October 2015 - Please note that we now have a new website here:- www.tradcookers.com

Disclaimer . Glynwed PLC , and AGAFOOD the manufacturers of the famous Aga / Rayburn cookers do not approve of fuel conversions - all such conversions mentioned are made by independent' engineering firms .All views expressed are PERSONAL and not "official " Aga / Rayburn policy.

This section will tell you about the following

OIl Conversions      Gas Conversions   Solid Fuel Conversions Electric Conversions

What converts to What! See photos in other sections to determine your model

Agas . See photo in other sections to determine your model

* mazout is French oil , 32 second, heavier than kerosene ( 28 second uk heating oil ) and 35 second diesel 

Electric Conversions
These are available for Aga only -not Rayburns - but involve so many parts to be changed that its better to trade yours in for one already done. Beware a conversion that doesn't involve a major strip and rebuild!  Serious cost of the job should be £3000.
Solid Fuel conversions from originally OIL or Gas or Electric Cookers.Yes for certain OIL and GAS Rayburns ( new out Aug 2011) Contact me for details
A solid fuel to WOOD conversion is available in Australia for AGAS if you want to burn RED GUM wood - not here in uk!

Stop Press! DON Heating Products -the makers of oil and gas conversions since the Ice Age -have been bought out by Aga. We expect NO MORE CONVERSIONS or SPARES for existing conversions will be made -why keep old cookers going when you can sell them a new one?

See www.agafixspares.com for parts that MIGHT suit that conversion! We have 2 gas conversions in stock for Standard Agas -then they are GONE!

firstly OIL conversions
Exceptional news! Our NEW oil fired pressure jet unit is now fitted to Aga's from the 50's to now! Fits the OC the OCB, OE, GC, GCB, GE pre 1974 and post deluxe cookers. No visible external alterations. Quiet and getting quieter! Only 48 decibels. Much less thirsty than vaporising unit. Will burn kerosene, mazout (French heating oil) diesel, Spanish heating oil, green Irish oil etc! Contact me for trade details, performance data, test results. Note All performance data generated by Mr Graham Lake, my Technical Director ( ex MD from Oilwarm Ltd)

Latest figures. Throughout the country our Aga owners report a fuel saving of 2 litres a day -that's £400+ a year saving!

Now working in the RAYBURN OF7, 208K, OF22, G33 in a slightly different form - only £1440 inc  vat for the KIT CONVERSION or £2100 fitted ( guide price only- subject to site survey). Trade enquiries welcome - save all those time consuming call backs, often due to customer ignorance! You can choose it be to controlled by oven temperature or boiler temperature. We can offer you a choice of cookers with  this burner pre fitted - see "Cookers in Stock" button on left ,inc prices

The G33 version (same boiler as OF22) is heating up to 8  radiators plus oven and hob- all at a fraction of the original oil consumption. Maximum output to water 41,000 (10 rads) at 81% efficiency !

ORDERS NOW BEING TAKEN _ TRADE PLEASE NOTE THIS UNIT TO BE FITTED BY EXPERIENCED OIL ENGINEER ONLY ( one day job) - want some of the action? contact me now, all areas inc abroad! You should be OFTEC certified for PJ's

We have found that this burner will fit in the Nobel cooker, as long as you are prepared to re-locate the electric oven control switch -probably to the side panel.

Rayburn OF7/G7/OF22/G33/ 300k / 308K

These cookers have now been fitted with our PJ conversion.

This white OF7 ( same as 208K) is heating the brass cast iron rad very successfully  in our test installation and oven does a good roast. The OF22/ G33 version is fundamentally the same but with a bigger jet

Rayburn G33 Performance up to 8 rads .

 So does it still cook? Report from  Graham Lake

The proof of the pudding was in the eating. So I re-fitted the Rayburn burner and decided that before replying I would try cooking in it.

So today I cooked the Sunday dinner in the test Rayburn.  It was set up with all the radiators working and originally the water temperature was set to an average of 70 ⁰C  this was firing  about 50% of the time., The maximum water temperature  being 73.7⁰C and the minimum being 67.7 ⁰C. 

  I was cooking for 4  adults.  I placed a 1.55 Kg (about 3½ Lb.) chicken with potatoes and onion into a dish and placed it in the oven.  Originally I made a slight error as I placed a piece of foil over the top of the chicken. This was unnecessary and only increased the time required to cook it.  I allowed 30 mins to warm through then 25 minutes per lb. I then put the pans on the hot plate.  They took a while to heat up with the smaller one ²/₃ full and the larger one ¾ full. The smaller one eventually came to the boil but the larger one had great trouble getting to the boil.  This indicated as expected that the hot plate was low in temperature. As a result I increased the water temperature to maximum,  which was an average of 80 ⁰C.  In doing this the large pan came to the boil with the smaller one simmering.  I also was able to keep the saucepans simmering and make the gravy.

The time taken was longer than usual in my electric oven but if I had set the water temperature to Maximum then the cooking time would have been acceptable. t would appear that if the cooker is working flat out at maximum water output set at 80 degrees then the cooking is acceptable.  However if the heat requirement is lower and the cooker cycles then it needs tuning. I.e. Remove a ceramic brick or two to reduce the water performance. In doing this the oven and hot plate performance will improve and should again be acceptable.  In the summer, late spring or early autumn it would appear that all of the ceramic Bricks could be removed giving about 18000 Btu to water instead of about 40,000 Btu.   The unit can also be tuned in rating as well by turning down the burner pressure. The maximum burner oil pressure is about 150 psi.

  Graham Lake, Technical Director, Snughome Cookers Ltd

FUEL CRISIS - What should we do?

I am getting a LOT of e mails regarding conversion from OIL or GAS BACK to solid fuel, particularly on Rayburns..

Its possible but you must be aware of the following

Parts required are
Full set of firebricks -around £120
Full set of grate parts ( 3 parts for Regent and Royal) more for MF a(11) and Supreme / Nouvelle .(15)  riddler mechanism  costs £150-£600
The chimney LINER MUST be removed - it won't take solid fuel heat - needs ladders and builder even scaffolding in our wimpy culture now
The ash pit door MUST be airtight - so if bits cut out to allow oil pipe in, it MUST be sealed ( how? welding it will "blow " the enamel.)
Flue box re-instated to take solid fuel- with slider plate~
An estimate of costs of parts alone would be £300-£500 for small cookers and up to £700 for bigger ones PLUS LABOUR

No I don't want to do it .Why? Because unless you have free unlimited wood and time to cut, stack, carry, fill and de-ash you will regret the day you converted it back! Better to spend the money on more insulation or a better oil burner ( see below!)
First of all, sit down and think. Do you really want to get rid of the cooker or does it give you pleasure ; smokers tell me that gives them pleasure, but the cost of cigs would pay for any fuel increases that the cooker will use!
We have the answer of course. If you have an OIL FIRED Rayburn OF7 (208K) , OF22 ,don converted Aga standard or deluxe or a Model OC or OE ( factory made for oil Aga) or factory made for gas Aga ( GC or GCB ,we can (shortly in some cases) offer you a proper pressure jet conversion.~
Why will this save you money? Well an Aga thus powered  reaches full heat in 4 hours - not 8 - then switched OFF ( not down to low)  Fuel  used DRAMATICALLY LESS. It can also not need a CHIMNEY ( again subject to survey of location)
Even meaner? Set its timer for OFF after dinner/ supper ( what ever you call your last daily meal!) and set it to come on at say 4am to heat up for a cooked breaky. No time for that? OK lunch - both work ? OK set it to come on at 12 noon ready for tea time with school children returning home.

We are ready to sell you one of these units - fits straight in to most model OC Agas  - Only 48 decibel noise !!
 

trade enquiries welcomed - more news as it happens! Complete cooker or conversion kits will be available to you, with technical back up.

Why convert to Pressure Jet?

All AGA's made since 1941 can be converted to oil, gas or LPG .Also most Rayburns. This section tells you more! Most NON central heating Rayburns can be converted from solid fuel to gas , oil or LPG fuels; small OIL Rayburns (OF7)can be converted to either gas , and vice versa i.e. Gas G7 versions can convert to OIL. DON Heating Products have supplied conversions for 60+ years - we are agents for them, as well as others who make conversions including OILWARM LTD

For some time the quality of UK oil has been getting worse- thicker, more like French oil. This causes a quick build up of carbon and leads to loss of heat, i.e. your burner needs a service. Both the manufacturers ( Aga ) and after market burner makers have been aware of this problem and the ONLY alternative is a pressure jet burner -that's one that forces oil and air together in a controlled way and this produces an EFFICIENT BURN! I have been at the "sharp end" of this development fitting a new miniature burner into Agas in Spain and France and can now announce we are looking for more GUINEA PIGS to have a new burner at a reduced cost. First model? A Standard we have installed in Spain, running since October 2004 on Spanish oil.

So if your Aga is a STANDARD MODEL ( like cream top right photo ) or a DELUXE solid fuel, or if it has been converted to oil with a wick type burner please get in touch. Ideally you live below Birmingham and want a more efficient, economical cooker .We are also looking at the conversion of the Nobel cooker.

The benefits of this burner are

• 4 hours from COLD to FULL OVEN HEAT

•  1 service a year -

•  hotter hot plate and more hot water (if boiler fitted)

• - no reduction in heat between services-

•  easy servicing by same engineer who does the central heating boiler ( once he has been on our training course) -

•  may NOT need a chimney, just a vent pipe ( like an oil boiler)  -

• no more lighting ( auto ignition) - hotter water / greater output.

• Disadvantages .

• It has a fan and thus generates a noise - but that's why we need more installations to get it really quiet!

•  Needs electricity to work.

We expect the installation cost on cookers already installed ( with suitable flue liner and oil line) to be less than £2000 inc vat, but estimate that in LESS THAN 5 YEARS you will convert or have to buy a NEW AGA to be able to use your oil.

Bio Diesel . at present this fuel is not suitable for ANY pressure jet burner on the market as the chemical nature of the fuel attacks the fuel pump of the burners. OFTEC have discussed this and at present we see no sensible use to be made of this fuel in domestic heating situations

Trade enquiries welcomed on our PJ conversions .

see chart at the bottom of this section for cookers and conversions available 

Wick Burner Conversions.

Solid fuel Agas  can be converted to run on oil . However you may have been told that "Its not a good idea , as you loose bottom oven heat ! That's TRUE if your Aga is converted in the kitchen , without stripping down , as the heat source is too high inside for the effective transfer of that heat to the lower oven .

We,however,have the ANSWER. It involves a complete strip down and several modified parts fitting which increases the cost of the job considerably . However the alternative is to trade in your Aga for one already done , or buy a new one .We are pleased to offer both 

                 Standard model ----------------------------dropped ash pit view inside ----------------------------------deluxe pre 74

Only available if we completely strip the cooker - an ideal time to have parts re-enamelled ! Cost around £2000 but a lot cheaper than a new OC at £5500 +)

Models we can convert   

OIL AGAS

Standard model , with dropped ash pit and vaporising burner , with manual heat control
As above , but with automatic control ( governed by the top oven temperature)
Standard, with diesel/ mazout or kerosene automatic burner with thermostatic oven control 
Pre 74 deluxe - dropped ash pit , manual control, vaporising burner
Pre 74 deluxe - dropped ash pit, auto control , vaporising burner
Pre 74 deluxe - pressure jet oil burner for DIESEL or FRENCH OIL- auto start & control
Post 74 Model OC - genuine oil burner from the factory, manual or auto control 
Pre 74 deluxe - dropped ash pit , automatic control
Gas model GC , GE conventional flue conversion to oil - NOT BALANCED FLUE VERSIONS
( any of these can have a boiler inside to heat HOT WATER ONLY) 

Oil Conversions -Wick Burners
Vaporising Burners .All solid fuel Agas can be oil converted , and GAS versions ( not balanced flue ) 

Converting your Solid Fuel  Aga to Oil. This is available to be done 2 different ways. The cheap way involves the cooker being converted without dismantling - and can be done in a day . The draw back is you loose the traditional "slow cook " bottom oven which becomes a warming drawer .

The better way is to completely strip the Aga and fit a load of specially made parts .This has the effect of putting the burner 3" lower in the cooker, giving far more heat to the bottom oven and thus retaining the correct 50% of the top oven heat level.

Note the top line shows standard solid fuel ash pit, inner & outer barrel

The bottom row is the dropped ash pit , cut down barrel that's freshly skimmed

We can offer these parts ( second-hand ) or NEW cast parts ( from an independent manufacturer) 

Here's a 2 oven recently converted , note the inner door of the ash pit with viewing window .

Note the oil "carb" and twin safety valves mounted on the oil supply pipe ( being boxed in ) .No mods to the Aga front AT ALL . 

Now a pre 74 deluxe dropped ash pit - see the cooker below. Fitted on a 1957 light green solid fuel deluxe

George , the owner, reports

Hotter bottom oven , MUCH hotter hot water ( though to be fair we fitted a new boiler) , less hot hot plate .He's a single chap who doesn't cook much but is running it at about "1/2 speed" and no more ASH OR COAL to carry!

New parts fitted include hot spot, outer barrel, new ash pit ( that's all the bits inside the Aga except the ovens!) , new spacer plate , insulation, gaskets, oil burner, pipes, - these parts ALONE from the manufacturer exceed the entire cost of the conversion from us! 

Cost of the better conversion , including labour ( subject to distance,  is £1500 - £2000.) plus oil tank , liner etc

there is NO solid fuel Rayburn which cannot convert to oil burning 

This section is divided as follows . What's done to convert, how it's done, models that can be done , problems and costs

Since 1946 the Aga and Rayburn cooker have been converted to a range of different fuels. This trend has accelerated since the closure of most of the mines in Great Britain and the lack of coke, Anthacite and similar hard , slow burning coals has caused many owners to seek alternatives.

Naturally the manufacturers would prefer you to scrap the old product and fit a new one, yet in the space of a few hours the cooker can usually be converted , both safely and effectively to run on oil or gas .So let's detail what's required in ALL CASES, either model.

WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE

(a) cleaning out . Each cooker needs thoroughly cleaning out , as well as the chimney which MUST be swept. Most  bricks ( Rayburn ), clinker, ash deposits, riddlers, grates and grate supports must be removed. 

(b) Rayburns are  fitted with firebricks . These are removed on the oven side and the rest are checked, made good or replaced as required.

(c) Chimney . It MUST be lined - this is to stabilise draw and to stop the sulphurous gases from eating away your chimney lining! 

(d) the conversion is fitted. Usually the oil pipe will be run under the front door of the cooker, along with a thin coppery sensor wire ( to a safety cut out sensor)  . Each engineer  will do this a different way but the conversion maker's supply on the basis that the cooker can be re-converted back if fashions / fuel costs change . I have only ONCE converted an oil rayburn back to coal( in 26 years!) 

More detail

Rayburn Nouvelle / Supreme .

This model is the BEST to convert as its so hungry on coal and on wood

There are 3 types of conversion . I will list them with their advantages / disadvantages . These are MY views but we are all biased!

Pressure Jet conversion . Can use 28 second ( normal ) heating oil, mazout ( French oil) and also DIESEL (35 second) . Fitted in half a day this type of burner atomizes the oil as its forced through a tiny nozzle , air is blown in and a spark generates ignition. The burner can be "tuned " to give higher or lower outputs .

Advantages . Uses mains power so automatic ignition , can be timed, powered by room stat, pipe stat, frost stat etc for hands off  operation. Uses simple parts that any oil engineer is familiar with. Spares available from boiler stockists .Requires minimal servicing usually once a year. One day fit into a Rayburn. Very economical .

Disadvantages. Noisy . requires an adequate number of rads to work long enough to heat ovens, before cutting out! Can you afford New? buy the 460, 480,499K 

Vaporizing Conversion . The old wick type , paraffin heater. Light with a match. made of cast iron with stainless steel shells. Currently made by same firm since 1946, plus others in same business. 

Advantages. Silent running, constant heat, no moving parts, lasts forever ( almost!) 

Disadvantages. Not very economical , light with a match , requires raised oil tank, no time clock can be used, can flood if flame goes out . Clogs up on ANY OIL too thick so only 28 second oil can be used. No moving parts to wear. Must be dead level ( no good on boats) 

Buy new? similar models fitted on Rayburn 208K , 222K.

Fan assisted pot burner. A quieter version than the PJ, but more fuel efficient than the wick burner. Requires mains electricity. can be lit automatically.

Advantages. Usually twin thermostats ( oven and boiler). Quiet.

Disadvantages. Requires more servicing than a PJ,less economical, uses only 28second oil .parts usually only from makers. needs electricity .

New similar model from Rayburn, the 368K oil Nouvelle

in ALL versions the following parts require fitting

Oil tank. Ideally as big as possible ( cheaper fills) raised at least 18" higher that the base of the cooker (*) to give a gravity fall . Mostly "plastic" now days so no drain cock fitted, can have radio link to house so you have digi read out if oil low! £300 - £1000 .On all NEW installations its LAW that a BUNDED tank is used - this can be a double skinned tank , or a single skinned version with a OIL TIGHT wall around it . If the tank leaks ALL THE OIL is contained - so no pollution . From April 2005 ALL OIL TANKS MUST BE THIS TYPE ( yeah, throughout Europe - will you tell our French & Spanish cousins?) 

Oil line . a thin ( 10mm usually ) copper pipe, usually plastic clad blue or white, clips to the outside  wall or can be buried in the ground . 

Safety valves. Fitted to outside & inside of the house , with heat sensors to cut off oil if a fire occurs.

Chimney liner . MUST be fitted ( unless flue clay pot lined ) to stabilize draw and prevent gases from too much cooling / too strong a draw. made of stainless steel. Cost usually £600 - £1000 fitted.

COST OF THE CONVERSION .

The actual kits cost from £600- £800, plus fitting . So with oil tank, flue liner and line total is often  £2000 - £2500 

This compares well with removal of Rayburn and fitting an oil boiler , which involves more plumbing & the purchase of a separate cooker as well

GAS CONVERSIONS

Since DON Heating was bought out by Aga ( April 2011) NO gas conversions can be obtained for Rayburn cookers. This also means no spares except basic items like thermocouples can be supplied.

Oil AGA's convert to either gas .

Even more controlled by regulation. EVERY gas conversion must be CE approved - involving expensive tests paid for by the makers . Some conversions worked well but sold badly - so have been dropped as the testing fees didn't make economic sense. So I can't offer you a conversion for a Rayburn MF or Supreme or Nouvelle that's solid fuel now - despite these conversions working well and having been around since the 80's . Some conversions are ALLOWED  and include

all non central heating Rayburns since 1946 - present

Agas all models EXCEPT the 47/10 and Model 82 made before 1941!

I often get asked for gas conversion for OIL cookers - again most are OK ( forget central heating Rayburns again ) - when the fuel pipe arrives in a new village or country areas .

Prices are similar to an OIL conversion - except the Oil tank cost is transferred to the laying in of the gas pipe. Chimney lining MUST be done  Contact me for models, conversions & costs

HIDDEN PIPES are what you , my customer requires. That is only possible if the cooker is STRIPPED COMPLETELY and then rebuilt for the new fuel . I have many photos of these jobs - just tell me which cooker you want to see!

CHIMNEYS . The flue box of a solid fuel cooker is REPLACED with a gas type diverter when converted as your chimney MUST NOT "pull " too strongly. Only a VERTICAL flue pipe is allowed for the first 2 ft - then only 45o bends .

Gas converted Agas and |Rayburns all have a SAFETY CUT OUT should the pilot light go out & new conversions also have a CHIMNEY THERMOSTAT which cuts off the pilot if the flue gets too hot ( i.e. a blockage in the chimney or downdraughts)

Running Costs . Much more fuel efficient on oil or gas that solid fuel but running costs depend on the cost of the fuel in your area .Biggest difference is the oven performance is steady and with gas , thermostatically controlled so you may have BETTER COOKING RESULTS!

email me barry@tradcookers.com for more information and costs