New oil delivery yesterday, now a strong smell of burning oil after boiler has been on

[Rollerball]

The following surely can't be a coincidence - yesterday morning I had a delivery of 1000 litres of domestic heating oil (there was still some left in the oil tank prior to this).

Yesterday afternoon I put the boiler on manually (it was pretty chilly) and it went off at about 8:30pm.

This morning the boiler fired up on the timer at 5am but now there's a strong smell of oil - not of spilled oil but of fumes in the boiler room. I've checked around the boiler, etc and there's no sign of any leaks so I suspect that the delivered oil isn't quite right.

I ordered it via Boilerjuice and it ultimately came from a different supplier to my usual one (it was cheaper via Boilerjuice).

On the order, the oil is stated as: Home heating oil (Kerosene28)

On the delivery note for the oil it simply says KEROBJ

Note: I have two carbon monoide detectors and neither has sounded the alarm.

Note2: On thinking about this some more, the run of pipe from the oil tank to the boiler is quite long, at least 20 feet, so presumably the new oil won't even be in the pipe yet let alone reached the boiler?

Any ideas what I can do about this please?

Surely this can't be a coincidence?

 

[bernardgreen]

Was yesterday the first time the boiler had been fired this winter ? Smell of fumes could be the result of a blocked or damaged flue or something affecting the dispersal of the fumes outside the boiler room and letting them back into the room.

 

[Rollerball]

No, it's used daily (only for hot water during the summer but it's been used for heating for a good few weeks now with no smell issues).

I've just had the boiler service engineer out and he can find no problems at all, he suggested that it could be that the filling of the tank stirred up some sediment and it's that being burned that's causing the smell (meaning it should cease once it's burned off). Something like that anyway, I forget his exact words. Does that sound logical?

 

[bernardgreen]

I forget his exact words. Does that sound logical?

Yes, but still a bit of a worry that the combustion products can can be smelled in the boiler room.

 

[Rollerball]

Very true, but the guy said there were no leaks so this is equally puzzling.

 

[oilhead]

If the tank was low and any sediment has been disturbed, you may have a filter blockage that is causing re-ignition. Is the boiler balanced or conventional flue?

 

[Rollerball]

Which filter may be blocked? The one at the base of my Tankmaster in the filter bowl, or is there one in the boiler?

This is my Tankmaster assembly:

http://www.fueldump.co.uk/products/Atkinson-Tankmaster-Valve-%2b-Sight-Gauge.html

Not sure what type of boiler it is, how can I tell? There is a single metal outlet at the side of my house outside the room where the boiler is.

 

[Terrywookfit]

Try looking for a name.
Inside the door is usually a good place to look.
Or a photo helps.

 

[Rollerball]

It's a Danesmoor 15/19 - from looking online I see that's an "open flue" - is that conventional or balanced?

As an aside, the smell isn't quite as bad as it was and I've had the boiler on most of the day, or maybe I'm getting used to it (the room with the boiler has the door closed too).

 

[Terrywookfit]

Open flue is conventional flue.

You said earlier "There is a single metal outlet at the side of my house outside the room where the boiler is".

That sounds like B/F.

 

[Rollerball]

Thanks. As the smell does seem to be easing very slightly and very slowly hopefully that indicates that it will ease off completely, maybe in a few days.

Is there anything that I should do or check in the meantime?

Also, a possible filter blockage was suggested, but which filter?

 

[Terrywookfit]

Regardless of the flue type, you should have no smell from POC.

If balanced flue...Is the burner cover fitted correctly.

 

[Rollerball]

Yes, the burner cover appears to be fitted correctly. The service guy checked it all out this morning and stated that all seemed fine, and I trust him.

 

[Terrywookfit]

Does the smell from the flue outside seem acrid.
Normally there should be hardly any smell.

 

[Rollerball]

There's always a smell from the outside flue when the boiler is on, but just the normal moderate smell of boiler exhaust fumes.

Even now it just smells the same as usual, not at all acrid.