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Question

I'm thinking of replacing my oil burner (very old national us-radiator corp 12W series boiler). I got an estimate for a burnham V83 replacement w/ beckett burner (tankless hot water) for $6k (installed) from my oil company (before state/manufacturer rebate). It seemed a little more than I thought it should be - does this seem reasonable to you or is it worth getting another estimate? Also, do you think there will be a reasonable fuel savings - it looks like the service notes attached to the boiler have numbers around 80% (I assume this is a measured efficiency but not sure) - is that possible with my current boiler, as old as it is? That would make the fuel cost savings around 7%. My house is pretty small (1100 sq. ft.) and I don't have a particular reason to upgrade, so I'm questioning whether it is worth it. Thanks.

George
Boston, MA

Submitted: 83 days and 1 hours ago.
Category: HVAC
Value: $16
Status: CLOSED
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Optional Information

Make : Burnham
Model : V83

Accepted Answer

Hi George
There is no way your old burner/boiler is running at 80% combustion efficiency. I have seen some pretty bogus numbers on test tags and yours is as unbelievable as I have seen. In reality you would be lucky to be getting 70%. Burner techs that work for oil companies have a conflict of interest when testing your burner. If you think your burner is efficient when it isn't then you will burn more oil than you would if you upgraded your equipment.
$6k is in the ballpark but you should definitely get at least 2 more estimates. And maybe have an independent burner tech service your burner in the future.
What might be more cost effective is to just replace the burner itself with a modern burner. If your boiler is a cast iron boiler (probably is) then it could last quite a while longer. The new boiler is more efficient at taking the heat out of the flue gases but probably not enough to justify the added expense. If your boiler does leak at some point you can still use the new burner in a new boiler.

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Expert: Rickheatdoc
Pos. Feedback: 100.0 %
Accepts: 
Answered: 8/31/2009

HVAC c&ontractor/tech

Over 40 years trouble shooting & installing heating equipment licensed oil & gas tech

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