Mod/con retrofit

hvac8

Boiler replacement time
The time has come for me to replace my 60 year old oil fired gravity National Steel boiler. I was looking to put a mod/con in but I'm not sure retrofitting one to the pre-existing pipes/radiators would be anymore beneficial than just installing a 80% cast iron boiler. My initial sizing is based based on the pre-existing cast iron radiators (I have a manual j on the home as well that didn't take the radiators into account).

So I guess my question is what's everyones experience in retrofitting to old iron pipes/radiators or does everyone feel these boilers are more suited for copper pipes/baseboards?

Ironman

hvac8 said:

So I guess my question is what's everyones experience in retrofitting to old iron pipes/radiators or does everyone feel these boilers are more suited for copper pipes/baseboards?

You have one of the best scenarios for a mod/con retrofit. We do these regularly. The high mass of the large pipes and c.i. rads mates up excellently with a mod/con.

The key is finding a COMPETENT hydronics pro to do the job right.

Try the contractor search on site. If that doesn't yield results, try posting: "Need a Hydronic Contractor in [your locality]" on the main wall.

icesailor

And if they tell you that you need to rip out all the big old pipes and replace it with 1/2 Spaghetti PEX with homerun manifolds with big pumps, call someone else until you find someone that understands how hydronics and gravity works.

Be sure to insulate every pipe you can get at, WELL.

IMO