Forum Archive

This is a continuation of the ongoing saga about my astoundingly high gas bills.
At this point, I have talked to three plumbers in my basement who have all said that my problem is this older, conventional boiler hooked up to a hydronic radiant heat/indirect domestic hot water system. Master Plvmber, while he hasn’t been in my basement, is a thoughtful and knowledgeable professional, and has written that he thinks there’s something else wrong–that an old boiler can’t be *that* much less efficient.
At this point, all due respect to MP, I am ready to believe the people who have actually been in my basement and seen my setup and all say the same thing, even when I press them and ask better questions than I asked of the first guy. It looks like if I want to see the efficiency of the stuff I already bought, it looks like I have to throw down for a condensing boiler.
Who among you, aside from Denton, has a condensing boiler? Does anyone know of a good website or formula for figuring out what size boiler you need to buy? Am I indulging in wishful thinking when I assume that I can get a much smaller boiler because the whole problem seems to be that my existing boiler is too powerful? What about tankless water heaters instead? Yes, I know that this would render my indirect tank useless, but John Hlad (who is a real gem, I must say) said that tankless might be even more efficient, and that they now make models that vent up a chimney.
Tell me your stories, give me your tips. It looks like I am about to go stimulate the economy!