boiler and water heater replacement

I have a leaking 35 year old Weil McLain (steam that was converted to hydronic apparently) gas boiler and a gas 50 gallon AO smith that is acting a bit wonky and 12 years old so I have been assessing my options for replacing both. I have put out some calls to plumbers and had a couple of estimates… I would like more estimates but apparently this is busy season so it has been tricky getting calls returned and appointments scheduled. Two main options I have been presented with that seem solid to me are:

1) Weil McLain Ultra series with an indirect water heater
2) Burnham P200 series with a Burnham Alliance AL 50SL indirect Hydrastone

I like the idea of the high efficiency WM (95%?) vs the Burnham (80%?) but is there a concern about longevity or service costs of the higher efficiency units? Expensive computer parts and a shorter life would need to be factored in against an older style boiler that might last longer?

I also like the idea of the indirect instead of just replacing my old atmospheric but is stainless better than stone? should that choice be shaped by the brand of boiler? or the btu output of the boiler?

I don’t want to offend anyone with questions about prices but is there any reason (or good reason, I guess) that one estimate for an indirect would be 3x another estimate?

Is it typical for big purchases like this to include removal of the old units?

I really appreciate any thoughts…

juliaalexis

in General Discussion 8 years and 9 months ago

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juliaalexis | 8 years and 9 months ago

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thanks for the comments!

i was thinking that removal should be included too and was quite surprised when one guy came back with an itemized quote that contained a sizable chunk of change for removing the old boiler – and then another chunk for removing the water heater too!

i dropped an email to you eman if you get a chance…

Master Plvmber | 8 years and 9 months ago

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That Burnham indirect water heater is good for parts of the country that have problems with their water quality that we don’t have to deal with in New York.
Yes. Stainless steel is better.
Removal should always be included.

eman134 | 8 years and 9 months ago

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All bids regarding boiler replacement include removal of old equipment, as well as incidental expenses such as asbestos inspection and chimney inspection, including a line item for relining the chimney if needed if you go the plain vanilla burnham route. If you go for the weil mclain ultra you cannot vent through an existing masonary chimney so the chimney inspection becomes moot. You will need a new vent and air intake (and note: the vent cannot be pvc), There are differences in prices of indirect hw heating tanks (e.g. the burnham alliance runs $1200, while the stainless steel buderus SST 250 65 runs over $2000), but not enough to warrant a 3 fold price difference, unless the lower bid is doing a sloppy installation eliminating controls in the system. The installation of a HE boiler requires a lot more knowledge and is more sensitive to the quality of the installation than a plain vanilla installation , but if done properly should have a lifespan similar to th e simpler unit and produce savings due to the higher efficiency. If you need more advice, my contact info is errol832000@hotmail.com