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U.S boiler Alta

plumbit
plumbit Member Posts: 20
in THE MAIN WALL

just wondering what people thought of the new U.S boiler boiler Alta. I’ve read good things about and its ease to install but curious what feedback from the field is. Thanks

Comments

  • plumbworker
    plumbworker Member Posts: 11
    edited September 1

    My experience is solely with the combi units. I've installed a few of them. Seems like a good product. I like the serviceability that allows the left and right side panels of the cabinet to be removed directly from the front of the cabinet to access internal components . The combi’s also come with a primary secondary header included in the box.

    I’m still on the fence about the sensor less reset functionality. You’ll need a thermostatic mixing valve for the dhw which will slightly reduce the output ratings (since generally most mixing valves require a minimum differential between inlet and outlet temperature.) which raises your dhw setpoint temp.

    For stand alone boiler i prefer the ASPEN firetube which is a different model of Burnham (US BOILER).

  • GroundUp
    GroundUp Member Posts: 2,399

    The Alta is far from "new". They are well designed and easily serviceable, but the control is beyond terrible and nearly impossible to navigate without buying the "USB connect" interface. They also have no ODR option, and the piping connections are pretty ridiculous. I have about a dozen in service and they have been flawless so far, but I cringe every time I set one up due to the crappy control.

    epmiller
  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 13,943

    why do you want to use US Boiler? Look at Viessman, Lochinvar, HTP.

  • plumbworker
    plumbworker Member Posts: 11

    HTP!? Lol..

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 13,943

    what's wrong with htp? did you not read the manual? muchkin and viessman were some of the first mod cons.

  • plumbworker
    plumbworker Member Posts: 11

    Calm down lol. I was installing htp munchkin’s decades ago, when they were pretty much the only high efficiency mod con’s available. Surprisingly i still have a bunch in operation that i continue to maintain for my clients.. I don’t hate HTP, the domestic water heating products such as the Phoenix are solid. Just haven’t really been that impressed with offerings since Dave Davis sold to Ariston. I was a huge lochinvar guy until recently and have been impressed with us boiler (burnham) offerings. You seem to have something against US BOILER. i’m all ears?

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 13,943
    edited September 2

    nothing against them as a whole, they just seem a little hit or miss like some ci lines failing very prematurely and @GroundUp 's information about the control and i know especially lochinvar and viessmann have very flexible controls.

  • plumbworker
    plumbworker Member Posts: 11
    edited September 2

    Hit or miss how? I've installed a lot of the Series 2 burnham CI units don't recall any premature failures or HX leaks. Yes setting the Alta advanced control parameters i agree can be a bit cumbersome, not nearly as bad as groundup has described though.. The lochinvar knight control we all know is really good and offers plenty of fine tuning options though factory support of Lochinvar in my experience is disgraceful. Viessmann are you kidding me? The older viessmann control was a pain to setup with all types of coding, yes i know the newer control is more intuitive. The Sage control which is used in the other US BOILER mod con offerings is much better than the ALTA control that's for sure. How many of the us boiler mod cons have you personally installed and what failures have you encountered?

    mattmia2
  • epmiller
    epmiller Member Posts: 36
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863739#Comment_1863739

    I agree, the ALTA control interface is a bit difficult to get used to, the "USB connect" gizmo is almost a requirement if you don't want to spend an extra hour reacquainting yourself with the control if you don't install them regularly. As to the ODR option, it's all there, just another layer you have to find in the menus (and purchase the outdoor sensor). I do like the K2 Sage controller better but that self-adjusting gas valve on the ALTA is just too nice when you have to do a propane conversion.

  • plumbworker
    plumbworker Member Posts: 11
    https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1863892#Comment_1863892

    The boiler includes terminals for an outdoor sensor, but the control logic does not perform true outdoor reset based on ambient temperature.

    Per my manufacturer’s rep, the sensor connection primarily exists to meet code and inspection requirements (e.g., California Title 24 energy compliance).

    US Boiler designates this function as rate-based reset. Unlike a conventional outdoor reset curve where design-day and slope parameters are programmed, this control requires only minimum and maximum supply water temperatures. The algorithm then modulates supply temperature within that range based on load demand.

    While the precision of this method is debatable, I have not encountered any reported comfort issues from my clients.

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 13,943

    i have an automatic humidistat that can work like that if you don't install the outdoor probe.

    odr doesn't account for solar gain or wind so it isn't perfect either. An algorithm that looks at total energy output and tries to average that to a steady state could work better than odr or in conjunction with a temp probe.

    plumbworker

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