Electric Residential Boiler to Replace Oil Boiler

dconnors

Water quality can be a major problem with electric boilers not to mention operating costs. If you get electric for about 3 cents a kw then go for it. other wise anything else is better from oil to natural gas, to propane

Ray_10

Electric Residential Boiler to Replace Oil Boiler

I am considering replacing my Existing oil fired boiler with an Electric Boiler. A 100 amp unit is the size that was recomended. Not having any expierience with the Electric Boiler, What are peoples thoughts concerning this changeover. Too expensive to operate ? Service Problems ? Are there very many with this type boiler ? Anything else that may help me make up my mind would be appreciated.

I have 86 feet of baseboard and the Installation will see Western Pa. winters The original Oil Boiler is an American Standard 115,000 BTU model that is approx. 40 yrs old

DaveGateway

Check the specs

on electric boilers. 100AMPS @ 240V will only get about 80K BTU output. Since most homes only get 208-220V, you'll only get about 85% of the 80K, so you'll barely get 70K BTU's. I hope you realy insulated this house or look to upgrade you're electric service.

Blackoakbob

Electric works well..

I've installed many electric boilers lately and they work very well. the operating cost may be higher but the price does not rise and fall seaonally. I would suggest a 15 or 18 KW boiler for you and I find on small systems the most comfortable way to operate is to run the pump all the time and start and stop the boiler on the thermostat. It goes without saying use and indoor/outdoor controller and insulation and weatherstrippping go along way to saving energy.
If the cost of the boiler and the upgrade of your electrical service is prohibitive a new oilfired boiler will give you a cost saving operation over your old system which is beyond its days.
Best regards,
FYI a super electric boiler mfg is at www.electromn.com
it has all the bells and whistles

John Mills_3

sizing

86' of baseboard is approximately 52,000 BTU. Do you need much more output than that? Seems to me 70K output is plenty for this job.

leo g_13

check out

Thermolec.com (I believe). They have built in outdoor reset and modulating operation so that they draw just the power needed for that specific heating period.

Leo G

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Ray_10

Outdoor Reset

Leo, can you give me more information about the Outdoor reset feature that you mentioned. Why I would want that ? How it functions. ?

Leo G_99

Ray,

outdoor reset option on this boiler is a simpler form then what you could get by using an OEM control. Basically, what OD does is monitor the putdoor temperature, then vary the heating waters' temp to match the guesstimated heatloss of your building. i.e. as the temperature outside drops, the control allows the temperature from the boiler to increase and vice-a-versa. If you have long "shoulder seasons, where your outdooor temp hangs around the 40-50* degree area, with the electric boiler trying to use just the right amount of elements, to keep your heating water at a lower temp., you can save save a bundle on energy costs, while at the same time eliminate some of the more radical temperature swings within your home.

It is a way to live with more comfort for less cost.

Leo G

marc

slant fin

is our choice, very simple, reliable and efficient. we areas where people pay less than 2.9cents per KW. i would recommend tekmar for the weather responsive controls. injection mixing works well. marc

marc

most

electric boilers can stage the elements, this is a crude way of weather responsive control. tekmar has many more beneficial controls. marc

Bob Tonner

I have to disagree with you Leo...

Electric boilers are essentially 100% already. There are no losses up the flue, nor are there combustion efficiency losses. Unfortunately, outdoor reset (or any temperature modulating means) will only offer increased occupant comfort in this case. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Oil, gas and propane have increased losses in efficieny (another way of saying lower efficiency) at the start and the stop of the combustion process. So, longer burn cycles with fewer starts and stops is what increases efficiency. Since that is not the case with electricity, there is no cost benefit.

Bob Tonner

President

InfinityLab Inc.

Leo G_99

Bob and Marc,

> Electric boilers are essentially 100% already.

> There are no losses up the flue, nor are there

> combustion efficiency losses. Unfortunately,

> outdoor reset (or any temperature modulating

> means) will only offer increased occupant comfort

> in this case. Not that there's anything wrong

> with that!

>

> Oil, gas and propane have

> increased losses in efficieny (another way of

> saying lower efficiency) at the start and the

> stop of the combustion process. So, longer burn

> cycles with fewer starts and stops is what

> increases efficiency. Since that is not the case

> with electricity, there is no cost

> benefit.

>

> Bob

> Tonner

>

> President

>

> InfinityLab Inc.

Leo G_99

Bob and Marc,

the thing that maybe I wasn't clear on, was that the internal controls on this boiler actually stages the elements off and on to try yo keep the supply water at the temp that the internal reset calls for at a particular outdoor temp. No need for an add-on external control. If you are just heating with one style of emitter, the set-up is super simple, one circ!

Leo G

Leo G_99

In your opinion

Marc. I tend to think that the reset control incorporated into this boiler just simplifies the instalation, thus saving the customer some expense and "over-engineering". This is of course on a single style emitter system, if there are multiple styles of emitters, then I too would suggest an "outside" control.

Leo G

hr

I agree with John

What temperature is the system operating at now? If it runs 180° supply you are getting around 600 btu/ ft of baseboard or 50 some thousand total output.

Keep in mind only the first few feet of bb are seing 180° so the actual output of the last bb in the loop is somewhat lower.

If the home stays warm and comfortable now, then a 60,000 electric boiler should do the job.

Even at 75% efficiency that oil burner is much larger than the emitters attached to it! does it also produce DHW by chance?

Pencil out the KW cost against the current or projected oil cost to see which makes sense. Be nice to have the ability to switch back and forth. Sounds like heating oil will take a big jump according to recent USA Today articles. Electric may in fact look better in your case.

hot rod

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