Boiler Questions

Should I be able to smell oil in my house?

No. A smell of oil in your home indicates that something is wrong. It could be caused by any number of faults in or around your system. It is imperative that you call an OFTEC approved technician to check out your system.

Should I have black smoke coming out of the flue?

A properly set and tuned boiler should produce very little emission, either visible or otherwise. Black smoke, or a build up of soot on the wall around the boilers flue outlet suggests that the boiler is not burning efficiently. An OFTEC registered technician should be called to service or adjust the boiler.

My oil tank is now filled after I ran out but the boiler will still not work?

If the oil tank is inadvertently emptied of its contents, when it is refilled the oil line may be full of air. This needs purging from the tank to the burner. Although quite a simple job which in most cases takes about 15 minutes we still recommend that an OFTEC registered technician is called.

What is the "commissioning" of a oil fired boiler?

Commissioning is the fine tuning of your oil fired boiler to your individual heating system to ensure optimum boiler efficiency and reliability. Commissioning usually occurs the first time a new boiler is put into operation and is normally a warranty requirement for all types of oil fired boilers.

Does my oil fired boiler need servicing?

Yes. Manufacturers recommend that your oil fired boiler should be serviced regularly at least once every year. Annual servicing will maintain an oil fired boiler's efficiency, reliability and longevity and is also a requirement of a boilers warranty if within that period.