Looking for Suggestions on Conventional Boiler Purchase

[Newfiestang]

Folks, looking to replace our 20 year old New Yorker WF100 wood boiler with a more efficient conventional boiler. Would love to go with gasifier but just cant justify the cost at this time.

Our home is 15 years old built to normal standard building practices, finished basement and main floor equate to about 3600 sq ft. Any suggestions appreciated.

Thanks

 

[warno]

Save your money for a gasifier. And do as much research as you can on which one to choose. I built my own boiler a few years ago and built it in a "conventional" sense but have wished ever since I built a gasification boiler. If it was me and I was buying a boiler I would save my money and hey a gasifer. You'll burn alot less wood. You'll burn alot cleaner. And if you have any nearby neighbors they won't hate you from all the idling smoke a conventional boiler gets.

 

[E Yoder]

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(Comment deleted, didn't read the original post correctly.)

 

[Newfiestang]

Heatmaster's GS model line (gasser) isn't much higher in cost than the C (conventional coal unit).
From what I'm seeing reliability on both are very good also, not a significant difference between the two. I'm burning a GS100 and would have a hard time going back because of the noticeable difference in efficiency.

(Full discloser I am a dealer/installer.)

Looked at those but what ever I choose must go in our basement, dont think that model will fit through any doors.

 

[peakbagger]

Buderus does (or did) sell conventional wood boilers.

 

[maple1]

I don't really know what is out there nowadays in new 'conventional' stuff.

Generally, look for something with easy to clean tubes. Or if not tubes, decent looking HX. When I was looking, almost 8 years ago, I was looking at a Biasi. That seemed to be the most decent looking of what I saw. A local place was selling them also. Kerr used to make a tube boiler, my father has one, but no idea what they have now. And his isn't exactly easy to clean. Don't get a Benjamin unless you want most of your heat going up your chimney. Newmac may have also had one?

 

[Newfiestang]

I don't really know what is out there nowadays in new 'conventional' stuff.

Generally, look for something with easy to clean tubes. Or if not tubes, decent looking HX. When I was looking, almost 8 years ago, I was looking at a Biasi. That seemed to be the most decent looking of what I saw. A local place was selling them also. Kerr used to make a tube boiler, my father has one, but no idea what they have now. And his isn't exactly easy to clean. Don't get a Benjamin unless you want most of your heat going up your chimney. Newmac may have also had one?

Looked at the Kerr but cant seem to find out if it has tubes, model is TW 2000. My old NY WF100 has nothing so efficiency is very low. It heats my house fine but just hard on wood. Will look at Newmac and Biasi as well. Like I said would love a gaser but the expense associated with those installs is crazy IMO and they are not common at all in this province so finding an experienced installer is not going to happen. I am capably of doing the install myself but its a major job from what I can tell and getting the support to pull together a design that incorporates my existing oil boiler proved to be difficult last year when i did explore the gaser option. My oil boiler has the DHW coil so wanted to keep that in service. Never did get a design that looked right.
Thanks.