Wil McLain vs Energy Knetics System 2000 which is better? Help...thanks!

NEng15

I need to replace my current oil boiler with tankless system, after 20 years it is almost dead. I have had several estimates on replacement and I am looking to get advice on what system to go with. With 2 in college the budget has little to no room for a new boiler, but I have no choice. The house is approx 2600 sq ft., live in New England, 3 zones. Considering the following:
1. Weil McLain WGO 3 or 4 tankless - I have received varying size suggestions
2. Weil McLain WGO and adding an external water tank...so doing away with the tankless
3. Energy Kinetics System 2000

The tankless is the least costly upfront and I know going with the external tank is more efficient. My questions are:
1. Would I save that much over time by going with the external tank vs tankless?
2. How does the Weil McLain compare to the System 2000 - quality of the unit itself (longevity), repairs, etc...
3. I am not a heating professional...I buy my oil, have the system cleaned annually, and make any necessary repairs as needed. I do not want to get a system where I need to go to tech school to operate and the System 2000 seems like it has more bells and whistles than I want or possibly need i.e. digital manager. More things to break and pay for down the line.
4. Can most heating / oil boiler service people service a System 2000 or would I be tied to the company that I purchase it from and thereby held hostage to their service fees and schedule etc...

Thank you...I just want a reliable heating system that I do not need to take out a second mortgage to pay for...one can hope.

icesailor

IMO, the biggest bang for your buck is a WTGO-3 with a storage tank connected to the tankless. I did all my own personal homes like that, and for any customers that had oil.

Its basically slide the old boiler out, connect the new one, connect the hot and cold to the new storage tank, and the tankless to the storage tank, connect the wiring and the oil, and off you go. Indirect HW tanks add more cost and complication to the install. You need an indirect with a System 2000.

wogpa67

the boiler itself isnt going to be the problem. you want a great installer and parts availability. the ek boilers are great. not a fan of the bp ex for domestic, but other than that they are solid.

NEng15

Thank you IceSailor... I was told that with the tankless, the system kicks on more frequently to ensure the water is hot for when it is requested than it does when you have an indirect storage tank. By not having the indirect, but instead having just the storage tank will the system, I trust that the system will not kick on as frequently as with just the tankless and no storage tank thereby reducing oil consumption. Pardon me being a novice on this, but the storage tank has no heating coil vs an indirect would have a heating coil?

icesailor

A storage tank uses the coil in the boiler and is heated by the boiler water. An indirect tank has the coil in the tank and the boiler water is pumped to the tank. The operating control of your oil boiler is set for 180 degrees or higher to get you hot water. The operating control can be set for 140 degrees and give you what you need in a WTGO-3 with a storage tank.

As far as how long it runs or doesn't run, my first house had a oil boiler/tankless only. It ran whenever we used hot water. The boilers with storage tanks don't run as often. As far as cost, I probably spent more on quality high test coffee during the day to keep my juices going than I did for extra oil.

With Kiddo's in College, you want to save. EK System 2000's are fine things. So are Buderus and Veissmann's.

Compare a New Yorker AP 570 and the WTGO-3 is equal or better than a Buderus.

petchu

If I may....... energy kinetic system can use its own plate heat exchanger, if you have city water. If you have well water than you want to use an indirect tank with it. I sold installed and serviced energy kinetic's since the earliest days way back in the 80s, have one in my house, have one in everybody's house that I know.
Energy Kinetics is THE Low mass boiler, when there is a call for heat or hot water the burner and circulator comes on in 90 seconds the boiler is up to operating temperature, zone valve opens and heat is delivered.When heat cycle is finished on a hot water call the burner shuts off, in the system will purge the boilers heat for five minutes. On a heating zone it will purge for twenty minutes, removing the remaining stored heat from the boiler.
The energy kinetic's storage tank typically heats from cold to satisfied in 17 minutes, and their tank will lose 1° of temperature in 24 hours if no water is drawn!
Yes the System 2000 is a different way of operation, and if you're not trained or your Service technicians are not trained with energy kinetics that could be a problem........... however there are plenty of dealers out there for energy kinetic systems, parts are readily available. In my opinion this system is far less complicated and far less finicky than some of the European boilers.
I like everyone have my favorites, and with any major brand you can heat your home for many years, however with 30 ish years of hands on System 2000 in the early 80's Johns first boilers were blue, unlike today's vibrant yellow......
You cannot go wrong with Energy kinetics.........

Jim Hankinson

In our part of the great state of NJ a lot of town water supplies come from wells so it's really no different from the water coming from private wells in many cases. If the water is hard simply install a Scale Stopper in the cold water feed. Replace the cartridge once a year and you'll keep a clean PE, aerators and shower heads.

The PE with storage tank is faster and more efficient than an indirect. The indirect relies on natural convection to transfer heat from the coil to the domestic water and as the tank heats the convection process slows down. This leaves more heat in the boiler at the end of the purge cycle. The PE/tank uses a circ to pull cool water from the bottom of the tank allowing more heat to transfer from the boiler at the end of the purge.

Kakashi

EK's have a better annual fuel utilization efficiency and are very quiet. The EK manager can be bypassed with a dummy board that comes with it so, as long as you can read that shouldn't be an issue. If you pick the EK ask for the installer to put 4 valves in on your plate heat exchanger and keep a gallon of white vinegar to clean it.(this is just my opinion, doesn't take long to put them in)
Weil McLains are great too, not as efficient but, tried and true.

They are both good brands. I would rather install and clean an EK if that helps...

billtwocase

Both good units, but use what you can get professional service on from your installer/company. None are worth a damn if someone can't service, or get parts for, and EK pretty much stands alone on controls, managers, chambers, etc.