Support for your Oil Boiler

You can use a water softener in combination with a Grant boiler as it will prevent the hot water circuit from scaling up and losing efficiency. However, the central heating circuit should be filled with hard water and a chemical inhibitor. This can be done by using the water softener bypass when filling or topping up. Alternatively, the filling loop feed can be connected upstream of the water softener. Please speak to your heating engineer to discuss this further.

Yes, we do recommend the use of suitable water treatment in the form of an inhibitor to the heating water system, in accordance with the water treatment manufacturer's instructions. The concentration level of the water inhibitor should be checked every 12 months or sooner if system content is lost.

Condensate occurs when the flue gas temperature of an appliance drops to below the ‘dew point’ and the steam present in the flue gases condenses and becomes a liquid. This liquid is slightly acidic but no more so than tomato juice and can be run directly into the household waste system.

It is advisable to let your condensate run into a soil stack or the larger the diameter of pipe the better as this will help to prevent freezing water.  If your condensate trap is not run off into a soil stack pipe and its running into a smaller waste pipe then remove the bung on the condensate trap.

Generally speaking, you should not need to top up the system pressure in between servicing. If you are having to regularly top up the system, this would indicate a leak and you should speak to you heating engineer.

We recommend that external boilers have a frost stat fitted.  Grant outdoor modules come with a factory fitted frost stat set at 5ºC plus or minus 1ºC.  A permanent live is required with a frost stat. For added frost protection, you should fit a pipe thermostat on a return pipe, set at 30ºC and wired to number 5 & 6 on the control panel.  This will prevent the boiler heating the house unnecessarily.  A bypass must also be fitted when wired as above.

A combi boiler requires adequate mains water pressure and flow rate in order to operate correctly and efficiently, and any significant drops in pressure or increases in pressure can impact a combi boiler’s performance.

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Yes, it is recommended to turn your boiler off while the oil tank is being filled and to leave it off for a short period afterwards of up to 30 minutes. This will ensure that any sediment, that has settled on the base of your tank, is not stirred up and drawn into your fuel line.

When your oil level falls below a certain level in your tank, there is a risk of air and contaminants that are in the bottom of the tank getting into your oil line which will affect the operation of your oil boiler. We always recommend that there is adequate filtration on your oil line and that your oil tank is kept topped up with fuel. If you have run out of oil, you must contact a competent oil heating engineer to bleed the system.

If you have run out of oil and the burner has ‘locked out’, it may be necessary to bleed the air between the oil supply and the burner of your oil boiler. We explain how to bleed an oil burner in our Home Heating Blog - please follow the link below.

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No, condensing oil boilers can only run on kerosene.

Programmers allow you to set 'on' and 'off' time periods. Most programmers will let you set the central heating and domestic hot water to go on and off at different times. If you insulate your home, it will warm up more quickly and cool down more slowly, so you could save money on your heating.

Thermostatic radiator valves reduce the flow of water through the radiator they are fitted to when the temperature goes above a certain setting. It is recommended that you set your TRVs to the level you want for the room – by setting your TRVs to a lower setting, this will use less energy and could help you save money.

Your boiler thermostat sets the temperature of the water that will be pumped from the boiler through the radiators to heat your home. The higher this is set, the quicker the system will heat your home. If it is not set high enough, when it is very cold outside, your home may not reach your desired temperature. If you have a room thermostat and a boiler interlock, you can set the boiler thermostat quite high and the room controls will regulate the room temperature for you. It is important to understand the difference between your boiler thermostat and your room thermostats – head over to our Home Heating Blog to read more by following the link below. Please note, your boiler control thermostat should always be set to a higher temperature than the cylinder thermostat, if you have one.

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Grant oil boilers operating on kerosene, the most common heating oil in the UK, should be serviced annually. However, those operating on biofuel should be serviced twice a year.

A boiler service is recommended to help the appliance operate correctly. Grant recommend that your oil boiler is serviced every twelve months (even when the guarantee has expired) to prolong the lifespan and ensure it is operating safely and efficiently. 

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Your local authority must be told when you have a new or replacement boiler fitted and your installer should do this for you. If your boiler is installed by an OFTEC registered installer, you will receive a ‘Building Regulations Compliance’ Certificate from OFTEC after the installation work has been completed. OFTEC will also tell the local authority that you have had a new or replacement oil boiler fitted. You must keep this certificate safe as you may need it if you sell your home. Your Vortex boiler should also be registered with Grant Engineering (UK) Ltd within 30 days of installation in order to activate the product guarantee (if your installer is a G1 Installer, they will register your boiler via their G1 Portal).

The serial number is a 15 digit long number sequence, located on a data plate on the inside panel of your boiler (Example 205122367811171).

If you have a one of Grant UK’s current Vortex oil boilers, you can download a copy of the latest User Instructions and Technical Guides via our website. If you have an older model of oil boiler, you can email the Grant Team to ask for a copy of an archived manual – please quote your boiler’s serial number and model when you email.

Oil boilers are not being banned however, from 2025 new build properties could be required to have low carbon heating, such as a heat pump, so they can meet the proposed Future Homes Standard. The Future Homes Standard is a set of standards that will complement the Building Regulations to ensure new homes built from 2025 will produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes delivered under current regulations.