Replacing Boiler?
Our oil boiler is very very old. We are hoping it will make it through another winter, and then we can replace it in the spring, but we aren’t sure this is a good idea to wait. Has anyone replaced their boilers recently? Is the general wisdom still that it is better to convert to…
Our oil boiler is very very old. We are hoping it will make it through another winter, and then we can replace it in the spring, but we aren’t sure this is a good idea to wait. Has anyone replaced their boilers recently? Is the general wisdom still that it is better to convert to natural gas rather than keeping oil boilers? How long does the whole process typically take, from start of work (with contractor) to completion of inspection? (I’m assuming that we need to get a permit and get it inspected, right?) Anyone have any recommendations for a good brand of boiler/water heater (either gas or oil)? We have almost 3000 sqft to heat and 11 radiators…
Thanks!!!!
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Thank you so much, Master Plumber, really appreciate the info and the link. I will check this out and maybe we will be getting a new storage tank soon. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a grasp of all the options when we upgraded — and it was November, so we were rushing. Thank you so much.
The poster, aceintheslope says: “A properly perfomed oil to gas conversion will run you between 10k and 15k.”
That’s where most of my proposal prices fall for an oil-to-gas conversion.
You replaced like-for-like when you stayed with oil so your initial price was not as high as that, but you may have been sold on a low price or surely you would have converted or at the very least upgraded your hot water production to an insulated storage tank or indirect water heater.
The U.S. Dept of Energy says your set up may be “an inefficient choice for many homes” and the indirect water heater “the least expensive means of providing hot water”.
See here: http://www.energysavers.gov/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=13020
Spending another $3,500 or so on a better hot water system should have been at least an option for you when you were quoted for the conversion. You could get that back in 5 years and then pocket some return cash for the next 20.
I don’t recommend you ditch your new boiler at all. Following your posts, I’d say it can’t be more than 3 years old, but you could have an insulated storage tank connected to your tankless coil at this point and drop your fuel bills considerably.
Food for thought, I hope.
Best to you,
John Cataneo
http://www.GatewayPlumbing.com
Well, Master Plumber, we are very pleased with the boiler’s reliability, the silent operation of the pipes and radiators, the fact that it runs very well and keeps the house warm, etc. It’s just about the most reliable and high tech thing in the house, and you shoulda seen what was here before.
We were under the impression that operating costs would be about the same as a gas water tank. It’s about twice that. It’s possible our usage could have increased, however, since we now do about two loads of laundry a week and take only baths and no showers.
Apparently the quote we got for a gas boiler was completely fair — about $1,200, same as the poster above.
I do appreciate all these comments. It’s an informative thread.
As for high efficiency setups, aren’t they about $30,000 or $40,000 for a two family? That just wasn’t a possibility, even if I had known about it at the time.
Do you have a suggestion for what to do for hot water that doesn’t involve ditching the new boiler?thank you.
I should mention, Denton, that one of those jobs was a high-efficiency hydronic install but the other was a standard-efficiency steam boiler with an indirect water heater. We actually had a higher percentage gain in efficiency with the steam boiler….but of course there are tons of variables and that’s not typical.
my gas bill dropped by 2/3 after installing the system MP mentions… of course there was some insulation work done at the same time, but still.
With all due respect, Mopar, how the heck do you justify these two statements: “One thing that’s very annoying about our new installation is the high cost of running it” and “it works flawlessly and we are very happy with it.”
$6,500 buys a working boiler with no regard to efficiency whatsoever, no matter what the selling plumber tells you. I lose jobs to those low initial bottom line prices all the time while homeowners spend the next 25 years repeatedly handing over their up front “savings” to the utility.
My proposals are always among the higher-priced, but I always save my customers money. I’ve had feedback from a 10-family recently telling me they’ve reduced fuel usage by $6,000 per season since my new boiler (oil-to-gas conversion) went in.
A few weeks ago I ran into a client of a large home on 3rd St, who said he “could not believe” how much his gas bill dropped since we installed his new boiler and indirect water heater.
Shame on ANYBODY out there installing boilers with internal tankless coils. They should and may be outlawed.
2012 is going to bring a lot of Code-mandated changes to what we install to heat and cool our homes. It’s about time. We’re so far behind the rest of the world.
Ok. This rant is over.
Next one coming soon, I’ll bet.
Best,
http://www.GatewayPlumbing.com
A properly perfomed oil to gas conversion will run you between 10k and 15k. I know because I had it done 3 years ago and those were the quotes I got. I ended up paying 12k as I was willing to pay 2k above the lowest quote for what I felt was a better and more reputable company. They performed the work flawlessly and the extra 2k was well spent. Let me know if you want their info.