I bought a used NTI boiler

BigBigEd

I'm new to this forum. I've installed a few slant fin boilers. Excuse the lack of technical wording.



Recently, I bought a used NTI Trinity T200 mod/con boiler for $300.



I chatted with the previous owner for a couple hours to make sure he wasn't selling me a lemon.



He was a pretty technical guy, and has lots of money. He was convinced (maybe for good reason) to go with two Viseman boilers for his 5000 sq foot bungalow. He wanted the boilers in a different location and really wanted redundancy to protect the property if he was away.



He was happy to give me a great deal on the old one, and the $300 was clearly not a big deal to him. He wanted to see the boiler used somewhere. His experience was a bunch of premature burned out igniters....sounded like a cycling problem to me. He said he had to constantly blow out the condensate tube to get it to work again. The tube was restricted and he thought it didn't have the proper fall. Other than that, he said the unit was great.



The unit is a T200 and is about 6-7 years old.



The property that it will go into is a 3 storey, 100 year old, 4500 sq ft, with old radiators.



Questions..



1. Should I bother? Is the unit worth installing?



2. Any known problems with this unit ( I really like the triangle tube, but this boiler practically free) This unit in Canada sells for aprox. $6,000 with tax



3. I thought about leaving the slant fin in the boiler room as back-up. Should I bother?



4. Is this unit ready for domestic HWT



5. I've heard that retrofitting an old system with old rads isn't great because there isn't adequate heating surface area on the old rads to lower the water temp enough so that the boiler works in the efficient condensing temperatures. Thoughts?



6. Do you think I'll save much fuel (NG)?



I have a pretty good contractor who has installed NTI Trinitys. He told me that the heat exchanger need to be cleaned thoroughly every year.



I appreciate any help.

Steve Whitbeck

NTI

Old style cast iron radiators are great with high efficient boilers.

I would suggest installing a Y strainer to keep the crud out of the boiler. If the tubes of the heat exchanger get plugged it will destroy the boiler.

With cast iron radiators you can probably have the max temp set at 160*.

nicholas bonham-carter

used boiler experiment

has this system always been hot-water?

if so, then the crud is probably all ready to flow out when you disconnect the old boiler, although a strainer is a very good idea, if it will be cleaned regularly.

is this new boiler sized properly to the heat-loss?--nbc

 

BigBigEd

Always water

This system has always been hot water, yes. I've done a heat loss, and the 188K BTU input is adequate.



I took out a 300k BTU boiler and replaced it with a 175K BTU after doing the heat loss.

Steve Whitbeck

Y strainer

The Gianoni (sp) heat exchanger should ALLWAYS  have a Y strainer.

Mark Eatherton

I believe your boiler may have been recalled...

Not a big deal to change it out, but the original trap they used on their condensate drains, got brittle and had to be replaced.



http://www.nythermal.com/index.php?page=important_safety_updates



ME

BigBigEd

Why was my post deleted?....new to the forum

Not sure why my post was deleted....thoughts?

Mark Eatherton

It wasn't your posts that were deleted...

Steve Whitbeck had a bunch of duplicates that were eliminated.



So long as your post doesn't mention price, and you are not mean and vicious, your posts won't be removed...



ME

BigBigEd

Brittle condensate tube

You're right,



The condensate tube def looks brittle, and I'll replace it.



What is the need for a loop ( or trap) in the condensate tube?



Is it important. I see a lot of people not doing it on equipment.



Thanks, again

Mark Eatherton

Loop is critical...

It serves as a P trap for the condensation and provides a means of keeping the flue gas from getting through the tubing and into the room.



If there is not a trap, then the flue gas from the combustion process can flow out the same line and into the mechanical room. Follow the instruction manual to the T.



ME

Steve Whitbeck

Bad drain hose

Munchkin had a bad batch of drain hose assemblies but then they shipped them with a clamp that had WAY too much tension and when the new hose got hot the clamp bit throught the hose.

AFred

NTI

My 2 cents; Dump the Trinity, look into the Triangle Tube(or anything else), you'll earn your 300 bucks back in 3 years or less by not needing it fixed anually. I find the parts a little tough to get ahold of here in minneapolis(I blame the wholesaler). I do think there are too many consumable parts on the Trinity.

Is it a T200 or a Ti200? the T200 is the early version, ie; more issues.

Hey Mark I think I've earned the right to be "mean and vicious" with how many times a Trinity has gotten me out of a warm bed and into a cold van in the wee hours of the night!

-Andy

BigBigEd

But, But, But.....

I got this thing at such a great deal......oh, well.



I told the guy that I'll only give him as much as I will feel comfortable trashing the thing....so $300 it was....so, I have no problem not using it.



The thing is, triangle tubes and even mew NTI's are 6-7 grand in Ontario, so isn't it worth trying this trinity and servicing it every year?....the guy had little problem with it.



My installer is coming to check out the exchanger...something about "if every 3rd ring is deformed, then the exchanger is shot".



He agrees with most that if this boiler was installed improperly, it could be useless, and he is very detailed in his installations.



NTI's are quite common here (Toronto).



It is a T200 and not a Ti200.



I thought about leaving the cast iron boiler in place and installing this, so that the old boiler (not that old) could be used as a back-up. It would be turned off and valved to work completely independant of the Trinity.



Does the tri-anglr tube need no servicing every year?



BTW, I appreciate your 2 cents.

tim smith

NTI boiler ?

Nyet!

Steve Whitbeck

deformed tubes

The tubes get deformed because of overheating, I wouldn't say that it means the exchanger is bad.

BigBigEd

Is it toast

So, my installer checked the heat exchanger, and showed me where it is deformed, as he predicted.



He said the boiler is toast.....anyone else disagree.



I don`t really want to junk it, but if it`s no good, I don`t want to install it, either.

AFred

NTI

Do what I do when I rip them out. Thow it in the back of your shop and cannibalize it for spare parts.

-Andy