oil fired boiler

clay_2

just moved into a house and want to get a new boiler, but as with anything else $$$$$ is the issue. When logging onto this web site, under the "search results"-page 8,# 74 an article titled "42 opinions on when and why its time to replace tha old boiler". Well I'll tip my hat to the person who wrote those "42 steps" because out of a few contractors i've spokin' with, i get the vib that all they want to do is sell a job, which raises the first ?. Is there an honest contractor out on long island, suffolk county that would do all what that person wrote ? My 2nd ? refers to his paragraph 11 & 12 in which he compairs older and newer boilers and throwing a new gun and downfiring the nozzle and getting better effiency out of the old boiler, but when he compared these boilers he mentioned they were all single-pass pinned boilers. My boiler is single-pass but has no pins, where the pins WOULD BE is just ever so slightly finned but the baffling or channels are curved or offset. This boiler is 41 years old and does not appear to really look all that bad. So is the physical age enough to not waste my time putting a new burner on it? If I did would i see any significant efficiency change ? What GPH nozzle should I downsize to?...In paragraph #12 he mentions an american standard arcroliner heating real well with a new burner. IF I were to deside to go that route would I even hit 80% AFUE efficiency. Well Here are some stats on my boiler:: 41 years old; still has a 1750 rpm low pressure gun on it,never thought ill ever see one of them! THe boiler is an American Standard products by American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corp. A-3 boiler ,series 1B J1, Gross output 136 mbh , water Mbh 102, steam 425 mbh, 1.35 GPH, using for hot water base board. well thank you all for any comments, suggestions, jokes and critisisims... well as soon as the heating season ends I plan to drain the boiler out and give the Cast Iron itself an inspection and take it from there.

Robert O'Brien

Robert O'Brien

What didn't these contractors do that you feel they are being dishonest? Not perform a heat loss? Should they perform this service for free?Did you pay for these consultations?Or did you call anybody who would give you a free estimate? Comparing a 41 year old A-S to a new triple pass/indirect combo is like comparing a 1965 Chevy to a 2006 BMW,there is no comparison.BTW are the windows,siding,baths,appliances etc the original 1965 issue?

Steamhead (in transit)

Clay, that should be the A-34 boiler

I have a couple of these that run real nice and clean (no soot) with ordinary Beckett AF burners. They're built like tanks and seem to last a long time. Not sure if they reach 80% AFUE, but they certainly do better than they did with the old burners, and the lack of soot keeps them running efficiently throughout the heating season. Yours may still have the American-Standard Arcoflame D-series burner- this was an early attempt at a higher-efficiency burner, and I understand this was the burner that convinced A-S to stop making burners. I just pulled one of these off today, put on a Beckett.

If the boiler still has the old stainless-steel firebox, you MUST replace it with one that will withstand the higher temperatures produced by modern burners. A ceramic-fiber "bathtub" chamber like the Lynn #1001 works well in the A-34. Then reduce the nozzle capacity by 20% or so, again because of the hotter flame. You'll still get the same amount of heat.

If you're not a pro, find one and have him or her handle this. Setting up an oil burner is pretty specialized work, and there's a lot that can go wrong if it's not done right.

As to whether or not to replace the boiler now, that depends on a number of things. But a new burner and chamber will make your A-S more efficient, which will help you save for a new boiler if you can't afford to get one now. This type of burner/chamber upgrade was part of a project where we saved the owners 36% on their oil consumption over last year.

There are plenty of good pros in the NYC/LI area, but the one you want to talk to first is Matt "Mad Dog" Sweeney of Triple Crown P&H in Floral Park. Go to the Find a Professional page of this site, type in your zip code and his ad should come up in the list.

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

Weezbo

insulaion is the first line of endeavour....

nice as a new burner may be. once you pay to add some insulation the thing may save you enough dollars to boot the beast:) i happen to like old american standards, just the same...i would tighten up the envelope and get a blower door test done first. then think 'what kind of boiler meets these requirements...and if i do get one,...can i lash this burner to the boiler of my "dreams"?' *~/:) 'would this work in the firebox of the Guigamasterframer boiler?'..if it cant, hold on to your dollars, just might be better to roll with the burner you have until spring...consider up grading the emmitters and the distribution of btu's maybe a radiant pannel or three alot depends on what kind of comfort you want physically and finacially....

Leo

Up Up and away

My experience with this boiler is a lot of heat goes up the chimney causing waste. The company I used to work for replaced one and the lady stopped the owner on the street. She stated she gave up a new dining room set for a boiler and now that they did it the house is warmer than it's ever been using the same amount of oil.

Leo

Unknown

Clay

Does your oil company do service and installations ? I can guarantee you that technology and efficiency has changed considerably in the 41 years since your boiler was new . A new oil burner will give you an efficiency spike , but it will not give you anywhere near the amount of savings you can get from a properly sized new boiler and burner . There are great install companies on the Island that will size the boiler with a heatloss . But you can do it on your own for free with software from Slant Fin . It's in the pipe on the left of the screen - " Free heatloss calcs " .

Glen

older darling that -

works well for a long time. I have only one that I service - but upgraded the burner to a Carlin EZ1 2 years ago. Burns clean, 0 smoke, 83 % EF. Customer is very warm - only complaint was that he can't hear the new burner (he's 83). But here's my take - I talk more folks out of new equip than I sell. Look at your building envelop first, upgrade everything, eg, windows, doors, blow in more R value in the attic. And once you have that done - get a professional heat loss done and go from there. Your house is a system - of heat loss and heat gain. Focussing on just the boiler is IMO a waste of $$. Cheers from High in the Rockies of Canada.

Terry_14

ek 2000

I like a cold start boiler why keep a large mass hot all the time? EK has a 350 stack and 0 smoke, h/W is plate exchanger made and efficient.

check out the web page installed many with great success

Huged my kid today
Terry