diff --git a/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.hpp b/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.hpp
index 0d5136410..18eb6bb0c 100644
--- a/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.hpp
+++ b/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.hpp
@@ -35,7 +35,12 @@ namespace Opm { namespace EclIO {
 class EclFile
 {
 public:
+    struct Formatted {
+        bool value;
+    };
+
     explicit EclFile(const std::string& filename, bool preload = false);
+    EclFile(const std::string& filename, Formatted fmt, bool preload = false);
     bool formattedInput() const { return formatted; }
 
     void loadData();                            // load all data
@@ -114,6 +119,7 @@ private:
 
     void loadBinaryArray(std::fstream& fileH, std::size_t arrIndex);
     void loadFormattedArray(const std::string& fileStr, std::size_t arrIndex, int64_t fromPos);
+    void load(bool preload);
 
     std::vector<unsigned int> get_bin_logi_raw_values(int arrIndex) const;
     std::vector<std::string> get_fmt_real_raw_str_values(int arrIndex) const;
diff --git a/src/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.cpp b/src/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.cpp
index 2e5fa732a..5a733878e 100644
--- a/src/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.cpp
+++ b/src/opm/io/eclipse/EclFile.cpp
@@ -38,23 +38,17 @@
 
 namespace Opm { namespace EclIO {
 
-EclFile::EclFile(const std::string& filename, bool preload) : inputFilename(filename)
-{
-    if (!fileExists(filename))
-        throw std::runtime_error(fmt::format("Can not open EclFile: {}", filename));
-
+void EclFile::load(bool preload) {
     std::fstream fileH;
 
-    formatted = isFormatted(filename);
-
     if (formatted) {
-        fileH.open(filename, std::ios::in);
+        fileH.open(this->inputFilename, std::ios::in);
     } else {
-        fileH.open(filename, std::ios::in |  std::ios::binary);
+        fileH.open(this->inputFilename, std::ios::in |  std::ios::binary);
     }
 
     if (!fileH)
-        throw std::runtime_error(fmt::format("Can not open EclFile: {}", filename));
+        throw std::runtime_error(fmt::format("Can not open EclFile: {}", this->inputFilename));
 
     int n = 0;
     while (!isEOF(&fileH)) {
@@ -103,6 +97,25 @@ EclFile::EclFile(const std::string& filename, bool preload) : inputFilename(file
 }
 
 
+EclFile::EclFile(const std::string& filename, EclFile::Formatted fmt, bool preload) :
+    formatted(fmt.value),
+    inputFilename(filename)
+{
+    this->load(preload);
+}
+
+
+EclFile::EclFile(const std::string& filename, bool preload) :
+    inputFilename(filename)
+{
+    if (!fileExists(filename))
+        throw std::runtime_error(fmt::format("Can not open EclFile: {}", filename));
+
+    formatted = isFormatted(filename);
+    this->load(preload);
+}
+
+
 void EclFile::loadBinaryArray(std::fstream& fileH, std::size_t arrIndex)
 {
     fileH.seekg (ifStreamPos[arrIndex], fileH.beg);