Aga oil cooker diy maintenance
JM
an oil-fired aga cooker myself. Any tips from those with diy
experience of this?
Richard
"JM" <j...@volcanomail.com> wrote in message
news:883d36d0.04062...@posting.google.com...
> I'd welcome any advice on how I can complete the biannual services to
> an oil-fired aga cooker myself. Any tips from those with diy
> experience of this?
Consumables Set of wicks, these can last several years before
replacement.
Oil filter element or replacement assembly. Not
needed at every service.
Sealant to remake burner/oil pipe connection.
Cloths/newspapers to protect surfaces.
Tools Pair of OE spanners for oil pipe union
Scrapers to clean out burner pot and oil
galleries.
Various drill bits and piece of stiff wire to
clear burner oil pipe.
Heat resistant gloves.
Before turning off the oil supply check the flue is drawing properly while
the Aga is still lit. There must be a good flow of air entering the flue at
the bottom air break.
With the Aga off lift out the simmering plate to examine the interior
flueways. There should be no signs of soot if the Aga has been working
properly. If there are sooty deposits you must let the Aga cool right down
and do a vacuum job throughout.
Cleaning out the burner pot, oil ways and pipe is straight forward but make
sure that you can blow through the burner pipe freely before you put it all
back together. The burner foils are self cleaning in a properly set up Aga.
Any questions so far?
Richard.
Harry Ziman
news:cbkcmb$2s0$1...@titan.btinternet.com...
to take account of any deposits formed in it - ours is usually drilled out -
if we don't get the cooker serviced it blocks and eventually it does not get
enough fuel to keep hot. Another key area is the oil feed rates. There are
two - the low rate when the thermostat is "off" and a high rate when "on".
These can be adjusted in the oil float chamber although I am not sure how.
You need to make sure you set the right rates, although they may not need
adjusting every time. I have been told that damage can occur if they are set
too high.
The Natural Philosopher
First of all, annual is all you need.
The only crucial bit is to remove the burner assembly buy disconnecting
the pipe that comes from the front centre of the burner compartment, and
drill it out to remove the carbon.
Less essential is to lean the burner rings as well of carbon.
Its a good time to smother the aga top with Mr Muscle and use lots of
actually muscle to remove the layer of baked on fat from the chip pan.
You should also clean and sweep as much of the flue as you can reach.
Its a good idea to take an allen key to the ring covers to make sure
that they are not too slack, and the springs are working to make sure
they stay up when raised, and also to check and replace any decorative
bits around that area - new chrome tops for example if you are fussy.
After many years, you may need a new starter wick.
Its normally good practice, but not necessary, to measure oil flow rates
with the regulator in the 'full' and 'idle' position: If these are
wrong, its a sign that the original height of the float chamber has
altered (been knocked) or that the pipe work is sludged. You measure
using a measuring glass and the second hand on the clock :-) Needless to
say provided the 'full' rate is above what is needed to keep it hot when
cooking and the 'idle is below what is needed to maintain it on a hot
day with no covers open, the thermostat will take care of the actual
temperature.
However really, for a basic service (annual) all you NEED to do is to
clear the carbon out of the burner and the pipe that feeds it. Use of
light grade kerosene rather than the heavier one often sold for boilers,
makes build up slower.
I can't be arsed, and fork out the 100 quid that Aga charge. Takes the
man almost two hours :-)
But I have watched exactly what he does. See above.
Shame we had to relight it when the foul weather knocked out the leccy,
and the weather went all autumnal.
Andy Hall
Firth) wrote:
>JM <j...@volcanomail.com> wrote:
>
>> I'd welcome any advice on how I can complete the biannual services to
>> an oil-fired aga cooker myself.
>
>Tap the antiquated pile of shit with a 15lb hammer until it is rendered
>into manageable units. Take to scrap merchant, buy decent cooker.
Like a gas fired Aga for example. Although both the oil and gas
models work very well and produce excellent results.
It may not be the latest technology, but it is a rather effective one.
.andy
To email, substitute .nospam with .gl
Andy Hall
Firth) wrote:
>Andy Hall <an...@hall.nospam> wrote:
>
>[Aga]
>
>> It may not be the latest technology, but it is a rather effective one.
>
><cough>ollocks.
Have you ever actually owned one?
Andy Hall
Firth) wrote:
>Andy Hall <an...@hall.nospam> wrote:
>
>> Have you ever actually owned one?
>
>Yes, and got rid of it.
Was it properly maintained? This makes a large difference to
performance
>They may be fine as lower middle class status
>symbols,
I wouldn't know. I don't think that the concept of "class" has much
meaning any longer.
>but for cooking they are useless.
Not in my experience, unless you don't know how to cook. Although
frankly I find the Aga far more forgiving than the conventional hob
and oven that it replaced.
>The fact that the owners of
>Agas are usually piss-poor cooks,
A sweeping generalisation that simply isn't true.
>that they almost always have a
>"second" (i.e. primary) cooker,
Not true either. The only other means of cooking that we have are a
microwave and a barbecue that is occasionally used in the summer.
>that recipe books have to be created
>solely to cater to the Aga's "strengths"
Recipe books don't "have" to be created because the techniques to use
the Aga properly are extremely simple and any conventional recipe and
technique can be used with little or no modification.
Recipe books are produced to sell recipe books. Go into any book shop
and you will find books on any cooking technique from use of the wok
to barbecue and fondue. These are not required to use these cooking
techniques but are simply a way to make money.
> (i.e. you can't roast, you can
>only bake,
Absolute rubbish. The Aga does the best roasting of any oven and
doesn't dry out the food.
>and it is only really suitable for 1930s style cooking - buy
>Constance Spry and you can cook every stew in the book),
That's complete rubbish as well. You can cook absolutely anything.
> that when
>challenged all Aga owners can say is that it does nice toast,
I don't need to be challenged. It does nice toast and nice everything
else.
>if forced
>to think hard they may praise rice pudding and err that's it, highlights
>what an antiquated pile of junk it is.
That's complete nonsense.
>
>And if any more wannabee "greens" who cycle and moan about cars have a
>go about me and my cars I shall shove their monumental fuel-wasting Aga
>where the sun doesn't shine.
Well... interestingly enough, I calculated and measured the cost of
energy used for cooking with the previous cooking arrangement of gas
hob and electric oven and compared with what the Aga uses.
With everything taken into account, it costs less.
Harry Ziman
The Natural Philosopher
> Richard <hawkins...@DIGITbtinternet.com> wrote:
>
>
>>Set of wicks,
>
>
> Jesus, you're kidding? No probably not. I suppose it's getting hard to
> find the sperm whale oil to run it on nowadays?
>
No, not at all - kerosemne is aht it uses.
the burners are quite sophisticated, a series of conecntric rngs fill
with fuel, and the outer one has a wick. Each ring conatains a
perforated metal cylinder piereced with holes.
Onec the wick is lit, the culinders get hotter, and evebtually the wick
is irrelevant because the fuel vaoporises ,a nd you get an overall
comnustin that is extremelu complete around teh whole thing. Temperature
is controlled by a foalt valve tha tregualtes fuel flow, and a needele
valve that tofggles on and off by the only electrical part - the
thermostat/fuel valve solenoid.
Gas temperures are fairly high, but exhaust temperatures once the gases
have been round the various finned baffles are in fact very low - lower
than on a normal oil boiler.
IF you need the 500W or os of contiuous heat te Aga provides, its an
extreely efficient room heater, and teh ovens and plates are 'asways on'
- you NEVER have to wait for an oven to warm up.
Because they are probably better han 70% thermal efficient, they are as
good a room heater as anything else. with cooking basically free. And
running of oil or gas are far more efficient than electrical systems and
cheaper.
Unlike gas COOKERS, they don't need heavy extraction to remove the
vapour of combustion either. It gos up the flue. Unlike electric ovens
they don't blow hot air around to get even tempreatures quickly, and dry
the food out, either.
They are also fully capable of heating at least part of the house during
power utages, and indeed strictly can be rin by manually adjusting te
flow rate between high and low in eth total absence of electricity.
They are big brutes, and need a big room. They don't IMHO belong is
Islington flats, but in rural areas if you have the space they can do
some things no other cookers can, and will stay going through power cuts
lke nothing else. Except and old fashoned gas range.
I don't like not having a grill tho, so we have an aga electric
companion bolted on the side of ours.
I don't see what the fuss is about. They are good at what they do -
efficient and clean, and excellent room heaters and roasters, bakers and
boilers. They are lacking on the stir fry and grilling side, as well.
Ive cooked on everything from open wood fires in the bush, through a
sinle ring in a bedsit, butane stoves, up to gas ranges, gas cookers,
electric cookers and Agas. I've even on one occasion cooked in the BBC
canteen.
If I had piped gas, I'd have has a gas aga and a few gas burners and a
gas grill. I probably wouldn't go as far as an electric aga - too
expensive even on night storage rates - but given a suitable space, they
are very nice things to have, and any good cook can learn to cook on
them. Bad cooks of course will always blame their tools.
Ive had more crap meals frm people with glossy magazine 'modern' kitchen
ranges and built ins who couldn't even heat a can of beans without
burning them, than I have had off agas. Both are style staements, but te
aga actually is built to last, it makes a room cosy, and actually is
capable of cooking on as well.
The Natural Philosopher
> On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 22:38:34 +0100, usen...@malloc.co.uk (Steve
> Firth) wrote:
>
>
>>JM <j...@volcanomail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>>I'd welcome any advice on how I can complete the biannual services to
>>>an oil-fired aga cooker myself.
>>
>>Tap the antiquated pile of shit with a 15lb hammer until it is rendered
>>into manageable units. Take to scrap merchant, buy decent cooker.
>
>
> Like a gas fired Aga for example. Although both the oil and gas
> models work very well and produce excellent results.
Gas fired agas are definitely the best if you have access to gas. Very
low maintenance.
>
> It may not be the latest technology, but it is a rather effective one.
>
Even the oil ones are more effective than peole think. Agas have been
doing better conversion efficiencies than combi condensing boilers for
years...
The Natural Philosopher
> Andy Hall <an...@hall.nospam> wrote:
>
> [Aga]
>
>
>>It may not be the latest technology, but it is a rather effective one.
>
>
> <cough>ollocks.
>
No, its you who talks whereof they know not.
At or around the sorts of temperatures at the moment - up t 20 by day,
down to 8 by night, one aga supplies all the heat a well insulated house
needs at very high efficiency.
And you can cook on it for free.
The Natural Philosopher
> Andy Hall <an...@hall.nospam> wrote:
>
>
>>Have you ever actually owned one?
>
>
> Yes, and got rid of it. They may be fine as lower middle class status
> symbols, but for cooking they are useless. The fact that the owners of
> Agas are usually piss-poor cooks, that they almost always have a
> "second" (i.e. primary) cooker, that recipe books have to be created
> solely to cater to the Aga's "strengths" (i.e. you can't roast, you can
> only bake, and it is only really suitable for 1930s style cooking - buy
> Constance Spry and you can cook every stew in the book), that when
> challenged all Aga owners can say is that it does nice toast, if forced
> to think hard they may praise rice pudding and err that's it, highlights
> what an antiquated pile of junk it is.
If you had an antiquated coal fired one, then teh above may be true.
I can most certainly roast. Upper part of upper oven is about 230 C, and
I can if required crank it up higher than that.
leavibgf aside dishes, and talking cooking techniques - frying roasting
braising, stewing slow cooking, boiling - there is only two things an
aga cannot do, if maintained at the suggested temperatures, and those
are stir frying and grilling. Oh and microwave cooking, bit there are
only a few dishes that microwaves excel at. Scarmbled eggs and steamed
puddings mainly.
On the other hand no electric cooker is as efficient thermally, and no
gas cooker can touch them as room heaters :-)
I have mad many many good dishes cooked on Agas. I agree that if
grilling steaks is all you ever want to do, they are a bit wasted.
An aga won't make a good cook, but a good cook can with the above two
exceptions cook anything on an aga.
As to being lower middle calss - I would say not. They are far more the
province of the upper middle claases - the nouveau riche parvenues don't
aspire to Agas until they have grown sick of their built in chrome
plated nightmares and designer kitchesn, and actually learnt to cook.
Its not waht you cook on, its how you copok on it. I was turning out
curries on campfires and first rate spaghetti bolgnese on a single gas
ring with just a knife and a wooden spoon as implements, long before I
got an aga.
If as I say yu just want to heat up pot noodles, thehn its quickert to
use an electric kettle. But don't confuse that sort of food with actual
cooking.
And, I am sure, if two bit of rocket arranged at right angles with a bit
of raw tuna passed under a gas flame and drizzled with urine is your
idea of cooking, then you probably are lower middle class and deserve
all th food posioning you get.
>
> And if any more wannabee "greens" who cycle and moan about cars have a
> go about me and my cars I shall shove their monumental fuel-wasting Aga
> where the sun doesn't shine.
>
They don't waste fuel unless they over heat the house. In out case we
switch it off when that happens. They are more efficient oil burners
than most boilers, as can be deduced from the exhaust flue temperatures.
I am sorry you were not able to actually learn how to cook. On an aga.
I suggest you get a microwave and stick to pre-prepared mulches. In
general these are not drizzled with urine, unless you have a senior
moment again.
Andy Hall
wrote:
>
>leavibgf aside dishes, and talking cooking techniques - frying roasting
>braising, stewing slow cooking, boiling - there is only two things an
>aga cannot do, if maintained at the suggested temperatures, and those
>are stir frying and grilling.
I achieve both of those with use of appropriate utensils.
A ridged plate or pan either on the top or in the roasting oven works
well for griiling. For stir frying, a cast iron wok, preheated in
the roasting oven works well. The job is done before it cools
notably
Gordon Henderson
The Natural Philosopher <a@b.c> wrote:
>Ive had more crap meals frm people with glossy magazine 'modern' kitchen
>ranges and built ins who couldn't even heat a can of beans without
>burning them, than I have had off agas. Both are style staements, but te
>aga actually is built to last, it makes a room cosy, and actually is
>capable of cooking on as well.
Hear hear!
Gordon
Gordon Henderson
We have an Aga (flat bottomed) wok which works remarkably well, and the
top of our oven is more than capable of grilling bacon.
The only thing I wouldn't do is deep fat frying on the hoptplate, but then
I've never done any deep fat frying anyway. Chips made in the oven are just
as good to eat and far better for you!
Gordon
(Stanley owner rather than Aga, but the idea is the same)
Richard
"The Natural Philosopher" <a@b.c> wrote in message
news:cbuks5$j19$2$830f...@news.demon.co.uk...
I wonder why it is that certain key words or phrases seem to drag all sorts
of pros and antis out of the woodwork ?
The mere mention of Dyson, Aga, Windows, IE etc. when someone is trying to
answer an apparently genuine question stirs the paranoid and inadequate into
tirades of nonsense and verbal abuse that is entirely uncalled for.
For what it is worth James Dyson has two Agas up and running in his abode.
Rumour has it that he has a third but this has yet to be confirmed. Any bets
on whether he goes with Windows or Linux ?
Richard.
Owain
| his abode. Rumour has it that he has a third but this has yet to
| be confirmed. Any bets on whether he goes with Windows or Linux ?
Mac!
Owain