conversion burners

j a_2

Sure anyone in the heating business has the mechanical ability to install a conversion burner, or at least I hope so....otherwise maybe they are not really,, in the heating business...I think about conversion burners only because I am asked about them....Then I think of good and bad reasons/questions why I would or would not install one here in my state...I am, open minded...

1   Do the top three boiler manufacture companies, authorize conversion burners? Will my warranty sill be intact?

2    Will my insurance company need to be notified, and accept this change?

3    Will my gas supplier guarantee me, a minimum of 5 in. w/c?

4    What about the chimney, I am changing fuels?

5    Will my efficiency change, or just the cost of fuel?

6    Is it now in compliance with local authority having jurisdiction, as a listed, and approved appliance?  Will they accept the installation instruction manual left on site with a supplement, unless approved?

7    Gas company sent me a letter stating cost of a new boiler is xyz, should I convert,,and you tell me the cost to purchase a conversion burner is xyz, why more?

8    You  did a heat loss and tell me my heat loss is 65k btus, that boiler down there says 140 k input, is that  o k ?  Will you be able to change the manf. plate to  state any changes ,so when I sell, Mr. Home inspector does not tell buyers bolier is not sized correctly?

9  Can I expect the tankless to still supply me the same amount of hot water?

10   You say I can convert back should prices change, How long will the local fire department let me store that oil tank YOU disconnected? It still has oil in it...

Steamhead

Answers

1. Buderus, Slant/Fin, Smith and Solaia are four manufacturers that officially do. For the rest, look at the experience Tim McElwain has had: not one warranty issue in 40 years of conversions. Since power gas burners are used in commercial boilers all the time, there's no reason we can't use them on residential units.



2. If you are already licensed and insured for installing and servicing gas equipment, you should be OK, but check with your agent to be sure.



3. They should, since many gas units require that much inlet pressure. But this is a bit less of an issue with a power burner, since the mixing of gas and air is done by a fan blowing thru small openings in the head, rather than the force of the gas coming out of an orifice as on atmospheric burners.



However, since a power burner won't usually be the only gas unit in the house, you still need to maintain that level of inlet pressure.



4. It's a good idea to reline a chimney no matter which fuel you're using. Modern boilers don't exhaust nearly as much heat up the chimney as older ones did, so there is more risk of condensation in the flue.



5. That depends. If the boiler was not set up properly for oil, it will soot up and waste fuel. Switching to gas will eliminate this problem, but so will proper setup on oil.



When comparing the thermal efficiency of atmospheric boilers to wet-base power-burner boilers, the latter wins every time. The power burner, when properly installed and tuned, can produce a clean flame- no CO- with a lot less excess air than the atmospheric. Also, the wet-base can pick up more heat from the flame, rather than losing it from the wide-open base of an atmospheric.



6. Gas conversion burners are listed for installation into existing appliances. This is no different from, say, removing a non-flame-retention oil burner that came with the boiler and installing a flame-retention unit. In both cases the new burner is listed for use as an upgrade or conversion unit.



If the burner manufacturer has tested their burner in a specific boiler and published a specification for that boiler-burner combination, so much the better.



7. Not sure what you mean here. A new boiler is always more expensive than a conversion, unless the gas company is giving the boiler away for free. National Greed was doing this for a while.



8. This is one instance where replacing the boiler with a properly-sized one would probably be a better way to go.



9. Sure- but a booster tank or indirect would produce more hot water at less operating cost.



10. If that tank has been there for several decades, as many have, it should be removed since its condition is questionable. If you then want to go back to oil, install a double-wall tank. But you won't need to replace the boiler each time.



And you do test all your equipment with a digital combustion analyzer, don't you?



Hope this helps.

j a_2

not for me

Thanks for your input...It is my opinion,conversion burners are not a viable option...Legality, safety , and  cost....Use the appliance for its intended use...oil for oil gas for gas....Keep it simple...Why do you ask if use a digital combustion analyzer?  One should always go by the book, at a minimum,don't you agree?

Steamhead

I ask everyone that question

when burners or combustion come up- if you don't test, you're guessing, and taking unnecessary risks with people's lives. Enough said.



Conversion burners will probably become a significant part of our business in the next few years, especially since they offer better efficiency than atmospherics when properly installed in good wet-base boilers. We've done plenty and have a few more in the pipeline. I doubt the Carlin, Midco and Riello people would offer these burners for sale as upgrade/conversion burners if there were Code or listing issues with them.



And as to cost- are the utilities giving boilers away in your area?

j a_2

thanks

The great thing about this site, is we all get the opportunity, to express our opinions...Hopefully we all learn something...I did.....This site, covers such a huge area,its near impossible, for all to agree, on what is right, or wrong, when it comes to code issues..enough said......Leave that for the powers to be...However, when it comes to the homeowner,who has basic theory questions about his/her  heating system, and is looking for answers, be it steam, hot water or whatever there is no better site.  I come on here to learn, and  help out ,if I can, don't you? I learn every day...