Is an Oil System Boiler Right For You?

radiators compatible oil system boiler

System boilers tend to be most suitable for large households with several people and bathrooms. They’re also ideal for older properties as their layout is similar to older heating systems.

To help you work out whether an oil system boiler is right for you, we’ve come up with a list of its pros and cons.

Pros

Good for large households

An oil system boiler is ideal for large households. This is because they are able to supply hot water to multiple taps simultaneously, so you can have more than one person using it at the same time. As system boilers heat water in advance, they can also supply hot water in multiple places at a good pressure. This contrasts with combi boilers, which struggle to heat and supply large amounts of hot water on demand.

An oil system boiler is smaller than a regular boiler

Another advantage to an oil system boiler is that they take up less space than regular boilers. As system boilers don’t need a cold water tank like regular boilers do, you don’t need to worry about finding the room to fit one in. All you need space for is the hot water cylinder and the boiler itself.

Compatible with solar systems

An additional benefit of oil system boilers is that, like a regular boiler, they are compatible with solar water heating systems. This is because they have hot water cylinders, which can be altered or replaced to heat water using solar thermal.

Combi boilers don’t have a hot water cylinder, so aren’t usually compatible. If you want to use a solar thermal system, consider getting a system boiler.

Cons

Bigger than a combi boiler

A disadvantage to system boilers is that, while they’re smaller than regular boilers, they still take up more space than a combi boiler. So if you want a small heating system, a system boiler is probably not your best option.

Only heats water in advance

Like regular boilers, system boilers only heat water in advance. This generally isn’t a problem if you have a regular routine: you can set you boiler to heat up water ready for when you need it. But if you want to use hot water at different times on different days, you might find yourself without hot water.

Limited supply of hot water

When a system boiler heats water in advance, it can only store so much of it. This means that if you use a large amount of hot water at one time it might run out. You’ll then need to wait for the boiler to heat up more water before you can continue using it again. So if you think this is likely to happen to you, you might want to consider a combi rather than a system boiler.

So now you should know more about oil system boilers and whether you might want one in your home. If you want further advice or someone to install a new boiler for you, we can help. Complete our online form and we’ll put you in touch with up to 4 local boiler engineers.

Price

£1,000-£3,000 depending on make and model

Installation time

2-3 days


Advantages and disadvantages
  • Great for large households
  • Smaller than conventional boilers
  • Compatible with solar thermal systems
  • Bigger than combi boilers
  • Limited hot water supply
  • Only heats water in advance