Firebird oil boiler any good?

Roger465 · 2 Jan 2018

So one or two of you may have read my older thread about getting my boiler replaced. The plumber recommended a Firebird (in the garage, non-combi oil) and it heats the house just fine, though heavy on the oil.

However, I’ve checked with a couple of other people who have Firebirds, and their consumption is similar to mine. My cousin, who also has one in England, reckoned Firebirds were the best… anyway, I had a different plumber round today to look at putting in proper heating controls, new rads/TRVs. Room stat etc etc.

He didn’t actually throw up when he saw the boiler – I asked him what was up, and he said they were a heap of sh***, worst in the world, and I should have got a Grant.

Any plumbers have any opinions on this, based on actual experience?

Thanks

oilhead · 2 Jan 2018

Heat only Firebird is not bad. Excessive consumption will be down to lack of controls, not boiler.

Terrywookfit · 2 Jan 2018

Not my favourite but it will use the same amount of oil as a a Grant or Worcester
does.
Many use RDB burners.
They are all same efficiency on new boilers.
My choice would have been a Grant!!

muggles · 2 Jan 2018

Every Firebird I've ever seen has been dripping water out of every conceivable orifice...I wouldn't touch one with a bargepole. Having said that, I have to agree with oilhead that your high consumption is more likely to be down to your controls/flow temperatures etc than the boiler itself, unless it's been badly commissioned but then you'd expect to see it getting sooty. Interesting to note that Firebird don't obviously quote their efficiency figures anywhere though, so maybe they aren't as efficient as some others.

My preference is Hounsfield, and I've got one in my own house

Roger465 · 2 Jan 2018

Thanks guys – well, no water dripping that I can see. Oh, and no black smoke

At the moment, everything but the boiler (and pump) are 25 or more years old – the tank is heated all the time the rads are on, there’s no stat in the house, nor on the tank, etc etc.

Week after next, I’m getting proper insulation in the attic, modern controls & stats fitted to the system etc. Muggles – I know we discussed this a bit on my other thread, but I’ve asked around a bit now. My parents just down the road (3 bed house) have the same new boiler, keep records of things, and they’re getting through 2700-3600L of oil a year, depending on the weather

Course, rest of their system is still ancient like mine – everything controlled by the hot water etc. And they need the house a bit hotter than mine – but probably only a couple of degrees in it…

muggles · 2 Jan 2018

Roger465 said:
Week after next, I’m getting proper insulation in the attic, modern controls & stats fitted to the system etc. Muggles – I know we discussed this a bit on my other thread, but I’ve asked around a bit now. My parents just down the road (3 bed house) have the same new boiler, keep records of things, and they’re getting through 2700-3600L of oil a year, depending on the weather

Hopefully you can get that under control a bit, that's four times what I use!

srhawksy · 3 Jan 2018

They're offering up to ten year warranties of you're a registered fitter, so they must have some faith. I've fitted loads through the eco scheme and they seem ok.... Although the past few have been a bit high on CO. I'm not an oil expert, would high CO cause sooting eventually?

muggles · 3 Jan 2018

How good are they at honouring that warranty though I wonder? High CO will definitely cause sooting, you should aim for less than 20ppm on commissioning

srhawksy · 3 Jan 2018

Flipping heck! Some have been a pain to get under 100 ppm! Firm I've been subbing to says under 100 is fine but the less the better!

muggles · 3 Jan 2018

When are you measuring them? They can take a good 30 minutes to an hour after first firing to burn off the manufacturing oils and settle down. Try to adjust them during that time and you'll end up with incorrect settings

oilboffin · 3 Jan 2018

I thought it was high co2caused sooting high co means too much air and less efficiency.Bob

oilhead · 3 Jan 2018

High CO2 causes soot, but high CO will often cause localised deposits around the blast tube which can eventually affect combustion and cause soot.
20 ppm is good to achieve, but many boilers are difficult to get less than 35 or so, with Worcesters often up to 50. Tight baffling can distort flame to cause a little impingement so increasing CO.

Roger465 · 3 Jan 2018

muggles said:
Hopefully you can get that under control a bit, that's four times what I use!

Yeah, here's hoping. As I probably mentioned in the previous thread, this is a large bungalow (land is cheaper here, so they built out rather than up), with a VERY big, poorly-insulated attic. So hopefully, that combined with proper control of the boiler with a stat etc will make a fair difference.

What I'm hoping to do is visit a house like maybe a year old or something with a similar boiler, and see if I can find out what their bill is like!

srhawksy · 3 Jan 2018

muggles said:
When are you measuring them? They can take a good 30 minutes to an hour after first firing to burn off the manufacturing oils and settle down. Try to adjust them during that time and you'll end up with incorrect settings

Normally try and wait until flue is up to tempo as per Manus instructions etc.. being honest we're getting pushed for time by the end of the day etc.

Pam Thompson · 2 Mar 2021

Roger465 said:
So one or two of you may have read my older thread about getting my boiler replaced. The plumber recommended a Firebird (in the garage, non-combi oil) and it heats the house just fine, though heavy on the oil.

However, I’ve checked with a couple of other people who have Firebirds, and their consumption is similar to mine. My cousin, who also has one in England, reckoned Firebirds were the best… anyway, I had a different plumber round today to look at putting in proper heating controls, new rads/TRVs. Room stat etc etc.

He didn’t actually throw up when he saw the boiler – I asked him what was up, and he said they were a heap of sh***, worst in the world, and I should have got a Grant.

Any plumbers have any opinions on this, based on actual experience?

Thanks

Hopefully you didn't believe the hype and go with Firebird. If you did, since this thread is 3 years old, you will now need to buy a new boiler no doubt.

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Firebird oil boiler any good?

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