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Re: Are mod-con high efficiency boilers false economy Vs traditional cast iron over a longer time frame?
I agree with @SuperTech & @tim smith above. The number don't favor mod cons unless you can keep them condensing.
If the Homeowner can do his own service that helps.
I am very Leary due parts availability and parts prices. A blower motor assembly can cost 1/4-1/3 the cost of a whole new boiler. After 10-15 years (maybe less) the mfg has moved on to a different design and parts are no longer available
I have seen mod cons work great on the right installation.
We used then to heat a 100,000 gallon tank located outside that stored fire sprinkler water at 50 degrees. They condensed all the time and two 200,000 btu mod cons replaced an oversized 1,500,000 btu gas fired atmospheric boiler.
They save enough in gas costs to pay for the entire job in less than a year. But that is a commercial job.
As @tim smith mentioned residential is different.
If the Homeowner can do his own service that helps.
I am very Leary due parts availability and parts prices. A blower motor assembly can cost 1/4-1/3 the cost of a whole new boiler. After 10-15 years (maybe less) the mfg has moved on to a different design and parts are no longer available
I have seen mod cons work great on the right installation.
We used then to heat a 100,000 gallon tank located outside that stored fire sprinkler water at 50 degrees. They condensed all the time and two 200,000 btu mod cons replaced an oversized 1,500,000 btu gas fired atmospheric boiler.
They save enough in gas costs to pay for the entire job in less than a year. But that is a commercial job.
As @tim smith mentioned residential is different.
Re: Are mod-con high efficiency boilers false economy Vs traditional cast iron over a longer time frame?
Here's another thought. Have you considered an Energy Kinetics EK1 Frontier? Again, I'm a homeowner not a pro, but many pros here have high praise for the Energy Kinetics. The benefits for you are that it's higher efficiency than a standard cast iron boiler, but it's non-condensing, so you don't get the problems associated with a condensing boiler. If you get the stackable EK1 Frontier, you get a compact system with a 40-gallon water tank for your hot water.
https://energykinetics.com/system2000-quietest-most-efficient-boiler/
So that might be the best of both worlds for you: higher efficiency with the good reliability track record of the Energy Kinetics, without going to a condensing boiler that brings more problems. And the stackable design is more compact than a traditional cast iron boiler with an indirect tank.
https://energykinetics.com/system2000-quietest-most-efficient-boiler/
So that might be the best of both worlds for you: higher efficiency with the good reliability track record of the Energy Kinetics, without going to a condensing boiler that brings more problems. And the stackable design is more compact than a traditional cast iron boiler with an indirect tank.
jesmed1
2
Re: Subdural’s Triumph
I was starting 7 boilers in a Boston high rise of 34 floors, and they had a women electrician running that job. One of the hardest workers I ever saw. We have several women pipe fitters/plumbers in our local union hall and get several new female apprentices every year.
Re: Subdural’s Triumph
Some of the best tradespeople I've worked with over the years have been women. Not quite so much tendency to take the if a little hammer doesn't work, try a bigger one approach. There are a few -- a very few -- jobs where sheer physical strength is helpful, of course -- but even there sometimes...
Re: Subdural’s Triumph
mattman said:When I worked for a mechanical contractor we had a tinner that was as skinny as could be that outworked half the men in the shop.
And she was a woman
mattman
3
Re: Subdural’s Triumph
When I worked for a mechanical contractor we had a tinner that was as skinny as could be that outworked half the men in the shop.
mattman
2
Subdural’s Triumph
Subdural’s Triumph
Many extremely capable women are tackling tough jobs in mechanical rooms despite pushback.
Re: Dear Reader
Dan I want to thank you for helping me be a better mechanic. I have been in the trade for 49 years and in June it will be 50 years. I have followed you and your writings since the 80’s I think. To this day I still use your books as reference and knowledge. I was lucky enough to sit with you at lunch at one of your seminars and was amazed at how you held the attention of every single person at the table. You have done more for the trade than anyone has ever. Thank you my friend and your entire family. May you enjoy your retirement and your family for years and years to come. I myself will always be blessed to have been able to take advantage of all you had to share. Perhaps when we are all with the dead men we will be able to sit and share stories together but for now I just want to thank you for all the things you have shared over the years. God bless you and your family. You have made a difference in this world and I am lucky enough to have been part of it
John Faccio.
John Faccio.
Re: Dear Reader
Your book saved me so much time and trouble. I bought a house with a 121 year old steam system, went in knowing nothing about steam. I read The Lost Art cover to cover and was able to get the system humming with little effort. The prior owners had neglected it and, by their own records written on the wall, were adding a gallon of water a day to the system! It also heated unevenly. Now my house is toasty even on the coldest night so far (high 20s). I love the steam radiators. They're so much better than forced air. And what other heating system still works after 121 years with the same piping and same radiators and much of the same valves? Your book probably saved the steam system from being trashed and replaced.
zooba
1
Re: Dear Reader
Dan, I wrote about 17 paragraphs that got lost when I logged in. I'll paraphrase... THANK YOU! You were an influencer long before there was such a thing! I truly appreciate you, what you have done for the word and what you have done for me personally. I look forward to having a Guinness with you in the future. Wheels
