Energy Efficient Boiler Replacement for Tight Space

Regina

Thanks. Will post elsewhere. The space is not tight as are others who responded

J. Biber

Recommendations on Energy Efficient Boiler Replacement

I am looking to replace my oil-fired boiler with an energy efficient model that can fit in a tight space. I was interested in the Buderus and Biasi triple-pass boilers but I don't have the clearances in the rear to allow for this design. So it needs to be a top vent to the chimney. I have a 58 year old radiant system, with newer radiant in an addition. I have a new Amtrol 40-gallon indirect heater. My heat loss analysis showed a need for about 80,000 btu's. I have been considering the Weil McClain WGO-3 and the Burnham LE-1 low mass boiler. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

ALH_4

Monitor

How about the Monitor FCX?

JackR

LE-1

I have used a few of the LE boilers in the past for tight jobs and they are a nice fit for those applications, quiet efficient little things they are. You are going to have to be very careful how you tie the boiler into the old radiant system. Low Mass Boiler + Low Temp Radiant = Condensing Mess if not piped and controlled properly.

Regina

convert from oil to propane boiler

Help! I have a 40+ year old oil fired steam furnace that needs replacement. the old steam radiators work fine. I would like to replace system and convert to propane . Is this possible?

R Mannino

Define tight.

What kind of dimensions do you have? This is about 60"x30".

bill_97

Most new

pin style cast iron oil boilers will give you an AFUE of 85% or better . My boiler of choice for tight installs is the Peerless WBV series . It can be top or side vented and the lowest input has an AFUE of 87.5% . Here's one we had to fit in an extremely tight spot .

R Mannino

Now thats tight

Ron Jr. you really out did yourself on that one!

Ron

J. Biber

Thanks for your thoughts. Do you mean that I will need a mixing valve to lower the temperature of the water going into the radiant?

J. Biber

It looks like this requires venting through the back of the boiler and I don't have the clearances for this.

Thanks very much.

J. Biber

Tight Space

I have 34" side to side and about 40" from the rear wall to the front, including the burner and and fresh air vent. The chimney vent is to the left side of the space. This is in a utility room, slab on grade, that is quite small and only has an alcove for the boiler.

Thank you for any information that you can provide.

J. Biber

Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into this model. I now have a Peerless EC-04 that is probably 15-20 years old and has a BTU rating of 152,000, which I think is seriously oversized and inefficient. I'm thinking that simply sizing the boiler correctly (about 80,000 BTU's) should result in significant savings.

bill_97

Thank you Ron

I really dread working in these homes . It's basically a one man job , and I ain't the smallest of people

J , what are you doing for hot water ? And what kind of height are you working with ? We installed this System 2000 in an alcove . The boiler sits over a storage tank . The System 2000 is rated the most efficient boiler in a recent BNL study . And very quiet too . I'm seriously thinking of installing one in my home this summer . If I don't switch to gas that is ...........

J. Biber

Photo of Boiler Space

I took a photo of the existing boiler and space so you can see how tight it is.

Joannie_15

Regina

Hi, Regina.

You might want to post your message in a brand new thread. It will get lost in the middle of this one.

J. Biber

I just posted a photo of the space in reply to the "Define Tight" posting. I have about 7.5' in height, but not a lot of width or depth to work with. I have a new Amtrol indirect 40 gal. water heater in a space opposite the boiler. I'll look into the System 2000.

Thanks very much for the advise.

JackR

Mixing Valev

You will need some sort of mixing via mixing valve or injection but more importantly on a low mass boiler you need to protect the boiler with a system by-pass or dedicated boiler pump. The low mass boilers do not like a steady diet of return water below 130 degrees. A radiant system will generally only need between 90-130 water for a supply.

John F

Tight spaces

With the space for your boiler location so small, you might consider one of our hydraulic separators; either the Sep-Can Plus or the Allcan. The Sep-Can Plus will mount under a wall-hung boiler while the Allcan will be along side. Either of these products will reduce the amount of space needed.

bill_97

No problemo then

The Sys 2000 has a much smaller stand if you don't need the storage tank . I believe the width of the boiler is 24 inches , and the depth is less than the 40 inches you have . Here's one we installed with the smaller stand .

Good luck and please update us with photos once the install is done . Where are you located by the way ?

J. Biber

I'll look into it. There seems to be a wide range of opinions on the System 2000 on the internet regarding durability, actual fuel savings and cast iron vs. steel, which makes it difficult for a lay person like myself to evaluate.

I'm located in Westchester County, New York.

I appreciate your advise.

Ken Field

EK

20 years of installing EK boilers and first one still looks and works like new. Annual service is important. Steel has no downside in this environment. Inert liquid on water side after water treatment, boiler design does not stress welds, low mass is a plus too. Talk to owners of the system, not old timers who refuse to change. They tend to tell EK shoppers it's voodoo, but owners will tell you what they saved. My referral list is like a sales force.

Ken

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herb_4

wow your service tech must love you. Have to be a contortionist to clean and tune that one.