Boiler replacement suggestions.

Fitzy_Fitta

I currently have a old 1982 Burnham V-14a-T. The tankless is starting to leak at the plate and My days are numbered with this system. 3 zones of baseboard, 2 full baths, 1,600-1,800 sq ft cape in New England. New windows and the insulation is fair. It’s only my wife, young son and myself in the house. The hot water usage is pretty low, we rarely take back to back showers and the tankless gives us no issues with hot water now. I’m a licensed pipefitter/ refrigeration tech and plan on doing the work myself. I was going to go with a 3 pass oil fired boiler and a indirect tank. The house does have solar, so my rates are cheap. Was also thinking of putting in a electric h/p water heater and some mini splits. What are your thoughts?

Jamie Hall

What you're proposing in your situation sounds quite reasonable to me...

EBEBRATT-Ed

I would download the Slant Finn app and do a heat loss calc. You may be oversized now.

Is this steam or water?

EBEBRATT-Ed

I would download the Slant Finn app and do a heat loss calc. You may be oversized now.

Is this steam or water?

bob eck

Look at installing a Trio cast iron three pass oil boiler with a indirect water heater.
When installing this boiler if you ever want to go to natural gas or LP gas you can change the burner.
Find a good professional heating contractor and they can help you out.

www.trioboiler.com

Fitzy_Fitta

Are the Trio boilers from fwwebb? I spoke w/ the local distributor when I was replacing the dhw mixing valve Granite group, and was told the Buderous is the cheapest. The burners Beckett, riello and Carlin were available. I would put a Carlin on it. As far as the indirect, any preference? Im looking for the best LT warranty.

HVACNUT

You're using the LT tank? Going stackable?
The G115-3 and the LT160 are a perfect match. Anything bigger is a waste for your needs.
Nothing wrong the the Carlin EZ-1, but what made you choose it?

SuperTech

The Trio three pass boilers are a great choice. I service a few of them and I find that they are every bit as good as a Buderus.  They work great with the Beckett AFG or Carlin EZ-1. The Trio with an indirect tank will give you noticeable fuel savings over your old Burnham with the tankless coil.  The only boiler that I like more is the Energy Kinetics EK-1. I prefer a boiler with an indirect tank over a separate heat pump water heater, more reliable and easy to service.  The choice of tank depends on the water quality in your area.  Install a powered anode if you want it to last a long time.  

I would stay away from ductless systems.  I don't like the way black fuzzy growth builds up on the blower wheels of the indoor units in my area.  As a service technician I find them to be a royal pain in the @$$ when they need service and repairs.  Sometimes sourcing parts is a problem.  I hate telling customers that their system will be down for a few days because the parts are being shipped from Japan. I'd rather install a traditional ducted system if possible. They are much better at removing humidity in the summertime due to the larger evaporator coils.  

leonz

Try to save yourself some work and before you rip it out you should remove the tankless coil and
replace the OEM gasket using a high temperature silicone if the manufacture recommends it as all you may need is a new gasket for the boiler.
The hold down nuts for tankless coils loosen over time if no blue loctite is applied to the stud threads.

Fitzy_Fitta

EBEBRATT-Ed said:

I would download the Slant Finn app and do a heat loss calc. You may be oversized now.

Is this steam or water?

its hot water baseboard

Fitzy_Fitta

HVACNUT said:

You're using the LT tank? Going stackable?
The G115-3 and the LT160 are a perfect match. Anything bigger is a waste for your needs.
Nothing wrong the the Carlin EZ-1, but what made you choose it?

The Carlin for ease of service and parts.

Fitzy_Fitta

leonz said:

Try to save yourself some work and before you rip it out you should remove the tankless coil and
replace the OEM gasket using a high temperature silicone if the manufacture recommends it as all you may need is a new gasket for the boiler.
The hold down nuts for tankless coils loosen over time if no blue loctite is applied to the stud threads.

The plate and nuts are in very poor condition. I'm reluctant to even touch the tankless. If i look at it funny it may start leaking badly. The boiler is getting replaced in the spring. Just need it to last a few more weeks.

Fitzy_Fitta

HVACNUT said:

You're using the LT tank? Going stackable?
The G115-3 and the LT160 are a perfect match. Anything bigger is a waste for your needs.
Nothing wrong the the Carlin EZ-1, but what made you choose it?

LT as in lifetime warranty. I have well water. Never been tested and not on a softner or filtration system. Any thoughts on what tanks hold up best. I replaced a Triangle tube smart 50 at a friends house a couple weeks ago. Tank was only 3 years old. My friend had just purchased the house and Is having issues getting the tank warrantied due to not being original owner. I can see its TT policy but the tank is only a couple years old. Needless to say i will not be purchasing a TT for that reason.

bucksnort

Fitzy_Fitta said:

HVACNUT said:

You're using the LT tank? Going stackable?
The G115-3 and the LT160 are a perfect match. Anything bigger is a waste for your needs.
Nothing wrong the the Carlin EZ-1, but what made you choose it?

LT as in lifetime warranty. I have well water. Never been tested and not on a softner or filtration system. Any thoughts on what tanks hold up best. I replaced a Triangle tube smart 50 at a friends house a couple weeks ago. Tank was only 3 years old. My friend had just purchased the house and Is having issues getting the tank warrantied due to not being original owner. I can see its TT policy but the tank is only a couple years old. Needless to say i will not be purchasing a TT for that reason.

You need to get your water tested. At least just for water hardness.

Paul Pollets

The Viessmann VitoCell 300 tanks have a lifetime warranty to the original owner. They're the only tanks that do. There are exclusions for high chlorides or aggressive water. Test your water!!