Credit Crunch - Heating the home

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Mine's combi boiler, info was got from the stepdad talking to a plumber on a site somewhere

Explains need for pressurising, if you want to link combi and fire into same system.

[yorkie_chris]

Exactly, and apparently the back boilers use a bit of water. Though why they can't make a boiler without porous welds I don't know...

Originally Posted by xXBADGERXx

I have even resorted to switching the boiler off when I am not needing hot water .

Just layer up man! Nice hot water bottle and a few thick jumpers, you'll be reyt

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Exactly, and apparently the back boilers use a bit of water. Though why they can't make a boiler without porous welds I don't know...

Well mine don't appear to. I mean where would it go?

[yorkie_chris]

This is secondhand from some plumber I don't know.

I presume he meant the welds are slightly porous, which considering atmosphere inside stove wouldn't suprise me. This was the reason given for needing basically an automatic filling loop on the boiler. Apparently £1500 worth of parts (for a pressure switch and a solenoid valve... yeaahhh)

[Bibio]

another thing you can burn is newspaper. we used to have a coal fire in burntisland so we invested in one of those paper brick making things, but we used to add coal bits and wood chippings as well, because the paper bricks dont burn that good. its amazing how much newspaper you can get if you ask your neighbours. another great thing about open/real fires are that you can burn all your food waste so reducing the load on your rubbish bin. one more thing is to find out if you are in a smokless zone or not.. if you are you will have to use smokless fuel/coal.

ooohh 1 more thing... have you thought about an oil burner. as i think you get a discount on the oil as its for heating, i think its red deisel btw.

[yorkie_chris]

Nah don't worry about the smokeless bit, just burn smokeless during day. We've got away with burning anything for 5 years so they're not too hot on it...

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Bibio

ooohh 1 more thing... have you thought about an oil burner. as i think you get a discount on the oil as its for heating, i think its red deisel btw.

Heating oil gets no discount, just is not taxed to buggery like road fuel. Heating oil is about 45p/l inc VAT at 5%. It is not like red diesel, it is kerosene 28C, so more akin to jet fuel. I use oil for CH/DHW along with woodburner. Oil burning stoves are pretty rubbish, plus you have to make investment in oil storage / pipework for the oil.

[yorkie_chris]

Anyone got any idea what efficiency figures are like for oil boilers compared to gas?

[Luckypants]

for an oil boiler? About 50-60% when not well, 70-80% when well serviced and 90% plus when a condensing boiler fitted and running in condensing mode. Broadly similar efficiency to gas. However oil boilers tend to be more expensive to buy/install than gas and so would need to be factored into the cost comparisons.

Sorry for hijacking your thread badger!