new to oil please help!

donnalou

i have recently moved in a place with no gas we have oil fillled radiators, we have what i can only describe as an electric oil burner in the kitchen which heats the oil for water and heating it has no thermostat or timer on it so it is on all the time. this is the first time i've ever used oil so i really don't know much about it. Our electricity costs have almost doubled is this down to the oil burning thingy please help!

jen_jen_2

im not to clever at this either

do you have an electric burner or an oil burner? we have no gas and have an oil burner that heats the radiators and hot water, the radiators are not oil filled (so perhaps were talking about different things) we have a tank in the garden that holds the oil and has to be filled up? if you have an oil burner you will have to buy oil - check there is oil in the tank and that your using the burner properly (search the make and model on the web you may find it) and talk to your neighbours, if they dont have gas either they may have a similar system- have your electric costs doubled because your not using the oil??

if your radiators and water are all powered by electric that will be why your bills have doubled, looks like you will have to start energy saving and getting the most out of what youve got.

like i say, i dont know if were talking about the same thing because i am fairly clueless about how mine works (cant get the radiators on low just off or hot) hope it kinda helps though

mah_jong

jen jen ...you need to put thermostats on your rads. i did this earlier this year. Great!

Donnalou ..... Am not too sure about your situation either. My rads have water in them too!! however my timer is in the kitchen...my thermostat is in the hall and the boiler is outside! So is the big green tank!!

Is the timer/ thermostat anywhere else??

jen_jen_2

mah_jong wrote:

jen jen ...you need to put thermostats on your rads. i did this earlier this year. Great!QUOTE]

the radiators have knobs on the side but they only go between hot and off there is no warm in the middle - i thought these were the controls??

how do i fit thermostats and where do i get them from??

(ps fixed cooker this week so am up for some diy for the OH)

donnalou

We must have an oil burner then. We have a tank outside that stores the oil. Do you know if its true that the oil burner is only on standby so only kicks in and when you turn the tap or the heating on. So only uses oil then. Do you know How long 1200 litres lasts? Ours lasted for just over 5 months during the summer, Is this about right?

jen_jen_2

hi donnaloo, we seem to be crossing threads, my fault because i didnt realise you were the same person until now - im blonde

our tank in the first year took 11 months for 1000 litres, then 8 months for the 1000 litres, then 5 and we are currently keeping an eye on it, the 5 months was over the winter 04/05 so hopefully we can get back to the 8 or 11 months. we have a dipper (long stick) to check the oil level (have run out each time though so very poor at using it). i have no idea how you reduce oil useage, does it burn the same amount of oil for water as it does for heating and water and if i turn some radiators off will it burn less oil??? have found no-one who can answer this unfortuneately

i think we need to service the boiler (ive been told they get dirty due to the oil and therefore less efficient)

i think the kind of standby boiler must be different types, ours has a timer, a thermostat for the water temp but individual radiator controls which are hot or off. we can have 24 hrs, timer, water or water and heating, and off.

put the make of the boiler into google and see what you can find.

the oil burner shouldnt use electricity because (as far as i understand) it burns the oil to generate the power to heat water/heating, just like a gas boiler burns gas and doesnt use electricity.

are you putting on an emmersion heater for water by mistake - this uses a lot of electricity? hope you find the cause of your problem

donnalou

I'm really confused!The only thing we have is the oil burner, if thats what it is,It has an on/off button and a dial with min/max on one for water one for heating, somehow this is pluged into the electric. Does this sound familier? Perhaps our oil burner is keeping the oil warm maybe why we are using so much! There isn't any sort of emmersion heater either.

jen_jen_2

doesnt sound familiar to me but i am fairly sure someone will recognise it

mah_jong

Sorry cant help there, either. Is it an old system? Are you saying your heating and water is on all the time? try a post in the IN MY HOME section ...lots of knowledge people there about boilers and stuff!!!

My heating only goes on when the thermostat clicks on and its time during the required hours. I go through a tank every 9 months or so ( tank gets a 1000 litre refill) .....hardly use any all summer though the water is heated for an hour daily.

The system needs electricity to work (froze during the power cut !!!).

I love its flexibility though ! instant heat!

Jen jen ...thats the type of vlave we had on the rads. On or off. got the thermostats from a builders/ plumbers place, and fitted them ( bit tricky, wasn't me that did them!!). I seem to rmember somethng about straight or angled valve (??).....try screwfix online for an idea!

donnalou

Yeh its on all the time, As there no timer its either on or off. Do you think this is burning oil?even when the heating is switched off on the radiators, and the taps off? I think the System is about 10 years old.

mah_jong

I dont know much about heating systems, other than my own!!!

I would not think it would be heating anything if the rads were turned off. Are you sure there is no timer box anywhere (mine is smaller than a double socket, with a pull down flap, and is on a different wall to the boiler which is outside!)? There will also be a pump somewhere too !!!My leccy bill /usage is low,.

Is there a manufacturers name anywhere on what you have?

Do you have a landlord? No info at all with regards to the heating??

Sorry not much help..trying my best!!