one boiler or two smaller ones??

[cvanhat]

hello everyone, just wondering if any one has gone with two smaller boilers in each building versus one boiler and running pex?/ would lets say 2- 200 btu ekos use as much or more than a cb6040 or one of the big garns?? that underground pex at $13.00 a foot is killing my project and a friend of mine. we are both thinking of two smaller eko boilers. the big pain is the fact that we would have to store wood and feed two boilers in seperate locations. otherwise i have to build a building to house one big unit. my project is calling for about 350,000- 400,000 btu unit. just looking for opinions, we have our own woodlot and tractors splitters ect to move it. the shop is 4 years old/well insulated and now has a 180,000 btu oil burner. the house has a 175,000 btu oil burner. the house is getting new windows and siding/insulation.

 

[steam man]

Your problem has to make me think. My gut is telling me that one boiler such as the Garn would be the best. Overall your system would be simple and less headaches over the long run. By the time two boilers are installed there will be added cost. Oil at $5.00 gal minimum will help you recoup your cost in a hurry. How much distance do you have to cover with the pex?

Mike

 

[cvanhat]

we are looking at 200-250 feet of outside pex at $13.00 a foot equals $2600-$3250 depends on where we endup putting the boiler. do you need the insulated pex inside the building??

 

[steam man]

Ouch. That is a long way to pipe. I wonder what heat loss that would mean. I would crunch the numbers. I am thinking two boilers with possibly each having its own storage might be an expensive way to go. I guess I would have to see the price for each system and base it on that. The only thing two boilers would mean is having to continually feed two of them. It seems right now the numbers favor two systems. However, come February, you'll wonder why you did it that way when it could have been one integrated system.

I feel your pain.