Peerless Boiler Conversion

erk726

Hi,

I have a ~5-6 year old peerless WBV-3 boiler, and last year added an indirect DHW heater. My annual fuel costs are already pretty low, but I want to finish the basement and get rid of the oil tank.

Has anyone recently converted one of these boilers to gas? I realize the efficiency won't be there and it may be louder than ideal, but it's a fairly new system and I really just want to get rid of the tank before I have to spend thousands on a new boiler. I found the string below, but it's pretty old so I'm wondering if anyone's had recent experience. I called Carlin and they said it was fine, but I talked to another plumber who said my boiler may not "be certified" to use gas.

Appreciate any advice or feedback people have on what may be possible or what to expect.

This was the earlier thread that seemed to refer to a different model:
https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/126020/peerless-boiler

STEVEusaPA

It’s fine for conversion but you should completely clean the boiler and line the chimney with the properly sized ss liner.
I also wouldn’t necessarily use a plumber but ask Carlin for a vetted contractor who has experience installing, setting up, and properly testing the burner.
I’d try someone from this site.

Steamhead

Should run great with a Carlin EZ-Gas burner, as long as the job is done correctly. Where are you located?

erk726

I'm on long island - I did speak to Carlin and they said I could do it; but figured good to get a few points of view before I spent hundreds of dollars on something that "could" be done but doesn't work well.

How complicated a job is it to switch out? I'm pretty handy and know basic plumbing, having reno'd and built out bathrooms, repaired/replaced baseboard, etc., but I haven't messed with the burner before. Are there special tools needed to set the firing rate and other things, or can this be done with normal tools?

thanks in advance! Also happy if anyone has a contractor in the area they'd recommend.

STEVEusaPA

Find a contractor.
First of all Carlin tech support is going to want someone on site with a manometer to check/confirm/set gas pressure, and a combustion analyzer to fine tune combustion, and check/confirm draft. It’s not something you should even consider doing yourself without proper tools and skills.

Use Find a Contractor. They’re are plenty of top notch Wallies on the island.

Steamhead

STEVEusaPA said:

Find a contractor.
First of all Carlin tech support is going to want someone on site with a manometer to check/confirm/set gas pressure, and a combustion analyzer to fine tune combustion, and check/confirm draft. It’s not something you should even consider doing yourself without proper tools and skills.

Use Find a Contractor. They’re are plenty of top notch Wallies on the island.

This.

erk726

Thanks everyone - spoke to a contractor today who would do the job and going to get back with a price. He said the Carlin unit would be fine, apparently Midco also has a good one but it's a lot more expensive and Carlin's gotten better so efficiency isn't an issue.

Thank you all!