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Electric Boilers

Doug_2
Doug_2 Member Posts: 14
in THE MAIN WALL
....and running it isn't cheap. But, the water's always there and hot, there's no sound, and best of all (for our place) there's no venting issue. We're intrigued about the possibility of using an electric boiler to handle our hot water radiators. Does anyone have any experience with these units? Any brand recs? Or is this something like electric baseboard that nobody uses anymore?

Comments

  • Dan Peel
    Dan Peel Member Posts: 431
    Try Slant/Fin

    Just sold another one yesterday - for a 5000 sq. ft. commercial app. Owner's choice.
    Electric boilers are designed for closed loop application - water heaters are not - so longevity and recovery rate are your two big plusses. There are very few conditions where you would expect any energy savings by switching out one to the other. 1KW=3512BTU. Locally our electric rates are low by most comparisons - about 9 cents (CDN) per KW making it currently competative with propane. No chimneys, no combustion just a huge wire to drive them. Enjoy.....Dan

    To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"
  • Troy_3
    Troy_3 Member Posts: 479
    Elec. boilers

    Argo is another manufacturer that we have used in the past. You need a good flow to keep the elements from burning out. That is the only caution I will give. The wire size is usually bigger than the copper pipe connected to the boiler. Leave enough room to connect large wire to the unit. Large wire doesn't bend too easily. Good heatin.
  • John@Reliable
    John@Reliable Member Posts: 379
    Ele. heat

    Why don't you install a oil fired boiler for both heat and hot water? This will give you plenty of both and alot cheaper to run. Thier are direct vent oil boilers that vent like a dryer vent.Customers will have a very short pay back over electric usually. Just thinking out loud.
  • Doug_2
    Doug_2 Member Posts: 14


    Should be clear, we are the HO's, and currently side vent with a Field PVO with great success. It's just that before we take the leap to formalize our situation, (move the boiler to permanent location next to sidewall, buy and install new oil tank, and abandon good electric HW heater/purchase and install indirect HW tank), just wanted to make sure we hadn't overlooked and easier option. Truth be told, would go with gas but it gives my wife the jitters and Dunkirk's Q90 with bigger sizes is still a year away. P.S. Do any of Viessmann's gas boilers side vent with PVC like the Dunkirk? Can't tell from the website and have some calls in to the local reps. Hopefully, will hear back this week.
  • Dan Peel
    Dan Peel Member Posts: 431
    If you can get gas past the comittee....

    Viessmann's new Vitodens is a beautiful and extremely efficient direct vent condensing boiler. It's even priced within the reach of most projects. Certainly worth a look! Enjoy......Dan

    To Learn More About This Contractor, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Contractor"
  • Doug_2
    Doug_2 Member Posts: 14


    You're right. Only problem is, can't tell from flyer or technical data what the venting material is pvc or not.
  • John (jcg)
    John (jcg) Member Posts: 43
    One of my Customers

    had an electric boiler and I took it out because they couldn't stand the noise?

    (The Meter hum)

    jcg
  • gib_3
    gib_3 Member Posts: 3
    The Vitodens

    > You're right. Only problem is, can't tell from

    > flyer or technical data what the venting material

    > is pvc or not.



  • gib_3
    gib_3 Member Posts: 3
    The Vitodens

    will not vent in pvc. Viessmann has their own vent, its a concentric vent, the inside vent or exhaust is plastic but it is not a pvc or plexivent type material. For the Plumbers out there it is more like acid waste piping, it feels like orion acid waste. Maybe some type of polyproplene. Plan on a 5" or 6" OD for their vent.

    gib
  • Mike Kraft
    Mike Kraft Member Posts: 406
    Another wall hung gas............

    boiler that vents in CPVC and is now in theprocess of changing to sch.forty PVC is the MZ boiler.The Monitor........www.mzboiler.com.

    cheese
  • Doug_2
    Doug_2 Member Posts: 14


    Saw "polypropyline" in reference to the VM venting and thought, "will that look like white plastic?" Their website refers to separate instructions regarding Viessmann's own propietary side venting system--but these don't appear to be available online/pdf. Will find out this week, no doubt. Thanks, gib.
  • Doug_2
    Doug_2 Member Posts: 14


    Saw it on the web. White pvc venting would work out well for us, but it's hard to believe these wall hung units produce enough heat to handle hw radiators (14 of various size) for a 2100 sq ft house and the dhw for an indirect to boot. You would think more and more HO's would switch to them if they did. Maybe they are or should be. Thanks for the tip.
  • Frank_5
    Frank_5 Member Posts: 49
    electric boilerz ??

    Doug, you said the elec. hwh was expensive to run, so ??? would you want to use elec for heat? Do you have $$$ to burn? You can send any $$$ you don't need/want to me. Seriously though, something about water and elec mixing together that I never did like. Must be an ole fashioned fart. Here in NYC elec is expensive as hell, no one uses it here. Modern oil and gas boilers can't be beat for e-fish-n-c (Sometimes I have to get phonetic)and w/ a hot water system, you'll put it in only once a lifetime.
  • Doug_2
    Doug_2 Member Posts: 14


    Don't have $$$ to burn. But, we have a few logistical problems with oil (ie. tank replacement and relocation to a smaller utility room in the basement) and my wife worries about gas. Need to side vent, too, preferably in white pvc, or something that can be painted white. So, just wanted to rule out electricity before going forward with fossil fuel. Based on what I've read here this (rainy) weekend, we'll take a closer look at the Monitors and Viessmanns for oil and gas next week.
  • Art_3
    Art_3 Member Posts: 3
    NY Thermal

    NY Thermal makes a similar wallhung boiler to the Vitodens capable of 120,000 Btu's, fully modulating, called the Trinity. It also comes with domestic water heating as an option. The nice thing about it is that it uses ABS plastic venting. It is very similar to the Vitodens as it actually contains many of the same components which both companies buy from the same place. But with NY, you are not paying for the grey paint on the outside like you would for the Viesmmann. Check it out at:
    http://www.nythermal.com/Products/boilers/gas/trinity.htm
  • Doug_2
    Doug_2 Member Posts: 14


    I checked out the Trinity. Pretty amazing. We don't have a hot tub or anything, and we're a small family, but do take lots of showers and baths, do lots of laundry, and there's a daily dishwasher run. Yet, this boiler claims to provide dhw, too, without a tank? All this, and run 14 radiators, too? We'll have to see. Saw the spec allows for pvc, too. I assume that boilers using pvc these days don't share the problems of those subject to the recalls we see all over the web. Anyone ever installed one of these?
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