In imminent danger of house freezing (Minnesota) - solutions?

tmoritz · November 10

Hi - My Buderus GB142-60 is cooked. I had renters and whatever happened led to the side glass with the little mirror melting. It won’t boot up anymore, immediately goes into lock down mode. Had a boiler guy who told me it cannot be repaired (which I believe - boiler discontinued in 2018). For a comparable setup (4000 square foot house), I was quoted a whopping $. There is literally no way I can do that at the moment. Question: What can I have installed to keep just the heating side going since I have to be gone for a month at a time? Next year I can work on a permanent solution, including hot potable. I won’t need that until then. Right now it’s about saving the house in freezing temps. Thank you all so much!

Ironman · November 10

Why don’t you have the house winterized?

Pipes drained and blown out with air, then filled with antifreeze. Make sure you get someone who’s competent and thorough.

There’s no cheap work around if you need a new boiler. Maybe look into financing options.

hot_rod · November 10

electric boilers are less $$ but to replace a 168,000 boiler with electric would require a large circuit to operate

A heat load calculation would indicate what size boiler would be needed.

Could be a 4000 sq ft home only needs 80,000 btu boiler?

Jamie Hall · November 10

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1871671#Comment_1871671

This

hot_rod · November 10

So you are gone, home empty, for a month at a time during the winter?

I'm not sure winterizing and bringing it back on line multiple times a winter is practical? Especially if you have to pay to have it done?

EBEBRATT-Ed · November 10

4000 sq foot is pretty large. Electric would be the way to go. Drain and winterize what you can and maintain a minimum temp.

A couple of air handlers with electric heat strips would do the job.

hot_rod · November 10

You might size the electric just to maintain, say 50° while you are gone. That would reduce the breaker size.

Digging deep may even show some off peak rates you could maximize. A visit to your electric providers website would answer some questions. They may have rebates to get you to switch or go dual fuel.

I'd first get a second opinion on the Buderus, even the entire block is still available if you look around. Reps often keep donor boilers in their inventory for situations like this.

Contact the rep in your area for some suggestions on a qualified Buderus serviceperson. In many cases a rep will pay you a visit if you are in a bind.

mattmia2 · November 10

@hot_rod I think it is a combi mod con though they don't describe what is wrong with it specifically.

hot_rod · November 10

Was the GB offered in a combi version? I've only seen the boiler version.

Screenshot 2025-11-10 at 11.59.29 AM.png

mattmia2 · November 10

I assumed it was a combi because they mentioned dhw but I didn't dig that deep. Anything you replace it will will have significant cost in fittings and labor.

What is specifically wrong with it?

EBEBRATT-Ed · November 11

Chances are the right guy could get it running. Sounds like the "TECH" that looked at it couldn't be bothered

DCContrarian · November 11

I recommend this article to estimate the approximate size based on past fuel usage:

https://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/article/replacing-a-furnace-or-boiler

From that you can also estimate how much more it would cost you to heat with electric for a season. You may find the number eye-popping.

I'm with @Ironman , drain the house down if it's going to be sitting vacant.

HVACNUT · November 11

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1871805#Comment_1871805

When the inspection mirror melts, that would tell me the HX has a nice hole in it. There's no repair for that because there's no more GB-142.

GroundUp · November 11

Where in MN is this located, and why is a rental home sitting vacant? Would getting the heat on allow you to fill the vacancy and bring income in to cover the cost of the new system? Winterization is going to be the best option financially if it'll be unoccupied all winter anyway, but a simple boiler swap isn't a crazy expense and perhaps a small personal or equity loan would get you back going quickly…

Intplm. · November 11

If you are going to winterize, and I believe you should as mentioned above, have the meter removed by your water company and have the entire house's piping system pumped with non-toxic/recreational vehicle (RV) anti-freeze. All low points must be evacuated of water, including any appliances, ice maker, refrigerator etc.

And then pour antifreeze in all toilet tanks, toilet bowls, and any "P" traps that would hold water. This will save the house till warm weather returns and a replacement can be installed.

DCContrarian · November 11

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1871865#Comment_1871865

I've done that. It took a long, long time to get all of the antifreeze out once the water was back on. The taste lingered for quite a while. I now prefer to blow the supply lines and fixtures out with compressed air. Traps and appliances get antifreeze.

In imminent danger of house freezing (Minnesota) - solutions?

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