chrispyny
Well-known member
The hot water baseboard boiler is as old as this house. 47-48 years old. It’s a National boiler. Cast iron. Made in America. Works fine. But getting scary old.
My hot water heater is now 27 years old. Yes, natural gas water heater, ServiceStar band, 40 gal, 27 years old. Barring a major change in plans, we will be in this house till we are both ready to retire from the telephone company. I have 22 years, and she has 25. My goal is 32-33 years before i retire, so that leaves us approx 10-11 years in this house. House has been gone thru, all rooms but the kitchen were recently fully remodeled by me, massive insulation in the attic done, and new roof 2 years ago. Major deck just put on house out back, patio going in underneath in a few weeks.
So whats left is the kitchen, windows and maybe siding down the road. The house is SOLID.
Having said that, raised ranches aren’t known for storage. I have been very thrifty with how we deal with storing things, and we have become good at it. The next thing i want is to replace the old boiler and to gain more room in the garage, ditch the ng water heater, which frees up room for my welder/plasma cutter cart, (26”x26” floor space) and move the heater into the boiler closet in the garage adjacent to where the water heater sits now.
I figure, with the new weil mclain boiler i want being HALF the size of this national boiler, and being that i have a buddy at work who does hvac on the side, and does meticulous work, i am considering replacing the old boiler with a weil mclain boiler, and installing an indirect tank right next to it in the boiler closet.
Even if planned and completed poorly, there should be room for the new boiler and indirect heater in the closet. And if done well, there should be plenty of space for both. My only concern would be room to replace the indirect heater in the future if it were to fail. Clearly i need enough room to remove the failed indirect heater and replace it with new. Thats a logistics issue i can work on.
I spoke to my buddy and he’s ready to do the work at any time. I decided late summer. So since i usually investigate and research months in advance before spending any kind of serious money on something, i want the hives opinion on indirect water heaters.
A standard replacement ng heater to replace what i have is approx $500 after tax and installation is elementary for me. Negatives are no gain of space. Benefits are ease of replacement & cost of replacement in the future.
An alternative considered option for hot water is a renaii wall mounted tankless, which would run approx $1,200 and is also an elementary install for me. Negatives are cost, and delay of hot water which ***** specifically for my H.e. clothes washer which in essence would never see hot water again due to the meager amount of water it uses, even with a full load. The tankless would literally be 6’ away from the renaii but with the little water the washer draws, it would not trigger the renaii to kick on.
Lastly is the 40 gal indirect fired tank. With a new weil mclain boiler, and the addition of just one more zone valve, i can have hot water generated right from the boiler. Pro’s are added space in the garage. Cons are the cost of an Indirect tank. At approx $1,100 for a Weil Mclain unit to match the boiler. Also relying on the need for the boiler to be on and properly functioning all year long which reduces redundancy, and brings the question. Whats more efficient, running a boiler all year for hot water, or a seperate ng boiler for hot water, allowing to turn off the boiler in the non heating season?
The weil mclain boiler is approx $2,000, the weil mclain indirect tank is $1,100. $3,100 plus tax, ancillaries, and labor, call it $5,500 engineered, designed, installed. I want this heating system redesigned and replaced this late summer so its happening.
Anyone care to share their opinions or ideas?
Notes to include, water is city water and very soft with little to no minerals, house is 1400 sq ft in upstate NY, back up heat is covered twice over with a wood stove, and if necessary, my ductless minisplits which i really only use for a/c in the summer. I i have the house covered for power outtages with a diesel genset when necessary.
Ty all.
My hot water heater is now 27 years old. Yes, natural gas water heater, ServiceStar band, 40 gal, 27 years old. Barring a major change in plans, we will be in this house till we are both ready to retire from the telephone company. I have 22 years, and she has 25. My goal is 32-33 years before i retire, so that leaves us approx 10-11 years in this house. House has been gone thru, all rooms but the kitchen were recently fully remodeled by me, massive insulation in the attic done, and new roof 2 years ago. Major deck just put on house out back, patio going in underneath in a few weeks.
So whats left is the kitchen, windows and maybe siding down the road. The house is SOLID.
Having said that, raised ranches aren’t known for storage. I have been very thrifty with how we deal with storing things, and we have become good at it. The next thing i want is to replace the old boiler and to gain more room in the garage, ditch the ng water heater, which frees up room for my welder/plasma cutter cart, (26”x26” floor space) and move the heater into the boiler closet in the garage adjacent to where the water heater sits now.
I figure, with the new weil mclain boiler i want being HALF the size of this national boiler, and being that i have a buddy at work who does hvac on the side, and does meticulous work, i am considering replacing the old boiler with a weil mclain boiler, and installing an indirect tank right next to it in the boiler closet.
Even if planned and completed poorly, there should be room for the new boiler and indirect heater in the closet. And if done well, there should be plenty of space for both. My only concern would be room to replace the indirect heater in the future if it were to fail. Clearly i need enough room to remove the failed indirect heater and replace it with new. Thats a logistics issue i can work on.
I spoke to my buddy and he’s ready to do the work at any time. I decided late summer. So since i usually investigate and research months in advance before spending any kind of serious money on something, i want the hives opinion on indirect water heaters.
A standard replacement ng heater to replace what i have is approx $500 after tax and installation is elementary for me. Negatives are no gain of space. Benefits are ease of replacement & cost of replacement in the future.
An alternative considered option for hot water is a renaii wall mounted tankless, which would run approx $1,200 and is also an elementary install for me. Negatives are cost, and delay of hot water which ***** specifically for my H.e. clothes washer which in essence would never see hot water again due to the meager amount of water it uses, even with a full load. The tankless would literally be 6’ away from the renaii but with the little water the washer draws, it would not trigger the renaii to kick on.
Lastly is the 40 gal indirect fired tank. With a new weil mclain boiler, and the addition of just one more zone valve, i can have hot water generated right from the boiler. Pro’s are added space in the garage. Cons are the cost of an Indirect tank. At approx $1,100 for a Weil Mclain unit to match the boiler. Also relying on the need for the boiler to be on and properly functioning all year long which reduces redundancy, and brings the question. Whats more efficient, running a boiler all year for hot water, or a seperate ng boiler for hot water, allowing to turn off the boiler in the non heating season?
The weil mclain boiler is approx $2,000, the weil mclain indirect tank is $1,100. $3,100 plus tax, ancillaries, and labor, call it $5,500 engineered, designed, installed. I want this heating system redesigned and replaced this late summer so its happening.
Anyone care to share their opinions or ideas?
Notes to include, water is city water and very soft with little to no minerals, house is 1400 sq ft in upstate NY, back up heat is covered twice over with a wood stove, and if necessary, my ductless minisplits which i really only use for a/c in the summer. I i have the house covered for power outtages with a diesel genset when necessary.
Ty all.