Efficiency issues converting a oil fired steam boiler to gas?

Steve_175

I know this has been discussed before and can be done. I was told by my plumber that he belives a oil fired boiler has wider passage ways between the sections because of the way oil combusts. He had heard that if a gas burner is installed it will be less efficient because the boiler will not be able to absorb the heat from gas combustion.

Can anybody confirm this?

Steamhead

The flueways in a gas boiler are very similar to those in a pin-type oil boiler. They're just as difficult to clean if they soot up.

Now, if you're trying to put a primitive conversion burner like a Wayne P250/P265 or Midco E20 into a boiler designed for a flame-retention oil burner, you will lose efficiency. You need a flame-retention design like the Carlin EZ-Gas with 9-slot diffuser for this to work well.

What model is your present boiler?

pecmsg

Are we talking NG or LP?

Steve_175

This is the boiler and it would be using NG.

I called the mfg and they recommended the Carlin EZ Gas Pro conversion burner 50K-275K BTU

EBEBRATT-Ed

A Carlin should be fine in that boiler.

And no oil is slightly more efficient than gas in any no condensing boiler. Gas has water vapor in it that boils off and that uses energy that goes up the statk. But the difference is 1-2% and if gas is cheaper it's the way to go.

You need someone who can set the gas burner up properly and combustion test it for it to work well. This may or may not be your plumber

Steamhead

That's basically the same boiler as the old Smith 8 series. We used to install these with EZ-Gas burners right out of the crate, and they ran very well. I miss them.

archibald tuttle

@Steamhead yeah, this does look like a setup for the 9 slot. short fire box.

EBEBRATT-Ed

The series 8 always seemed to be rugged little boilers