Is this normal Oil Usage for Winter

[deanalewis]

Hi Folks,

I bought 300 Liters of Oil there last week and I have already managed to use 100 Liters in 1 week.

My house is an End Terrace house with 13 Radiators and no Thermostat. All Radiators have TRV's but I only have 9 of them on Full. The rest are OFF.

I have the heating on 5 Hours Per Day. The boiler Thermostat is set at 75 Deg.

I am clearly wanting to use less than 100 Litres in a week so can anyone advise me what to do here.

 

[kbdiy]

Are you not able to compare with last year's consumption?

Not having a room stat will be a part of the problem as you have no control over the boiler and it will continually 'short cycle'. A room stat would tell the boiler to shut down when an ambient temperature is reached.

What level of insulation do you have in the loft? Are your walls cavity or solid. Do you shower or have lots of baths? These and many other factors will influence your usage.

 

[deanalewis]

I recently bought the house - It was a council house before so I have nothing to compare it.

The loft is insulated as are the walls. I have only one Bathroom in the house and the Heating System has a header tank and hot water tank.

Would balancing the system help? I thought TRV's would tell the boiler to turn off if they were on low? Or since the system is 'Short Cycling' would it not be best to have All TRV's open?

 

[GavThePlumber]

What is oil at the minute £50-£60 fer 100L or so, seems a high for 5 hours of heating a day, when was the boiler last serviced?

 

[deanalewis]

We had a plumber out and he said that it was the Thermostat on the Boiler needed replaced as some radiators were hitting 90 Deg when the stat on the boiler was at 75.

Would this affect the amount of oil used? Can I fit a new Thermostat myself?

 

[GavThePlumber]

....some radiators were hitting 90 Deg when the stat on the boiler was at 75.

Would this affect the amount of oil used? Can I fit a new Thermostat myself?

You left this salient bit of information out your original post, it is not recommended, but yes you can, if you feel competent to do so.

 

[kbdiy]

I thought TRV's would tell the boiler to turn off if they were on low? Or since the system is 'Short Cycling' would it not be best to have All TRV's open?

No TRV's only control the temperature of the room they are in, they don't signal to the boiler at all so you will get short cycling, where the boiler is, in effect, just reheating itself. The pump will run continuously as well. If all the TRV's are open wide then the whole house will just overheat, so even more costly. If all TRV's are closed then it's possible that will damage your pump if the circulating water has nowhere else to go, but that depends on how your system is configured.

Obviously a faulty boiler stat will also have a considerable effect but will not be the sole answer to your concerns.

A room stat combined with 2- or 3-port valves would give much better control of the system and hopefully a reduction in fuel consumption.

You say the loft is insulated, but to what depth? Minimum recommendation is 270mm - is yours anywhere close to this?

 

[deanalewis]

Hey,

Is this something I can do myself. I have a friend who is a Spark if that helps.

E.g. fitting the 3 port valve + Thermostat.

Where would I find the control unit for the Central Heating system?

 

[GavThePlumber]

The spark will be about as useful as a chocolate teapot for this type of work

 

[kbdiy]

Hey,

Is this something I can do myself. I have a friend who is a Spark if that helps.

E.g. fitting the 3 port valve + Thermostat.

Only you know the answer to that - it isn't beyond the skills of a competent DIYer but consideration has to be given to pipework layout and ensuring you are not introducing other problems. Not to be recommended at this time of year, more of a summer job, I would suggest, or at least have the number of a good heating engineer and a large wad of fivers handy for when it all goes pear-shaped.

Where would I find the control unit for the Central Heating system?

At the moment it sounds like there probably isn't one as, from what you have described, there aren't any controls . Normally next to the boiler or hot water cylinder.

 

[kbdiy]

The spark will be about as useful as a chocolate teapot for this type of work

LMAO I was so tempted to say that as well

 

[deanalewis]

My hot water Cylinder has two motor things on it connected into the Electric or into a plug with a switch.

The Oil Boiler outside which also has a motor.

I understand that it probably is not a tough Job but I am wondering how much I should expect to pay for the following.

1) Boiler Thermostat
2) Room Thermostat Fitted
3) 3 Way Control Valve?

 

[kbdiy]

My hot water Cylinder has two motor things on it connected into the Electric or into a plug with a switch.

Ah, can you be a little more specific? Or maybe post some pics? If you had mentioned that in the beginning we could have avoided a lot of wasted time.

 

[Boilerman2]

My hot water Cylinder has two motor things on it connected into the Electric or into a plug with a switch.

Could these "Motor" things possibly be Immersion Heaters??

 

[Bankrupt]

The spark will be about as useful as a chocolate teapot for this type of work

Or an ashtray on a motorbike ! .