Weil Mclain vs Burnham

MacLean

I need to replace a steam boiler in a 98 year old house. We have had a Weil Mclain EG 50 that lasted about 35 years. Before that there was the old originally coal fired snowman. I am getting differing opinions about which is better - Weil Mclain vs Burnham. Also someone mentioned Peerless. Please advise fast - we have no heat! I know the contractor is the most important aspect and I have read Dan's book. Thank you!

Charlie from wmass

Both are fine

The installer is the concern. Burnham has the only factory supplied direct vent steam boiler I know of. also Burnham has the best oil fired steamer on the market with the megasteam.

Mike Kusiak_2

Rubber gaskets vs. push nipples

Burnham and Peerless use iron push nipples to connect and seal between each cast iron boiler section. Weil-Mclean uses rubber gaskets which may in time deteriorate and cause leaks. My preference would be to get a boiler with push nipples, which have been proven reliable in use for more than 100 years.

Charlie from wmass

The push nipples once had me by the heart as the best going

I find if the push nipples are not engineered to fail something else is. As block I would go push nipples every day. I have only had the o-rings go bad when the installation was not done properly to start with. As most residential boilers are package boilers I see them fail when oil or worse yet boiler conditioners not made for them are put into the boilers.

Al Letellier_21

which is best

Can't pass on this one and let the comment about seals go by. As most of you know I am a Weil man, especially for a steam boiler. I have installed so many Weil steamers in my career that my back hurts just thinking about it. In fact, I helped install one today...retired but still doing it. I have NEVER had a seal let go on a properly maintained Weil boiler, hot water or steam, and I've installed hundreds of them.

AS to what to install, I like the SGO boiler with a Riello gas burner....great efficiency and minimal service requirements

My 2 cents opinion.

MacLean

Weil Mclain vs Burnham - I use natural gas.

I forgot to mention that I use natural gas so the Burnham magasteam is not available.

JohnNY

Burnham is the better company.

I prefer the Independence and Series 2 line of products from Burnham.

They're simple and well constructed, easy to troubleshoot, and very reliable.



http://www.flickr.com/photos/gatewayplumbing/5142570578/



I like some of Weil-McLain's products, like their indirect water heaters (made by Triangle Tube) and the Ultra Series 3 boiler, but customer service from Burnham and my local reps is infinitely better. It's like apples and oranges.

I've got cell phone numbers to customer service agents, should I need to use them.



I said something similar to this on here a few months ago. Someone contacted me from WM to smooth me over and said they were going to give my name to the proper people to make sure we got the help we were looking for....

Never heard a word from anybody.



This has been my experience, consistently, for nearly 20 years from Weil-McLain.

Bob Bona_4

What John

said, exactly.

I can't use a product that has no one seemingly accountable for.

Burnham puts a lot of effort into reaching the contractor.

That and the history of turkeys they brought to market like the WGO's predecessor oil boiler. That left a bad taste in my mouth, especially when you'd see Burnhams of the same vintage doing just fine. 

Charlie from wmass

Funny thing customer service

I have the exact opposite situation here. So I lean toward Weil McLain. I really prefer Smith but that was not one of the choices.

Bob Bona_4

must be regional

John and I are New York and  lower CT, respectively.

kevin_58

burnham vs weil mclain

I like weil mclain and peerless for their 3 inch tappings vs burnham 2 inch. If the push nipples bother you go with the peerless. Peerless is also the heavyest of the 3. I my opinion thicker block.