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Boiler Question

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JM_3
JM_3 Member Posts: 1
in THE MAIN WALL
I am in the process of updating the heating in my home. I have an older home (built in the 20's) with a very old inefficient gas-fired, water boiler. I am trying to decide on what type of new boiler to install. Our current boiler is a Bryant that vents, along with our water heater, directly to the chimney. The chimney is on the outside wall of the house. In addition, our house has 2 zones for heating. The main house is on radiator heat with one thermostat on the first floor. We have a family room addition that is on baseboard heat, although it is hooked up to the same boiler. We have been told that the baseboard heat is somewhat inefficient given that the water temperature should be over 200 degrees while the boiler is set for the radiators at 170 degrees.

I have had a number of different quotes from HVAC contactors. Most are saying to upgrade the boiler and continue to directly vent to the chimney with an 81%-84% efficiency boiler. They also mention that we may need to install a new liner (probably stainless steel) to protect the chimney and vent the flue gases. We are unsure as to the chimney’s current liner.

In addition, I have a quote for a high-efficiency boiler (94%) that directly vents out of the house. The argument here is that I will avoid the chimney liner and will get a better payback with the higher efficiency. This would, in theory, rationalize the much higher cost of the high efficiency boiler. (This was for a new "Munchkin" boiler.) This also affects what hot water heater we choose as well. In other words, we could go with the direct vent hot water tank.

I would appreciate any thoughts /advice on how to make that choice.

Comments

  • John Mills_3
    John Mills_3 Member Posts: 221
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    Chimney liners

    You probably will have condensation problems venting a new boiler with damper in an outside chimney, especially if at all oversized. We've seen it. Normally we use aluminum liners with gas but local codes may require stainless. They do hold up better but are very pricey.

    Anytime you leave a water heater alone in a chimney, you need to line the chimney so the water heater will vent properly. Many don't do that. Or you can use an indirect tank and save on water heating costs.

    I'll leave the boiler question to the wetheads.
  • lchmb
    lchmb Member Posts: 2,997
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    just a thought

    if your adding in a high efficiency boiler..in this case the munchkin..why not just add another zone and put in a storage tank? would end up cheaper in the long run I would think...Then you wouldn't even have to consider the issue with the chimney at all...
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