Steam or hot water?

Please post several pictures of your boiler — the front with controls, but several from all sides which show the piping and how it connects to the rest of the heating system. Can you also take one of at least one radiator and post that?

I'm going to bet that you have a gravity hot water system — but until we see the pictures, we really can't say. I will say that if that is what you have, they work splendidly — but you have to have a contractor who really knows what he or she is doing to get them to do so. Where are you located? We may know someone in your area we could recommend.

Agreed. If there is no pump, it's circulating the water by gravity. But pics will help.

@Erin Holohan Haskell Hi Erin, another one for the database, if it's not already there.

My money's on gravity hot water- steam wouldn't have a temperature Guage.

Wow if the contractors can't give you a straight answer on that I'd get a new phone book

There were 2 postings here a year or 2 ago this time of year from 2 different people that had tried to put a steam boiler on a gravity hot water system.

my converted gravity had a large B&G circulator pumping into a 40gallon boiler when I bought the house. System would clang and bang at start of every call for heat when the large volume of 180F water was pushed into the pipes and radiators. Rads would heat up fast and kick off the tstat after 10 minutes.
New configuration is powered by a Alpha2 running constant speed low setting moving 8 gallons a minute max. Very quiet with long cycles just like its gravity fed grandfather. 😎

hot water. does that radiator actually heat with that hack job of a relocation?

So it is agreed that you have a gravity hot water system. You may have a large savings coming your way with the installation of a new modulating/condensing boiler. That type of boiler can save you over 1/2 of your annual heating energy usage compared to the gravity system you are currently using. A standard cast iron boiler might cut your usage by 30%. Now you need to figure out what your heating energy usage actually is.

If that is the only Gas appliance in the building, then your entire gas bill for the year is your heating cost. However if you have other gas appliances for hot water, cooking, and laundry,

1. Then you find your lowest gas bill in May or June. That will be what you use for all the other appliances.
2. Then you multiply that number by 12. that is a year of all the other appliances (approximately)
3. Then you add up all the gas bills for the year.
4. Now take the total annual gas bill and from that subtract the number you calculated for the other appliances annual bill
5. What you have left is the heating gas bill. (approximately)
6. with that number, multiply it by 10 for 10 years. That is the total you will spend in 10 years if you keep the boiler as is and just get it fixed. You will actually use more due to inflation but lets just keep it simple.
7. A new 95+% efficient boiler will cut that total in half
8. What is the price of a new 95+% efficient boiler installed? If the job costs less that the 10 year savings, then you should replace the boiler.

Here is an example:

• Your total gas usage for 12 months is $8,752.00
• Your other appliances use about $42.00 per month
• So take $504 from $8752.00 = $8248.00
• Ten years of total gas with your existing boiler is $82,480.00
• The new ModCon boiler is only $20,000.00
• So you will be saving about $41,960.00 in ten years, so the $20,000 new boiler is a GO!

Here is another example:

• Your total gas usage for 12 months is 3,548.00
• Your other appliances use about $42.00 per month
• So take $504 from $3548 to get $3044.00
• Ten year total is $30,440.00
• New ModCon is $20,000.00
• Your savings would be 15,022.00, about $5000,00 less than the new boiler, So maybe not such a good economic deal. But when you count the cost of repairs to that old boiler, It might be OK to spend that money. But you also need to calculate the maintenance cost of the new boiler. They have more maintenance items to consider, so you might need an additional $120.00 per year for that.

Now I'm not quoting actual prices for fuel or service or installing a new boiler. These are all hypothetical numbers for the examples, and do not reflect the actual pricing in your area. You need to do your own calculations with your gas bills and your new equipment estimates. Just remember that the lower cost Cast Iron boilers operate at about 80 to 85% efficiency and will only knock 30% of your fuel usage, while the Higher priced ModCon boilers that operate at 95% and higher efficiency, may knock 45 to 50% off your gas bill.  

Hope this math helps you decide.  I remember telling my customers that the old heater’s gas or oil bill is paying for the new equipment. You are just not getting the benefits, the energy company stockholders are.  

If however, your annual gas bill is only around $2000.00 then it is not economically sound to replace that gravity system. Get a new, more efficient power burner installed in the old beast.

But I would forget about fixing that old gas conversion burner. That one is wasteful.