Replacing a boiler

[StrangeTanks]

You admit to heating your home with oil? I hope you have an oil recycling business on the side - that's the only way it would make sense to heat your home with oil, if you are paying for it with labor, not money.

I heat my place primarily with wood and use about half a tank of oil per year. I don't have a gas line coming into my building so paying a couple hundred bucks per year for some oil is fine with me. I'm sure you'll have some very nice negative comments about that too.

Hey Swartl, $6875 is pretty crazy high, especially since it doesn't sound like the new boiler is that much better than the old one. If your just looking for someone to do maintenance on the boiler, you can try asking around at some of your local plumbing supply places. They usually know all the local professionals and can usually recommend someone for small jobs. $2200 doesn't sound like a bad price for installing a new furnace.

I have much less experience with forced air, but you should be able to just take off the front panels on your furnace and take a look at the guts. There really isn't much to it when you get down to it. Combustion chamber and a blower. What you'll probably see is that everything is covered in dust and grit. Use a vacuum and clean it out as best you can, then do the same with the chimney cleanout. Take a close look at the burners, yours are probably made of sheet metal and have small slits along the top, sometimes they get corroded out, very easy to replace. Look at the bottom of the unit, sometimes that's rusted out. Give the blower a spin to make sure it spins easily. Usually the biggest problem with these older units is simply that they are so gummed up with dust and dirt that they stop working properly.

[NickleDimer]

StrangeTanks,
Pay no attention to billy_ross. He trained under the legendary Robert Coyle, so he knows how to squeeze every penny possible out of a property.

[Swartl]

OK thanks StrangeTanks. Good point about the boiler. I need to shop around and get another opinion. I have PGW coming out today to check the house with the boiler, I have one of those parts and labor maintenance plans, so I can see if they agree with someof the things HVAC tagged (ie gas leak) or see if the HVAC co was trying to hose me into buying a new unit.

[billy ross]

I heat my place primarily with wood and use about half a tank of oil per year. I don't have a gas line coming into my building so paying a couple hundred bucks per year for some oil is fine with me. I'm sure you'll have some very nice negative comments about that too.

Hey Swartl, $6875 is pretty crazy high, especially since it doesn't sound like the new boiler is that much better than the old one. If your just looking for someone to do maintenance on the boiler, you can try asking around at some of your local plumbing supply places. They usually know all the local professionals and can usually recommend someone for small jobs. $2200 doesn't sound like a bad price for installing a new furnace.

I have much less experience with forced air, but you should be able to just take off the front panels on your furnace and take a look at the guts. There really isn't much to it when you get down to it. Combustion chamber and a blower. What you'll probably see is that everything is covered in dust and grit. Use a vacuum and clean it out as best you can, then do the same with the chimney cleanout. Take a close look at the burners, yours are probably made of sheet metal and have small slits along the top, sometimes they get corroded out, very easy to replace. Look at the bottom of the unit, sometimes that's rusted out. Give the blower a spin to make sure it spins easily. Usually the biggest problem with these older units is simply that they are so gummed up with dust and dirt that they stop working properly.

I called it. I figured you had some way of getting heat by working for it instead of paying for it.

I own a 1700 sq ft rowhome in NE that I rent. I found an HVAC online who I called to come and service the boiler. The boiler is 33 years old and this is the first winter I own the property. The technician immediately told me everything wrong with the boiler, did not get it running or service it, charged me $89 for the visit, and then had a "comfort specialist" come later that day and give me a quote on a new boiler. The quote was for a 80.4% efficiency and 105,000BTU unit. They are supposed to open radiator valves and replace leaking valve stems, etc. The quote was for $6875. This seemed insanely high to me. In my second rowhome I own, about 700sq ft. they said I need a new furnace (27 years old), a new valve for something or other, new thermostat rather than mercury one, and all this for $2200. I am trying to figure out how to shop around for HVAC providers to see if I can fix what I have or really should replace, which I am not against. I also am trying to get an idea of what to expect pricing?

You're dealing with a ripoff artist. A NE Philly rowhome is an awfully easy place to install a new boiler. That price is way, way high for an 80% unit. Plus a 33 year old boiler should be ok to go for awhile yet, as long as it isn't leaking; the parts are all pretty standard. I recommend that you only use people that are recommended to you, but don't shop it around to five different guys for pricing; when people figure out that you're shopping a job they get pissed off at you. If you don't know anyone, go to an HVAC supply place (like Sid Harvey's) and they'll give you a recommendation.

[StrangeTanks]

You're dealing with a ripoff artist. A NE Philly rowhome is an awfully easy place to install a new boiler. That price is way, way high for an 80% unit. Plus a 33 year old boiler should be ok to go for awhile yet, as long as it isn't leaking; the parts are all pretty standard. I recommend that you only use people that are recommended to you, but don't shop it around to five different guys for pricing; when people figure out that you're shopping a job they get pissed off at you. If you don't know anyone, go to an HVAC supply place (like Sid Harvey's) and they'll give you a recommendation.

Agree, and can endorse Sid Harvey.

[radioagony]

I wound up using Casile for my (gas) boiler and was very happy with them. Of course, I haven't run it yet, but I was happy with the installation, pricing, sizing (they didn't try to sell me something that was twice as large as I needed, which others did), etc.

[Tail]

I just had a Crown 95%'er installed for 6400. They quoted the 83% at 3500. i figure after a 2k PGW and 250 crown rebate, the price difference is hardly anything. The new boiler is so fancy, I think I have to redo the whole basement now...lol.

[Brooke]

Aside from squabbles here, home inspectors will quote the average boiler replacement at being $3500-$4500.

I considered replacing my boiler in my Fishtown house with a high efficiency one back when the government was handing out heavy subsidies for doing so if you met a certain efficiency (vaguely remember that being 93%). I remember there being something like a direct exterior vent that would have prevented installation into most rowhomes, mine included at the time. Billyross, do you know what I'm referring to?

[billy ross]

Early on they came with coaxial vents that were very cumbersome and expensive. Nowadays the units can generally use standard PVC piping for exhaust and combustion air. The exhaust isn't supposed to be under a window, which makes it tougher in a row house.

Aside from squabbles here, home inspectors will quote the average boiler replacement at being $3500-$4500.

I considered replacing my boiler in my Fishtown house with a high efficiency one back when the government was handing out heavy subsidies for doing so if you met a certain efficiency (vaguely remember that being 93%). I remember there being something like a direct exterior vent that would have prevented installation into most rowhomes, mine included at the time. Billyross, do you know what I'm referring to?

[stonefly]

Have heard that there are liners that can be used in a chimney for high efficieny boilers. They are similar to lining with stainless steel but a different material (?). That may help for situations where direct vent is not possible but a chimney is available (probably additional costs too).

Billy, do you have any experince or opinions on that? You seem to have run into everything.

[billy ross]

Have heard that there are liners that can be used in a chimney for high efficieny boilers. They are similar to lining with stainless steel but a different material (?). That may help for situations where direct vent is not possible but a chimney is available (probably additional costs too).

Billy, do you have any experince or opinions on that? You seem to have run into everything.

Pretty sure you'd need to take all other loads off the chimney if you were to do this, so I haven't investigated, since I prefer phasing things. It could be as simple as running the appropriate sized PVC pipes through the chimney from the roof.