Oil boiler X-Factor
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A Kidd boiler is partially condensing only but still manages Sedbuk A.
Its made predominantly out of mild steel and has no PCBs etc in production since 1982. Archie Kidd invented the High Efficiency boiler 24 years before they became fashionable.
Not cheap though. We fit lots of them for discerning clients, in fact I have one myself.
Regards
Simon
www.hwch.co.uk
Its made predominantly out of mild steel and has no PCBs etc in production since 1982. Archie Kidd invented the High Efficiency boiler 24 years before they became fashionable.
Not cheap though. We fit lots of them for discerning clients, in fact I have one myself.
Regards
Simon
www.hwch.co.uk
Sounds like being a little bit pregnant!! In point of fact, the Kidd uses a second heat exchanger above the first to capture heat that would otherwise be lost up its flue and crucially descibe their boilers as "condensing". The fact they do not require SS flues simply means that the flue gas temp is higher than it could be thus being less efficient then the best.simond said:
Don't get me wrong, a friend uses a Kidd and swears by them - They are an excellent piece of kit. I prefer and use that other manufacturer from Devizes, Grant whose Vortex condensers still holds SEDBUK's top 14 places. No PCBs, well insulated and SS heat exchangers to boot. To exclude this item, imo is just plain daft.
Hello Nigelo
We are an agent for Grant, too, and I agree that they are a well engineered product with an excellent price/performance.
The Kidd design is partially condensing and therefore needs a corrosion resistant aluminium flue, which is custom built by Kidd's own welders for site specific applications.
I'm not a great believer in government figures. Figures as in statistics, rather than individuals.
SEDBUK is a testing routine which has been designed by government employed agencies to measure boiler efficiency, and the metrics used are in constant dispute by most boiler manufacturers. Personally I do not place too much credence on the relevence of the SEDBUK test to real World conditions. However, it is a guide, and the only one available to the general public. (How many of you achieve the MPG in your car that the government's approved testing states you will get in typical use?).
The Kidd Boiler makes some of its efficiency gains by reducing idling losses to a minimum, by virtue of effective insulation. The argument Kidd use is that by insulating the boiler it needs to fire less often, more heat is retained in the shell, and therefore savings result. Hoow many boiler manufacturers insulate the pump, which is usually too hot to touch? Few other HE boilers work on this principle, so the test does not make much use of it.
Therefore, my argument is that personally I think SEDBUK is a measure, but the real measure is how much oil you use in your house, and how long the boiler lasts without expensive repairs.
This is I think, the basis behind the original question if I grasped it correctly. My boiler suggestion was based on this premise.
Best regards
Simon
We are an agent for Grant, too, and I agree that they are a well engineered product with an excellent price/performance.
The Kidd design is partially condensing and therefore needs a corrosion resistant aluminium flue, which is custom built by Kidd's own welders for site specific applications.
I'm not a great believer in government figures. Figures as in statistics, rather than individuals.
SEDBUK is a testing routine which has been designed by government employed agencies to measure boiler efficiency, and the metrics used are in constant dispute by most boiler manufacturers. Personally I do not place too much credence on the relevence of the SEDBUK test to real World conditions. However, it is a guide, and the only one available to the general public. (How many of you achieve the MPG in your car that the government's approved testing states you will get in typical use?).
The Kidd Boiler makes some of its efficiency gains by reducing idling losses to a minimum, by virtue of effective insulation. The argument Kidd use is that by insulating the boiler it needs to fire less often, more heat is retained in the shell, and therefore savings result. Hoow many boiler manufacturers insulate the pump, which is usually too hot to touch? Few other HE boilers work on this principle, so the test does not make much use of it.
Therefore, my argument is that personally I think SEDBUK is a measure, but the real measure is how much oil you use in your house, and how long the boiler lasts without expensive repairs.
This is I think, the basis behind the original question if I grasped it correctly. My boiler suggestion was based on this premise.
Best regards
Simon
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Simond, thanks for the interesting reply, most of which I agree with. I do not, however, understand the term "partially" condensing as in absolute terms, a gas has either condensed or it has not.
I am not a supporter of Govt. Stats in any way, shape or form but your analogy to Fuel Consumption of cars is wrong. It is impossible to exactly replicate a test cycle (Urban, constant 56mph etc) on the road but it does provide a useful comparison of one model with another. Put simply, I would not expect my Golf to use more fuel than your Bentley under any test condition. When measuring efficiency of an engine, true fuel consumption is expressed in grams per bhp per hour although this has more relevance in Shipping (my profession) with constant output being required than automotive and its constantly variable output.
Going back to boilers, the efficiency parameters I look for are exhaust gas temp (a direct measure of heat wasted) and heat input compared to heat output. This will vary between condensing mode and non-condensing mode of course but the heaviest consumption is supplying peak demand which tends to be condensing mode. My commissioning engineer advised that my Vortex readings were an exhaust temp (test point just above boiler spigot) of 39C and a calculated efficiency of 98.5% at that time (cold day in March).
I am not a supporter of Govt. Stats in any way, shape or form but your analogy to Fuel Consumption of cars is wrong. It is impossible to exactly replicate a test cycle (Urban, constant 56mph etc) on the road but it does provide a useful comparison of one model with another. Put simply, I would not expect my Golf to use more fuel than your Bentley under any test condition. When measuring efficiency of an engine, true fuel consumption is expressed in grams per bhp per hour although this has more relevance in Shipping (my profession) with constant output being required than automotive and its constantly variable output.
Going back to boilers, the efficiency parameters I look for are exhaust gas temp (a direct measure of heat wasted) and heat input compared to heat output. This will vary between condensing mode and non-condensing mode of course but the heaviest consumption is supplying peak demand which tends to be condensing mode. My commissioning engineer advised that my Vortex readings were an exhaust temp (test point just above boiler spigot) of 39C and a calculated efficiency of 98.5% at that time (cold day in March).
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