Worcester warns bio-fuel could harm boilers

European Union rules which aim to introduce two new grades of oil into the UK could play havoc with the oil supply chain warns Worcester, Bosch Group.

The company also says the changes could have a significant impact on oil installations and oil-fired domestic boilers.

The warning refers to the new Fuel Quality Directive, due to be introduced in January 2011, which will mandate an A2/B5 EN 590 specification of fuel with up to seven per cent mix of bio-fuel into 35 second gas oil.

The concern is that boilers currently in use in the UK which run on either fuel are not compatible with bio-fuel which could potentially clean away other fuels, absorb any water in the tank and ultimately block filters which will stop the boiler operating.

The vast majority of oil fired boilers in the UK use 28 second kerosene, but there are a small number which use 35 second gas oil, more commonly known as red diesel.

Red diesel is used almost exclusively in mobile off-road uses, such as tractors and quad bikes, but a small amount is used in domestic heating, on sites where red diesel is used for other applications, such as farm machinery.

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