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Convert Traditional Cast Iron Gas Boiler to Power Vent?

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iced98lx
iced98lx Member Posts: 68
in Gas Heating
Sorry if this has been covered, I searched but maybe I'm not using the right terms?

I've got an older Utica boiler (250AGB) which as the name suggests has an AGA BTUH Input rating 250,000 BTUH and utilizes a standing pilot. When we first bought the property and were making plans we were budgeting for replacement of this boiler with a new Modulating Condensing unit. The unit is oversized (Slantfin says I need 130k) but the unit is clean inside, burns clean, works extremely well and appears to have been maintained well over the years. One of the biggest issues we have with the boiler (and the house in general) is that the vent for the boiler is very poorly done, too close to combustibles, etc. It also terminates through a fake chimney (vent pipe all the way to the roof, "chimney" sitting on top of the sheeting) which leaks and I'd like to remove it from the roof.

Can I solve the venting problem by simply installing a 5 inch field controls combo power vent? The boiler has easy access to an outside wall for venting, with about 12 feet of horizontal run before the outside wall. Is this something that is done with standing pilot boilers?

We've fixed various issues with the zoning and now have updated the control to the HydroLevel 3200 Plus and I feel like if we spend the ~$700 to power vent it out the wall we have no need to change the boiler out for a long time with proper maintenance.

Input appreciated!

Comments

  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,376
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    Yes, it can be power vented - with the right tools and technical knowledge. It's not something a home owner should tackle without both of those.

    As far as the boiler lasting a lot longer: that may be wishful thinking.
    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
  • iced98lx
    iced98lx Member Posts: 68
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    Ironman said:

    Yes, it can be power vented - with the right tools and technical knowledge. It's not something a home owner should tackle without both of those.

    As far as the boiler lasting a lot longer: that may be wishful thinking.

    Thanks, I don't have a combustion analyzer so I won't be doing the install but I thought perhaps it would be prudent to do when the boiler was converted from LP to NG. According to the serial # on the boiler it was built in January of 1981, perhaps expecting more than the 40 years of service it's already provided is too much. It got new burners last year at this time, it'll get a new gas valve and pilot assembly to convert to NG, and it has a fresh controller (though, tbh, the orginal that was on it was working) so I guess the failure point would have to be the boiler itself.

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