Best kerosene additive for Aga and boiler?

[Questingvole]

Having a lot of trouble with our 4-oven Aga these days; it cokes up regularly and/or starts pinking and spluttering; it has just coked up it for the second time this year (not great timing). The engineer says it's probably the fuel. As I understand it, the sulphur content of domestic fuel oil (kerosene) has reduced over the last decade or so due to anti-pollution regulations; this is good for the environment but bad for Agas. Can anyone advise on the best additive (or indeed fuel)? We have an Aga and a boiler supplied from the same oil tank. Online searching suggests Exocet, Hydra and Topanol are the most heavily marketed, but I was also interested in a seemingly green option, Aderco. Does anyone have any experience and recommendations on this topic? Thanks very much.

I think you've looking at this from the wrong angle. If you get a lot of soot then its indicating incomplete combustion. I'm no Aga expert but I'm fairly sure this is not normal.

I'd advise getting in a heating engineer who really knows oil fired Agas.

See this link for a bit more info:- www.goffpetroleum.co.uk/news/oil-aga-range-cooker-sooting-up-can-we-blame-the-eu-for-dodgy-oil-and-premature-carboning

Thank you for the post. I have read that article, and I confess I struggle to make sense of it. It doesn't actually say that there is nothing wrong with low sulphur kerosene (it now seems to be an extremely common theory that there is a problem). It suggests other possible causes, including in particular bad Aga engineers. It also says "If the Aga is not working correctly before a visit by an experienced engineer, but properly afterwards ... then it is very clear that the cause of the problem was the appliance, not the fuel or fuel supplier." I can't see how that can possibly be right: if the problem is a build-up of deposit (which seems to be the case with us), that is gradual, not instant. It takes weeks or months. If the deposit is caused by the fuel, then the fuel's the problem! We use an experienced Aga engineer, but he is reluctant to recommend a particular additive because he doesn't want to held responsible.

It looks like you're not the only one with the problem. It is actually talked about here:

www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-7-2010-010130-ASW_EN.html?redirect

It's worth noting that this document is dated 2011 and I assume you've not been having this issue since then? I don't think there has been any change in the fuel since this directive was issued. Its also worth noting from the article tax most UK fuel was compliant before that date anyway.

So assuming the fuel specification has not changed again and you don't have a batch of dodgy fuel then it would point to something being incorrect with the Aga setup.

Surely an oil Aga engineer would have the experience solve this for you nomatter whether its the fuel or an Aga problem? If it were a fuel issue then there would be a stock solution out there.