Gas boiler frustrations

[Donald]

Originally Posted by Kage860
Originally Posted by Donald
The repair guy told me the new gas boilers that hang on the wall are great unit they break and then it's a $1000 part rather than a $100 part on an old style boiler.


That makes me feel better that I signed a contract to convert my boiler to gas rather than get one of the more efficient on the wall instant units. I'm converting a Beckett oil burner to a Carlin gas burner. I like going with stuff the local supply house has parts for in case a part goes out.


Is this propane or natural gas?

 

[MrMoody]

Originally Posted by Mr Nice
But the OP did say his boiler was 25 years old....

Far easier to get someone to repair a 25 year old car.
Originally Posted by Donald
Is this propane or natural gas?

I hope it's natural gas. I wish it ran to my house. Here, LPG costs 50% more per BTU than fuel oil does. It's the most expensive heat source, and service is universally poor as well. Electricity costs a small fraction. It's ridiculous.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted by MrMoody
Originally Posted by Mr Nice
But the OP did say his boiler was 25 years old....

Far easier to get someone to repair a 25 year old car.
Originally Posted by Donald
Is this propane or natural gas?

I hope it's natural gas. I wish it ran to my house. Here, LPG costs 50% more per BTU than fuel oil does. It's the most expensive heat source, and service is universally poor as well. Electricity costs a small fraction. It's ridiculous.


I do not believe electricity costs a small fraction. Electricity is the most expensive heating source unless it's a heat pump.

 

[MrMoody]

Originally Posted by Donald
I do not believe electricity costs a small fraction. Electricity is the most expensive heating source unless it's a heat pump.

Maybe "small" is an exaggeration. It depends on your local rates. I have time of use/demand rate. LPG is the most expensive here, more than electricity by far.

Local cost per million BTU output:

Natural gas (not generally available outside cities) 90% efficiency 1.0964/therm = $12.19
Electricity, time-of-use demand rate, off peak, resistance heat=100% efficiency .061/kwh = $17.88
Fuel oil 80% efficiency $2.90/gal = $25.97 not incl. delivery, assume 200 gal per $25 delivery = $27.08
Electricity, standard residential rate, 100% efficiency .104/kwh = $30.48 (and an electric furnace is much cheaper to buy & maintain than any other)
LPG 90% efficiency $3.03/gal = $36.86 not incl. delivery, assume 150 gal per $25 delivery = $38.89

A heat pump would be 1/3 to 2/3 of cost of resistance heat depending on weather BUT purchase/maintenance of heat pump systems is several hundred $/year, and as mentioned, once it starts failing it's time to buy another one.

 

[Jarlaxle]

Originally Posted by Rock_Hudstone
Originally Posted by Kage860
That makes me feel better that I signed a contract to convert my boiler to gas rather than get one of the more efficient on the wall instant units. I'm converting a Beckett oil burner to a Carlin gas burner. .

Keep us updated on how that Carlin gas burner conversion works out. I'm planning on doing the same thing in the spring.

We have a Beckett oil burner and it's great, super reliable and simple to troubleshoot/repair with easily available parts. However, heating with oil is just too expensive plus the hassle of the oil tank and all.


I had oil in my house-the only option, no gas lines for miles. Original furnace (and I mean ORIGINAL, I recall from 1919) was a converted coal burner and lasted 70+ years...replacement was working fine when I sold the house.

 

[Rock_Hudstone]

Originally Posted by Jarlaxle
I had oil in my house-the only option, no gas lines for miles. Original furnace (and I mean ORIGINAL, I recall from 1919) was a converted coal burner and lasted 70+ years...replacement was working fine when I sold the house.

I friend mine had an old coal fired steam boiler that was converted to NG at some point and it was also working fine when she sold. It looked like a unit with a few rows of gas burner tubes placed into the coal combustion chamber.

We have an older oil fired burner as well, about late 60's vintage but built like a tank and all exterior components have been updated: new Taco circulator pumps, relays, expansion take etc. So I'm going to give the Carlin gas burner a try and see how it goes.

The whole Carlin unit is under $700 shipped and I'd rather not have to rework all the plumbing lines for a new boiler plus the expense of the unit itself.

 

[Kage860]

Originally Posted by Rock_Hudstone
Originally Posted by Kage860
That makes me feel better that I signed a contract to convert my boiler to gas rather than get one of the more efficient on the wall instant units. I'm converting a Beckett oil burner to a Carlin gas burner. .

Keep us updated on how that Carlin gas burner conversion works out. I'm planning on doing the same thing in the spring.

We have a Beckett oil burner and it's great, super reliable and simple to troubleshoot/repair with easily available parts. However, heating with oil is just too expensive plus the hassle of the oil tank and all.



Sure, i can let you know but the work wont be done until the spring. Paperwork is going back and forth with the utility and they have to run a new gas line to my house.