Service for an old HydroTherm HC125B boiler in Westchester County NY

walterk55

My house is about to turn 100 years old, and the good old HydroTherm HC125B boiler must be going on 30 years old at least. And every year the smart thermostat fires it up and another heating season begins. Every time I think of having it serviced, I run into guys who look at the boiler and the same words emerge "You gotta replace this". Do I ? Why can't I find a service person who will simply do an inspection and service this old and so far reliable boiler. Help !

Steamhead

You've been dealing with salesmen rather than techs. Where in Westchester County are you located? We might know someone………..

Mad Dog_2

Walter. If you go to the Find a Contractor feature on this site, you will see that I have a Westchester and Hudson Valley Division that services your area. Also, I will certainly come out and evaluate your current boiler and system. Thanks, Mad Dog

walterk55

Reply to Steamhead, and Mad Dog : The house and old faithful boiler is in Port Chester. We have owned the house for 7 years and each season, it turns on. It operates about 6-8 hours a day, and is off due to Nest programming that senses that we are gone to work, and turns on as it anticipates our arrival home. Comment about dealing with salesmen is probably spot on. A plumber that works for a big company told me that unless he upsells $1000 per day, he's fired. He left.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

@walterk55 The Hydrotherms are great boilers; able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.
One of my customers has me come out every year to check her HC-85. She has radiant heating and her boiler had sooted up a few years ago; we took it apart and washed down the heat exchanger and were able to bring down carbon monoxide levels from 450ppm to less than 50.
So, whoever you hire, make sure they have a combustion analyzer and that they know how to use it.
Compared to a condensing boiler, there’s not much maintenance to do on a Hydrotherm. Check and clean the burners, check combustion levels, check the pressure on your expansion tank if it’s a bladder type and make sure the small swinging door at the burner box is properly installed. Check the wiring for any wear or melting of covering.