old Sime and with the temp set at a little over half way, its thermostat reads around 50*

My room temps might have been misleading, Current temp of 8* is down to not running the system at all due to its excessive consumption. When it is up and running, average room temp is 20*, but consumes approx €500 per 30 days to achieve that, burning for around 8 hours a day.

I had to replace a lot of pipework as well as the circulation pump 2 years ago after the big freeze, but the remainder of the system is the original old "gun barrel" stuff.

When the rads do heat, their temp is uniform, with no cold spots, so I dont think the rads themselves need to be flushed or bled. Could the pipes have a blockage?

I dont suspect a water leak as I imagine my water pump would be running constantly and I'd hear or see my attic tank filling on a regular basis.

The oil tank is just on the other side of the wall from the boiler with very little distance to travel and there is no evidence of a fuel leak.

The house was built in the 70's and has a suspended timber floor, so the underneath of the entire house is a large open space, so there is going to be some heat loss here at least, but other than that, would it suggest that my burner is the problem, or the boiler perhaps, or both?

Should this system be capable of more or are the boiler / burner combo from "the land before time", with the efficiency of a 1970's Rangerover??

Thanks again!

Check your small attic tank to make sure it's not refilling. You might have a big leak on the old gun barrel and as your heating the water it's dumping heat down underground. It's unlikely but check anyway

notsotoasty

Dtp79 wrote: »

Check your small attic tank to make sure it's not refilling. You might have a big leak on the old gun barrel and as your heating the water it's dumping heat down underground. It's unlikely but check anyway

Thanks, I've checked the tank but everything seems normal up there. The tank is full and not dropping in level and I have my own well also, so my water pump would also be running constantly if there were any water leaks.

There is a high lime content in my water though, so considering how much limescale builds up in my kettle and on the immersion element, I'm guessing that some of the original pipework must be in a bit of a state also.

I'll take everyone's advice and go for a system flush and boiler / burner service and see what kind of difference that makes before I go any further. I may still convert to solid fuel at a later date as I have access to timber for next to nothing, but I'll concentrate on getting the existing system running properly first as advised.

Can anyone tell me if the oil burner / boiler combo I'm using is outdated?

Its a Rjello G5T 24 - 42 kw and Sime boiler. I think they are about 20 years old.

Would I benefit from something more modern or should these be up to the job if serviced properly?

Thanks.