indoor or outdoor oil boiler more efficient?

househero · 15-06-2014 10:52pm #1

Are indoor boilers much more efficient than outdoor oil boilers?

I'm thinking, heat MUST be lost using an outside boiler, does anybody know how much?

I need a new oil boiler. (Don't tell me to get solar, pellets etc)the pipes run outside, would it be worth rerouting them inside? I have the space.

Capt'n Midnight · 17-06-2014 12:33am

you would have to buy better quality fuel for indoor use, more expensive and more refined

househero · 17-06-2014 9:35pm

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

you would have to buy better quality fuel for indoor use, more expensive and more refined

Good man yourself. Decision made.

vinnie13 · 23-06-2014 10:11pm

as long as the outdoor boiler is well insulated it wont matter.
personally i would prefer it outside

recedite · 09-07-2014 11:24pm

A boiler and its pipework give off quite a lot of heat, as much as a small radiator. If you're happy running a radiator in the garden, fine.
Back in the day, they were smoky and leaky and needed to be outside, or in a boilerhouse. Now they are room-sealed, so can be inside. The standard burner on a boiler is for clean burning kerosene, whether the boiler is inside or outside. If you were going to burn green diesel, its not necessarily cheaper, but gives slightly more heat per litre. The fumes would have to have an outlet well away from the house, which rules out an indoor boiler (or an outdoor boiler right beside the house)

dm1388 · 09-07-2014 11:32pm

recedite wrote: »

A boiler and its pipework give off quite a lot of heat, as much as a small radiator. If you're happy running a radiator in the garden, fine.
Back in the day, they were smoky and leaky and needed to be outside, or in a boilerhouse. Now they are room-sealed, so can be inside. The standard burner on a boiler is for clean burning kerosene, whether the boiler is inside or outside. If you were going to burn green diesel, its not necessarily cheaper, but gives slightly more heat per litre. The fumes would have to have an outlet well away from the house, which rules out an indoor boiler (or an outdoor boiler right beside the house)

Just to pick you up on a point, diesel burners haven't been used for years

recedite · 10-07-2014 12:41am

Still around, called "gas marked oil". I'm assuming that's whats meant by "less refined";

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

you would have to buy better quality fuel for indoor use, more expensive and more refined

Atlantic Dawn · 10-07-2014 12:50am

I would say marginally perhaps 5-8% more efficient with an internal boiler on a litre to litre basis. With oil you can only have kerosene inside, on an external boiler you can use either marked oil (diesel) or kerosene, the marked oil is cheaper to buy. From a noise and servicing point of view an external boiler would perhaps be a better choice.

gctest50 · 10-07-2014 12:54am

With leccy getting more expensive one of these in daysul :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1MXvfnmHLA

dm1388 · 10-07-2014 12:59am

recedite wrote: »

Still around, called "gas marked oil".

Or more commonly called green diesel, it can still be got for heating but you can't get green diesel boilers. DM1388

freddyuk · 10-07-2014 8:22am

1. If outside dig up the pipes and relay in proper insulated conduit as most heat is lost via the pipes in wet ground. Many are not even basically insulated.
2. If outside the boiler can be cheaper and more basic which if it goes wrong (unlikely) it can be fixed easily. No electronics/circuit boards to fail.
3. If using a rocket burner you can have the option of pellets if you want to, by just changing the burner. (even though you have dismissed it). You can also run on biodiesel with a proper seal kit installed.
4. If you have a garage outhouse for the boiler there will be some residual heat of course so it will be frost free storage\work area. Keeping the flue inside as far as possible means you can make use of the wasted heat.
5. If you need to drain down the system this can be done outside and not risk flooding the house.

Is this worth a marginal loss of efficiency?

househero · 11-07-2014 3:54pm

All im reading is problems for a plumber if things go wrong. And benefits for me as a customer and house owner every day things go right. A 5% increase in efficiency is HUGE! Seeing as I picked the Vortex over the Euroflame model because of an extra 4% efficiency.

I have decided on a Grant Vortex, which I can pick up for a decent price (1340 inc vat flu delivered) 90 120 boilerhouse model. Problem is, I dont have a boiler house hahahaha. Im reluctant to pay an extra 300 for the freestanding outside model... it looks ugly, can be stolen and its significantly more $. The existing pipes run right next to the back door, so cheap green diesel is not an option.

If I build a boilerhouse, what is the smallest serviceable size I should build it?

I will probably build it from 9" cavity block and have a small slate roof to match the house and render the outside. I want to make it as small as possible. Will a plumber need access to all 4 sides of the boiler if it goes wrong? I was planning on giving good access to one side only.

recedite · 11-07-2014 5:00pm

A boiler in a boilerhouse has the same penalty as an outdoor module. Look at it this way, whatever heat comes off the boiler and pipework is not going to find its way into the house.
The different versions of a given model have exactly the same efficiency in themselves, just a different finish; plain for BH model, sprayed white for indoor model, galvanised cover for outdoor module.
If still going ahead with the outdated idea of a BH, you will need elbow room on all 4 sides of the boiler, and especially workspace at front and back.

SpaceTime · 11-07-2014 5:02pm

You need very, very well insulated pipes. A lot of older systems seem to mostly heat the ground!

househero · 11-07-2014 5:19pm

recedite wrote: »

A boiler in a boilerhouse has the same penalty as an outdoor module. Look at it this way, whatever heat comes off the boiler and pipework is not going to find its way into the house.
The different versions of a given model have exactly the same efficiency in themselves, just a different finish; plain for BH model, sprayed white for indoor model, galvanised cover for outdoor module.
If still going ahead with the outdated idea of a BH, you will need elbow room on all 4 sides of the boiler, and especially workspace at front and back.

If its the same
Could I use a boilerhouse model inside then??? Its 400e cheaper! Dont care if it looks ugly. There must be more difference than just the finish to justify a 400 euro difference in price.

If I put it inside I will have to knock a hole in the external wall for the flu and also the condensing drainage, as I cant feed the excess condenser water in to my house plumbing (special water treatment system).

@SpaceTime
The 'boilerhouse' would be 6 inch's from the rear of the house. Insulation on the external pipe work is EXPENSIVE. As the old boiler was stolen, thats a big concern. So building a boilerhouse or putting it inside is a priority.

I need to know how much room to allow for servicing.

recedite · 11-07-2014 10:28pm

The indoor (utility room)version includes the balanced flue kit for attaching from external wall to the burner, which may be available to purchase separately, but its better to get the right version in the first place which includes everything you need.
Condensate is only as caustic as coca cola. Plastic pipe to the nearest wastewater pipe is fine. I saw one guy had installed in a second floor apartment, a pipe sticking out from the wall about 50cm, similar to a water tank overflow, and condensate just dripping onto the roof of a ground floor apartment extending out and belonging to someone else :pac: And no complaints from anyone.

househero · 13-07-2014 3:21pm

In all seriousness then, you could actually run a boilerhouse boiler inside safely?

As the flu kit for the boilerhouse model is an add on (boiler house model 1100 euro, (plus 120 for the flu) vs 1560 for the indoor model) all i would need to do is buy a flu. Locate the boiler against the back wall, run the condensate pipe outside and I saved 300 quid and the hassel of building a boilerhouse???

recedite · 13-07-2014 6:40pm

Yep. This is the balanced flue kit we are talking about, air in and air out.

dazed+confused · 21-07-2014 12:10am

gctest50 wrote: »

With leccy getting more expensive one of these in daysul :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1MXvfnmHLA

Great, if your home is already full of air ducts and not radiators. Impressive unit though.

dazed+confused · 21-07-2014 12:14am

gctest50 wrote: »

With leccy getting more expensive one of these in daysul

Great, if your home is already full of air ducts and not radiators. Impressive unit though.

indoor or outdoor oil boiler more efficient?

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