need new gas boiler elevated of concrete basement floor

belle

How high can a new Sentry slant fin s90 boiler be installed of a basement concrete floor. The ceiling is 74" from floor. The manual says the unit is 37"  and the vent damper is 6".  I choose the contractor because he said (and e-mailed) that this new unit could be installed     " quite high off the floor". The old boiler was 7 1/2" off the floor (cinder blocks).  (He knew the situation that the basement floods and the old unit was too low and destroyed) I went home at lunch and am very disappointed & feel bamboozled. The new boiler is only 3 1/2" higher!  I would like to know where the other 20" of space went ?  He should not have misled me, or maybe he could have done other things to install it higher? I would appreciate any input anyone has as he wants to be paid. I would like to pay him but I had other estimates that were better than the installation i received. thanks.

Danny Scully

Installer

I am the installer of this boiler. Your satisfaction is all that matters to me. Please call me.

STEVEusaPA

12"

from top of boiler to combustibles.....unless you need more for venting/piping

http://www.jupiterheating.com/pdfs/slant-fin-sentry-installation-manual.pdf

page 3.

Ironman

How High is High?

That's kinda like asking: "How long is a piece of rope?" Obviously, your conception of high was different than the installer's. I can't remember ever seeing or installing a cast iron boiler any higher than on cinder blocks. If he added 3 1/2 inches more, that would be the highest that I know of. But my experience in this trade is limited (40 years) and I haven't seen everything.



If a specific height was not specified and agreed upon, than I can't see how you could expect more than what you got and neither would a judge. I hope it doesn't come to that. Contractors are not mind readers and there are a lot of things that have to be taken into account during the layout and installation other than boiler height, ceiling and flue height. Your contractor did an excellent job from what I can see in the pic. He put the circs in the correct place: the supply piping, down stream of the expansion tank. That alone required more height than you considered and he did it in as minimal an area as reasonably possible.



As far as other estimates being "better", I'm not sure what that means, but it's not relevant. You chose this contractor and (as I said), unless a certain height was determined and agreed to, you have no reason to withhold payment.



Your contract did the job in a manner far superior to what I come across 98% of the time. He's earned his money. Pay the man.





P.S.



I noticed that your water heater is the same height off the floor as the boiler. The water heater could not have been put any higher due to the flue connection. Why would the boiler need to be any higher than the water heater?

bill_105

Interesting chemistry...

that a homeowner writes in with a concern, then the contractor comes right back. I wonder how that happened. Now both are to be subjected to the wrath of the wall.

The last two sentences of both of them sums it up.

Checkbook time!!  IMHO

belle

Some clarity

Just a little clarity on this issue. This is the 3rd furnace or boiler I am having installed in 10 years. My basement floods almost once a year with 12" to 15" of water. I was very clear that this project was to replace the dead furnace (on 71/2" cinderblocks) & resolve the elevation & flooding issues once & for all. I chose the contractor based on his understanding of this issue & his knowledge of which equipment would be best suited to handle the problem. His estimate & cover letter were clear.  I have no idea why he jumped on this web-site...but from your answers I can only guess... he accomplished his goals.  I was looking for some unbiased professional input from pros. I did not say I was not paying my contractor , I did not say who he was & I did not say he did a bad job for a typical installation. I look for input from many web sites from professionals & DIY'rs on deck building, wood stove installations, tiling a floor, etc. all the time. The information is always greatly appreciated...and to clear up the photo issue. Photos are misleading.The boiler is installed about 11 1/4" +/- off the floor (this is an increase of about 3 1/2" above the old furnace) The water heater was actually lowered from about 8" to 2" or 3" off the floor. The basic concept of this project was lost. With a little input from this site the issues could have been resolved low key & inteligently without dragging them through the mud.  Most issues can be resolved when handled professionally. I dont have another $4k or $5k to have another boiler installed in 2 or 3 years. After a weekend of fall foliage I will settle this on Monday . Thank you all for your diverse insight. 

RobG

your contractor

I suspect that your contractor found your thread because he is on this website frequently (click on his name and you can see his previous postings). From seeing the photos of his work and from his postings he seems to be a quality oriented and contentious technician. It also sounds like he is willing to work with you on this issue. Rather than elevating all my equipment I personally would try to address the flooding problem.

Just my two cents.

Rob 

Jean-David Beyer

Flooding.

I have a 200 year old building heated by two hot air furnaces. There was no heat in the building when it was designed. 100 years or more later, someone dug a boiler room next to the building with a poured concrete floor and cinder block walls. Some time later, the bottom of the boilers rusted out because of getting several inches of water in there when the water table got too high, usually late winter and all of spring. We replaced the furnaces anyway because the heat exchangers started leaking into the building. The contractors elevated the furnaces using bricks, so about 3 inches. Not really enough.



We rented a circular saw with carbide cutting wheel and cut a hole for a sump at the lowest part of the floor and installed a sump pump. We wore that wheel down from 12 inches to about 8 inches: the concrete had cured for at least 40 years. That solved the flooding problem. It still gets damp down there. Our main concern now is an uninterruptable power supply to run the sump pump when the power fails.

lchmb

sealing

Might be worth the money to have someone come in and inspect the basement to seal it. Have a family member who does it in NH and he guarantee's in writing (if it can be done, if it cant he'll tell you) to seal your basement and make it water tight. I have seen one case where people had a  running saturation in their house and he stopped it. Basement has been dry for 5 years now...In this day and age, it's incredible what can be done..