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Posted by HeatPro on September 02, 2004 at 09:30:48:
In Reply to: purchasing a new boiler, boilerburner unit posted by jean mellano on September 02, 2004 at 08:15:53:
As you have a steam system, the boiler has to fill al the radiation and pipes on each call for heat, so your boiler replacement of the same input is not overkill.
Something to consider is if you want to continue paying for as much fuel as you do now. A 1500 square foot house with 150,000 btuh is 100 btuh per square foot of floor area. That is what people would settle for in 1935, some years before insulation was considered as necessary. New houses are built with the expectation of 20 btuh losses per square foot of floor area due to R30 insulation in the ceilings and R-19 in the walls and floors. Obviously wasting three times more heat than a new home is not prudent conservation.
Consider insulating the home to modern standards and changing the heating system to hot water. With the savings paying off the investment, there is a reasonable payback. As you have to get a new boiler anyways, you are halfway there. In fact, by insulating the home, the oil hot water heater you have could provide both the heat and hot water without even buying the new boiler if you change to hot water heat. with the fuel bills dropping to 1/3 what they are now, you have a better future.