Longevity of boiler

Phil Simon

I have greatly enjoyed reading many posts on the wall and was extremely interested in the past couple of days of the post about the system 2000 by Energy Kinetics. Alot of people question the life expectancy of a steel boiler as opposed to a cast iron boiler. It is of general opinion that cast iron should last 40 years or more as opposed to 25 years for a steel boiler.

My question is --is lasting 40 years a good thing? If every homeowner changed there boiler every 25 or 30 years think of the fuel savings that would be realized. Even though I am not a plumber I have seen my share of antique boilers. Some 50 or 75 years old, what kind of fuel efficency do these monsters have? I even know of numerous coal boilers converted to gas and oil that are still running.

Think about the last time you went into a house and said to yourself [atleast I hope it was to yourself] nothing has been done to this house since the homeowner bought it 40 years ago. Everything you touch turns into a major project.

If people updated there boilers every 25 years the costs would most likely be covered by there fuel savings. Don't you find it kind of ironic that most people get a new car every 7 years,new kitchen appliances every 10 to 12 years, a new roof every 25 years but still expect there boiler to last forever........just my 2 cents

Unknown

I've been doing some thinking on this subject (also inspired by that thread)

The only improvements I can see for the oil industry would be inventing a modulating / condensing boiler/burner. If we can invent one of those in 25 years there may be a reason to upgrade.

Or if the oil industry can come up with a Micro-CHP unit to compete with the gas powered Micro-CHP units that will be on the market soon.

I think there is still room for the oil industry to grow, so I agree with you that I am not looking for a "forever" boiler just yet.

I do think that heating equipment will plateau within the next 25 - 75 years there's only so much a heating system can do right? But then again we never thought we could go to the moon either. I mean, how much engineering can you do to any one system?

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bb_7

In Europe

In Europe boilers are updated more often than here in the states. Every 15 years or so. In that time span there are improvements that make it worth the investment to upgrade.

However, here in the US fuel prices have been so low that the payback is too long to justify the upgrade. So, the energy industry has taken care of this aspect for us. Now that fuel prices are high and we accept the higher prices it's worth the investment in condensing and modulating boilers.

The mindset here has been that the boiler should last 30 - 40 years. I'm not sure who started this assumption, the homeowner, contractor, distributor, or manufacturer. Look at other things we buy and replace every few years: VCR to DVD to HD DVD, computers, cars... All have progressed over the years, and most are things we brag about when we tell our families and friends. Look at my new car, etc. When is the last time you have heard the average Joe say "Look at my new boiler". No bling in boilers for most folks, but granite countertops, oak floors, Plasma HDTV, The Bold Look of Kohler, that's something you can show off to everone who comes into your house.

Your best payback in the long run is to tighen up your building and add insualtion. The less heat you lose the less you need to replace.

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Perry_2

Lot of assumptions being made...

Why does a steel boiler have a shorter life. There is no real reason it should.

Historically the reasons small boilers were castings was the problems with proper welding of steel. I am sure that the boiler industry went through a lerning curve on which cast iron to use as well (there are different grades).

As long as you have the right steel alloy - and good welding (now easily achievable) there is no reason that a steel boiler should last any less than a cast iron boiler (and concievably last a lot longer).

However, if someone wishes to save a buck or two on a boiler and use a cheaper grade of steel; and perhaps cut on the welder wages (which affects weld quality) and save another few $ - a stell boiler will in fact have a shorter life.

If a person installes a top effiency boiler for their application today - with the right controls; I'm not sure that there is any argument for replacing the boiler for "efficiency" reasons in the future. The savings will not be that great. So yes, I hope that my new boiler last for many decades (and that the electronic parts are available as well).

Perry

Constantin

Hmmm...

The actual underlying home heating fuel prices are actually about the same, every time we surveyed differences between the EU and the US. Road-use fuel is much more expensive, no doubt.

However, minimum energy-efficiency standards for boilers and the like have been raised over the years, resulting in the obsolesence of a lot of equipment. Can you imagine being able to red-tag equipment for not being able to reach the right minimum efficiencies? Oh, and those inspections are annual and mandatory. Irksome for some, no doubt.

I agree with another poster that if the US oil industry has any interest whatsoever in prserving its market share that it would sponsor the introduction of modulating or at least 2-step oil burner technology at the residential scale in the USA. Not going to happen, IMO, until the vast profits they reap at the road-side pump get crimped.