Choice of gaz boiler ?

Richard_102012

Hi,
My plumber installed a Quietside DPW-120 for the heating of the radiant floor and the domestic hot water of my bachelor( surface 1200 sq. feet) in 2009. What a nightmare. The boiler broke down at least 50 times...( Code A3 and A6). I want this scrap thrown away and he suggest me to install an electric boiler Thermolec 10 KW and a Thermo 2000 TurboMax as water heater. Is this a performing proposition ?

At the time, my plumber replaced the Quietside by a Combomax 24 ( Thermo 2000 inc ). This boiler is very energy-consuming and i want to go back with a gaz boiler who can supply DHW for a Raindance shower head 2.5 GPM and the heat for 1200 sq. feet of radiant floor. I'm looking for a boiler who can supply enough DHW and can be use as heating system for the radiant concrete floor. I live in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Which gaz boiler would suit my needs ? Thank you for your advice.

Richard

STEVEusaPA

If your plumber installed and can't fix/get working boiler #1, why would you trust his advice to rip it out and pay to do something else? Not many plumbers understand heating & hydronics, despite the extra money they spent to add " & Heating" to their truck.
Those 2 codes (50 times) indicate someone not properly educated on simple troubleshooting.
The boiler you have should easily do what you need, considering it's probably oversized by a factor of 2 or 3.
Boilers need to be sized based on your heat loss.
Is gaz like gas?

Jamie Hall

You have any number of good options for a gas boiler -- except that your space is a bit on the small side for heating, so you may find it difficult to get a small enough unit.

However, as you have discovered, it isn't so much the hardware as it is the skill and knowledge of the person who installs it.

That said, the unit you had was more of an instantaneous domestic water heater type unit. You would be better served with a boiler specifically designed for heating.

Richard_102012

Thanks for your answer. if i understand, you suggest me to find a gas boiler for the radiant floor and something else for the DHW. Which company make small boiler for my needs. Thank you for your help.

Richard

Solid_Fuel_Man

Isn't electric dirt cheap in Qubec still? Last time I was there every place I visited was 100% resistance electric. Hotels, restaurants (cafe's) never in my life have I seen so much electric heat. I was told it was because of an agreement with hydro-Qubec that the dam would supply Qubec with ubserdly cheap power for some predetermined number of years.

xmorganx

Hi Richard,
I don't love the turbo max myself. The Thermolecs are fine, depending on what you ask of them. More importantly, if you want to go gas, which is a very good option for your car wash (aka: shower) do you have existing gas connections at your place or would it be a full conversion? If you don't have existing gas, send me your postal code and I can check the gaz met database to see if it's available on your street. My company works in your sector and we do a lot of conversions. We generally install Lochinvar and IBC- i need a bit more info to give you a proper recommendation. Let me know. JAmie is right that your heating is a bit small, but we could go electric for the heat. En tout cas, let me know and i can present you some options.
Morgan
Ps: who installed your existing? I have a guess, but I could be wrong. It's a pretty small industry, we all kind of know each other.

xmorganx

Sorry, kid in bed now, paying a bit more attention. Obviously you have existing gas. I'm not familiar with the quietside, usually from that era we see 1st gen Lochinvar (old kbn or wbn), the Weil McLain ultras, or the dreaded triangle tubes/ trinity. In all fairness to your plumber, it was a time when a lot of new stuff was coming out here and reps kept promising that their machines could do anything and we were trying all sorts of stuff ( if you knew just how many trinitys and triangle tubes from 2004-2010 I've ripped out and replaced... and how many early generation high efficiency boilers I've either repiped or redone the exhaust). We have all learned a lot since. There are a lot of aspects to consider, but potentially the biggest issue will be the exhaust. The rules have changed quite a bit and we're only allowed to reuse the existing in certain very specific situations. My place is about 1400 sq feet with radiant floor ( underslab in the basement and warmboard upstairs). I have a Lochinvar WHN 55 with a Squire SIT050. My boiler is a bit oversized, but we plan on adding more of the building to it, so in the end it won't be. Regardless, there's not a whole lot available under 50 mbh. Neighbourhood?

Rich_49

Contact Morgan , Richard . Best you'll find in your area . I can personally vouch for this fact

Richard_102012

Hi Morgan,

Yes i do have gas. Before the Combomax, i had Samsung Quietside DPW-120 ( a real nightmare ) as a boiler. In your post, you ask me more infos to be able to give proper recommendation.What do you need. Since the beginning ( 2009) T.M.Briggs installed the radiant floor, the boiler and now the Combomax.

P.S What's the name of your company who works in my sector ?