Peerless boiler with bad tankless coil, advice please

[08specB]

So we got our house 4 years ago and we have a Peerless oil boiler from 2004. The furnace is efficient (84%) however the coil is going bad and either needs to be replaced or I need some other source of hot water. Initially I wanted to just replace the coil and with that I would need to relocate and replace the mixing value setup. I have a small furnace room and since we just got a pellet stove I would prefer not to run my boiler all summer and winter to heat the hot water. I am leaning towards a regular style 50 gallon hot water heater however to do this I would need to move my large gun safe out of my furnace room. We only use the one upstairs zone in our raised ranch for oil however again with a new pellet stove we hope to not use much oil at all.

My question is after 7-10 years the coil is going bad. Would you place the coil and mixing value for about $1300 not knowing how long it will last or go with an electric hot water heater for a little less and use electric instead of oil to heat the water?

I have also thought about a tankless gas and electric system AND an indirect system however the electric panel power isnt there and indirect is just too much damn $ right off the bat ($3k).


Jay

 

[velvetfoot]

I would, and have, gone electric, for sure. I think CT has some great rebates on the Geospring heat pump water heater, which does make noise. A regular electric water heater is totally silent. You probably couldn't enclose the Geospring in a small furnace room though since it needs air volume.

 

[08specB]

I would, and have, gone electric, for sure. I think CT has some great rebates on the Geospring heat pump water heater, which does make noise. A regular electric water heater is totally silent. You probably couldn't enclose the Geospring in a small furnace room though since it needs air volume.

The furnace makes noise and the room is not vented so I have to keep the door cracked open to give the boiler air. The previous owners had on two doors that were shut which was horrible for the boiler. We will be turning the downstairs into a play room for our daughter when she gets old enough and closing that room off. At that time I will put in a wall thimble for outside air.

 

[avc8130]

The furnace makes noise and the room is not vented so I have to keep the door cracked open to give the boiler air. The previous owners had on two doors that were shut which was horrible for the boiler. We will be turning the downstairs into a play room for our daughter when she gets old enough and closing that room off. At that time I will put in a wall thimble for outside air.

Definitely go electric. There is just no economy burning oil to heat DHW any more.

CT has AWESOME rebates on heat pump water heaters. I suggest you pick one up and plumb it in.

ac

 

[08specB]

I breifly looked into a heat pump water heater and the initial cost is too much for me at this time. Great idea and tax benefits however the initial blow is just too much

 

[08specB]

I breifly looked into a heat pump water heater and the initial cost is too much for me at this time. Great idea and tax benefits however the initial blow is just too much

 

[maple1]

No way would I put the tankless coil back into service.

If you are considering spending $1300 to do that (which sounds like too much BTW), you could install a heat pump heater for waaaay less than that factoring in incentives. I would go ordinary electric hot water heater if you don't want to go heat pump. For what you'd spend in oil for heating DHW for one summer, you could almost buy a HPWH. I used to have a tankless coil in an oil boiler, I went thru somewhere around 3/4 gallons of oil per day in the summer just to keep that sucker hot enough to make hot water even if next to no hot water was being used. I am off the oil now altogether, removed my oil tank, and heat my water with either electricity or wood.

 

[08specB]

There is no way I am going to replace the coil honestly. I was going to go tankless electric but after finding out the amp and draw it wont work on my panel so a 50 gallon hot water heater it is.

 

[maple1]

I would make sure you throughly evaluate what it would cost to get a HPWH. From some of the incentives some were reporting on here, they were getting a HPWH for less than a conventional electric.

 

[08specB]

I would make sure you throughly evaluate what it would cost to get a HPWH. From some of the incentives some were reporting on here, they were getting a HPWH for less than a conventional electric.

When I looked them up on amazon the units themselves went for $1-3k not including what it would cost to install one. Where are you finding the prices of these?

 

[avc8130]

You can get the heat pump for less than the $1300 you quoted for the new coil...especially in CT!

Check your local Lowes.

ac

 

[maple1]

Try searching 'nyletherm' on here too, depending how your investigating goes.

Those are NOS discontinued HWPHs being sold by a very trusted Hearth member. $300 I think.

But there is lots of info on here also about the GE Geosprings and the rebates people have gotten.

 

[avc8130]

Try searching 'nyletherm' on here too, depending how your investigating goes.

Those are NOS discontinued HWPHs being sold by a very trusted Hearth member. $300 I think.

But there is lots of info on here also about the GE Geosprings and the rebates people have gotten.

He'd need some form of a tank to use that Nyle. Total would still wind up less than $1300, but just trying to make sure it's clear.

ac

 

[maple1]

He'd need some form of a tank to use that Nyle. Total would still wind up less than $1300, but just trying to make sure it's clear.

ac

True.

 

[STIHLY DAN]

A 40 gal electric costs around $350 and would save you at least $1,000 a year. A geo springs will cost you around $1,000 with no rebates and save at least $300 more a year than electric.

 

[mustash29]

The 50 gal GE GeoSpring at Lowes is 999, but the final price out the door is actually 600.

Lowes takes your info at the register and processes the 400 "Energize CT" rebate themselves. You get the rebate at the time of sale, don't have to front the $$$ and don't have to wait for CL&P to process and send you the refund. Win - win.

 

[08specB]

Isn't the install of these units very pricey?

 

[avc8130]

Isn't the install of these units very pricey?

Same as any other electric, except you will have to figure out what to do with the condensate like a dehumidifier.

ac

 

[Fred61]

Isn't the install of these units very pricey?

Cold water pipe in - - Hot water pipe out - - wire to breaker box - - condensate tube to drain - - That's it!

 

[bryankloos]

I installed the GeoSpring last spring. I calculated my annual heating costs for DHW at about $1200 using oil.
I bought the GeoSpring for $599 at Lowes in CT, and then received a $400 rebate from energize CT.
$199 plus about another $150 in wire, copper, 30A breaker etc and I'm making hot water for about $20/month. Sure beats the ~$100/month I was paying with oil.
Its as easy as can be to install. I'm in Southwestern CT and am always happy to lend a hand if you are near.
To me, it was a "no brainer."

 

[08specB]

I installed the GeoSpring last spring. I calculated my annual heating costs for DHW at about $1200 using oil.
I bought the GeoSpring for $599 at Lowes in CT, and then received a $400 rebate from energize CT.
$199 plus about another $150 in wire, copper, 30A breaker etc and I'm making hot water for about $20/month. Sure beats the ~$100/month I was paying with oil.
Its as easy as can be to install. I'm in Southwestern CT and am always happy to lend a hand if you are near.
To me, it was a "no brainer."

Is this a unit that would heat the water as well as a regular hot water heater? Want to install one for me? haha

I am honestly to scared to hook it up myself

 

[Fred61]

Is this a unit that would heat the water as well as a regular hot water heater? Want to install one for me? haha

I am honestly to scared to hook it up myself

What kind of work do you do. You're not a stockbroker or an accountant are you? Anyone that has ever picked up a tool should be able to do it. Just get some help with the electrical hook-up. Might cost you a six pack.

 

[bryankloos]

I've been known to work for a 6 pack and a pizza...

However you decide to get the job done, ditch the oil DHW. That's just plain crazy!

 

[maple1]

Is this a unit that would heat the water as well as a regular hot water heater? Want to install one for me? haha

I am honestly to scared to hook it up myself

If you don't want to install yourself, that's fine.

But the cost of installation will not be any more than what you would be looking at with having anything else installed - so that point is a wash.

I've read a couple of posts since in the Green Room of guys in CT getting new Geosprings for like a couple hundred dollars after incentives. Which would make this about the most no-brainer decision I think I have read of on here.

You should also be thinking beyond just your DHW & coil problem - like towards getting rid of the oil boiler all together, and what it would take to do that. Fully & realistically asses how much the oil boiler will be used for heating. You could be thinking about maybe replacing it with an electric boiler if it won't be used much at all, or a pellet boiler if it will be. (That's all without knowing much about the rest of your heating system). For example, around here, there seem to be quite a few lightly used electric boilers being sold to make way for mini-splits. You could install a new HPWH, a used electric boiler, and do away with everything oil related (boiler and tank and all associated potential oil spill liabilities), for less that the $1300 you were intitially considering on the coil replacement. I did something like that, and it sure felt good pulling that oil tank out.

 

[08specB]

Above when I mentioned that a heat pump would be too costly I was talking about the Geothermal heat pump. I will read up on regular heat pumps online a little and talk to my HVAC guy to see if he installs/services them.