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1920's richardson boiler

therockny
therockny Member Posts: 7
I looking for hvac tech in nyc with experience and knowledge working with them.I plan to replace boiler in five years. Boiler has midco burner. Love to use a Beckett aquasmart for the boiler reset,low water cutoff and the dely off circulator however I cannot find immersion well. Boiler is using a honeywell pipe strap aquastat for high limit .also looking to replace fire brinks in fire chamber.

Comments

  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,612
    Sounds like you have

    a Midco E-20 Power Gas Conversion burner which is powered with 120 volts and then operates off the internal relay in the burner to power the gas valve. Not quite sure how you would wire the AquaSmart. I am not in NYC area so I would not be able to do anything for you. I might suggest having whoever you get for a contractor to cut into the supply line with a tee as close to the boiler as they can get and use that for your sensor on the control.



    Why do you want to replace the fire bricks? Are they damaged? Does this boiler have a full bricked fire box if so it may have to be rebuilt. Some pictures would help to identify exactly how it is set up right now. Should also have a combustion test done on the boiler when repairs are completed.
  • therockny
    therockny Member Posts: 7
    here are some pics

    Photos
  • therockny
    therockny Member Posts: 7
    here are some pics

    Photos
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,612
    That is a real old

    Midco conversion burner probably a 150 C before the E-20. I am not sure if you really want to start modernizing an old boiler like that as the cost (labor) may exceed its value.
  • therockny
    therockny Member Posts: 7
    specs

    i know a have to replace this beast  Wondering if i can buy time and save a little money by replace the the burner with less btu output , add a damper and a circular delay hopefully for under $3000 .    this burner label states 315000 btu.i believe burner is oversize and burner only goes on every 6- 8 hours .. tim any advice on a cost of new boiler and cost to remove this beast. house is 3200 sq ft victorian with many windows (32)
  • therockny
    therockny Member Posts: 7
    specs

    i know a have to replace this beast  Wondering if i can buy time and save a little money by replace the the burner with less btu output , add a damper and a circular delay hopefully for under $3000 .    this burner label states 315000 btu.i believe burner is oversize and burner only goes on every 6- 8 hours .. tim any advice on a cost of new boiler and cost to remove this beast. house is 3200 sq ft victorian with many windows (32)
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,612
    Several things to think about

    1. That boiler would become very inefficient if you fired it at a rate lower than it is designed for.



    2. You can't use vent dampers on conversions



    3. What do you have for radiation?



    4. Have a heat loss done



    5. Are the windows old or new?



    6. How about insulation?



    7. The money you are going to spend would be better spent on a new boiler and other energy saving concepts that refurbishing that boiler.



    8. We do not discuss price here so it would be best if you contacted a local contractor have them come look at your setup and perhaps they will do a heat loss on the house for you. Then they can recommend what direction you should take.



    Keep in mind if this is a system with a lot of water volume and low return temps then a Modulating/Condensing boiler will thrive on that setup.
  • therockny
    therockny Member Posts: 7
    1920 richardson boiler

    TIM thanks for respond. I have cast iron radiators and original Windows. Just insulated the house with blown celluluse. House had no insulation .this year I'm going to repair Windows with new storm windows. Is there anything a could do to make this boiler more efficient . By the way why cant I use a damper. Can you please explain
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,612
    The ANSI standards

    for conversion burner installation do not allow vent dampers with conversion burners due to the higher flue gas temperatures typically found on those conversions. The conversion burner you have now was long before vent dampers so it would not have any information one way or the other as to allowing a vent damper. One of the frequent failures of vent dampers by the way is high temps affecting the printed circuit boards and end switches on the actuators.
  • therockny
    therockny Member Posts: 7
    1920 richardson boiler

    TIM can you recommend brands of boiler . Love to start researching boilers. Any consideration I should look for ,cast iron or stainless steel. Also my mains from the boiler I believe to be 2 1/2" on supply and 2 " on the return. Most of the boilers I was looking at on the internet only have 3/4 " supply and returns
  • Tim McElwain
    Tim McElwain Member Posts: 4,612
    I typically do not recommend

    boilers or furnaces as I am involved with doing training on all of them and want to remain friendly with all the manufacturers.



    What I suggest is to go above to "Find a Contractor" and get hold of a good contractor who can give you everything you need to know about replacement. There are many very good Modulating/Condensing boilers available so that is the direction I would go. A heat loss being done and a measure of radiation in the dwelling needs to be done so oversizing is not done or if the existing unit is over-sized it can be corrected with the new install. Windows and insulation are a must before even considering a boiler that way you target the boiler size to the actual heat loss of the dwelling. The boiler output (not input) should match the heat loss of the dwelling as close as you can. Also adding ODR (Outdoor Reset) will add to the more efficient operation.
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