Oil heating fumes

[ellymay]

My mother has an oil fired heating system with a condensing boiler. For the last month there has been a strong smell of fumes in the house. As she lives there she is not able to always smell it as she is used to it. When we visit the smell is very strong. It is a bit like a strong paint smell. She has had 3 different engineers out but none have been able to find a problem.

Could any one suggest the best course of action? Am I best to call OFTEC? Also are these fumes dangerous? She has a carbon monoxide tester which has not gone off. She has started to suffer from a cough and aches I didnt know if this is connected to the fumes or is she just has a cold.

Thanks

 

[dontknowitall]

The fumes are not dangerous but obviously don't smell nice and they can cause headaches and general unwellness (pardon that word).

If you've 3 had people out to look at the boiler I can only assume it's not leaking oil within the boiler casing. The fume smell from the flue is much stronger than the smell from an oil leak but both smells are quite similar and from what you say I'd suggest it's an oil leak.

You need to trace the incoming oil feed line and look for any leaks along this line somewhere. It's possible the leak might be in the wall but it's usually on a fitting (e.g. the fire valve or the oil isolation valve).

These smells are notoriously difficult to find. It could be they're happening within the burner itself (for example the nozzle might not be tightened properly). If within the burner the engineers might not have removed it because of the heat - you need to let a burner cool down to access it (ideally!) Has it been serviced within the last year or so? If it has then the leak is likely to be in the oil line somewhere (behind a kitchen unit?). If not serviced recently then this should be the first port of call.

Apologies for the muddled reply - not hungover but too excited exploring my new Xmas present!!