Boiler Brand

[Overhaulin63]

Well we did the heat loss calculation and the distributor is recommending a Knight brand 55K BTU for natural gas. I talked with some folks that have used this brand and they say they are high maintenance and not very reliable. I've look at several other brands like Westinghouse, Weil McLain, and several others but I can't tell a good one from a bad. Too many conflicting reviews.

So I am going back to the tried and true way and ask you guys for your opinion. Do you have a preferred brand for a reliable unit, wall or floor, that you would recommend?

Thanks!

 

[Perroflojo]

We have a Dunkirk running since 2004 with out any problems.

 

[86turbodsl]

The guys at heatinghelp.com probably can give better responses, but for my part, the ones iv'e used are a slant fin and a weil mclain. Both were trouble free. I know Viessman is good too.

 

[pstnbly]

The new HTP has a turndown ratio of 20-1. Most of the pros over at the wall are pushing it. I just installed a IBC boiler with a 7-1 turndown in my place but the smallest is 115,000btus. IBC is a highly regarded but lesser known brand manufactured in Canada, it has a unique interface with many options to drive things like DC ECM pumps.

 

[75gmck25]

I have a Buderus natural gas boiler we put in about 3 years ago to replace an old oil boiler, and the unit works extremely well. The GC144 model was recommended by the contractor because its side water pipe connections were easy to match up with the old boiler pipes. At 85% it is not a high efficiency model, but I didn't think I needed one of the more expensive models for my heating needs.

Bruce

 

[ctfjr]

If I'm not mistaken the Knight is a Lochinvar product. A top of the line unit. However my biggest concern in a high tech boiler would be who is going to service it down the road and are parts readily available?

When I replaced my oil boilers with high efficiency gas units at a small commercial bldg I own, I went with Burnham Alpine units (2X 400mbh). Not only does Burnham (and other brands) have a good product but in my area there are several distributors and many qualified dealers to service them.

 

[goneflyin2002]

I am using a Viessmann Vitodens 100. Beautifully built and the performance is beyond what I expected.

 

[koditten]

My choice? Any non high efficiency boiler.

Pilot lights, thermocoupler, relay, a couple safety switches and gas valve. No circuit board to go bad.

I looked long and hard to find a conventional boiler. The savings of 84% vs 96% in gas was not worth the extra money. It would take me 35 years to break even on the savings.

Its a shop,not a house. The shop will never be as tight a structure as a house, so the efficiency of newer boiler would never be realized.

 

[ctfjr]

My choice? Any non high efficiency boiler.

Pilot lights, thermocoupler, relay, a couple safety switches and gas valve. No circuit board to go bad.

I looked long and hard to find a conventional boiler. The savings of 84% vs 96% in gas was not worth the extra money. It would take me 35 years to break even on the savings.

Its a shop,not a house. The shop will never be as tight a structure as a house, so the efficiency of newer boiler would never be realized.

Yes & no koditten

There are certainly arguments for KISS, ESPECIALLY if you don't use a lot of fuel. If you only occasionally go into a garage & heat it only then, I'm in full agreement.

However a shop not being tight is an argument towards a higher efficiency unit. For me it comes down to payback. If you can estimate the amount of fuel you would use with a conventional unit, then the savings going to a high eff one, its pretty easy to compare the cost of installation to annual savings. The more fuel you use the faster the payback.
In my case I was switching from oil. It cost me $30k (minus $6K utility rebate) for the boiler changeover. My fuel costs savings were $24K. One year payback. Even with oil taking a dump in price recently, its still less $$ for my gas bill. I actually smile every time I see a gas bill in the mail.

 

[SwampCat]

Buderus is hard to beat. I am in the pilot light thermocouple crowd.

 

[Jackfre]

Any of the mentioned and not mentioned boilers are fine IF they and the system are right to begin with. In choosing this type of equipment I say buy the right contractor first and put in what he recommends and is comfortable with. He should be able to provide details as to his choices and be able to provide after sale support. System issues will kill any unit. Clean and flush your system prior to putting the fluid into the boiler. You would be stunned to see the condition of some brand new boilers shortly after they are charged with all the **** in the system.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I am using a Viessmann Vitodens 100. Beautifully built and the performance is beyond what I expected.

Plus1 on Viessmann....top top of the line!

 

[Perroflojo]

At this point, is also a good idea to look into how the boiler circulates the water, zones, install a bypass, and possibly an outdoor reset. Also look into upgrading the thermostat .

 

[Hogger]

Munchkin gets my vote.

 

[Jackfre]

Munchkin gets my vote.

Munchkin is NLA

 

[LS6 Tommy]

I'm considering an Energy Kinetics oil fired water boiler to replace my 30+ year old Weil Mclain. They're not cheap, but I hear nothing but good things about them and the efficiency is far beyond the rest of the industry.

Tommy

 

[Mr onetwo]

Be careful Tommy...System 2000 is over hyped **** IMHO. This is based on several experiences a few years ago. If you want a really good, efficient oil fired boiler check out Buderas...they have more experience with high efficiency oil than any other company. Viessmann also makes excellent oil fired equipment.

 

[John_Michalak]

It's a 6 of one half dozen of the other kind of decision. I ended up buying the energy kinetics because its made in the USA and the installers I like to use are well versed in it. If you don't find someone who knows it well then I wouldn't bother with one. Mine has cut down my oil usage significantly. That's a tough number to compare though because the winter has been warmer and I burned almost no wood this season in my woodstove compared to near 24/7 last year.

I would second upgrading thermostats and if you going to get one. I keep the fans running post boiler shutdown (through an ecobee thermostat) for 5 minutes. The boiler has circulator pumps that keep pushing the boilers heated water to the air handler until it drops below 100 degrees. The fan cycle pulls that heat into the living space versus wasting it to standby loss in the basement. I would guess my basement is 5-8 degrees cooler than last winter.

Sent from my XT1575 using Tapatalk

 

[nh_yota]

I have a Peerless steam boiler that's about 12 years old and works great. Steam heat is as simple as you can get so there are very few things that can go wrong. I like it that way.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Be careful Tommy...System 2000 is over hyped **** IMHO. This is based on several experiences a few years ago. If you want a really good, efficient oil fired boiler check out Buderas...they have more experience with high efficiency oil than any other company. Viessmann also makes excellent oil fired equipment.

Buderas and Viessmann are on my radar, too. Realistically, due to cost it will probably be a Buderas. The boiler service company I use at work have them in their own homes, so what does that tell you?

Tommy

 

[pstnbly]

Buderas and Viessmann are on my radar, too. Realistically, due to cost it will probably be a Buderas. The boiler service company I use at work have them in their own homes, so what does that tell you?

Tommy

Buderus GB/142 series wall hung condensing boilers are very popular here too. The drawback is the aluminum heat exchanger, if your water is not PH neutral or has chlorine expect shortened service life. HTP's new UFT boiler is stainless and has an unmatched control system. HTP is the company that brought forward the Munchkin and the UFT is competitive in pricing to the GB/142.

 

[RECox286]

I installed a Weil-Mclean HE-3 a bit over 15 years ago, which I service

as needed by myself. If it were to **** out, I would opt for a like unit

as it has performed remarkably well, giving us home heat as well as

domestic hot water for almost the whole time. That means I added a

Boiler Mate to the system about 10 years ago. I have had to replace the

start control, and service the valve packings that started to leak, but they

were not due to the boiler itself, merely age and water chemistry.

If I were you, opt for the next higher BTU rating to allow for any expansion

to the basic system, b/c it won't cost you that much more up front, but

figure if you have an undersized unit when you do need more it will cost

plenty. I'm sure that W/M is not the only reliable boiler to be had, but it's the

only one I'm familiar with. You will have to choose accordingly.

Uncle Bob

 

[Dagny]

I might be a dinosaur but here's an easy way to tell if you are getting a good boiler , if one man can bring it in your house dont buy it.

 

[koditten]

I might be a dinosaur but here's an easy way to tell if you are getting a good boiler , if one man can bring it in your house dont buy it.

Ha,ha. Pretty much agree with you. Give me a convention boiler any day.

 

[heating_pro]

I'm considering an Energy Kinetics oil fired water boiler to replace my 30+ year old Weil Mclain. They're not cheap, but I hear nothing but good things about them and the efficiency is far beyond the rest of the industry.

Tommy

It’s always good advice to put in a boiler with a contractor you trust and who is knowledgeable and comfortable with the equipment they install.

There are many good boilers out there, and Energy Kinetics stands out because the company is family owned and has been in business since 1979 and System 2000 has an extensive track record of longevity and energy savings. The boilers are also so much quieter than other oil boilers and make lots of hot water very efficiently. Any boiler purchase should include an energy efficiency control for all your zones, and the system manager is a proven energy saver and has a lifetime limited warranty. If you’re making a decision to buy a boiler and the better system is carries a premium, the savings with a boiler like System 2000 can actually pay for that price difference quickly (even with today’s low fuel prices).

 

[CJ7VFR]

I might be a dinosaur but here's an easy way to tell if you are getting a good boiler , if one man can bring it in your house dont buy it.

It took a couple of guys to get my new WM Gold series furnace in my basement! And these were not little guys too!

I replaced my old WM back in December 2015. It was installed in my house back in 1983, so it lasted a good 32 years. Not bad I would say.

Here are a few pictures. One is of the old unit with the new one next to it getting some "pre-assembly" done before it finally was installed. And one picture of the new unit fully installed with the new hot water tank. As you can see in the first picture, my old unit did not have a hot water tank, and it used a coil inside the furnace to produce the domestic hot water for the house.

This new unit is pretty much all digital, and from the 4 months worth of bills I have received since this was installed I am saving about 40 percent on my oil usage and about 50 percent on the electricity usage versus the old one.

Jim

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

The guys at heatinghelp.com probably can give better responses, but for my part, the ones iv'e used are a slant fin and a weil mclain. Both were trouble free. I know Viessman is good too.

You have SlantFin and a WeilMclain condensing boilers without issues?

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

My choice? Any non high efficiency boiler.

Pilot lights, thermocoupler, relay, a couple safety switches and gas valve. No circuit board to go bad.

I looked long and hard to find a conventional boiler. The savings of 84% vs 96% in gas was not worth the extra money. It would take me 35 years to break even on the savings.

Its a shop,not a house. The shop will never be as tight a structure as a house, so the efficiency of newer boiler would never be realized.

The cost of "no maintenance" is higher fuel bills. Whether the fuel savings will be a good ROI or have a reasonable payback is properly determined by the current heat load and the anticipated cost of fuel.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

The Lochinvar Knight is a wall-hung, gas-fired condensing boiler featuring outdoor reset, sealed combustion and direct vent with a 95% AFUE.

Viessmann Vitodens, Buderus GB142, IBC, HTP and the Burnham Alpine are the only relevant equals mentioned here.

In the very-low load category, the Knight Cadet on the low end and the HTP-UFT 80-W stands out with the lowest, low-fire and the greatest turn-down making it the easiest to fit-on paper.

In the end you want to find a local smart guy to properly size, install and maintain high efficiency equipment.

 

[86turbodsl]

I have had no issues with either boiler. Not sure i would call them high efficiency though.

Sent from my SM-N910T using Tapatalk

 

[brewchief]

It took a couple of guys to get my new WM Gold series furnace in my basement! And these were not little guys too!

I replaced my old WM back in December 2015. It was installed in my house back in 1983, so it lasted a good 32 years. Not bad I would say.

Here are a few pictures. One is of the old unit with the new one next to it getting some "pre-assembly" done before it finally was installed. And one picture of the new unit fully installed with the new hot water tank. As you can see in the first picture, my old unit did not have a hot water tank, and it used a coil inside the furnace to produce the domestic hot water for the house.

This new unit is pretty much all digital, and from the 4 months worth of bills I have received since this was installed I am saving about 40 percent on my oil usage and about 50 percent on the electricity usage versus the old one.

Jim

Your installers did a very nice job.



I've installed a handful of the Knight boilers, they are pretty nice, make sure it is piped primary/secondary and has good air elimination. We've had a few circuit boards die but in almost every case there was some type of power surge, couple units have needed a new burner after 6-7 years.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

The WM Gold pictured is an oil boiler and has nothing to do with this thread.

I give up.

 

[Mr onetwo]

The WM Gold pictured is an oil boiler and has nothing to do with this thread.

I give up.

LOL.....just my opinion....in no way is the Lochinvar( or the Buderas) an equal to the Viessmann Vitodens. It has basically taken over the market around here due to it's quality and outstanding reliability.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

Vitodens rocks, but the IBC, NTI and new HTP UHT are coming on and feature N.American friendly controls with greater turn-down and built-in LWCO.

Lots to choose from.

 

[mygarageone]

You have SlantFin and a WeilMclain condensing boilers without issues?

I also read that and thought , not in my world ! We have few Slanfins in this area but the weilmclain , well they are loved by many a local contractor !
Maybe because they know they will have a lifetime service and repair client ?

I won't install one unless my clients ask for them by name

 

[Dagny]

I like the Crown conventional boiler although they have a board now too.

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

SlantFins's new condensing boiler is an NTI Tft...good move.