Best External Oil Boiler?

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As will be seen from my other recent thread the old Benson is getting long in the tooth and we have been talking about having a new oil boiler fitted in the not so far distant future.
Early days yet we're just looking around at present.
We're looking for an external unit. Any thoughts on the best ones or the ones to avoid. Cost is as always a consideration of course but OTOH we don't want to skin a gnat for a farthing etc.
Cheers.
 
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Only my opinion Dave but check out the Grant Vortex Pro, just for starters.....well built, Riello burners and a good guarantee on the heat exchangers.
John :)
 
Only my opinion Dave but check out the Grant Vortex Pro, just for starters.....well built, Riello burners and a good guarantee on the heat exchangers.
John :)
Thanks John. Opinion's just what I'm looking for at the moment. I knew this'd be a good place to start. :)
 
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Never had a problem with a Grant Vortex. If you go to a Grant approved installer under the G One scheme you will get a 5 year warranty on the whole boiler.

Best oil boiler out there although Hounsfield oil boilers are getting done good press from installers in oil world.

Worcester have had big problems with their Mark 1 condensers but have now brought a redesigned model to the market. They have a long way to go to regain the trust of the market.
 
Never had a problem with a Grant Vortex. If you go to a Grant approved installer under the G One scheme you will get a 5 year warranty on the whole boiler.

Best oil boiler out there although Hounsfield oil boilers are getting done good press from installers in oil world.

Didn't know about the extended warranty so thanks for that! Have you fitted/come across a Hounsfield boiler?

I quite like the Grant boilers, Warmflow are also ok. Unfortunately there's no manufacturer out there that makes a really good oil boiler that stands out above the rest. I wouldn't touch a Worcester or Firebird, but that's a personal preference.
 
Haven't worked on one but I know a few oil installers who have. The designer is ex-Boulter/HRM and has a good pedigree. He listens to Engineers too. I think Hounsfield offer a standard 5 year warranty.
 
Never had a problem with a Grant Vortex. If you go to a Grant approved installer under the G One scheme you will get a 5 year warranty on the whole boiler.

Best oil boiler out there although Hounsfield oil boilers are getting done good press from installers in oil world.

Worcester have had big problems with their Mark 1 condensers but have now brought a redesigned model to the market. They have a long way to go to regain the trust of the market.

Never fitted a Hounsfield, but it looks a good appliance. Not sure about the Bentone burner though...... :cry:

Trust me, don't fit a Grant boiler!!
 
Thanks for the answers and discussion. At present looks like either a Grant or A Hounsfield. My wife spoke to Hounsfield today and the price seems comparable with the others.
 
Never had a problem with a Grant Vortex. If you go to a Grant approved installer under the G One scheme you will get a 5 year warranty on the whole boiler.

Best oil boiler out there although Hounsfield oil boilers are getting done good press from installers in oil world.

Worcester have had big problems with their Mark 1 condensers but have now brought a redesigned model to the market. They have a long way to go to regain the trust of the market.

Never fitted a Hounsfield, but it looks a good appliance. Not sure about the Bentone burner though...... :cry:

Trust me, don't fit a Grant boiler!!

I have fitted Grants since Worcester acquired Boulter.
I have never had one leak.
I have yet to attend one that has a leaking heat exchanger.

Conversely "Warmflows" are usually badly installed.
It would be nice if installers took the trouble to correctly size the expansion vessel to avoid excessive operating pressures.
 
Never had a problem with a Grant Vortex. If you go to a Grant approved installer under the G One scheme you will get a 5 year warranty on the whole boiler.

Best oil boiler out there although Hounsfield oil boilers are getting done good press from installers in oil world.

Worcester have had big problems with their Mark 1 condensers but have now brought a redesigned model to the market. They have a long way to go to regain the trust of the market.

Never fitted a Hounsfield, but it looks a good appliance. Not sure about the Bentone burner though...... :cry:

Trust me, don't fit a Grant boiler!!

Do Bentone burners give problems? I know these are a bit "How long is a piece of string" sort of questions, but it's useful to have the opinion of the people who actually work on these things.
 
Never had a problem with a Grant Vortex. If you go to a Grant approved installer under the G One scheme you will get a 5 year warranty on the whole boiler.

Best oil boiler out there although Hounsfield oil boilers are getting done good press from installers in oil world.

Worcester have had big problems with their Mark 1 condensers but have now brought a redesigned model to the market. They have a long way to go to regain the trust of the market.

Never fitted a Hounsfield, but it looks a good appliance. Not sure about the Bentone burner though...... :cry:

Trust me, don't fit a Grant boiler!!

I have fitted Grants since Worcester acquired Boulter.
I have never had one leak.
I have yet to attend one that has a leaking heat exchanger.

Conversely "Warmflows" are usually badly installed.
It would be nice if installers took the trouble to correctly size the expansion vessel to avoid excessive operating pressures.

You're extreamly lucky then mate. Never fit a Grant Leaktex.
 
Another Vote for Hounsfield Boilers.
When Andrew Hounsfield decided to make an external boiler he spoke to people in the industry that install AND service (people like me!) I advised him that a good external boiler would have a "True" balanced flue - not just a low level discharge ( as this is what most external boilers are, and it can lead to back draughts causing premature fouling of the oil nozzle and photocell!) Andrew Listened and has made an external boiler that is second to none - oh and the Bentone BF1 Burner?? it is excellent (And has a 5 year warranty)
 
Another Vote for Hounsfield Boilers.
When Andrew Hounsfield decided to make an external boiler he spoke to people in the industry that install AND service (people like me!) I advised him that a good external boiler would have a "True" balanced flue - not just a low level discharge ( as this is what most external boilers are, and it can lead to back draughts causing premature fouling of the oil nozzle and photocell!) Andrew Listened and has made an external boiler that is second to none - oh and the Bentone BF1 Burner?? it is excellent (And has a 5 year warranty)

Thanks BM. Certainly worth having a look at.......👍
 
Bentone vs Riello

I’ve had about 15years experience with Riello burners (at Boulter Boilers) & a similar period with Bentone from their B9, Sterling to BF1 burners.

I still have data from Boulter on “in warranty” burner failure rates & on approx. 15,000 boilers something around 450+ Riello burner failures, on a similar boiler volume with Bentone burners, an “in warranty” failure rate of around 75, approx. 40 of which were down to a serial problem with control boxes.

Longevity – we’re all aware of problems with the Riello oil pump mounted directly on the motor; when they fail the cost of replacing “bespoke” Riello components is considerably greater than “industry standard” components used on Bentone burners.

Bentone BF1 design – the concept goes back many years with the fan centrally positioned behind the blast tube (snail shell like) unlike most domestic burners these days with off-set fans & inherently complex air flow patterns, as a result the BF1’s range goes up to circa 45kW, I’d need 3 different Riello burners to cover my product range.

Ease of servicing – there’s not an easier burner to work with on the market – see for yourself, download the brochure / see photos on my web site.

Andrew
 

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