From a purely mechanical point of view, there are three major types of oil boiler: conventional, system and combination or 'combi'. These three types can then be cased in a number of different designs encompassing: floor mounted, wall mounted, kitchen/utility, external, boiler house and 'through the wall'. All boilers operate at a certain efficiency calculated by measuring the amount of heat they produce for a given quantity of fuel. In the last few years the term 'condensing' has been used to describe the most highly efficient boilers - more on this later. Heating and hot water systems are usually 'fully pumped'. Older systems can however have a gravity fed hot water loop although this is being phased out by regulations and best practice methods. This can affect the type of boiler used. A conventional boiler is the most straightforward of the three types. Domestic Hot Water (DHW) is stored in a tank, usually in the airing cupboard, which has a coil of copper pipe inside. The coil contains water that flows through a heat exchanger in the boiler. As this water is heated by the boiler, the coil acts like an element in a kettle and gives up its heat to the water tank. A thermostat on the tank senses the temperature and controls when to turn the boiler on and off. A similar situation is used to heat radiators except that it is a room thermostat that determines whether or not the boiler should be running. Controls, valves and a pump, which are not part of the boiler itself, are used to flow the heated water either through the coil or through the radiators or a combination of the two. In a fully pumped or sealed system there will also be a pressure vessel to take up water expansion. A 'system' boiler is similar to a conventional boiler except that the aforementioned pump and pressure vessel are included within the boiler case. The boiler can only be used in a fully pumped or sealed system. The boiler itself is more expensive but there are savings to be made on the rest of components. A combi boiler is the most sophisticated and expensive option because as well as providing heating it instantaneously heats the domestic hot water. This has the advantage of saving space because there is no need for a hot water tank but it only provides a limited flow rate and is therefore a poor option in larger residences or where there are multiple bathrooms. The different case designs simply govern the location within the dwelling and usually the available space will govern the type used. Wall hung boilers can be situated both inside and outside the building. The through the wall option is a rare version which is built into the fabric of the house and gives a good space saving option while allowing servicing to be performed from outside. Boiler house versions are designed to be very compact by using a 'close cased' design but they do not look pretty and are not suitable for a normal kitchen situation. This design is likely to disappear over the next few years because the complexity of modern high efficiency condensing boilers makes them look particularly unattractive. Finally, external boilers are located outside the dwelling but close to a wall so that the flow and return pipes can be routed inside with minimal loss of heat. Condensing or 'high efficiency' oil boilers are now the norm and as a result of changes to building regulations in England and Wales are mandatory except in exceptional circumstances. Standard efficiency boilers run at about 85% whereas condensing boilers achieve efficiencies in excess of 90%. Oil boilers are normally fuelled by 28 second oil usually referred to as kerosene but they can be set up to run on 35 second oil (diesel). With the current interest in carbon emissions there has been some development in burning biodiesel but the current pricing situation probably means that there is no financial advantage. There is a range of oil storage tanks available from 1000 to 10 000 litres and bunded (double skinned) and unbunded. Oil tanks and the relevant regulations are beyond the scope of this document. Suffice it to say that advice should be sought from a professional installer and from your local authority before undertaking installation. It is clear that whatever the heating requirement, there is an oil fired boiler that is fit for purpose. Further information is available from oilfiredup ,SEDBUK and oftec.
We can provide spare parts for most of the popular oil boilers including - Worcester Bosch, Firebird, Trianco, Boulter, Eurocal, Grant, Thermecon etc. We also stock Crossland filters, FEL fire valves and Tigerloop and GOK deaerators. If you require any parts that are not on the website give us a call, we may be able to source them for you.
Underfloor Heating
Activair - Air Source Heat Pumps With limited natural resources at our disposal, we all have to be even more conscientious. The world is constantly looking for effective ways of reducing waste and improving the efficiency of household appliances. So in true pioneering spirit, we have tasked our engineers to meet the latest challenges posed by the delicate balance of world ecology. Trianco are entering a new era of domestic heating, confidently rising to the challenge of renewable energy with it's range of competitively priced 'Activair' air source heat pumps. The ingenious Activair ASHP Air Source Heat Pumps are becoming an increasingly popular choice for home heating, especially in areas with less severe winters. But what makes it such a viable heating alternative, and how does it work? Quite simply, the Activair ASHP has a motor powered by electricity that supplies more energy than it consumes when it extracts heat from the surrounding air. For every unit of energy purchased as electricity, several units of heat are delivered, making it up to four times more effective.
