Help Required Oil Central Heating

Georgek

Last week, we have had a new oil fired central heating system (Grant Vortex 26Kw)

A 1200 ltr tank was fitted and we filled it with 600 ltrs of oil which cost us £374.

Our bungalow is an average well insulted modern 3 bedroom and we switch on the central heating for 3.5 hrs an evening at a temp of about 22 deg C.

So far it has been on for 24 hrs and has cost us a staggering £74!!

Our calibration is based on a transmitter/sender unit from the tank which registered 5 bars out of ten when filled with the 600 ltrs.

There are now only four bars showing which indicates that 120 ltrs has now been consumed in this 24 hrs.

I realise that oil is expensive, but heating engineers tell all sorts of stories, as it depends on who is selling/fitting what!

However, based on my calculation, this has worked out 8 times more expensive than gas central heating.

What the heck is wrong with this?

The firm that started this work are so unreliable that we don't know what to do?

Dirty_Harry_the_2nd

I find the transmitter units to be unreliable when relaying details of what remains in the tank.
First consider that each bar represents the tank holding anything between 1 to 120 litres at any one time. Was 600 litres definitely put in?
My transmitter reading can vary day to day, depending on the weather and time of day, so I'm guessing it is dependent on the air temperature surrounding the tank.
Finally, the transmitting device needs to be configured to reflect the size of tank you are using. Has this been done and has it been done correctly?
Personally I put more faith in using a measuring stick although, because the tanks are curved, this also only gives estimated readings.

nande2000

It is physically impossible for your boiler to use that much oil in 24hrs. Have you checked for leaks in the tank or oil pipe ?
I agree the only other option is the gauge is misleading, personally I also check the tank with a two metre stick...alternatively someone is half-inching small amounts of oil off you !

Rolandtheroadie

I wouldnt worry too much at this point, to me the bars are a rough guide.

There might have been just enough to light the 5 bars but 30 litres later there wasnt so the 5th bar went out.

A better indication will be 4 to 3 as you know it was at the top of the 4 level. I still wouldnt take it as being so cut and dried as 1 bar = 120 litres, gauge how many days 1 bar gets you.

manda1205

Agree with scotsman 4th, ours often flucuates between a bar over a few days, I guess as its so close to the border, as such, that it can't decide which pip to be on. We generally just use our watchman as guide, but when it gets down to 1/2 pips hubby will dip test it to be sure of where its at and when we should order.

Georgek

Thanks guys....this is a great help.
I have since sought other advice and the problem gets worse.

Firstly I am told by Grant boilers that their warranty becomes invalid unless the boiler is commissioned by the company with OFTEC.

The company involved, sent a third party engineer who was not certificate qualified which basically meant that the boiler was not 'tuned' correctly to comply with emission gas and fuel regulations. (something that we never knew at the time, as we were told that it was all going to be done over the Internet)

The engineer sent out by the central heating company was third party. OFTEC have refused to acknowledge anyone else's authority above the responsibility of the company.

This in effect means that the boiler could be guzzling at an abnormal rate, (and this smell of oil that does not sound good).

I am told that other installers would not be happy finishing other peoples work, which is beginning to leave us lumbered.

It basically means that companies can issue third party installers and avoid certain legal factors by saying that the work was not carried out by them (so I have been told)

However, I have been informed to take this up with Trading Standards, but in the meantime, our boiler is becoming none valid with Grant Boilers. Plus another problem that the heating system becomes a void factor with no CD 10 CD11. should we be selling the house.

How many other people can be tricked in this way?

Regards George

What pain.

mark-w20

A bit of research prior to having work done would avoid these situations, had you not heard of oftec ? If not did you ask building control for there advise ? You could have spoke to the boiler manufacturer etc etc. Did none of the companies you had quotes from not mention Oftec or the building regulations or anything similar or did you make the all too often customer mistake of accepting the cheapest quote expecting to get the best job.
I'm not saying any or all of the above apply to your specific situation, they might or might not, however I see and hear about the situation you are now in so many times it never ceases to amaze me how customers go into these expensive jobs with so little background knowledge
Now to help you, the above comments on the watchman gauges are correct, they are a guide and your tank may have been just on the difference between bars.
For the installation you need a CD10 that is an installation certificate, if your installer is not Oftec registered you can get building control to sign off the installation. This however will cost you.
Once you have that you need a CD11, that is a commissioning form, most Oftec registered technicians who service etc should be able to commission for you, although not everyone will commission someone else's installation.
Those are the documents you need to satisfy Grant and to get it covered under warranty.
Hope this helps
Regards
Mark

Georgek

Thanks Mark,
These guys have worked round these clauses so many times, that they appear to know every trick in the book.

Firstly the installation company had OFTEC clearly stamped on their quotation hard copy, which generally speaks for itself.

Secondly, there is what you call Data protection that limits the amount of information that can be aquired.

If you call a company out, there are not many people who question the work force, because the company responsible is generally in charge of it's business.

This means that if somebody is sent out on behalf of a company, then they speak as a body and not an individual. Or at least that is what people are made to accept

Not so with OFTEC, as the only certain people are registered.

By the time I can do enough research and know the ins and outs of boiler legalities, there comes a point when people roll up their sleeves and learn the job themselves.

No one for one moment would question the qualifications of people doing the work, because if they are daft enough to put things in writing, customers can take up their rights.

What makes it awkward, is that it is difficult to do just that, because when it comes down to applying any force, the situation gets messy and THEY know that.

Having just bought the house in Newark, we did not know any engineers who could handle oil central heating.

I thought I was being correct in not paying any deposit until the work was finished.

After a certain time, they demanded money and the reality of having thugs getting angry is not very pleasant especially if I was wrong not to pay at that point of time.

There was literally no way, that I could either check in the loft or knew exactly what they were or should be doing.

They trusted me and I trusted them.

As for the CD10 and CD11, Julie informs me that the guy not holding the OFTEC qualification just ticked the boxes on the pre signed documents by the guy holding this qualification.

I dunno what the forms are called, but will find out later tonight.

All I know, is that the engineer (manger) who was reg with OFTEC, never came to sign the forms (whatever they may be), as his signature was already there.

mark-w20

Not a good situation to be in then, sounds like you have been mislead. The installer and commissioner should be Oftec registered as well as the company, the company certificate names the registered installers / commissioners.. It does at least sound like you have a cd10 & cd11, which from your side is good. You should also get a completion certificate direct from Oftec once the company register you job with them. That is an important one too as it is the same as a building regs completion certificate an Oftec engineer can self certify that his work / job complies with relevant building regs.

mark-w20

On a plus side you have a good boiler, the Grant is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch.
I assume when you say a Vortex26kw that it is the combi 26e, a good combi, although overall I am not a combi fan, its the only one I would recommend if asked to install a combi.

rosscouk

I know this doesn't help much in the current situation but I had a Grant 15/21 'Utility' oil fired condensing system boiler fitted in March this year and it has (so far and touching wood) been excellent, its a good bit of kit.

Using it to heat water, couple of hours morning and night and if we have the heating profile on, the same again for heating I estimate we use about 7-8 litres a day and my house is not fantastic in terms of insulation (three bed, end of terrace)

Anyway, just to give you an idea of what others get through.