I think its time to replace.

Hey all, So it seems that our boiler is leaking more than a few drips. Its actually tried to push the flame up the front. I’ve called someone but got no response. The unit is a gas / steam-boiler, Burnham. A few weeks ago a plumber came in and said it was leaking (I never noticed this before). He put either a liquid or powder in the unit and it seemed to seal itself. well I wake up this morning and its 60 degrees in the house. I go to check the furnace and its empty (manual fill). I fill it and it immediately, and noticeably, starts dripping out of the bottom. I hit the switch to shut it off and call this guy that came before. he tells me its cracked for sure and tells me I need to get a new one. He hasn’t called me back yet and its been a few hours. I was just looking for what the average cost should be in replacing or repairing the unit and the amount of time it should take to do. (I know I’m asking people that haven’t seen the unit or the condition its in, I’m just looking for a ballpark so I don’t get put into sticker shock when someone tells me face to face.) Any help or advice would be appreciated.

garfielder

in Boiler Repair 11 years and 5 months ago

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Roark | 11 years and 5 months ago

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you can buy the boiler on amazon or home depot fot 2k and reuse all the trim a fair plumber will probably add a grand and buy new parts then it will take two of them a lond day to get it in so another $1500 plus overhead so $2500 labor and $3500 parts Id jump on the oiffer of the used boiler if youre sure yours is leaking you cant substitute a water for steam system different pipes and you certainly dont want to install a steam system if you dont have one its archaic.

resident2 | 11 years and 5 months ago

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Sorry to hear of your lose of heat at such a trying time. That said, I am afraid it will probably be a few days before your plumber can even find the right boiler in stock anywhere. Let alone price it! Beware not to take the wrong boiler due to lack of availability in your hour of need. You will have to live with it for a very long time….. The prices will be anywhere from $7,000.00 – $15,000.00 installed depending on who is installing it and other surrounding issues. (Asbestos? leaky return lines? etc.) Once it is delivered, you should be up and running with 24 hours.

ProHeights66 | 11 years and 5 months ago

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I have a 2006 Burnham gas/steam boiler in my basement that is in perfect operating condition. Heated a 4-story brownstone very effectively, but I switched to a brand new hot water radiant system last year. If you are interested in it, it’s yours for the cost of removing it from my basement (needs to go out the front coal hatch). email: peggy dot mcguinness at gmail dot com.

ellenlourie | 11 years and 5 months ago

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Hi Garfielder, There are differences in installations which will affect the installation price and budget figures you will receive. You can take this opportunity to upgrade to a more efficient, reliable, and comfortable steam system since you only get this chance once every 30 years or replace with the same boiler you currently have. The price difference is drastic but benefits can be very well worth it. Just so you don’t get a very wide range of responses, can you be more specific? A basic swap in kind might run you around $7k without changing anything around the system. Not sure what’s existing but if you want to swap in kind with some basic changes like steam header, etc then it could run around $15k. If you want to upgrade to a more efficient steam installation with better control of the system, more comfort, and savings then it could run you in the range of $30k. These are all just basic budget figures without knowing who you will go with and what is existing.