Urgent - Can Anyone please advise?

e30pilot

Hi there,

Not a regular poster on this site but would really appreciate any advice that others have. We are in a new house build (3,500 sq feet) with a heating system comprised of underfloor heating downstairs (run on Kerosene) with 3 zones to the front of the house and 2 to the back. We also have a 308K Rayburn cooker in our kitchen which runs on kerosene and heats hot water and is used for cooking. Upstairs we have radiators which are cast iron.

The problem is that last winter we filled our oil tank every month with 1000 litres of kerosene and we used all heat sparingly ie underfloor heating at 17 degrees in 2 rooms only and radiators upstairs turned on in 1/2 rooms for 30 mins approx. 2-3 times a week. The Rayburn was on at 1-2 which is simmer so essentially we were trawling through oil but not really getting any benefit as we could not say we were ever warm.

Just to note that the house has a 60mm additional cavity insulation as well as 50mm slab insulation internally on all external walls.

After some investigation last Feb we replaced original Firebird boiler with a Grant powerhouse condensing boiler and were told this would solve our problem. This was not checked at the time of installation and so was only put into effect from November onwards at which point we started guzzling the kerosene at 500 litres per 10-14 days using Rayburn at 1-2, underfloor heating in 1 room and radiators once per week. Obviously financially this was not viable so over Christmas all underfloor heating was turned off and radiators and since our last fill we have only used radiators twice for 30 mins and Rayburn is on 24/7 at 1-2 (Simmer). Despite these cutbacks we again went through 500 litres in 10 days.

The Rayburn was calibrated and has been serviced as per Aga recommendations so it should be using the maximum 45.8 litres per week based on the heat level it is set at (4.5 cc per minute).

Can anyone advise is the problem the most obvious one i.e a leak in the fuel line?

Does anyone think the problem is more complex?

Can anyone advise how to start addressing this problem as we are sitting in a house freezing cold and we cannot afford another fill of oil until we know what is wrong.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer advice or help

Hoffmans

is your tank secured?

e30pilot

padlocked and guarded like a hawk

MicktheMan

Regarding an oil leak - did the level drop during the summer when the heating is off? If not then I suggest no oil leak.

Billy Bunting

May seem silly questions, but where is the boiler in relation to the house ?? Is the system presurised ??

e30pilot

The boiler is in the garage directly opposite and about 25-30 feet from the house and the system is a 4 bar pressurised system.

Billy Bunting

and it stays at 4bar? the 30ft pipework from shed to house is completly rain water sealed and fully insulated ?

nophd08

e30pilot wrote: »

The boiler is in the garage directly opposite and about 25-30 feet from the house and the system is a 4 bar pressurised system.

Could you see the route of the pipes going to garage during the cold spell?
Pipes that are manually insulated will heat the ground, does'nt matter what you use.
Flow and return inside foam filled 4" flexi pipe is what should be in yours.
If it was my set up first thing I would do is get kerosene feed pipe pressure tested.
It will be interesting to find out what problem is.

NATURALENERGY

process off elimination.....
1:test the oil line if leak take it from there...
2:pressurise the heating to 4 bar leave for 6 hours or so, again if a leak take it from there you might be able to fix it with leak sealer depending on how fast the guage drops, ive had to this numerous times you will find the problem just be patient:D
You will probably have to pay a plumber to come out but it will be worth it in the long run, YOUR money is better in your pocket than the oil companys...:)