Pictures of US National Sunray IV for Steamhead

spt87

Hi,

Thanks for all the feedback. The oil stain on the floor is old - the pad was put there to catch any drips when our oil co. changed the filter. There is no smell of oil and no sign of smoke coming into the basement - the damage/soot on the front looks to be old.

If we go the renovation route the house is likely going to be jacked up and the basement demolished/foundation replaced. The new house route would tear this house down and build new on the same site. That's why I hesitate to go new boiler since it would have to be pulled out and then put back. Also, if we build new there is a strong chance we would try to go for steam (yes, I'm one of the steam geeks).

I was thinking any upgrades to the current system would be throwaway but I'm weighing that against the need to keep some basic level of functionality and safety in the short run (same consideration for repairs throughout the rest of the house). The high cost of oil would certainly speed the pay back from even a moderate efficiency gain.

Haven't done a heat loss but it appears there is no insulation in the walls but the attic is insulated. Windows are old but relatively tight with storms. The house has proven much more comfortable and efficient than my worst case estimate but there is certainly a lot of room for improvement!

Thanks again, one of you may be hearing from me via Find a Prof. (located on Cape Cod).

spt87

New burner, tub chamber of US National Sunray IV?

Hi,

Per the thread of earlier this week which has scrolled off - here are pictures of the Sunray IV which I'm considering upgrading with a newer burner/chamber.

It currently has a Carlin Model 150F burner. It has a 1.0GPH 70 degree A nozzle installed with interrupted ignition via a stack relay. Tankless coil provides our hot water and is working pretty well for us (keeps up with showers no problem but have to throttle the faucet to fill the tub).

We are about 2 years from major renovation/expansion of the house or possible tear down/build new so I don't want to replace the boiler quite yet. In September the stack temp. was 700 degrees. I cleaned it and got it down to 580 (it was pretty dirty - we purchased the house over the summer from the estate of the original owner - everything was neglected for some time).

Our experience so far is we use approx. 1/8th tank per week in winter weather (20 to 30 degrees outside). We keep the house in the 60 to 65 degree range.

Should I bother spending money on a burner upgrade or ride it out as is for the next couple of years? Has been mostly trouble free so far - last week of Dec. it locked out and our oil company replaced the filter, pump strainer and a new nozzle (was due for a tune up anyway).

Thanks,

Leo

Your proposal

Your proposal may save some oil and burn cleaner. It will also give you a burner full of new parts making it more reliable and replace the outdated stack switch. Keep in mind that the complete upgrade you mention is the only way to see a marked difference. Another thing to remember, if you upgrade the burner now and in two years upgrade the whole system a new system comes with a package burner. Think of it like new tires on your car, you replace the car down the road do you keep the tires? If that oil stain around the tank is still leaking get that addressed first.

Leo

Steamhead (in transit)

Looks like that burner

has had some operational problems recently- the front of the boiler is pretty sooted up.

That Carlin is a slow-speed burner and as far as I know is not a flame-retention type. Upgrading to a high-speed flame-retention unit would show a saving of at least 10%, with 15-20% likely.

The stack-relay primary control is no longer the state of the art, and its 70-90-second "trial for ignition" period is longer than is considered safe. The standard nowadays is 15 seconds, which is much more realistic- you're gonna have problems if it doesn't light immediately. So a new burner should have a new primary control.

A new burner would certainly operate cleaner and more efficiently that that old one. Whether or not you'd see a payback would depend on how long it remains in place (such as if your project starts in two years or is delayed).

It might make sense to replace the boiler now, and add a second one for the addition/new house. If the addition/new house load is different from that of the present main house, you might end up with one larger and one smaller boiler, so either or both could be fired depending on the amount of heat needed at that moment. In the summer, the smaller boiler could operate an indirect heater for your hot faucet water, so you shouldn't need to throttle the faucet to fill the tub.

Have you done a heat-loss calculation on the main house or the proposed addition/new house yet?

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

[Deleted User]

and add a second one

for the addition/new house

now, that's the ticket! and the current philosophy behind a/c today

J.C.A._3

Frank hit it!

I'm finding more and more, that his reasoning is sound. Putting in 2 boilers is a sound and tested concept...that actually saves money in the long run.

Although I try to use a control strategy that rotates the boilers to keep them evenly running time wise...the smaller boiler concept is also a good one for summer operation.(and the controls available are simply amazing at doing this! I randomly check the run times...and find them within 10-15 hours of equal running time after a year or 2!)

BTW, that burner is as worn as an old pair of jeans. Switching it out for a retention head unit is a good choice.Replacing the firebox would be my choice also, as the old one could be a problem if it's cracked or even falling.(most do!) Be sure to use something that will fit into the new units...and if you have to buy "packaged boilers", save it for parts and controls after the new install. JMHO. Chris

ed wallace

US NATIONAL/SUNRAY

you should deefinatly upgrade the burner and chamber and under ma law you must replace the oil line make sure whoever installs the burner does an effiency test when done do not let them set it by eye start as soon as possible spraying the front plate mounting bolts with wd 40 or a rust buster spray otherwise the installer will be drilling and tapping new bolts