Help choosing a new oil-fired boiler !!

[evo111]

I currently have a camray oil-fired boiler which is working fine supplying hot water and heating to my four bedroom house and one bathroom. The boiler is approximately 20 years old and regularly serviced.

However, we are extending the house to add a further two bedrooms and another bathroom (three more radiators). Our heating engineer is concerned that the old boiler will not cope with the additional radiators.
My plan is to wait and see how it copes !!

But if I do end up replacing it can anybody recommend a good oil-fired condensing boiler for a conventional open system. I have looked at worcester-bosch boilers but are there any other good makes of boiler suitable for oil.

ANy advice or recommendations gratefully received.

 

[Aquaheat]

Best advice i could give is to be patient and i'm pretty sure "oilman" will spot your post. Appears to be very knowledgeable and should be able to give you some good advice.

 

[oilman]

Wash all thoughts of WB from your mind.

What size pipes do you have from the present boiler? If they are 22mm, then 15kW is too big, if they are 28mm then 24kW is too big. For most of the year most boilers are too big anyway. I would have some supplementary heating and extra clothes for the few times it's needed, and keep your existing boiler until it leaks water.

Since two of the new rooms are bedrooms, they don't need heating much, if at all. With the bathroom, well, my view is the room is only used for a tiny part of the day so why heat it at all? The colder it is, the less time people spend in it.

Like you, I would wait and see, rather than be sold an unnecessary and expensive replacement.

 

[evo111]

Thanks oilman for your reply.

Regarding the size of pipes - downstairs my radiators are fed by the thin microbore piping and upstairs standard 15mm copper pipe. Not sure why they chose to use different size pipe ??

The extension will only have three extra radiators - there will be no additional hot water requirements because I am only having an electric shower in the new bathroom.
I am reasonably confident that a few extra radiators wont put too much strain on the old boiler and I am of the same opinion as you keep using it until it fails or leaks. My heating engineer was talking about the temperature of the returning water to the boiler that may be a problem but I didn't quite understand him to be honest !!!

What is wrong with WB ????
What alternatives do you recommend as being of good quality for when the boiler does need replacing one day ??

MANY THANKS

 

[oilman]

Pipe size I was referring to was connected to boiler, not radiators.

The only "good quality" boiler I know of is this one. All the others are ok quality, built to a price. Grant, Mistral, Firebird, HRM, Warmflow, Eurocal etc.

 

[simond]

I would add the Kidd VHE to that small list.

I don't think there is anything wrong with Grant or the latest WB efforts, they are just designed to sell in the mass market. Hellfire and Kidd are not.

The problem with small companies offering 25 year warranties is whether they will still be around when you claim. The Hellfire Combustion Company seems to be run by Mr BM's wife who answers the phone and gets him to call back when he's in if you want anything technical.....

 

[Tipper]

I would have some supplementary heating and extra clothes for the few times it's needed............

I can see oilman doesn't go in for comfort heating!!

 

[oilman]

That's exactly what I do go for, not the stifling temps some demand.

 

[Tipper]

That's what I like about you oilman....always got an answer!