Boiler Options / Alternatives?
So… seems I need a new boiler…. and with the city’s push to move away from gas, and the fact that my gas bill was over $900 last month, I’m wondering if now is the time to consider something other than another gas boiler. Has anyone installed a different HVAC system / heat pump / electric alternative they actually like? We are planning on doing a bunch of targeted renovations (kitchens & bathrooms & windows mostly) – we were NOT planning on doing a gut renovation. Are there other heating (and potentially cooling) alternatives I should be considering? (And also, are there government incentives I should be aware of for moving away from gas?) Thanks for sharing your experiences!

winbrown
in General Discussion 3 years and 3 months ago
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Guest User | 3 years and 2 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "201692"
Dona… errol832000@hotmail.com

dona | 3 years and 2 months ago
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Eman137 How can I contact you? I am exploring a new heat/hot water system for a multifamily.

Master Plvmber | 3 years and 2 months ago
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Second to the fireplace, steam heat is oldest heating system in use today and yet it is the most woefully misunderstood. A handful of us heating contractors in the area know how to make our systems sing but we are outnumbered and lost in the shuffle of the lesser-cost, marginally qualified folks that continue to take jobs from us daily. Decades of posts on this blog from people frustrated for having thrown money at people who don”t know what they’re doing hasn’t made a dent in this. And it’s the system’s fault somehow. Bleh. I’m aggravated and haven’t even had my coffee yet. Johnny out.

alexwithak | 3 years and 2 months ago
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Late to this but wanted to say that as long as you get a heat pump system rated for very cold weather, you can totally replace your boiler and significantly lower your heating costs. We had a Mitsubishi Hyper Heat system (good to sub-zero temps) install completed right at the start of February and haven’t turned our boiler on since. We’re completely comfortable even on very cold days. Jan and Feb were similar temps and the net impact was a 40% reduction in heating cost for us. Caveats are we have newish windows, are an attached rowhouse, and our attic crawlspace has blown-in insulation. There’s one small room where it wasn’t practical to put a split unit that’s a little chilly on very cold days, but a space heater solves that.

Guest User | 3 years and 3 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "202751"
I use A Real Good Plumber (212) 505-1837 for all things steam heating. They are not cheap but they make your heating cheap. I have had to tell too many other plumbers they are doing the wrong thing when it comes to steam pressure, vent size, etc. Better to avoid a cheaper plumbing service if they are telling you to increase pressure where not needed or to install whatever size and brand air vent on your radiator that they happen to have laying around in their truck

Augustiner | 3 years and 3 months ago
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Ah sorry … I always get the 2 mixed up somehow.
In that case I‘d suggest a condensing boiler with hydronic panel radiators.
Hvac is just one big headache.

Guest User | 3 years and 3 months ago
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augustiner …those are water heaters not boilers… in NYC you cannot use a water heater for space heating

Augustiner | 3 years and 3 months ago
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You could get a heat pump boiler e.g. https://www.stiebel-eltron-usa.com/products/accelera-heat-pump-water-heaters
keeps the cellar dry as a side effect 😉

BklnRefugee | 3 years and 3 months ago
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Eman137 — Yeah, I guess ConEd can make electricity expensive enough to make heat pumps unattactive. Where we did the project, right now I calculate that the boiler (on trucked propane with the price we locked in last summer) gives 60K BTU/$ and the heat pump (at 32F) is around 90K BTU/$ (at our current electric rate)

Master Plvmber | 3 years and 3 months ago
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Call this guy: www.72Fmechanical.com for an independent, 3rd-party consultation.
He’s very smart and uniquely handsome, even though he’s put on some weight since the whole covid thing. But now that he’s back to the gym 4x per week that’s about to change.

sticksandstones | 3 years and 3 months ago
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I have used Gateway Plumbing and they tuned up an out of whack steam system for me that confounded two other plumbers. I have also heard great things about Eman and Petri. So those three would definitely be your best bet. Steam does seem to be very finicky and temperamental.

yudashasom | 3 years and 3 months ago
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you probably don’t need a new boiler – you just need a new president, and to insulate your basement pipes, seal gaps/drafts, and make sure your system is running as efficiently as possible. maybe eman can help you. $900/mo? your boiler is probably running 2x as much as it should. electric will cost you the same or more.

Guest User | 3 years and 3 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "201692"
Bklynrefugee…Im a heating tech and one of my accounts has a hybrid system in a six family with an air to water/glycol chiller as a component. . the controls switch over to using a series of HE gas boilers when the temp hits 45 degrees The cost of using the chillers for heat becomes prohibitive and inefficient at that point due to the cost of electricity in brooklyn… I can’t quite get a grip on how NYC expects to eliminate gas in buildings with steam heat, since the conversion to hvac systems adds a huge expense to homeowners. BTW, as to the OP I am glad that you are looking upon boiler replacement as an opportunity to upgrade your steam system .Half the time the near piping is chaotic, leading to crappy heating distribution

slimc | 3 years and 3 months ago
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I used Eman to repipe my boiler, replace a rusted and leaking return, re-install a couple of radiators and do some safety work on my boiler – the house is much more consistently heated now, even in the rooms furthest from the boiler. I definitely recommend him.

BklnRefugee | 3 years and 3 months ago
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Not something I did in NYC (did it at vacation place in Montana) — air-to-water heat pump that plugged right into our radiant system. We kept the boiler (it turns on on the very coldest days, not because the heat pump can’t handle them, but because we need the extra BTUs). Artic Heat Pumps work down to like -20F. Electricity is cheap out where we are and propane is expensive, so it was a huge savings. Not sure how it would work on ConEd’s rate structure.

winbrown | 3 years and 3 months ago
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Well, I’d love a real consultation from a heating/steam expert who could take a look at the place and advise on the best way to move forward since with needing a new boiler I now have the opportunity to rethink and set up a good system – especially since we are at the end of the heating system and not in the emergency of the beginning. Brownstoners, who do you love?

lkrshacmzcy | 3 years and 3 months ago
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Vents should be sized to the radiator, not to the location!
…This is a question we open up every December or so and let the Team argue with each other

lkrshacmzcy | 3 years and 3 months ago
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Vents should be sized to the radiator, not to the location!
…This is a question we open up every December or so and let the Team argue with each other

Guest User | 3 years and 3 months ago
string(1) "3" string(6) "201692"
you should never have turned up the steam pressure Hopefully your plumber added some vents on the basement steam mains