New equipment - questions and request for recommendations

paspar2

Not a HVAC pro, just a flooded homeowner (damn you Sandy) - please excuse any terminology mistakes below



I had a new HVAC system installed 9 years ago when I bought my home - worked flawlessly and never needed a repairman in all that time. It was a Burnham p207 boiler (I *think* by looking at pictures) , running a hydro-air  system with 4 circulator pumps to 3 air handlers + 1 euro style radiator.



Sandy completely flooded my basement and as I understand it, I need to replace almost everything....



2 of the air handlers are fine as they were upstairs, the one in the basement is a goner



my questions:

1. was happy with the burnham p207 144k btu NG hot water boiler, cant get high efficiency bc I have an unlined brick chimney and no way to vent via side wall.

     - this is cast iron with stainless burners - MUST it really be replaced or can the gas valve/electronics be replaced and the rest washed and cleaned? I keep hearing that it can be rebuilt without issues

     - What is the current equivalent to that if I was to replace? trying to compare costs



2. (flooded) air handler for both heat and AC made by York. Was told it needs to be replaced. HVAC guy said I should put in a American Standard Gold Series unit in the same tonnage (3 ton) with its matching outdoor unit and upgrade to the new 104 vs the 22 coolant I have - any feedback on that (reliability of the brand vs what I have)? he said I can save some money by keeping my compressor and converting it but  I would still need to fix the outdoor unit and its just better to replace them as apair.



3.  the other 2 outdoor compressor units - Im told since they were submerged, they will at least need contractors and fan motors... whats your opinion?



4. my hot water heater is a few months old, and plumber said I should replace but can probably get a couple years out of it if I replace the gas valve. what is the down side to doing that?



5. the hot water heater i have is "high recovery" what does that mean? it costs almost 50% more than a regular 50galon heater... Im told "its good - do it" but no one explains why...



sorry for the length of this post and thanks for your help

nicholas bonham-carter

Repair or replace

Is there an insurance claim involved in this, or FEMA? There is every justification to replace, as the labor cost of dismantling and cleaning every part of the boiler and water heater, when added to the cost of the new gas valves and controls would be high.

If you get a new boiler, have a heat-loss done to verify the size of the new boiler, instead of just putting another one of the same size. You may be able to make hot water with the boiler, instead of getting another stand alone unit.

How small is your chimney? The new mod-cons use a very small plastic flue, so you may be able to use the chimney after all, and they make hot water. The old water heater could become a reserve tank for the hot water production. What sort of professionals have you consulted so far?--NBC

SWEI

high recovery

means a bigger burner, which can deliver more gallons per hour of hot water.  That increased first cost may come with increased operating expenses depending on the design.



An indirect hot water heater fed by the boiler will be more efficient than the vast majority of tank water heaters and may deliver increased performance -- depending on the boiler size and DHW demand.

Zman

I would..

I would put in a mod/con boiler with a side arm water heater. You flue can be lined with flex or ridged pipe. A wall hung model might help with future flooding. I like Triangle Tube boilers.



Your existing boiler is basically "totaled" The cost of replacing the gas valves, electronics and heat shield materials would be more than replacement.



Carl

paspar2

frustrated

Mod/Con? what is that in plain english?



any idea if the condenser units outside that were fully submerged are "totaled" as well?



I hired the same pro who installed the system 9 years ago, he is very "old school" and likes to keep things simple. He did prove himself with a flawless install last time...  he said he can fix my boiler for around $1000-$1200 while installing a new boiler would require re-piping and the total cost would be north of 5k



The other problem is that the is very little supply now and everything is back ordered... I had 3 other plumbers come in for a quote and only 1 returned with a quote as they are super busy in the area. Winter is here, I dont have the luxury of time. So I am between the rock and a hard place... If I take my time and do it right from scratch, I wont be back in my house for over a month...  or I can be back home asap and take on the added cost of having to replace things down the line...



sorry for the ramble - lots on my mind

SWEI

Mod/Con

Is short for Modulating / Condensing Boiler.



They MODULATE their firing rate to meet demand, rather than turning on and off at full bore like a conventional boiler.  Their output water temperature can be controlled over a wide range (typically about 85F to 185F) as needed based on demand.



They CONDENSE the water out of their flue gases, which happens any time a boiler runs above about 87% thermal efficiency.  This requires that their heat exchangers and flue piping be made out of materials which are resistant to the low pH of that condensate.



Repairing a flooded boiler is a bad idea - several posts here over the past few days

http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/143072/Flood-Clean-Up-Cautions

http://www.heatinghelp.com/forum-thread/143163/SUBMERGED-Boilers-and-Water-heater-What-absolutely-needs-replacing