I finally replaced my failed 6 year old Central Boiler OWB with an Econoburn 150-O Outdoor unit. You see, my Central Boiler leaked at the welds in the corner of the water jacket in April 2009, then in the firebox near the exhaust in March 2010 and again in the firebox near the exhaust just two weeks ago.
The first repair was done by Central Boiler on their dime and the repair person said the welds looked like someone who just learned how to weld did the work: the welds were re-welded in places and you could see the grind marks from where the person started over. Needless to say, the first repair had me concerned about the longevity of my $10K investment.
The next repair was done on my dime by the same person who did the first repair - this time the welder said that the back of the firebox was pitted and paper thin in places on the side of the steel exposed to the fire. Interestingly, the side exposed to the water looked perfect and you could still see the paint on the panel! Central Boiler said that they would reimburse me but never did, and I argued with their service manager for hours on the phone about the lack of customer service their company displays. I did mention to him that I travel frequently on business and the next time I'm in Minnesota I would love to stop by and take him out for a beer, but he didn't seem like he wanted to go with me.
The final straw was two weeks ago: the steel below the last repair started leaking and when I hit it with a wire brush it started POURING out in multiple places. I tried in vain to repair it with the help of my friend but the steel was so pitted and buckled that the normall flat back surface of the firebox was deformed in the center by 1/2" to 3/4"!
NOTE TO ALL CENTRAL BOILER POTENTIAL BUYERS - Central Boiler uses 10 gauge steel for the firebox NOT 1/4". I will post pictures so everyone knows the truth. Don't think for a minute that a dealer will be truthful about the stoves they sell - be skeptical!
NOTE TO CENTRAL BOILER - You should be ashamed of yourselves and hopefully a class-action lawsuit will put you out of business once and for all! I spent over $10K for a 6 year solution - $1,666.66 per year in boiler ownership cost. Your service staff are rude, and try to scare people by saying things like "well, I hope your water quality was up to par because if not, you will have to pay for the stove repair". Seriously? When I post the pictures of the backside of the steel (the side that faces the water jacket) you will see clearly that your service manager is full of beans and just wants to scare people and help Central Boiler make more money.
Whew! Sorry for the rant on Central Boiler - someone out there may think I have an axe to grind against Central Boiler...and they would be 100% correct: You would have an axe to grind when you spend $10,000.00 for a 5 year heating solution and have to replace it due to poor quality
Okay...I'm on to my current solution - I have to leave for work, but will update this post with my new Econuburn 150-O (outdoor model) tonight! Suffice it to say that my indoor LP Gas boiler was at 172 degrees this morning and I still had some coals and two stick of wood in the Econoburn at 6am this morning after filling it at 10pm last night. 500 gallons of storage pending, but after one night I'm impressed - but I'm a critical thinker and will watch this process with a subjective eye and keep you posted!
Matt Poyneer
Port Byron, NY
Econoburn 150-O
500 Gallons of pressurized storage pending
FORMER CENTRAL BOILER OWNER - DON'T BUY FROM CENTRAL BOILER THEY USE 10Gauge steel not 1/4" and don't stand behind their poor quality products
The first repair was done by Central Boiler on their dime and the repair person said the welds looked like someone who just learned how to weld did the work: the welds were re-welded in places and you could see the grind marks from where the person started over. Needless to say, the first repair had me concerned about the longevity of my $10K investment.
The next repair was done on my dime by the same person who did the first repair - this time the welder said that the back of the firebox was pitted and paper thin in places on the side of the steel exposed to the fire. Interestingly, the side exposed to the water looked perfect and you could still see the paint on the panel! Central Boiler said that they would reimburse me but never did, and I argued with their service manager for hours on the phone about the lack of customer service their company displays. I did mention to him that I travel frequently on business and the next time I'm in Minnesota I would love to stop by and take him out for a beer, but he didn't seem like he wanted to go with me.
The final straw was two weeks ago: the steel below the last repair started leaking and when I hit it with a wire brush it started POURING out in multiple places. I tried in vain to repair it with the help of my friend but the steel was so pitted and buckled that the normall flat back surface of the firebox was deformed in the center by 1/2" to 3/4"!
NOTE TO ALL CENTRAL BOILER POTENTIAL BUYERS - Central Boiler uses 10 gauge steel for the firebox NOT 1/4". I will post pictures so everyone knows the truth. Don't think for a minute that a dealer will be truthful about the stoves they sell - be skeptical!
NOTE TO CENTRAL BOILER - You should be ashamed of yourselves and hopefully a class-action lawsuit will put you out of business once and for all! I spent over $10K for a 6 year solution - $1,666.66 per year in boiler ownership cost. Your service staff are rude, and try to scare people by saying things like "well, I hope your water quality was up to par because if not, you will have to pay for the stove repair". Seriously? When I post the pictures of the backside of the steel (the side that faces the water jacket) you will see clearly that your service manager is full of beans and just wants to scare people and help Central Boiler make more money.
Whew! Sorry for the rant on Central Boiler - someone out there may think I have an axe to grind against Central Boiler...and they would be 100% correct: You would have an axe to grind when you spend $10,000.00 for a 5 year heating solution and have to replace it due to poor quality
Okay...I'm on to my current solution - I have to leave for work, but will update this post with my new Econuburn 150-O (outdoor model) tonight! Suffice it to say that my indoor LP Gas boiler was at 172 degrees this morning and I still had some coals and two stick of wood in the Econoburn at 6am this morning after filling it at 10pm last night. 500 gallons of storage pending, but after one night I'm impressed - but I'm a critical thinker and will watch this process with a subjective eye and keep you posted!
Matt Poyneer
Port Byron, NY
Econoburn 150-O
500 Gallons of pressurized storage pending
FORMER CENTRAL BOILER OWNER - DON'T BUY FROM CENTRAL BOILER
THEY USE 10Gauge steel not 1/4" and don't stand behind their poor quality products
