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Original poster

Oil Fired Heating

35 replies

MakeAHouseAHome · 06/10/2018 20:56

Has anyone here got oil fired central heating? We are wondering what the implications are for the fireplace for our new house (house currently just has a hole with brick exposed - no actual fireplace). We believe the chimmney is open all the way and there is a cap on the top.

We obviously can't have a gas ignition fire, and we don't want an electric one (personally preference but we just think they look cheap the way the fire looks so fake etc.). So is our only option a wood burning fire? Has anyone had one of these out in from scratch? Just wondering about mess, the level of work involved and costs!

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specialsubject · 06/10/2018 21:25

Open fires are under 20% efficient and so only for people who really hate the next generation, you will want a woodburner.

But the heading refers to oil fired heating - I am confused...

Lucisky · 06/10/2018 22:33

We've got oil fired heating and a multi fuel stove. Not quite sure of your question. Are you thinking about a diesel stove? I have only come across them in narrow boats, but I can't see why you couldn't have one in a house.
Round here (no mains gas) some people also have gas fires fuelled by bottled gas.

Original poster

MakeAHouseAHome · 07/10/2018 07:35

Maybe I have got this wrong then? So we were told that because our heating runs off oil and not gas we can't have a fire with a gas ignition - those are the only ones I have ever come across.

So we were told our only options were electric or wood burning. So my question is if that is definitely the case and then around the cost and mess of installing the latter.

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Original poster

MakeAHouseAHome · 07/10/2018 07:39

Essentially I would rather have an open fire, but seems we can't with oil fired heating? But may look into the gas bottle option Luckisky - thanks.

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househunthappening · 07/10/2018 07:49

You could have a gas fire fed by a gas canister instead of mains.

Or you could have an open fire or wood burner. Who has told you that you can't have an open fire and why? It makes no difference regarding the central heating, you are burning solid fuel in either an open fire or a wood burner, but as a pp has already pointed out a wood burner is a hell of a lot more efficient.

househunthappening · 07/10/2018 07:53

Sorry, to answer your second question about installation:

For a wood burner you will need to have the chimney checked, a flexible flue liner put up, hearth and wood burner connected. A Hetas installer will then give you a certificate. They will be able to advise you on the size wood burner you need for the size of your room and this will dictate the size of the flue liner and hearth. Will probably cost you about £2500-£3000 plus vat, but obviously that's variable and there might be additional works to make the chimney or opening good etc.

I don't think there is an obligation to line a chimney with a flue liner for an open fire but someone might correct me on that.

Original poster

MakeAHouseAHome · 07/10/2018 08:07

Thanks @househunthhappening that was rather more than I was expecting :-( I thought £2k tops. I probably need to get someone round to talk me through the options. Is a gas fire fed by a gas bottle likelt to be cheaper? Sounds like there is alot of additional work involved with the wood burner.

As for who said about the open fire, we were just at our local garden centre and there is a fire company based there who said with oil oir only option was an electric fire or wood burner stove. But maybe their advice wasn't actually that good! I will get some seperate companies round.

Sorry, sounding dim here i know!

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Doilooklikeatourist · 07/10/2018 08:10

We have oil fired central heating , with a log burner in the sitting room
In the dining room , we have an oil fired stove that looks like a log burner , this has a flue going up the chimney

LoniceraJaponica · 07/10/2018 08:15

Do you not have mains gas where you are?

AlmaGeddon · 07/10/2018 08:19

If it is not a clean air area You can have an open fire but they are dusty( cleaning out the ash after use) and to be honest cause a draught ?sp up the chimney so can suck the air warmed by your radiators out the chimney but they are nice to look at on high days and holidays. And if it is a nice fireplace can be ok when not in use with pot plant or candles (and something blocking the chimney). Wood burners give out a lot of heat so could be too much for a small room.

Lucisky · 07/10/2018 08:26

They probably meant that was your only option because you haven't got gas, not that you weren't allowed to have it.
Going back to gas bottles. As I said, some people round here use them for cooking, and some for running a gas flame effect fire. AFAIK using them just to run a jolly flaming fire in your hearth can be rather expensive, more of a treat than a serious heat source.
A chimney sweep would examine your chimney for you and advise as to any work needed. If a woodburner/multi fuel stove is too expensive at the moment, there is nothing stopping you from just have an open fire. No, they are not as efficient as closed stoves, but they still thow out a fair amount of heat, especially if you've got central heating as well. The financial outlay wouldn't be much at all, as long as your chimney is deemed safe.

Doilooklikeatourist · 07/10/2018 09:28

@LoniceraJaponica
No mains gas ( or mains drainage where we are )

specialsubject · 07/10/2018 09:28

Staggering as it may seem in eight minute ambulance land, a million houses in the UK are not on the mains gas supply, some in quite big settlements. not an issue as oil has been cheaper for years and could be again.

Lpg can provide whole house heating, gas fires and gas hob cooking.

Please do not have an open fire.

treaclesoda · 07/10/2018 09:32

There is no mains gas where I live. Almost every house has got oil fired central heating and an open fire. A few houses these days have a wood burner or multi fuel stove, but the vast majority have open fires.

treaclesoda · 07/10/2018 09:33

I yearn for gas heating. The idea of hot water on demand is the stuff of dreams.

WatcherintheRye · 07/10/2018 09:38

We have oil fired central heating and an open fireplace in the living room (which we have used a handful of times over the 25 years we've been here!) Having oil-fired heating doesn't preclude an open fire. They're not connected in any way. All you need is a clean chimney. You may want to consider the environmental issues outlined by pps, though.

Lucisky · 07/10/2018 09:40

treaclesoda - you can get oil fired combi boilers.

treaclesoda · 07/10/2018 09:43

Lucisky can you? When we got a new boiler a few years ago and talked to plumbers etc no one mentioned those! Ours is not all that old so no chance of replacing it soon .

QuickWash · 07/10/2018 09:50

We have oil fired heating with a brand new combi boiler so no issues with hot water - in fact it's no different in results to our old house with mains gas (except the oil having to be delivered obviously!)

We also have underfloor heating in the kitchen/utility and a log burner in the sitting room. Log burners can be expensive to install and line the chimney etc but I love the warmth they provide.

Lucisky · 07/10/2018 09:51

treaclesoda, our neighbours have got one. They had it put in a couple of years ago (it's an outside boiler which is very common round here), and they are very pleased with it. When we had ours replaced, amidst many other works, our builder was surprised we wanted a regular oli boiler as opposed to a combi, but we are quite happy having the water heated by the boiler/water tank system. We have always got hot water on tap anyway.

treaclesoda · 07/10/2018 09:54

Is it weird that I'm sort of hoping our boiler breaks down so that I can get a new and better one ?

1tisILeClerc · 07/10/2018 10:00

Many options are available but UK plumbers tend to still be living in the 1970's and haven't heard of many of the things that are standard in the rest of the world. Mains pressure hot water tanks for example.
An open hearth is the messiest option for normal living, and very inefficient, so unless you have your own trees to burn the worst choice.

Todamhottoday · 07/10/2018 10:02

We too have no mains gas (or sewage) and have a oil combi boiler so no problem with hot water its on a timer (but the boiler is over 10 years old, and the new ones are far better) also have a high output multifuel stove which belts out the heat in a very large room. Using a stove fan helps with the distribution of the heat as well. (one on offer in Aldi of all places from today at £22.99) but they are not the most attractive pieces of stove furniture!

I looked at getting a gas fire in with gas bottles but went for the stove instead, I did not want gas bottles standing outside (same with a cooker outside the kitchen).

Get a few quotes from installers and they will also check the state of your chimney. And dont forget to get a carbon monoxide alarm!

You can also get the best deals on oil if you top up when the price is at its lowest usually in the summer, or join an oil club with neighbours and get an extra discount for ordering more and getting it delivered all together.

DaphneduM · 07/10/2018 10:10

We have oil fired central heating with a Grants outside boiler - fantastically economical as we have also got a multi-fuel stove in our inglenook fireplace in the sitting room. £2.5k to £3k now I guess for installation and the stove. We have a Clearview stove which is great. In the winter we have it going pretty much 24/7 (we're retired), fuel is delivered by the coalman on demand. It saves on the oil too - as we don't need central heating on in the evening. Of course you could have an open fire if you prefer, but you will have a draughty chimney and they're not fuel efficient.

Original poster

MakeAHouseAHome · 07/10/2018 10:25

Thanks for all the responses guys :-) Not having a combi boiler is something I am dreading :-( In an ideal world it would be a wood burning stove or multi fuel but I think the price will be too much for us at the moment. So will probably just have to go with an open fire (there are fire guards you can have right?). The brick currently on show in the fireplace space is so ugly - could we just plaster over? Or is their special paint/plaster etc you need if burning an open fire in it?

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