Stick With Existing Boiler?
We are doing a complete gut renovation on a brownstone, unfortunately on a tight budget. Our contractor has recommended that in an effort to save money, we use our relatively new boiler and simply re-install radiators and refill system. Does that sound like a good way to save money or do you think we should…
We are doing a complete gut renovation on a brownstone, unfortunately on a tight budget. Our contractor has recommended that in an effort to save money, we use our relatively new boiler and simply re-install radiators and refill system. Does that sound like a good way to save money or do you think we should do hydronic forced hot air and cut costs somewhere else?
We just completed a hot water from steam conversion. Oil to nat gas.
My strongest suggestion regards an inexpensive option. Replumb the radiators in PEX divided into as many zones as you can. I would further suggest series versus parallel routing, as long as the zones are small enough and on one floor only each.
There is greater expense marginally in a larger manifold, and more controls and zone circulators. While the walls are open, running pex is inexpensive and easy. Make sure you pressure check each zone, but it isn’t rocket science.
Utilizing your existing boiler is OK, till you can budget with a higher efficiency unit. The efficiency gained with the separation of zones is the key. A zone that needs more heat/energy gets it. Without needing to supply unneeded heat/energy/expense in other areas that don’t need it.
Assuming that the zone runs terminate in one central location, (boiler room?)you will be free to take advantage of any future strategies by shuffling the deck at the boiler end.
You can easily count the posts here on Brownstoner that refer one way or another to “my top floor never gets warm”, or “it’s too hot in the …” “How do I balance the …”
A higher efficiency boiler unit obviously saves versus a lower efficiency. But the greatest savings is when you send heat only where you want.
Bruceatjerseydata.net
hydronic radiators would be way preferable to a hydronic coil in a forced air system…cutting costs on infrastructure is usually the stupidest and most shortsighted option.. reconsider your scope of work and forget about finishes that will look silly in ten years
Gas or oil? How old is the boiler? What plans do you have for the future renovation of the house?
Look at it this way, if you will be able to recoup the cost of a new system within the next 10 years, install the new system.
I have a couple of good reasons behind this statement, resale value and ROI are the basic two.
Calculate your costs then proceed. Remember, the numbers never lie.
Good luck.
-Steam Man
PS- I realize you stated you’re on a budget, but feel free to give us a call if you ever consider solar heating (domestic water & space heat)
^^ My comment too, and “per-resident?” Only if these residents suck up steam from the radiator vents. Also 40% is unlikely, it’s more like 15-20%.
Gifford is probably out of league for a single brownstone installation.
^^ Just curious…why would hydronic heat cut water usage in half vs steam? I could only see that being the case if you compare it to horribly leaky steam system where a lot of make-up water is required.
If you can, you should move away from steam to hydronic heat. It saves lots of energy (on the order of up to 40% if the system is functioning and sized correctly) and I think you’ll find it more comfrotable. It also cuts per-resident water use in half. if you need a heating system expert, there’s a certification called “BPI Certified Heating System Designer” which some contractors and plumbers hold in NYC. BPI stands for Building Performance Institute. Or you can call Henry Gifford.
Do you have steam or hot water heat with the existing boiler?
you can install hydronic forced hot air and still use the existing boiler. that is what i did with my burnham natrual gas boiler. this makes sense esp. if you plan to have central AC. you can use the same ductwork and air handler. i did this using a unico high velocity system.
what kind of boiler is it and how old? In any case, that does sound like good advice. You can always replace the boiler later when you have the funds, assuming you’ll be keeping the radiators.