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Gas boiler in air handling room

Rocky_3
Rocky_3 Member Posts: 236
in THE MAIN WALL
Looked at a job today. Medical office building has 4 mechanical rooms with each room containing two oil boilers. Also in these mech rooms is the air handling units that supply tempered air to their respective parts of the building. The air units are still sealed tight and I do not notice any negative pressure in the rooms themselves. Owner wants to convert to gas boilers. What are the issues with gas boilers in air handling room? Does anyone know what, if any, code issues there are regarding placement of gas boilers in a room that houses an air handler? It just doesn't seem like a good idea to me, especially atmospheric gas boilers. How about sealed combustion or direct vent gas boilers?

My first inclination is to install a Buderus or Viessman boiler, and hang a gas burner on it. Any thoughts or knowledge would be appreciated.

Regards,
Rocky

Comments

  • Wayco Wayne_2
    Wayco Wayne_2 Member Posts: 2,479
    If threre is

    no opening in the duct I don't see a problem with them residing in the same space. Where does the combustion air enter the mech rooms? Closed combustion is always safer. Sell them a Prestige or a Knight. WW

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  • Rocky_3
    Rocky_3 Member Posts: 236
    Combustion air

    ...comes in from a vertical shaft through the ceiling. Directly communicating from outside. Also, there is a floor grill that blows air into the mech room from the air handling units ducting.

    Rocky
  • Wayco Wayne_2
    Wayco Wayne_2 Member Posts: 2,479
    What is the purpose of that floor register?

    Is there a return to match the supply duct?? Sounds like something aint right on that front. Mechanical rooms with combustion should not share the air in any way with the living area of the building. You need to correct the design before you do anything else. Disconnect the duct to that floor register and seal it. Make sure there is not a corresponding return. If there is find it and seal it. If there are concerns with freezing a seperate electric heater for the mech room might be in order. Then again I might not understand everything from this end of the keyboard. Good luck and let us know what you end up doing. WW.

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  • Steamhead (in transit)
    Steamhead (in transit) Member Posts: 6,688
    What make and model

    are the exiseing boilers? If they're fairly recent and from the right manufacturer, you might be able to get a gas burner retrofit from the factory.

    And check out that register situation. It doesn't sound right to me either.

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  • Jim Davis_7
    Jim Davis_7 Member Posts: 67
    Nothing wrong with register

    The air handler is bringing in outside air not recirculating indoor air therefore the register is fine and only offsets any possible cabinet leakage one the air handler that could cause a negative pressure. This should be a mandatory requirement when air handling equipment is in the same room. Sealed combustion boilers would be a better choice and then the combustion air opening could be eliminated and possibly the register unless a water heater is in the same area.
  • Rocky_3
    Rocky_3 Member Posts: 236
    Old boillers are Burnham V-36's and V-37's

    It appears there is no return air grille in the mech room itself. It seems as though the air grille is actually creating positive pressure, not negative pressure, so must be coming from outside makeup system.

    Gas prices just shot up 24% as of May 1st here, so it is equivalent of $2.94 a gallon fuel oil. Fuel oil is only about $2.35 a gallon (can't believe I actually said "only"). Until we get an actual gas line feeding Fairbanks, not trucking our natural gas in from Anchorage or Prudhoe Bay, I will feel more comfortable with the ability to fuel swap rather quickly. Thats why I am strongly considering a Veissman or Buderus boiler, with the ability to change out burners depending on which fuel is more economical to run at the time. Right now, and for the foreseeable future, it is oil. Unfortunately, the Buderus and Viessman don't offer a sealed combustion BF-style burner in the size I need for the BTU rating of the boilers. Unless I am misinformed. I think that riello stops making the BF style burner at an F-5? Too small for my needs. Not real for sure if Viessman makes a sealed combustion oil burner. I don't believe their chassis burner is available as a sealed unit?

    Regards,
    Rocky
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