AGA owners who use oil fuel - do you use paraffin or kerosene with Topanol or Glowmax?

[sallyjaygorce]

HAve bought a house and inherited a four door oil fired aga. The previous owners only used premium oil and stressed it is essential to the running of the aga. Their supplier (Goff) suggested that was too expensive and that standard oil topped up with Topanol would be sufficient. Now I hear that aga sanction the use of standard oil with Glowmax - an additive that cleans the oil produced and delivered by Total Butler. I spoke to Total Butler who said that Topanol is carcinogenic and they are surprised it is still used at all. Obviously the kitchen will the the heart of the home for our three young children - am I exposing them to risk or am I being paranoid? I have successfully given up smoking so don't want to start inhaling toxic oil additives instead!

Well maybe next time round I should give it a go. Thanks again for all the top tips.

Glowmax is not suitable for wick type Rayburn cookers. Although it first appears to give a 90% efficient burn, it will soon gum up the wicks in two weeks with tarry deposits and the wicks appear soaking wet. Normally the wicks last 6 months (with kerosene) and they are then at the end of their life being coked/carboned up and dry. This Glowmax problem makes you first suspect a blocked flue, not faulty fuel. It also makes you suspect the fault may be water in the tank or a bad batch of fuel.The effect seems to take a couple of tank fills as any kerosene mixes and only when pure glowmax comes through is the effect then quite dramatic. The telephone sales staff seem poorly informed as to the need to check the type of boiler/cooker you have. They just want to flog you Glowmax. If glowmax is in your system it is much harder to relight the wicks. Hint; put a little white spirit on the new wicks to aid relighting...no, never petrol!!...if you value your eyebrows!! The spec. of glowmax is either less than kerosene or the additive is affecting its suitability for wicks. It is a long process to find the fault, as you assume the oil company is selling you a fuel suitable for your cooker. Glowmax may work or be beneficial for other types of oil boilers?

I understand there are two types of additives, which are not compatible, for different types of oil boilers or cookers. Aderco 500 seems to be recommended for wick type rayburns using kerosene but I have not tried it yet.

I am presently trying to get my Rayburn working again with a new batch of normal pure kerosene without the wicks failing yet again in two weeks time with this horrible glowmax stuff. Hope this helps others so I will put in the words, Glowmax below spec problem fuel, tarry deposits, poor ignition, Aga, Rayburn,for search engines to find.
It is an awkward, time consuming and expensive problem to work out and the oil companies really need to sell you the correct fuel as it could take several tank fulls and hours of work identifying the problem of wrong fuel.