Riello, Carlin or beckett

joedreamer

Hello,

I have an old oil burner, perhaps 20 years old.
It has a beckett burner.
I recently heard that changing the burner to a riello f5 40 would be better for me...that is more efficient, burns cleaner and uses less oil.
I found a cheap Riello and also a Carlin, but I would like to know what do you guys think..

Thanks
Joe

Jamie Hall

The real questions are a)what fits your boiler? And is it worth it?; b)what does the man or woman who is going to service it prefer to work on?

All three good makes.

STEVEusaPA

What is the make and model of your furnace/boiler?
Just upgrading the burner probably won't do much.

joedreamer said:

I recently heard that changing the burner to a riello f5 40 would be better for me...that is more efficient, burns cleaner and uses less oil.

Who told you that? It may or it may not. It depends if it's the right burner for your appliance, with firing rate being important.

I wouldn't just buy a used burner and hope it works. For one, you don't know if it works.
Also, your appliance will require a certain air tube length and insertion depth. The one you buy may just be wrong.

I would look towards having a professional properly advise you after a full inspection what is the best way to proceed.
It's possible your existing equipment is way oversized and new, properly sized, modern, efficient unit will save you the most money.

newagedawn

i like rielllo's, very good burner adapts to anything,but some techs find this burner hard to work on, personally i think its easier to work on, carlin next, then last and least beckett, on thing to consider is do you have a long or short chamber, if its long chamber riello and carlin are great, for short chambers use a beckett, this is due to the shape of the flame

HVACNUT

When moved into my new home in 2002, the boiler is a WM WGO3, installed in 1996. Had a Beckett AFG. The first thing I did was replace it with a Riello F5.
I do favor the Riello, but I changed it mostly because the Beckett had the conventional motor, 45 second primary and no delayed oil valve.
It also had an F6 head so it limited me on a lower firing rate. Not crazy about the low fire baffle.
I figured if I had to change those parts, I might as well replace the burner.
The AFG and EZ Carlin are both fine burners now, with the upgrades they've made in recent years, but I still prefer the Riello for residential use up to 2.00 GPH.
Above that, I like the Carlin 201CRD or the Beckett CF375, depending on the application.
You won't get much increased efficiency from a burner upgrade, and like @STEVEusaPA said, you'll benefit more from a properly sized, complete new system.
Even a Nat gas or LP mod con conversion.

Look how were spending your money.
HAHA!

joedreamer

I have a 73 series crane co boiler...thats what the label says..

Here is a picture of my boiler....I have a 4 bedroom home and a mother in law suite in the garage. I have 3 heating zones and I'm thinking of doing a fourth zone to bring heat into the garage....The previous owner had eletric space heaters in there.

STEVEusaPA

Your pic didn't come through...

HVACNUT

Can't wait to see a 20 year old Crane boiler.
I think he meant 60.

STEVEusaPA

My guess is that they put the 'new' Beckett burner on it 20 years ago.

joedreamer

https://ibb.co/cnvdj5

joedreamer

https://ibb.co/cnvdj5

joedreamer

https://ibb.co/gu8QWk

joedreamer

Can you guys see the pictures now?

Steamhead

Yes. That boiler probably dates back to the late 1960s or early 1970s.

I doubt if changing the burner would make much difference. That Beckett is newer than the boiler, and is probably much better than whatever it replaced. At the very least, that boiler needs a proper, thorough cleaning and servicing by someone who won't allow streaks of soot to escape from around the boiler's front plate.

If natural gas is available in your area and you can financially swing it, I think most of us would recommend switching to gas.

I see you're on Long Island- we have plenty of good contractors in your area who can help. Click on the Find a Contractor link at the top of the page and follow the instructions to locate one.

joedreamer

I had a few contractors come in and they gave me estimate around 11k...which is too much...
My plumber said:

If you put a newer becket back u wont have to modify anythjng and will go right back if yoy do riello ud have mod the fuel line u rrally dont havs to much play

What do you guys think?

STEVEusaPA

I'll stick to my original advice. There are too many things wrong with that set up. The oil line should be completely replaced and brought up to code. I'm betting the oil tank is equally old.
Even with a new burner, and @Steamhead's cleaning, repair comments, you would probably at best be getting about 50% total combustion efficiency, IOW, 50% of the oil you are burning is going up the chimney and not heating your home.
A modern, properly sized oil boiler like an http://energykinetics.com/ will put you up around 90%, is super efficient, and if you want to convert to gas, can easily be done.
Plus you can abandon the chimney, instead of having to line it.

Although pricing isn't allowed, you're estimate may be a few K high, but it depends on everything included in the bid. But a new boiler, oil tank (if easy), new oil line-all up to code, shouldn't be that high.

I would look for a contractor on this site to come out and give you a professional evaluation.

The money you save from upgrading, and the comfort and reliability from a new system is worth it.
That boiler earned it's retirement.

Steamhead

Steve makes some good points. Energy Kinetics makes some very nice boilers.

But if you're thinking of abandoning the chimney, you need to make sure you have a proper location for venting (exhausting) out the side of the house. Typically, the exhaust has to be four feet from windows, doors or other penetrations, seven feet above walkways and a foot above the highest recorded snow accumulation. Local Codes vary on these and other points, so research yours.

And if you're burning oil, exhausting out the side and something goes wrong, you'll have a soot-covered wall. This last is probably one reason why, at least around here, we don't see much sidewall venting of oil-fired equipment. I know of one development somewhere in PA where the model home had a sidewall-vented oil-fired boiler, and the installer did not tune the burner properly, and it covered the wall with soot. Some advertising, eh?

HVACNUT

What scares me:
1- The relief valve over the burner. Accident waiting to happen. (And lots of sparks)
2- The hot spot on the front plate.
3- The oil line buried in the slab. "I don't understand. The tank was full yesterday."
4- The B/X just lying all over the place.
5- Your plumber.
On the right side of the boiler is a removable door for cleaning. Check it out. Gobs of furnace cement? Insulation and boiler jacket covered in soot? You and your family are breathing that.

I don't do scare tactics with customers, but if it was me, I wouldn't give you a service agreement without a complete system replacement.

Do you currently have a service agreement with a company? Who do you call at 3:00 A.M. on a Sunday in February? Because that's when it's gonna happen. Always does.

A lot of companies offer 0% financing for a year or more if you agree to a 5 year service contract.

Sorry to be so blunt, but please give serious consideration to replacement.