Weil-Mcclain--replace whole boiler or front section only?

rkh

We bought a house with a 1998 Weil-McClain EG-55-SPDN (steam). Ran fine all last winter. Serviced for this winter and told that there was serious corrosion and while it is running now it could fail to build up pressure at any minute. There is an added hot water loop for baseboard heat in an addition on the house which one vendor told us was the cause of the corrosion. He priced a brand new steam boiler with no hot water loop (will heat that part of the house with gas fireplace and electric space heater). Had another vendor come and suggest that only the front section is corroded and could be replaced by itself. First vendor said WM is not a good brand; next vendor said it is a great boiler and that the hot water loop is not the problem. Anyone have any similar experience? How long did you get out of a replacement front section?
Thanks!

Abracadabra

16 years is on the low side for lifetime on a cast iron boiler. Who told you there's "serious corrosion" and how did they come to this conclusion? Was it the first guy? Properly done, steam condensate can be used to provide heat. It's done all the time. It is not the "cause of corrosion". Too much feed water causes corrosion. Take some time and look over every inch of the mains and returns. Any leaks? Underground returns are a common culprit.

Regarding swapping out a single section, it's 50/50. You might get lucky. But by the time you swap out a single section, even if it is only an end section, and reattach everything on that side, what do you now have? It's still a 16 year old boiler with a new section. If the boiler is truly leaking and it was due to excess feed water, all of the sections are compromised. Add to that, someone trying to do work on the boiler, and you may end up creating a leak where there wasn't one before.

I install larger weil mclain boilers all the time and I've been pretty satisfied with the quality. A few small quirks here and there regarding installation, but for the most part they are fine. I've seen some go for 25+ years well maintained. I always install a water meter in order to track feedwater.

At this point, it's not how many years you'll get out of a new section, you should be thinking, how many more years will I be able to get out of the other sections I'm not replacing. A new front section does you no good, when the rest of them start leaking soon.

Dave0176

Some people like Weil McLain some don't, the ones who don't, don't like the elastomer seals between the sections instead of push nipples. I've never come across a leaking Weil due to a failed seal, some of the Weils I've replaced have been 35+ years and only went due to upper water line corrosion or people dry fired them and cracked them.

It's my boiler of choice for new installs, a lot of the times I'll use Williamson it's wail mclain painted green because there about $600 cheaper and I can stay competitive. My installs sometimes cost more then then the next contractor because I like to do it right and it requires much more threaded black pipe.

As far as a hot water loop, if installed properly should not get air bound and require constant filling with fresh water. They need to be installed with the proper valves and flo checks and a by pass loop.

If your system does not leak, including air vents main vents radiator valves, or piping, you should not have add much make up water. If and when you do, bring boiler up to steam immediately for about 15 mins to boil off any oxygen, this helps save the cast iron.

As for your boiler, replace it, don't repair it.

KC_Jones

I have a brand new Weil that replaced one that was 32 years old and honestly not that well maintained. Just one experience with that brand, but I don't see issues with them, if I did I wouldn't have put one in new. It's been stated many times on this site it's not always the brand it's the installer that matters. They tell you it has major corrosion and it could go bad anytime? Are they trying to sell you a new boiler to make money or do you trust them that they are being honest? Have you tried the find a contractor link on this site? If you give your location perhaps someone can suggest a good "steam man" that services your area. You need to be very careful with a steam install. You want someone who knows steam and can do a good job for you. In addition I would recommend getting the books from this website. They are a great read and will teach you a lot about your system. One piece of advice if you do replace. Do your own calculations for proper sizing! At the bare minimum you can double check the contractor is doing it right. On steam it's fairly straight forward and very important to get correct! Just another homeowner.