Boilers - Home Heating Steam and Hot Water Systems - Deciding on a new boiler

My current boiler has begun leaking and I have recieved three quotes for a replacement. The current boiler is a New Yorker with a 176-206 btu capacity. Three zones, three circulators. All quotes include complete boiler base system, new circulators (except for the Smith, which the contractor suggested one circulator), a fan in a can:

Weil McClain WTG0 4. 120-145 MBH. $7438
Smith Series 8-W-4T $6870
Peerless WB4 $7200

I am waiting to hear from the Smith contracto what 3 circulators would cost but I think that it would put it in the low 7k range.

Any opinions on the manufacturers mentioned above and
any guidance on how to make the best most informed choice?

If you are well insulated and you have a current a/c fan forced duct system try a few quotes with a heat pump.

He lives in CT. It's a little too cold up here for heat pumps.

Time for another reminder:

Either DO, or HAVE DONE, a HEAT LOSS CALCULATION for your home! Do NOT replace the boiler with the same size as you now have. 95% of boilers in service today are probably at LEAST 2 times bigger than necessary. Don't be FUELish!

Unless you live in a McMansion of 5000 square feet, you do NOT need a boiler that big!

Doing, or having done, a real heat loss is the only first step. As NJT said, there's no way you need a boiler that big. Probably something about 3 times smaller is what you actually need. But you don't know until you do the heat loss.

Let's hear a little about the size of the house, location (for design temperature), kind of heat emitters, extent/amount of insulation, status of windows, etc.

As far as zoning, I would suggest either a standard circulator with zone valves and a pressure differential bypass, or a high-efficiency ECM circulator (e.g., Grundfos Alpha or Wilo ECO) and zone valves.

1-1/2 story 4000 sq ft. Double pane windows throughout. 6 or 9 inch ceiling insulation. Southern Connecticut. Biggest heat drain: teenage daughter with a penchant for 45 minute showers.

OK, so it is a big house.

Design temp ~9F.

Guess at a Manual J heat loss, which is NOT a substitute for the real thing: 100k-130k BTU/hr. Actual heat loss might be 10-25% less than that.

But you have to run the numbers to know. With that kind of square footage, it would be worth the money for some thermal imagery and a blower door test to see where you can improve the building envelope and so utilize a smaller boiler.

I will have a heat loss calculation done by a company shortly. I performed one myself and came up with app 75k heat loss.

I would like to know any opinions on the boiler manufacturers.

The three you have listed are basically standard.

What makes or breaks an installation is the quality of the installer. Shop thoroughly. Check references. 99% of homeowners won't know whether it's a good install or not, but they will be able to tell you about the installer's promptness, thoroughness, job-site cleanliness, good billing practices, post-installation followup, etc. See if they attend manufacturer training. Ask for pictures of their installations. See if they look like the installation manuals.

75k heat loss for 4000 heated square feet at 9F outdoors is probably too low, especially if there's only 6-9 inches insulation in the ceiling. That's a bit under 19 BTU/hr/sf. Typically that is a value for a very tight house.

There are at least 15-20 full service heating oil providers in my county. I used one of the larger ones for a few years but found them unwilling to fulfill the service contract for a recurring problem. Also, I am quite sure that their service personnel are urged to
upsell or convince the homeowner to replace a perfectly good component by providing a bogus prognosis. So they are out.

The current firm is smaller and the service staff have been diligent and thorough in their repairs and with the installation of a booster tank. But the sales end is a little high on price. Two other firms have 37 and 47 complaints lodged in the past 3 years with the state chapter of the BBB, 1/3 of which dealt with service issues, 1/3 with billing disputes, and 1/3 miscellaneous. 3/4 of the complaints were resolved through mediation and 1/4 not. Nonetheless, that does seem like a high number, given that likely only a minority of dissatisfaction is pleaded through the BBB.

A company is arriving tomorrow to do measurements and give a quote, and this one has had no complaints lodged with the BBB in the past 3 years.

None of the other companies bothered to do a heat loss assessment. They just eyeballed the joint.

It might be something like 5:1 guys you don't want vs. guys you do. Be patient.

A decent heat loss takes a pro at least an hour or two. Many will charge for that service. Some will credit the cost if you end up hiring them.

Again, at 4000 heated sq ft you would be well-served by having a real energy audit with thermal imagery and blower door test.

if there's only 6-9 inches insulation in the ceiling...

... give some serious thought to upgrading that to R40... surprised Xiphias hasn't suggested that already! One of my favorite quotes of his: "Insulation is fuel you pay for only once"!

What's a blower door test?:confused: It scarcely sounds legal.

:D Yer as bad as me with yer dirty mind! Shame on you! ;)

They cover a door in your home with a big ole blanket and a big ole blower fan... they measure the ACH (Air Changes per Hour) to give an idea of how tightly sealed the home is from air infiltration.