residential boiler prices

Michael Kelley

What should it cost to get a good boiler.
What options are import to heat effectively.
I need 160,000 btu

Do the controls make the difference?

.

1. It will cost much more than you want to pay.
2. You don't need an import; there are good US models.
3. You do not need 160,000 BTU. You need less than 100,000 BTU.
4. The controls make a big difference. Without controls, the boiler will run all the time and your house will overheat.

S Milne

Michael

PLEASE don't listen to this COW.

No one can tell you what you need over the internet.

You need to get some pro's to your house and have them provide you with a heatloss of your home and get bids for the work.

Have them provide you with detailed quotes as to what equipment they will install and how. ASk them how they intend to control the boiler.

Then come back and we'll more than happy to give our opinion on your quotes.

Don't listen to a cowflap.

Scott

lchmb

agree

Listen to what S Milne is saying. I would recommend you have a couple of companies come in and do quote's for you. Look at what they are willing to offer and start there. A new boiler is something that only happen's every 20-25 year's, now is the time to have all issue's addressed and a good clean easy to maintain system installed. Don't look for the cheapest look for the company that is willing to address all issue's and has a good track record in your area!!

Michael Kelley

Is there an online heat loss calculator?


I said 160,000 btu because I have 4800 sq feet to heat. I was roughly calculating it by 30 btu per square foot.

The house is a colonial, and I want to get the best system for the money, like everyone. I'm asking for advice online, because I didn't want to have 10 people bid selling equipment because that's what they carry.

When I was asking about controls, it was in reference to outside reset controls, inside temp controls and if it is worth getting the extra bells and whistles above and beyond the basic systems that control a furnace.

Please suggest some brands that are built well , but won't break the bank. Keep in mind I'm going to get it wholesale.
I want to spend around 1,500 to 2,500.

Thank you in advance.

Michael Kelley

oil-2-4-6-gas

.

for that price range you are S.O.L. --unless you check E-bay for something used

JGORSKI

HEAT LOSS

USING 30 BTU/SQFT IS NOT DOING A HEATLOSS.WHAT ARE THE "R" VALUES OF THE BUILDING?HOW MUCH GLASS? 30 SQ/FT OR 300?THER ARE FAR TO MANY VARIABLES TO CONSIDER.IF YOUR WANT THE JOB DONE RIGHT,"YOU" HAVE TO START IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION BY HIRING A WELL RECOMMENDED "PRO".

Dean_7

boiler

I'm just a homeowner but you should listen to the professionals here. They are usually right and this is something you want done right the first time.

jbplumber

heat

do you have cast iron rads or copper finned baseboard? Did you measure that up to see how much heat you now have in the home? how about the near boiler piping how much of that will need to be reworked ? Call a few local guys get some quotes as to what they have to offer and then stop back by. Best wishes J.Lockard

Reynz_2

New Boiler

Mike,

I'm a homeowner and had a new boiler installed about 1 year ago. Do yourself a favor and get a good company with references. Don't go with the cheapest. Also, look to spend about $5 to 6,000. Go with Weil McLain.

jeff_51

never enough money to do it right,

always enough money to do it over. Ok, now that I,ve picked on you. Get at least three qoutes, that will tell you if someone is really out of line or not and make them sit down and explain to you exactly what you will get. I don't like dealing with salesmen personally, I like to deal with the guy who is going to install it. This is most definately not a do it yourself job. You wouldn't beleive the stuff I have installed for homeowners who bought it themselves. Most of the time they just got the biggest they could get and then are never happy. do it right. Get a pro

A.J.

Mike's new bioler

should be sized by somebody that has done heatlosses before. If your interested in initial cost and efficency a proper heat loss will get you there. If you oversize by guessing itwill not only cost more up front but for the whole life of the boiler, by cycling of the limit instead of the stat.Get in three pro's in and remember the cheapest is not necissary the best value.

Constantin

Umm....

I may be a mere homeowner, but I know enough to tell you that you'e playing with fire. Either download the free slant fin hydronics explorer or go with a semi-pro piece of software like the homeowner version of Hvac-Calc.

Basing your heat loss on square footage alone makes no sense. It depends on climate, house construction, infiltration, windows, etc. In other words, there are far too many factors that will influence the total heat loss on a design day as to just use one metric.

Since you already live there, I would consider using the extant gas/oil bills as a means of figuring out how much fuel you're using to heat the home. It's pretty simple to do a heat loss calculation this way that may come close to the actual (particularly if you account for DHW, etc.). I've included a bit of Excel dabbling I've worked on for you to have a look at.

S Ebels

Michael

What you are talking about is NOT "bells and whistles". IMHO installing a boiler without those features is like owning a car with a carburetor and an old point ignition setup. Yes it starts and runs and goes down the road but do you really enjoy that manual choke?

This sounds a little drastic but running a boiler without those "controls" would be the equivalent of a 1950's-60's car. Technology changes, times change, fuel prices change. In fact what are you going to be paying for fuel in 15 years, or 10 or 5 even? Outdoor reset, a boiler that will operate at low water temps, constant circulation etc. will all save you energy $$.$$ in the long run, plus provide you with the best possible comfort. After all isn't that why you have a heating system in the first place?

Dunwell

Try one of these...

You can get a Munchkin 140M (140,000 btu) for around that price. I know because I just bought one. My house is around 3500 sq. ft., but I also have to heat an indoor pool so there is a bigger load. If your house is insulated well enough, you can downsize your hvac appropriately. But as stated by some of the other posters, you must get a heat loss done first though. This is important.

Good luck!

Michael Kelley

Heat loss Calc

I used HVAC - Calc Residential 4.0 and got 123,680 this was calculated using each room, window, door and skylight.
I only addressesed exposed walls and added the basement in since I want to add heat to that space.

The new addition won't be added till the spring, but it will be an additional 13,000 btu.

It sounds like a 140,000 btu would work.
Based on the btu that the house needs, how much should the ouput of the boiler be?

Constantin

Yes and no...

... the output from a condensing boiler depends in part on the efficiency of the heat emitters. For example, if your house features limited baseboard, your combustion efficiency will plummet as the water temps approach 190°F.

On the other hand, if you have properly sized baseboard (i.e. with temp requirements below 140°F on a design day), then the Munchkins, Ultras, Vitodens', etc. will produce hot water at 92%+ efficiency all day. IIRC, WM is advertising 98% AFUE for the Ultra when its coupled to a radiant floor heating system...

To add to the confusion, Don Sleeth, the author of HVAC Calc, advocates adding a 15% safety factor when sizing the heating system. On the other hand, several Wallies have allegedly found HVAC-Calc to overstate heating needs by 10%... I guess you and your heating system installer will have figure out what makes the most sense.

Thus, figure out the top temp of your heat emitters (on a design day). Once that is established, figure out the combustion efficiency of your boiler choices at those supply/return temperatures. The DOE output rating of your boiler at that efficiency should then at least cover the heat loss on a design day.

More likely than not, it'll be cost effective to add heat emitters to reduce design day supply water temps to allow the condensing boiler to condense all day long.