Boiler Question- need help!
Hi - We moved into our Eichler three weeks ago and just had the boiler inspected. The plumber said we should replace it with a Takagi system. Another plumber said under no circumstances should we put a Takagi system in. What to do?? Rogman's was the plumber that suggested the Takagi...
Thanks for any suggestions- Carol
What is the condition of your original boiler? Is it leaking? Is it emitting poisonous gasses? Or is it simply old?
The reason I ask is that I don't think it is cost effective to replace a boiler that is still safe and is functioning as it was designed. According to the plate on our original boiler it was 80% efficient (BTU in/BTU out) when new. If the radiant heating has not had leaks, then the scale in the boiler should be minimal and you can clean the dry side of the heat exchanger. It won't be as efficient as new but is still probably above 70% efficient.
Since it is impossible to make a boiler that is more than 100% efficient, the most we could save on heating fuel by replacing the boiler would be 30%. For us that is something on the order of $150/year. We have been quoted prices between $5,000 and $10,000 to replace the boiler. That is a payback of between 30 and 60 years.
It would be a lot more cost effective to cut down the heat losses in your house: Sufficient insulation on the roof, better insulation in the walls, double glazed windows, etc.
Hi Tod- The plumber said he should red tag this boiler because the heat exchanger is shot. It's probably original (1964). The fins in the boiler are also shot. We have to replace it before winter. I just need feedback on which boiler to get.
Thanks-
There's a long running feud between Franz and folks like Anderson about replacing a boiler with a tankless. I'm not sure who's right, but am pretty sure that a boiler is kind of like a tankless in that it pretty much heats up when you need it so I'm not sure you'll get much energy savings from the tankless for the radiant system. It makes more sense for the water heater, but even then the payback period is long.
