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Yes Thank you I was just up there again and had a look. Pyrobar. Thank you for the reply.

A few things I believe to be true, open for discussion:

1. Hybrids are great if the fossil heating appliance is free (ie already installed). This boiler would not be free.
2. The hybrids that make more sense are furnaces, not boilers, when installed in a new house so the ductwork can be used and less hardware is required.
3. Hybrids are best when fuel 2 is cheap, unlike oil.
4. Hybrids make great sense when budget options are used - combining a cheap furnace + cheap heat pump makes more sense to me than expensive furnace/boiler + expensive heat pump.
5. Hybrids seem better matched to existing homes with high heat loads and other constraints (like 100A service). New houses benefit less, as install is easier and total available savings are lower.
6. If radiant options are desired for subjective comfort, if the loads are small enough, electricity can make more sense than installing a boiler.
7. When AC is already planned, concerns about refrigerant are immaterial. The refrigerant is coming either way.
8. I typically think domestic hot water shouldn’t decide a heating and cooling system unless the situation is unique.

2. The numbers I used in my example are not manufacturer ratings. They come from actual measured performance from NEEP.org, a non-profit testing group.

3. The heat pump used in my example achieves its rated capacity with a temperature delta of 36F, or an output of 108F when the room is at 72F. But it's always important to look at specific equipment in a specific location.

4. R32 is coming. R401A will be available for existing equipment for a long time, it will gradually get more expensive over the next 25 years.

To point #1, maybe 40 years of consumers being told "heat pumps don't work below freezing" has had some impact?

When cutting and threading pipe, always run a piece of rag through the pipe, as you would your soiled shotgun, to clean out any shavings and residual cutting oil. This will save you hours of cleaning & skimming on a Steam system. Mad Dog

To replace a blown expansion tank without crushing yourself or something valuable (especially a #60 or #90 tank), isolate the tank and boiler 1st. Do this by closing every valve to the system so that the boiler and tank are isolated from everything else. Close any air vents that are in common to the tank and boiler. (1/2 blk cap on a Spirovent) Shut off the water feeder, put a hose on the main boilers drain and take the pressure off. While it starting to drain, push in or remove the valve core on the tank. This will siphon the water out of the tank and you can remove it empty.