ReplyOIL HEAT IS BEST.....Have You Ever Looked At the Flame in A Combustion Chamber..It heats twice as fast then Natural Gas...
Get Your self a Buderous Boiler / With A Riello Burner...
and Stick with the Oil...
Regular Guest
I currently have an oil boiler that runs my baseboard hot water heating as well as my domestic hot water. With the increasing price in oil I am on par to spend over $3500+ this year just heating my house. The boiler is also over 12 years old. I am looking for suggestions for a replacement system. I really would like to eliminate my need for oil. I have had a quote to install a Thermalec electric boiler, but I wanted to see if there are any other options. I was also considering removing the hot water registers and replacing them with regular electric registers, but in a finished home that sounds like a messy job. I also would like to know if anyone has a Thermalec electric boiler and how good/bad they find it.
Thanks.
Professional Member
OIL HEAT IS BEST.....Have You Ever Looked At the Flame in A Combustion Chamber..It heats twice as fast then Natural Gas...
Get Your self a Buderous Boiler / With A Riello Burner...
and Stick with the Oil...
Regular Guest
My understanding of the oil burner technology (in a boiler setup anyway) is that it has to keep it's internal water tank up to temperature. This is a big problem for me since even on hot summer days it is running occasionally to maintain that temperature for my domestic hot water. The oil may burn efficiently but if I can, I'd like to eliminate that need for maintaining the water temperature.Originally Posted by dismas66
OIL HEAT IS BEST.....Have You Ever Looked At the Flame in A Combustion Chamber..It heats twice as fast then Natural Gas...
Get Your self a Buderous Boiler / With A Riello Burner...
and Stick with the Oil...
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
What is your electric rate.
Does your utility offer discounts for total electric homes.
100,000 BTUs of oil heat, doesn't heat water up any faster then 100,000 BTUs of gas heat.
Regular Guest
It looks like it is currently around 11 cents/kilowatt hour (Canadian Dollars). I'm not sure that they offer discounts for total electric homes but they do have discounts if you go with an electric thermal storage option. The price is cut in half at night when you with ETS (which is another option I'm looking at).
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
If you get a discount for off peak, then it can be cheaper then oil.
Might have to get use to do laundry during weekends, and not doing too much cooking before your off peak time starts.
Professional Member
I am assuming you have a tankess coil....inside your boiler.....why not
have a indirect installed....off of your existing boiler.....If your boiler ..is only 15 yrs old...whats the problem ?
I have seen boilers run for 50 yrs.....15 is not old...
Get yourself...a Super Store Indirect.....
also...running the boiler year round is good ....for the boiler....
would you want grandPa's Diesel tractor...to sit all summer...with out running it
Regular Guest
What about the Thermalec on electric demand boilers? Has anyone used these and what are the pros and cons if you have?
As far as electric vs oil, with current oil prices and they will most likely continue to rise, isn't it smarter to move to something like electic? My options are limited because we have no natural gas here and I just don't have the room for wood. Is there a such thing as a pellet boiler furnace that can tie into hot water baseboard?
Professional Member
You Do The Math....
Whats it going to cost ...UP FRONT...to Convert ?
What are the savings.....Long Term ?
If it was me...suck it up....
throw in a indirect....for 2K
and be done...
You have a boiler...
use it !
Regular Guest
My other issue with the hot water baseboard system is that we have some sort of plastic pipe coming off of the copper pipes. I'm not sure why it was built that way (I have only owned the place for 6 months). I'm not sure that these pipes are really rated for that purpose or temperature. The other suggestion that the HVAC sales man said I could do was go with a new oil boiler and an indirect, but I'm thinking that the cost would be similar.
Professional Member
The issue with MOST oil boilers is the need to keep them hot, especially with a summer/winter hookup. When cold firing the majority of oil boilers which are cast iron sectionals, there is the issue of stack gases condensing. This causes problems with acids forming and deteriorating the boiler. If you go to an indirect, typically you would want to cold fire start as they only need input a few times per day. Good for energy, but bad for the casting. Thats why the mod cons using gas are stainless derivitives. They can handle the stack gases condensing. They are designed to handle it. Cast iron NOT. You could put a reset system on oil boilers and run your water temps lower in mild weather, but still need to stay above condensing temps.
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
Although I have no experience on that brand of unit.
We have thermal storage units around here. They do work, and can save money.
And yes, there are pellet burning boilers.
Do web a search for pellet burning boilers, and you'll find them.
Regular Guest
I just want to make sure I understand what you mean regarding the indirect. That's the one where there's a large tank (similar to a water heater tank) that you connect into the furnace correct?You Do The Math....
Whats it going to cost ...UP FRONT...to Convert ?
What are the savings.....Long Term ?
If it was me...suck it up....
throw in a indirect....for 2K
and be done...
You have a boiler...
use it !
God Speed, Jim. We'll miss you - 2-26-23
He's trying to save long term, not short term band aid it.You Do The Math....
Whats it going to cost ...UP FRONT...to Convert ?
What are the savings.....Long Term ?
With off peak rates, savings over oil is substancial.
If it was me...suck it up....
throw in a indirect....for
and be done...
You have a boiler...
use it !
Professional Member
the plastic is Pex....it is the alternative to Copper which is close to 4.00 a lbs..
it is made for heat...used often in todays world..due to the high cost of copper..and labor
Professional Member
It is a storage tank.that the Boiler feeds hot water too...
it stores Hot water....
tankless coils are useless ...unless you shower once a week
lol
depending on your household.....
size does matter..
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