Recently I had a cast iron boiler fail, it was not pretty and replacing it was not going to be easy. After doing some research, decided to go he route of a direct fired, 90% eff unit. There are many brands out there to choose from and these units are much smaller than you can imagine. The Weil-McLain ultra is a very high quality unit, but is also priced that way. In my case, it was outside of my customers range, so research went on. Looked into the Trinity line and found it to be a good quality, many options, and priced at less than 1/2 the Ultra. I made a mistake many years ago with a similar type made by Smith. Ended up replacing it 10 years later, so many questions were asked about the Trinity. Over all, I was impressed, so we put that one in. Parts are easy to find, over all quality was better than I could imagine. Pending on model, it can do DHW tanks. Built in outdoor reset and WiFi access for reporting troubles. NTI gets 5 stars for this, something you may want to look into. If you want to stick with cast iron, Weil-McLain, Burnham, and Crown would be the top brands out there. Geothermal has limitations, as you need just the right field to keep a good temperature. A friend of mine has a high ground water level and is on 50 acres, he was a great candidate for Geothermal and the solar Aray to run it. He rarely has an electric bill. Good Luck on what you decide.
need new heating system recs
our 15 yo Slant-Fin Bobcat is meeting it's end. Rotted interior & leaking like mad.
After speaking with a few friends, thinking this time a dumb cast iron boiler.
We are on LI so the system does get some work most winters.
DHW is indirect and a new Heat-Flo 40g.
looking for recs for cast iron boilers, or that isn't the best idea, what then?
Most I've spoken too have said that unless we go full geothermal trenches, a heat pump would not be a total solution for very cold days or periods.
1200 sq feet. 3 zones. slant fin radiators.
we do plan to add a pair of splits off a single condenser too.
reliability is most important, efficiency is 2nd. ... unless it doesn't have to be that way.
But right now ....
After speaking with a few friends, thinking this time a dumb cast iron boiler.
We are on LI so the system does get some work most winters.
DHW is indirect and a new Heat-Flo 40g.
looking for recs for cast iron boilers, or that isn't the best idea, what then?
Most I've spoken too have said that unless we go full geothermal trenches, a heat pump would not be a total solution for very cold days or periods.
1200 sq feet. 3 zones. slant fin radiators.
we do plan to add a pair of splits off a single condenser too.
reliability is most important, efficiency is 2nd. ... unless it doesn't have to be that way.
But right now ....
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
my system died on Easter sunday. I had 2 quotes. They were close. Went with the company that had installed the indirect Heat-Flo 40g in Dec.
They installed the the day after Easter.
I now have a new Burnham X205. Fingers crossed for 30 years, like out first cast iron. The HE Slant-Fin only made 12 years. Not worth the HE of it all.
They installed the the day after Easter.
I now have a new Burnham X205. Fingers crossed for 30 years, like out first cast iron. The HE Slant-Fin only made 12 years. Not worth the HE of it all.
Ya, not a fan of Slant Fin either. I hope they put additives in the water for you and it has an outdoor reset on it. The unit I put in last fall that replaced the Cast Iron reduced their gas bill by about $150 a month. In their case, the pay back was real quick as that HE boiler costs less than the Cast Iron but took more work to install - kind of a wash. Good Luck with you new boiler.
1 - 4 of 4 Posts
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