Do I have Sucker Written Across My Forehead?

[peacockrocks]

Had our 8 year old Dunkirk steam boiler serviced two weeks ago and was told that it is leaking and needs to be replaced. Proceeded to freak out and frantically start pricing pellet stoves (will be installing a pellet stove after this crisis is handled. Fuel oil is getting out of control). Decided to have the original installer come out and take a look. They confirmed that we do have an issue, but finally got back to us today and said it is covered under warranty. Big sigh of relief until they tell us that the labor is going to cost $1,500-$2,000. Does anyone else think that sounds a little outrageous? I mean, a whole new boiler is about $2,600 for pete's sake with a new warranty. The replacement assumes the balance of the 12 year warranty (meaning just four years remaining).

We are now on Day 17 of no heat and need to make a quick decision. Thoughts on this situation are appreciated!

 

[Hogwildz]

Read your warranty, does it include parts only, or labor & parts. Might even be pro-rated.
Sounds pricey to me

 

[Jack Straw]

20 years ago I paid a guy $100 to install a boiler I bought outright. I'd tell them to give you a replacement boiler and find someone to install it. It's a one day job for crying out loud.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You might want to get some source of temporary heat, I think we have a cold snap coming through next week. depending on what the problem is, can you fix it? It probably isn't rocket science.



Matt

 

[mayhem]

Read your warranty, does it include parts only, or labor & parts. Might even be pro-rated.
Sounds pricey to me

Seconded on reading the warranty yourself. I bet it is prorated parts only. For that labor cost you should seriously consider replacing the boiler, but be sure to know the labor costs of that job up front too.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

If you pay $2600 for a new one, and $1500 to install it (based on quoted labor)- then that's $4100 as opposed to $1500-2000. Slapping in a boiler is probably a lot less work that stripping one down and replacing major parts though.

An oil fired boiler should last decades

 

[peacockrocks]

I have reviewed the warranty and sure enough it covers parts only. No labor.

We have hard water with apparently high iron content. This is probably the 3rd boiler this house has gone through in 20 some years (I purchased the house from my grandmother). We have a water softener, but obviously the water issue needs to be addressed or we will only have this problem arise again. However, in my online research it appears that this type of boiler is susceptible to rusting through due to water issues such as mine. My husband wants to scrap the boiler all together and be done with the rising cost of fuel oil. At this point we've decided to purchase an Enviro Maxx, which should be sufficient to keep the house warm, and deal with the boiler situation after that has been installed and we have heat again.

I appreciate everyones feedback. I love this site!!

 

[Jags]

Enviro Maxx

That is one dang big pellet stove.

 

[Adkjake]

Maybe look in to installing a forced hot air system? Not knowing the size and construction of
you house, this may be an off the wall suggestion. since running duct work might not be possible or
too expensive.
but would solve the water problem.

 

[fbelec]

if your adding that much water to the boiler, and you have water problems then you need to fix the steam leaks. valve or vents need replacing. if you got to add water more than once every week or two you might have this problem with every boiler you put in. i lived in a house with steam heat a few years back and put water in it twice a year. and that was my hot water also. if it's a small leak, for a temp fix. go to the plumbing supply house and get a can of boiler seal. pop off a valve or something and pour it in and run the boiler might take a day but i had it work for me in a old coal conversion boiler. what we call a snowman. if it's a small leak you have nothing to lose. you need heat.

 

[Hogwildz]

A stretch, but the local Votech here does HVAC work that the students and professor do at a reduced rate. Just a thought.

 

[North of 60]

Not understanding your water issue. Is it a true steam boiler with no condensate return/closed loop. If so a water softener and chemical feed on your makeup should of been addressed by your installers at the time of install. If it does have condensate return then it would even be easier to maintain a healthy treated system as 98% is reused.

 

[btuser]

After 8 years you're not going to get a guarantee on labor. When I installed my boiler the unit itself was $1500 wholesale, and the parts included to install were over $1000. Add an indirect water heater + fancy controls and suddenly I was up to $4500 just for parts, let alone the cost to have a competent person to lug, install, set up and guarantee his/her work and my install was quoted to me closer to $9,000.

Get a parts list. See what's really going into the install, because that will tell you if you're getting a real deal or not.

 

[Deere10]

You may want to look into a new water softener also,after this heating issue is resolved. Good luck

 

[btuser]

Steam is tough with hard water. As its been stated, even if you get a new boiler it may not last you due to other problems/leaks ect. This may be a good point to jump off to pellets full time.

 

[bert]

sorry to hear about your boiler trouble. i've been in the plumbing ang heating trade for almost 30 years, and have more experience with steam systems than most. 90% of boiler leaks are caused by too much makeup water, as bfelec had said earlier. a lot of these old systems had return pipes buried under the basement floor. where they rust out and leak. you might never see any water, it just seeps into the ground. so the auto feeder puts fresh water back in, to maintain a safe water level. but that fresh water also brings in minerals and most importantly, oxygen, which will cause the iron boiler to rust out. usually right at the waterline, sometimes you wont even see water on the floor, but you might see huge plumes of steam coming out of your chimney when the boiler is firing. it's important to find out why it failed or else the new one will fail in short order too. some one commented that it's not rocket science, and he is correct, it's a dying science. it's not easy to find someone that knows steam heat. sure they'll be happy to sell you a new boiler, they might even be able to pipe it correctly(doubtful), but if they dont find the reason for the failure in the first place, there not doing you any favors. try to find a plumber that has gray hair, or no hair, to look at your system. stay away from hvac guys, most dont know a thing about steam. check out heating help.com a great site with lots of knowledge on steam. i grew up in an old house with coal fired steam, and i have fond memories, so i'm biased, but it can be an efficient, and a very comfortable form of heat. btw, i heat my house with wood, because i have a crappy scorched air system. well, at least i've got central air. bert

 

[btuser]

Steam is a lost art for sure. Hey Bert-

Did that coal-fired boiler work without electricity? That's the interesting part to me, the idea you could have central heating without electricity. Instead of cutting grates in my floor why not a steam loop to a radiator on the second floor? Tough to run no doubt.

 

[bert]

ya, no elec. required. a thing of beauty indeed. there are a lot of old boiler systems that ran with no electric. even gas fired boilers had a self generating "powerpile" type thermocouple that powered the gas valve and still had t-stat control and safety (low water, high limit, and pressure control). a hot water, gravity circ. system would be easier to configure than steam though. steam, if done right, would require iron pipe, even though you see a lot of "hvac guys" use copper. bert