My CT home was built in the 1920's. It still has all its big iron radiators. The basement is full of piping angling from the furnace (2.5") and up towards the radiators (1"). I'm pretty sure it was originally a coal fired gravity feed system. It currently has a Burnham oil boiler with a circulator. We mainly rely on our wood insert which does a decent job of heating the living area. The problem is the bedrooms are under 60 degrees when it gets cold outside.
My solution: I have a friend getting ride of a New Yorker WC130 because he switched to an OWB. I'm thinking about relocating my oil burner with power venter and installing the WC130 in its place, just like the original gravity system. I'm estimating spending about $1,000 to relocated the oil burner and plumb in the WC130.
I have a few concerns.
- The current oil boiler never gets water temp above 130 degrees even after 3 hours of continuous burn due to the radiator mass. This leads to a lot of build up on the inside of the boiler. Will I have the same build up issue with the WC130?
- I don't plan on operating the WC130 with its blower motor. I want it to operate like my wood stove. I want it to burn when I load it up. I think the radiators will do a good job holding the heat so I don't need a circulator or thermostat on it calling for heat. Will that work?
- My friend got rid of his WC130 because of chimney fires (2 in 1 month). He had an exterior wall chimney (cold) and had the WC130 set up on a thermostat. It likely spent most of the day idling. If I run mine without a blower and thus don't idle it, will I avoid creosote problems?
- Am I crazy?
Thanks
My solution: I have a friend getting ride of a New Yorker WC130 because he switched to an OWB. I'm thinking about relocating my oil burner with power venter and installing the WC130 in its place, just like the original gravity system. I'm estimating spending about $1,000 to relocated the oil burner and plumb in the WC130.
I have a few concerns.
- The current oil boiler never gets water temp above 130 degrees even after 3 hours of continuous burn due to the radiator mass. This leads to a lot of build up on the inside of the boiler. Will I have the same build up issue with the WC130?
- I don't plan on operating the WC130 with its blower motor. I want it to operate like my wood stove. I want it to burn when I load it up. I think the radiators will do a good job holding the heat so I don't need a circulator or thermostat on it calling for heat. Will that work?
- My friend got rid of his WC130 because of chimney fires (2 in 1 month). He had an exterior wall chimney (cold) and had the WC130 set up on a thermostat. It likely spent most of the day idling. If I run mine without a blower and thus don't idle it, will I avoid creosote problems?
- Am I crazy?
Thanks