Age of boiler

KMason1989

Good morning,

I was wondering if anyone more wiser could tell me the age of my boiler. Although I believe it is original to my home I grew up in which would mean it was installed in 1951-1955. However almost every part of it has been replaced and it has gone half way under water due major flooding in 2007. Still worked no problem all these years till currently I am having some crazy problems with it. So I do believe she is about out of strength to keep keep supplying my houses size. The boiler is a American Standard oil boiler from NJ. It's series number reads 1BJ2. If anyone could help identify a age or know how long theirs has lasted that be great. I heard American Standard is no longer on business. Also if their is a best suit type for this boiler anyone recommends. Thank you very much. Sorry for the long post. Katlyn

clammy

Where are you in new jersey and i would guess that the boiler is over 50 year old . Do you have natural gas in your home ,if so possibly think of while upgrading your boiler and switch to a gas steam boiler .If not stick w oil and have the unit replaced a new oil fired steam boiler will surely use at a mim of 25 to 30 % less fuel then a boiler which was installed when heating fuel was maybe 25 cents a gallon . A new boiler will require that who ever does replace it, installs the properly sized boiler by doing a edr calculation of the existing connected radiators and sizing the boiler accordingly to that edr .

peace and good luck clammy

EdTheHeaterMan

The age of the boiler may be irrelevant at this point.  Is it a steam boiler? There would be a sight glass on the boiler somewhere to see the water level, or is it a hot water boiler where you need to let the air out of the radiators until the water comes out?

The three photos on the top show water boiler with no sight glass. There would be a pressure gauge that has numbers that go higher than 30 PSI or 70 FEET for example. and that gauge may also tell the water temperature.

The 2 photos on the bottom show the sight glass that indicates the water level in the boiler. Also the gauge will only go up to 30PSI.

Do you know if it is steam or water?

Second question. Is it leaking water near the boiler?

EdTheHeaterMan

Since your boiler was under water, It is probably agood time to consider a replacement. The boiler you have is most likely too big for your home. And here we have learned that bigger is not better. As a matter of fact, it is probalby wasting precious fuel being oversized.

So Let me say this, the retail price of a new boiler might be more that what you paid for your car 5 years ago. (pre-Covid prices). and selecting the correct size will save you on installation cost and on operating cost. Your contractor should do a heat load calculation to determine the correct size, not use the size of your old boiler. If the contractor does not do the proper load calculation (aka: Heat Loss) then you might want to select another contractor. If you are in the New York area or in the greater Philadelphia area of NJ there are dozens of reputable boiler installers to choose from.

You might want to look at the "Find A Contractor" link above

EBEBRATT-Ed

In New Jersey you have @EzzyT , @JohnNY and @clammy who psted above 3 of the best.

It is most likely time to replace the boiler

EzzyT

@KMason1989 where in NJ are you located?
You can reach me at (201) 887-8856

Greening

We had a similar situation last year with an American Standard boiler that probably was from the 1940s (looked like the top left photo above).

The boiler and all the surrounding components (burner, zone valves, water heating, pressure systems, etc.) were beyond end of life. It was much easier and economical to change out everything at once.

Now we have a very reliable, quiet system.

Annual oil consumption fell by much more than 50%. And boiler is much quieter. Downside is that basement space is not heated "for free" by the inefficient old boiler. Ours usually stays around 60F year round now; you could add a heatng zone there if needed.

Biggest savings is summer. Efficient hot water production. Plus the old boiler heated the basement, increased AC demand (so we got a big boost in summer comfort and reduced AC electric bills).

We also added a few zones upstairs. We keep them cool for sleeping. That reduces consumption and boosts comfort.

Steamhead

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1813343#Comment_1813343

I second those three recommendations.