Gas steam boiler recommendation?

Larry Chiraz

Well said

P. Miller

My wife and I are replacing the steam boiler in our house, and we're switching from oil to gas. We've heard good things about the Peerless and the Utica oil-fired boilers, but we're not sure if the gas ones are as good (not many people use gas in this region).

Does anybody have feedback on the quality of the Peerless and Utica GAS-fired boilers? Any other brands we should look at? (The load is about 390 s.f.)

Thanks in advance for any responses.

gerry gill

i'm partial to Burnham boilers

ive used others and still like burnham the best..i can't really say there is such a thing as a bad boiler..we each find small reasons to like one brand over another..

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J.C.A._3

For steam....

Either Perless or Burnham are both fine choices. I like the water content of both but the best choice is going to be whichever boiler the INSTALLER is most comfortable working with.

Making sure he follows the companies installation guide is more important than the brand name on the unit itself. The manufacturer has tried every "hairbrained scheme" that almost any installer has come up with, and PRINTED the ones that WORK the best for their particular unit. (ask almost anyone here and I bet you'll get some fun and funny observations about this FACT!).

As long as the directions are READ and followed, any boiler the installer/service provider suggests,is a great choice. Trust me....I'm an installer and get to see what happens when they aren't followed. Wish I had pictures of some of the installs I've come across in the last few weeks alone. :7> Chris

Mad Dog_2

Yep

Burnham for us. Mad Dog

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Al Letellier

gas conversion

It will all depend on whether you want the flexibility of ever going back to oil. With a steam boiler, we've done lots of Weil Mclain SGO's and fired them with a Riello power flame gas burner. It's a great combination and works very well with high efficiency, and the boiler is amoungst the best of the best for steam. You could easily convert the boiler back to oil if the occassion every arose. any gas boiler with a rack style atmospheric burner will be less efficient and you'll always be stuck with gas. If the bulk of heating in your area is oil, that may be an option you want to consider. Also, in a lot of areas, the gas utililies aren't servicing equipment anymore, so check on that and be sure your selected installer is proficient at servicing the equipmen the installs.

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Unknown

I've installed

both the Peerless and Burnham line of gas steam boilers , and either would be a fine choice . As for customer service , Burnham is tops . Not sure about Utica though , I wasn't aware they still made gas steamers . Like JCA said though , the choice of installer would be by far the most important part of the equation .

Mark Odell

Utica gas/steam boiler

Mr. Miller,

Utica Boilers has been manufacturing boilers for over 75 years and implements the industries most demanding quality standards. While we truly believe that Peerless and Burnham are also quality manufacturers of boilers, I would like to take the time to share with you some of the reasons why we believe our Utica PEG steam boiler is the best value.
The Utica PEG gas/steam boiler utilizes a specific cast-iron heat exchanger that incorporates a steam chest design. This allows a good , dry, steam to be created. This, combined with our 2” supply tappings virtually eliminates the ‘pinging’ and ‘banging’ associated with wet steam and smaller heat exchanger tapping designs. We also use cast-iron push nipples between the boiler sections; as like metals expand and contract alike, thus minimizing the chance for leaks.
We also feature a horizontal draft hood versus a stack draft diverter to eliminate concerns for venting flue gases, especially in low-ceiling applications.
Another item to consider is safety. We use only high-quality controls and safety devises from such favorably recognized companies as Honeywell and ITT McDonnell-Miller to ensure reliability and safety.
Unlike many of our competitors, we warrant the entire heat exchanger to be free from manufacturing defects for 10 years from date of installation, (non pro-rated). This means that should your unit leak due to a manufacturing defect right up to the 10th year, we will provide an entire new factory pressed and pressure tested heat exchanger, not an individual section, as is the case with many of our competitors
Lastly, we strongly believe in service after the sale. We employ Regional Sales Managers throughout the country who have local Manufacturers Representatives that report to them and are available for local support. We also have 8 Technical Service Representatives in-house ready to assist your contractor with any installation or troubleshooting issue.

I hope this helps, and we would be glad to serve you.

Mark Odell, Inside Sales Engineer
ECR International Inc.

Dick Charland

Sounds like Peerless

What Mark states sounds just like Peerlees. Given the estimated heat load in square feet of radiation, I'd suggest a 63-04L package steam boiler. Another option would be to keep the flexibility of an oil boiler EC-03 and install a Carlin EZ Gas burner.

**** Charland
E.R. Stephen Co.

Steamhead

I'll second that

The Utica and Columbia cast-iron steamers are practically the same, and I've had good results from them. Here's a pic of a gas one we did not long ago, complete with drop header. You can see that the tee on the left steam outlet contains the skim tapping, which is a big help when it's time to clean the insides of the boiler.

But the idea of fuel flexibility is a real good one. If you have a recent-model oil-fired boiler it just might make sense to simply change the burner. Larger commercial installations have had dual-fuel burners available for years, so they can quickly change to whichever fuel is cheaper per BTU. With a residential boiler, at least for now, the changeover would involve the removal of one burner and installation and tuning of the other, which could take about a day's work. (You listening, Beckett, Carlin, Riello and Wayne?)

I heat my own house with oil. If oil is predominant in your area, and you have not had good service from your present oil company, look into switching companies. You will probably find one that will serve you better, and this move would be cheaper than replacing the boiler. With better service you'd burn less oil.

But if the boiler is antiquated, I'd replace it. I've had good results with Columbia oil-fired steamers. The Weil-McLain SGO series boilers are also very nice, and both could accept a conversion gas burner if desired. I also like Burnhams and have heard good things about Peerless units.

The most important thing, as stated by others in this thread, is proper installation. Try the Find a Professional page of this site to locate a steam man near you.

Rodney Summers

The boiler with the largest steam outlet

I am aware of, and that DOES make a helluva diference IMHO is the Weil McLain EG series.

We never bush the 3" outlet, never ever had to resort to complicated "dropped headers" - because we always use the full 3" riser! Water carry is virtually non-existent. Dry steam the assured result. And, the outlets are on top, where they belong - not on the sides where water throw is always a problem.

The fact that the company's been around for over 100 years doesn't hurt their reputation either (:-o)

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