OFTEC Solid Fuel study guide
OFTEC Solid Fuel · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
OFTEC is a trade association for liquid fuel heating equipment manufacturers and training providers that also runs a competent persons scheme for businesses and technicians approved to install and maintain oil, solid fuel, electrical and renewable heating equipment. The OFTEC Solid Fuel credential (often referred to as OFTEC Solid Fuel registration) is aimed at technicians and businesses who install and maintain solid fuel heating equipment and who wish to be registered under OFTEC's competent persons scheme. The OFTEC Solid Fuel study guide has 4 sections and about 1,202 words.
01Oil Heating Installation and Maintenance
Oil heating work centres on the pressure-jet burner, the oil supply line, the combustion process and the controls that sequence it. A candidate must understand: Fuel grades and storage : kerosene (28-second oil) for vaporising and some pressure-jet appliances, and gas oil (35-second oil) for larger pressure-jet burners.
323 words, about 2 min02Solid Fuel Heating Installation and Maintenance
Solid fuel appliances - open fires, room heaters, stoves and independent boilers - depend on draught, fuel bed and chimney performance. A candidate must understand: Chimney and flue design : the difference between a flue and a chimney, the requirement for a suitable terminal, and the concept of draught created by the temperature difference between flue gases and outside air.
323 words, about 2 min03Electrical Work Associated with Heating Equipment
Heating controls combine mains wiring, low-voltage control circuits and safety interlocks. A candidate must understand: Supply and isolation : a means of isolation local to the appliance, correct fuse or MCB rating, and the need for a double-pole isolator on fixed heating equipment.
275 words, about 1 min04Renewable Heating Technologies
Renewable heating covers heat pumps (air source and ground source), biomass, solar thermal and hybrid systems. A candidate must understand: Heat pump fundamentals : the vapour-compression cycle (evaporator, compressor, condenser, expansion valve), and why coefficient of performance (COP) falls as the difference between source and delivery temperature increases.
281 words, about 1 min