THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICING AND MAINTAINING AN OIL BOILER
Oil Boiler servicing
Do you have an oil-fired boiler in your home? Do you have it regularly serviced and maintained? If not then you need to read this article.
Having your boiler regularly serviced will keep the boiler operating safely and efficiently. This will reduce your fuel bills and minimise the chance of costly call outs and repairs. Not to mention the inconvenience of a boiler breakdown.
Oil-fired appliances such as boilers and cookers should be serviced annually.
There are many reasons why a lack of servicing will reduce the efficiency of your boiler.
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Excessive smoke and unburnt fuel deposits can build up inside the heat exchanger. This build-up of soot, coating the inside of the boiler. Will reduce the amount of heat that is allowed to transfer into the water within your boiler. The cleaner the inside of your boiler, the more heat is transferred and less money wasted.
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Oil nozzles are there to regulate how much oil is passed through to the burner. The nozzles are a consumable item and should be replaced every year. An oil boiler nozzle will wear over time and this will affect combustion. Reducing the efficiency of your boiler. If not replaced this could lead to a sooted up boiler
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Oil Flexible hoses, the flexible hose on your oil boiler is there to allow the burner to be removed and serviced. Without having to disconnect the oil supply. The life of an oil boiler Flexi hose can be between 1 and 5 years. There is a particular boiler manufacturer that provides a life long oil hose.
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Oil pumps can become contaminated with dirt or water or both. Leading to a decrease in efficiency and ultimately this will end with a broken down boiler.
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Photocells are a safety device and form part of your boilers lighting procedure. The job pf a photocell is to detect the light of the flame. And relay the message back to the control box allowing the burner to stay lit. If the end of the photocell becomes dirty. It may not be able to see the light and can result in the boiler shutting down randomly.
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Electrodes in your oil boiler are there to provide a spark to ignite the oil that’s passing through to the burner. Electrodes can become worn or damaged. If this happens the boiler may not light and will be the cause of a boiler breakdown.
Oil tank and supply
Part of the service of your oil boiler includes inspection and maintenance of your oil tank and supply system. Poor maintenance of your oil tank and supply pipework can be directly related to failures. Such as burner lockout, intermittent firing and pump seizure.
The main reasons your oil tank will affect the performance of your boiler are as follows
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Water in the oil tank, this can be from water ingress and/or condensation
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Bacterial growth or sludge build-up in the tank, caused by water ingress
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Leaking joints, rusted components and system debris
The condition of your oil tank and any of its components. Including filters, de-aerators, isolation valves etc, should be inspected and cleaned as necessary. The condition of the oil in the tank should be checked as well. This is done by dipping the tank using water finding paste that changes colour to show water ingress.
The service process
Appliances should be inspected and cleaned. The components changed when needed when the boiler is being serviced. Boilers not serviced regularly are at a higher risk of breaking down and costing you more money.
The cleaning of the boiler allows for closer inspection of the internals of the combustion chamber. Meaning any rust spots or wear can be noticed and actioned. The Older steel heat exchangers will leave rust spots, indicating that the boiler will soon need replacing. Spotting things like this early means you can plan to have a new boiler installed. The alternative is that these early warning signs can go unnoticed. The potential for water damage, and also having to react to an emergency. Means you may have to rush into the new boiler process without giving it the research you would perhaps like to.
Long term damage can arise from not having your oil boiler serviced regularly. Deposits of soot will build up during the combustion process. These deposits, given a chance to build up these, can harden. Can make the task of removing the baffles impossible without destructive force.
The cost of a new baffle set onto of the service costs can add up to quite a substantial amount.
Carbon Monoxide
As with any fuel-burning appliance, be that gas, oil or solid fuel. Carbon Monoxide is a by-product of burning any fossil fuel. Poor or inadequate servicing can result in carbon monoxide entering the home.
It is vital that you get your oil-fired boiler serviced annually
Carbon Monoxide is a highly toxic poisonous gas. Odourless, colourless and tasteless it is difficult to detect.
Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning are
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Tiredness
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Headaches
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Nausea
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Vomiting
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Dizziness
Is your oil boiler getting old, tired and starting to smell of fumes. maybe its time to start looking at a replacement. To read more about how we can help click here.