Boiler/Furnance Maintenance

Need to cap the gas on an old gas fireplace in a place we recently purchased. The boiler is ancient (really not sure exact date) but it’s one of those things where if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Also they don’t make things like they used to and don’t want to replace this beast if it’s been chugging along just fine. Anyways have had a few people in here including guys from Approved Oil/Boro Oil and now this guy from Big Apple Chimney. Both companies recommended we leave the thing. However the guy from Big Apple is saying that it needs maintenance. He took the front cover off and said the guys from Approved/Boro (especially since we have a service contract with them) should have seen that there’s carbon being emitted from the bottom of it. The ‘carbon’ he was talking about looked like charcoal and smeered on the floor. It was like black dust. The guy from Big Apple recommended taking it apart and cleaning the thing and the tank I think he said. He said that would be around $500\. I’m fine with paying that if that’s something that really needs to be done. Is carbon from a boiler really something? Once he takes it apart, might it break after/faster? Has anyone had this experience? Thanks!

yesbrooklyn

in About Brooklyn 9 years and 7 months ago

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BSDOD | 9 years and 7 months ago

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Live with it, get to know your new house a bit, you can always find something that needs attention and money.

yesbrooklyn | 9 years and 7 months ago

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Thanks for the input. Snowman2 who did the cleaning/service work for you?

snowman2 | 9 years and 7 months ago

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I have an ancient gas fired boiler (probably 1950s vintage) that in 1983 the engineer who inspected the house said would last another couple of years if I “gave it a good cleaning/servicing”. I looked and thought if anyone gave it a good cleaning it would fall apart so I did nothing. House is warm every winter. Fast forward 20 years I had a chimney guy in for the hwh chimney and he assured me that there was nothing in the boiler to break and he took apart the burners and “gave it a good cleaning/servicing”. All these years, the boiler kicks in every fall and I have a warm house. The cost of heating (with gas) is very reasonable and has increased much less than the cost of living of all other expenses. The new very expensive windows I installed as well as the super insulation on 2/3 of the back of the house has been much more cost effective and comfortable than a new boiler and was a better use of my money. I hope the boiler lasts longer than I do. Had I installed a new boiler 30 years ago I would have had to replace it already.

cate | 9 years and 7 months ago

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All oil boilers should have maintenance once a year, preferably in the summer. Your regular oil provider probably does it for free.

Master Plvmber | 9 years and 7 months ago

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Oil companies love to tell people to keep their ancient boilers.

BobMarvin | 9 years and 7 months ago

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I’d suggest getting the company with whom you have a service contract to take another look. Replacing the boiler might be a good idea in the long run, but, if it’s working, I think you’d be better off having that done outside of the heating season.

steam_man | 9 years and 7 months ago

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    string(10) "subscriber"
    [1]=>
    string(15) "bbp_participant"
  }
  ["allcaps"]=>
  array(4) {
    ["read"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["level_0"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["subscriber"]=>
    bool(true)
    ["bbp_participant"]=>
    bool(true)
  }
  ["filter"]=>
  NULL
  ["site_id":"WP_User":private]=>
  int(1)
}

Cost to install an new boiler could be around $16,000-$20,000 give or take 20% as I’m sitting in front of a computer and not in your boiler room. Modern boiler efficiency is 83% – 95% depending on whether steam or hydronic. One thing is for sure, you can dump all the money you want into an old boiler it’s still money going up in smoke. -S.