Westchester NY homeowner needs help - hyrdo air?

Bob Bona_4

are you in, Adam?

Adam_10

I'm looking for help

I'm not a professional, but a residential oil customer. 3 yrs ago I bought a 1954 split 30 miles north of NYC, 1900 sq ft, 2 baths, with a 50 gal oil fired hot water heater (1988) and a oil fired furnace (1991) that also blows my central air. I've been told to replace both, been having some problems with the furnace, new blower motor but "solderd the bearings" whatever that means?, also very dry air in the winter even with a new Aprilaire humidifier, and its time for the h/w heater. I bought 2 years ago a new condensor outside, American Standard.

I've been steered towards hydro air, from my oil company and reading much on this site, which is a fantastic site, but I'm not confident in having an oil company replace my furnace and h/w heater with a boiler, indirect h/w heater, and blower with both heat and a/c coils. I read "Bright Ideas! List#310" which talks about this and gave me good insight. However, I'm concerned the new system will not perform as expected. A few concerns:
Will I have enough hot water in the winter? We're a family of 4, often with guests over, dishwasher run daily, laundry too. Will an oil company do a very good job installing this system? What questions should I ask? What about
cost - how much is this going to cost? Maybe I should just replace like with like - is that much cheaper in the short run? The oil companys work with specific manufacturers - do I just settle with the equipment they offer? Will one company have a more efficient system than another and what is the difference in cost?

Maybe I know too much for my own good, but I feel that I need to be an informed consumer. The individuals on this board appear knowledgeable but I can't say the same for the oil sales guys I speak with. Yesterday I called the one professional listed on this site near my house and am waiting to hear back from him. Other people are quite a distance away. Any thoughts would be very much appreciated.

Joe Grosso

I'm a mere homeowner myself...

... but I would look for a installer on the basis of him/her being able to do the job right, not what company he/she is affiliated with.

I would encourage you to explore the many options that are open to you with respect to the new heating system. Take your time, ask the kinds of questions you have asked, see what makes the most sense to you.

Were I in your shoes, I would seriously investigate the Monitor FCX boiler. It's a condensing oil boiler that is set up from the get-go to supply DHW and space heating. With 75kBTU of output, should be able to heat your home w/o issues. Simply add some Tekmar magic, and you should have a comfortable and efficient source of heat in the basement.

If there aren't any good FAP listings here to chose from, consider contacting Monitor Products to see if they have anyone they can recommend in your area.

Keith_8

You have come to the right place

Adam,
Ask for referals regarding the installation and follow up service.

What equipment is your oil company proposing?

Hydro Air is a nice way to go. The indirect if sized and installed properly will delivere all the hot water you need.

Pay attention to how the sales people size your equipment, it will give you an idea how much thought goes into the quote being handed to you. If they whip up a quote in a couple of minutes at the kitchen table they didn't take into account YOUR needs.

As far as switching from warm air to hydro it is a step in the right direction towards increased comfort. The hot water boiler will be able to give you options down the line that warm air can't.

Ask Question, Listen for for the Answers and be serious. Most salespeople understand the process they just don't want their time wasted.

Keith

Adam_10

Good answers

This is exactly why I posted here, to get good direction and input. I think I have a good idea, at least a good beginning before I invest in this new system. Input from people on this board will prove quite beneficial to me. There's a guy at my house right now to take a first look at my system. I have a couple of others coming over in the next week or two. I'll keep the information and questions you raised in mind and will also keep you posted on the recommendations made by the various salesguys.

Constantin - I took a look at the Monitor site, it looks like a cool and very efficient boiler. I have to see what the various sales guys propose, as well as look at my current furnace and h/w heater, in order to get a better idea of sizing. Also, I don't know what equipment they are going to recommend. I'll mention Monitor after I hear their pitch.

Thanks, Adam

Mad Dog_2

I believ Al Corelli is up your way

and, I think you can find him on the Find A Professional Search - good man. Mad Dog

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Adam_10

can't find Al

I tried searching for all using the Find A Professional Search as well as on the internet - no luck.

I've made a few calls to other people through a different link, the radiant panel association. Some of the guys there seem to be more focused on the hydro part and not the HVAC piece.

Al Corelli

Here I is!

I returned your email Adam.

Left you my cell number.

Thanks Guys!

Joe Grosso

Also...

... to reall,y get a good idea of what you'll need, a proper heat loss calculation is pretty much mandatory. Many installers go by rules of thumb, but like most simplistic formulas (install like capacity, install capacity at 25BTU/(ft² x hr), etc.) they may or they may not work.

The only way to know for sure is to use a Manual-J-compliant heat loss calculator or to be sitting in the beasement on a design day and measuring what percentage of the time the current boiler is firing to keep up with demand.

Another issue with most oil equipment manufacturers is that they do not make "small" boilers. I would consider (in alphabetical order) the Buderus G115, the Burnham MPO, the Monitor FCX, or the Viessmann Vitola series of boilers as I have heard good things about all of them. All offer DOE output options as low as about 75kBTU/hr and are sold at various price-points.

I think you will be very happy with the comfort of hydro-air. The boilers or the external controls can modulate the temperature across the coils up and down as needed so you won't be hit by any more blasts of hot air. Plus, it's one less appliance to maintain as most stainless indirect tanks outlive their owners and the indirect load keeps the boiler happy in the summertime (no rust).

Joe Brix

Ask about

variable speed or multi-speed air handlers. You're old furnace was probably heating the air too high. VS and lower speed blowers will allow the water temp to be lowered and the blower to run a bit longer giving you more even heat without drying the air so much. You'll still need the aprilaire. You might want to consider some raidant heating down the road from that boiler. Renovation of bathroom or kitchen might be a good time to put radiant flooring in. Basement might be easy enough to run some panel rads or Baseboard. A boiler will give you many more flexable options.