What is done during an oil boiler service? What are the maintenance requirements for my oil system?
Oil is a fuel that can be easily contaminated, severely affecting the system's efficiency and reliability. Water ingress to the tank can cause the oil to congeal and clog the nozzles. Frozen water or air can block the oil line and lock out the boiler. An annual service and regular maintenance are very important for an oil system to ensure its continued operation. We will guide you on the servicing and maintenance requirements needed to ensure your oil-fired heating system stays operational and minimizes call-out fees.
Common Faults and Their Causes
OFTEC, the Oil Firing Technical Association, strongly advises that oil-fired boilers, tanks, and equipment should undergo servicing at least once a year. This is because oil as a fuel is prone to contamination, which can negatively impact the efficiency and reliability of your heating system. Regular servicing helps prevent minor issues that could cause boiler lockouts and ensures that an engineer can reset it if needed. Additionally, even clean-burning boilers can accumulate dirt over time, making an oil boiler service essential for keeping them clean and avoiding unnecessary call-outs.
Oil Boilers Faults:
- Blocked nozzles: Contaminants in the oil can cause the nozzles to become clogged, resulting in poor combustion and reduced efficiency.
- Airlocks: Air can get trapped in the oil line, preventing the flow of fuel to the boiler and causing it to lock out.
- Water ingress: If water enters the oil tank, it can cause the oil to congeal and block the system.
- Ignition problems: Faulty ignition electrodes or a worn-out ignition transformer can lead to issues with starting or maintaining a flame.
- Pump failure: The fuel pump may fail due to wear and tear, causing a loss of fuel supply to the burner.
- Thermostat issues: Faulty thermostats can result in incorrect temperature readings or failure to regulate heat output effectively.
- Pressure problems: Incorrect pressure settings or leaks within the system can affect performance and lead to boiler lockouts.
Oil Boiler Service Plan - Annual
Unlike most gas boilers, an oil boiler service involves a lot of actual cleaning and regular renewal of perishable parts. Costs range from £120 - £180 depending on whether parts are replaced during the service. It is important that this is done annually. By doing this you are saving yourself lots of money in an early replacement of your boiler.
Oil Boiler Service - Regular Maintenance
During the service, the Oftec engineer will undertake a visual inspection of the tank, oil line, and other parts of the oil-fired system. Remedial or maintenance works detailed on the inspection sheet will also be carried out. Remember to only get your boiler serviced by a fully certified and currently licensed OFTEC Engineer like R G V Heating based in Crawley, Sussex.
Oil Boiler Service Checks and Cleaning
The efficiency of a boiler relies on clean and complete combustion of oil. When engineers achieve 'complete combustion', the boiler can extract maximum energy from the fuel. However, if components such as burners, fans, baffles, or turbulators are dirty and sooted, it leads to 'incomplete combustion'. This means that not all of the energy from the fuel is transferred to your heating system.This leads to waste fuel products (soot) building up inside your oil boiler.
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