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Looking for a Little Steam Boiler

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Comments

  • j a_2
    j a_2 Member Posts: 1,801
    1 Not always
    2 Not always
    3 Not always
    4 Depends who you are
    5 No
    6 Not the cheapest

    Pretty sad answers, but that was my findings….Just about everything is throw away, send it overseas as scrap,and it comes back as crap…My opinion they can keep there crap, and just maybe good old American Industry will perk up…Oh gee I forgot the bottom line does not care about quality…Hows the stock doing, lets print some more then sell out…10 people get rich and 1000s loose there jobs…Sorry for the rant but that is how I see things based on my roads taken..Others may see different, I won’t listen to them and they definitely,won’t listen to me…Private golf clubs are perfect breeding ground for coropate raiders...
  • John Mills_5
    John Mills_5 Member Posts: 952
    Companies have to look at the bottom line in order to have shareholders invest in their companies. They also have to make the cheapest products or homeowners will go elsewhere. Cars seem to be one place people will spend money. So a family car today is a lot nicer and will last longer than a family car of 25 years ago. And it costs about DOUBLE. A 90% furnace of 25 years ago was a lot heavier built, full of American made components that will last. Does today's 95% furnace cost DOUBLE what the 25 year old one did? No probably about 1/3 less. So we wonder why the products of today are junk. 3 of the largest forced air brands are foreign owned. Most make some or most of their stuff in Mexico. So no, new heating equipment isn't as good as the old stuff. But homeowners are getting what they want. Most bids beat us down on price. They are used to the retail mentality of buying from the store with the cheapest price forgetting that the installer is the key.

    Should the OP buy a new boiler? I don't buy that the relic is 80% AFUE. Just because the output is 80% of the input doesn't mean much. It doesn't look at standby losses, or losses during start & stop. A 1950s vintage forced air furnace may be rated at 80% output but AFUE if measured could be 50-55%. A landlord I had took out a 1937 vintage forced air furnace and put in a 65% "modern" one years ago. I had done a study of the gas bills with the relic and the new one and there was a huge drop in usage when the 65% came along. Sure wish I could have talked him in to the 80%er.

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