New boiler or storage?

[sootsucka]

hey guys need some help. I have an old tarm mb40 hook-up with ci radiators. On the fence about getting storage tank or new gasser and can't afford both right now. I know storage is a must but my old house had a mb30 with 500 gallons of storage and in the middle of winter had a hard time heating house and storage. Now I moved to a lot colder climate but got more radiators in system and not sure if this boiler will keep up. Any ideas?

 

[maple1]

Depends. I would think of doing storage first, but if the boiler won't make more heat than the house will use storage won't help. So you would have to assess how good the boiler does now before deciding, and how much 'extra' heat it makes when burning.

 

[tom in maine]

If you want to do it right, you must do a heat load calculation. It is not that difficult. That will tell you if the boiler is ample for the building. If it is, then storage will benefit you by shunting excess energy into storage instead of having the boiler shutting down and making creosote.

 

[velvetfoot]

Can you talk to the previous owner?

 

[BadgerBoilerMN]

ACCA Manual 'J' heat load takes the guess work out of it.

 

[sootsucka]

Thanks for the replies. Not really sure what's in the walls so it's hard to do manual J on this house. The house has been vacant for some time. It had a warm-air wood furnace in basement but I couldnt keep wood in it for more than two hours and it would not heat the house above 60