I've become very concerned by the discussion below about servicing gas boilers and landlords. Can anyone advise about oil boilers and how often they should be serviced? By whom? And landlords responsibilities? I can only seem to find out about gas appliances, the rules don't mention oil. Presumably because they're not dangerous? Or some other reason?
My house is rented and the boiler was serviced three and a half years ago. when he arranged it the landlord said it was my responsibility thereafter. I need to get this done now I expect. Beside the boiler what other aspects of heating should be checked out? Pump? timer? Thermostat? Or would that all be part of a general service.
Oil boilers do need regular servicing mostly because oil has an ash and sulphur content which after combustion deposits on the surfaces of the heat exchanger. A thin coating of such forms an insulating barrier which results in expensive heat being ejected from the flue rather than absorbed into the waterways. Also pertinent is the deposit of fluff etc on the combustion fan blades and within the air intake ports. Sufficient of this means the air/fuel ratio varies leading to soot formation. Fortunately it is pretty difficult to make a pressure jet boiler produce Carbon Monoxide in any serious quantity but soot is dirty and blocks the flueways as well as acting as an even better insulator blocking heat transfer even more.
Unlike gas appliances there isn't any legally specified interval or obligation on the landlord so he was able to formally pass the buck to you on this duty.
Its usually advised that oil boilers should be serviced annually. I know of people who don't do this but when the unit does fail its a double or treble sized job to get the thing back into good order again. Not to mention your additional running costs due to heat not being fully utilised.
Depending where you are geographically oil service engineers may be thin on the ground. The major oil companies often have personnel available but its best to keep in mind that the people who sell you oil aren't neccessarily the best ones to keep your usage down . If you are in the Hull/East Riding area maybe I can help?
Dunno. Natural gas is a very clean burning fuel so doesn't leave much in the way of deposits on the heat exchanger, etc. Town gas was a different matter - hence the need for an annual clean. Oil, I'd say, falls between the two. If in doubt consult the maker of the boiler.
I don't think there are any regulations in force yet as to how often landlords need servicing. No doubt you can work this sort of thing out on an informal basis though.
Annual. Clean out fluff, clean the photo-eye that checks for flame, replace the jets, peer inside and brush/vacuum black deposits. You can do it yourself. Try to get the manual from the makers. If you don't feel confident then best get someone to do it. Are you sure your landlord would approve of you doing it?
One sign of poor burning is a smell of unburned oil outside. Of course you might not be able to get near enough to the chimney. Rough sounds of burning or a very loud thump on ignition can also show blocked jets.
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