power vent or sealed combustion

ALH_4

A condensing boiler with thermostatic radiator valves on the radiators would be a good way to go. My personal favorite mod/con boilers are stainless steel. The Triangle Tube Prestige or the Viessmann Vitodens 200 would be my first choices. However, the Burnham Freedom and the Weil McLain Ultra aluminum mod/cons are both good options too.

Michael J. Brennan

power vent or sealed combustion???

hey guys, i'm looking to replace my gravity hot water heating system,and will be removing the existing chimney, so i am going to need to install a power vent or sealed combustion hot water boier w/an indirect fired hot water heater. would prefer to use burnham, or weil mclain for both, any input on which boiler would be better for the job? it is a residential home, w/a family of 6, heat loss calculation came out to 54,000 btu/hr, 2 full baths, 1 dishwasher, kitchen sink, 1 washing machine, no jacuzzie or hot tub, thanks for the input....

Michael J. Brennan

mod/com

Would love to go with a condensing boiler, but need to spend that money on other projects for the house, i am going to replace all of the radiators w/fin tube sized for each room, any other suggestions for a powervent or sealed combustion unit,,,thanks again

ALH_4

rads or fin tube

Are the radiators too small? Why install fin tube? You could certainly save some $ by retrofitting your radiators to TRV's and skipping the baseboard. Possibly those savings might bump you up to a mod/con? ;-)

Crown has a nice sealed combustion cast iron boiler, but the price is close to a Triangle Tube Prestige mod/con. For low cost, you are probably stuck with a powervent boiler.

Just throwing out ideas.

Michael J. Brennan

mod/com

I appriciate your iinput, i am going to replace all of the windows, re-insulater and re-sheetrock, i am going for a cleaner look as opposed to the old radiators, maybe i can get a couple of bucks for them.... and the chimney is coming down, because i need as much room as i can get, and with the price of fuel these days, i want to stay away from a large volume system....

Boilerpro_5

Large Volume system and radiators

System water volume has little to do with fuel usage. In addition, your old radiators running at low water temperature will be a more efficient heating system then convectors because they provide large perecentages of more efficient radiant heat and very little direct air heating like convectors. If you want new efficient heat emitters, use radiant wall panels. Curiously, most high water volume sytems are much more efficienct than low volume systems. Lower water content boilers will tend to be more efficient than high water content boilers, if they are equipped with modulating burners and controls.

Boilerpro

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

ALH_4

Power Vent

the Burnham Revolution is available in a power vented model. Also the Crown Bali BWF is power vented. Both are solid boilers. I lean more toward the Crown.

I would probably take those radiators off your hands if you were anywhere near Montana. I'm also in the midst of a remodel of a 1920 craftsman bungalow, and the forced air has got to go! Just have to finish the kitchen first... ;-)

kevin coppinger_4

I agree...

I replaced a old gravity boiler w/ a new NON - Condensing Buderus G124 sealed combustion, power vent boiler...used the buderus logamatic control and the homeowner saved +30% on his fuel bill...once more he was even more comfortable....I sure wish my house had "clunky" rads.Wonder what it would have been had it been a condensing type...

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Tom Hopkins

Oil or gas?



To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Perry_3

If you are going to replace all those radiators...

Go with either cast iron baseboard or the modern designer wall panels.

My personal guess is that in the future you will be sorry that you installed the cheaper fin tube units. They don't look pretty when banged up... not at all.

As far as the boiler goes: I too looked at power vent, and even sealed combustion power vent in a conventional boiler (was looking at a Crown and another). I too abandoned the chimney so that I could tear it out in the future for space (that project is a few years off yet). In the end I decided to go with a Vitodens 200 (see my homeowner boiler startup thread). In addition it cost me more to relocate the boiler from center of the basement to one wall; but that also maximized basement space (and I had to move the washer and dryer as well).

I have no regrets at all. The extra money was well worth it. I spent a bit more last year so that I will have maximum savings, comfort, and space in the future.

You have no idea how well a modulating condensing boiler with outdoor reset really works. Compared to my oil boiler - it works like a dream (even after I got the old one fired up in the fall). The house temperature is rock steady unless I change the setting. The old boiler with its on and off mode of operation could not do that.


Perry

Michael J. Brennan

gas fired

Michael J. Brennan

would love to go with an outdoor reset,We use them in NYC on our BMS systems, think they are great, which ones do you recommend, Taco?, Burnham? also considering cast iron baseboard, trying to budget the money in all of the right ways. the condensing boilers sure sound good....

Constantin

FWIW,

That project in Maine that NRT.Rob and I had a hand in is on track to save 45% fuel over the two Buderus G124X's that were 2.5x oversized, mispiped, and controlled in an "interesting" fashion all per the plans supplied by the local supply house.

My remaining project with this system is to either teach the owners how to turn the unit from DHW-only production to heating + DHW or to install a Tekmar 260 or eqv. to do it for them. It's curious how the logic inside a Vitodens unit does not seem to have a WWSD like the Vitotronic on my Vitola even though it's got an exterior temp sensor.

TK03

Use the Burnham Revolution which has the option of power venting or direct venting as it is certified for both. Add a 2-stage outdoor reset control and you will have very even heating, operation around 87-88% and maximum fuel savings as stage one will utilize stored heat from boiler and stage two will fire burnes. Increased fuel savings and comfort.

Michael J. Brennan

what size indirect heater do you recommend? family of 6, 2 full baths (1 w/shower, the other w/bath) 1 kitchen sink, 1-washing machine, and 1 dishwasher,the house is on long island,the island has alot of salt in the water from what i hear, and the salt might reduce the life of the stainless steel......

john Cockerill_2

radiation

Increase the surface area of your radiation and you will heat with lower temperatures. Get the energy out of the boiler and into the room.

www.Exqheat.com

Perry_3

The Vitodens 200

has outdoor reset built in. Many people get initial sticker shock - but forget that the Vitodens 200 also includes its own control system and outdoor reset built in. You do not need to add another controller to it.

I don't have a clue about other systems because I just have one owners manual for a unit that does just about everything (although you may need a few optional parts for exactly what you are doing).

Perry

Perry_3

how to protect the stainless in the boiler

from chlorides.... Put a carbon filter on the water supply line.

Perry

Lee_8

Direct vent

I am a home owner and repalced my over sized 40 year old atmospheric boiler driving fin tube with an energy star rated correctly sized PV Peerless boiler and indirect. Used a reputable heating pro for install but... we have had problems with vibration noise from the fan motor getting transmitted by the fin tube.

I was concerned about life of aluminum heat exchanger so I was a bit leary of the Buderus wall hung. If I had to do it again I probably would have gone with a direct vent. Too bad the Vitogas 100 was too big.