oil to gas conversion

chase

hello all. i am thinking of converting from oil to gas. here is my current boiler info. peerless cast iron boiler cat# wbv-04-150-s. ser# 376145-200110. gal/hr lt oil 1.5. 178000 water 177000 steam doe htg capacity or gross output btu/hr. 554 sq.ft steam. 133000btu/hr steam. 155000 btu/hr water. can anyone explain this? i have a one pipe steam system with cast iron rads. i would like to change the burner for gas. any recommended gas burner models? am i wasting money by converting with this boiler. will the efficiency drop. what else should i include when i convert. any suggestions are appreciated. i am a newbie at this but willing to get dirty and learn.

JStar

Gas

We convert that boiler a lot. We use a Carlin EZ Gas. It is NOT a DIY job.



You will be the same or more efficient as oil. It works great.

chase

oil to gas conversion

ok thats great but what info can you give me on the mentioned boiler and ez carlin burner? will the unit be less efficient? Can it be set up to modulate? no short cycling? i need info

Steamhead

Jstar's quote

"You will be the same or more efficient as oil. It works great."



says it all. No reason not to do it.



If your present boiler is oversized, it will short-cycle. It may be possible to adjust the firing rate to lessen this- the WBV-04 can be fired at 1.25 GPH on steam too, from the factory- but you don't want to go too far or you won't get good combustion. That's one of many reasons it's not a DIY job. 



The EZ-Gas itself does not modulate, but properly setting the firing rate will help.



You also need to look at what's happening out in the system- in particular, pipe insulation, main vents, other distribution issues- you can waste a lot of fuel there. I'd do this first.



Have a knowledgeable pro look this over. Where are you located?

chase

chase

jersey

Steamhead

Call

Jstar!

Hap_Hazzard

Seriously

I'm a pretty serious DIYer, but I leave the combustion stuff to the pros. It's not because I don't understand how it works; it's because I DO. You can't see carbon monoxide; you can't smell it, and it can kill you. You have to take this stuff seriously.