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Posted by Harold hydronicnetwork.net on February 16, 2004 at 07:12:25:
In Reply to: Re: changing boiler pipe to copper posted by Harold hydronicnetwork.net on February 16, 2004 at 07:02:27:
Did you discuss this system in such a manner that you indicated to him that you were in a race with a neigbor to heat your house faster than his? Instead of removing all the extra seats, insulation and any extra parts on your car to get to the store as fast as possible; keep what you have.
Changing to smaller pipes means you will have less water and metal in the system to heat; but that doesn't mean you will save money. If your pipes are insulated, it doesn't matter that it takes half a day to get the water to heating temperature; you won't be throwing fuel away.
The old gravity hot water systems were fired originally by solid fuel, so the fire was on from the fall to the spring. Modern automatic heating turns the fire on and off; but you still need heat from fall to spring.
Insulate the pipes well and install a new boiler that is not 35 percent efficient as yours is. You can get a new boiler that will cut your bill in half. Insulate the house much better and cut the bill further. Insulation is the best payback investment.