Boiler Buying Guide

There are many different things to think about when purchasing a new boiler for your home, including fuel source, water vs. steam, BTU requirements, efficiency, using the boiler for domestic water, and brand. This buying guide will help to ensure that you find the right boiler for your application.

Boilers come in steam and water varieties. In hydronic heating systems, water is used to heat a house and a water boiler should be purchased. In steam heating systems, steam is used to heat a house and therefore a steam boiler should be used. The majority of the country utilizes water boilers, however some cities such as NY do have a lot of steam heating systems.

The first thing to think about when selecting a boiler is fuel source. Boilers are made to use a variety of fuel sources including natural gas, oil, propane gas, electricity, and wood. It is important to select a boiler with the correct fuel type. If you wind up with a boiler that does not use the fuel type you have, you may be able to get a conversion kit that usually costs between one hundred and three hundred dollars, if not you will have to return the boiler.

Boilers vary significantly in terms of the BTU output that they produce. Boilers can produce as little as 50,000 BTU's. It is important to size your boiler properly to ensure that the boiler can produce enough heat, but is not so oversized that you are wasting money on the price of the boiler and future energy consumption. You may want to oversize your boiler by 10% or so to make sure that you have enough BTU's to completely heat your house on the coldest winter days. To figure out the amount of BTU's required, you will need to know the total heat loss and outside design temperature for your house. When purchasing a modulating boiler (a boiler that can produce heat at a different range of BTU's depending upon what is required at a given time) be sure that the top of the BTU range meets your worst case BTU requirements. When selecting a boiler use the Net IBR rating in BTU/hr. The net IBR number is the net BTU's the boiler can produce. For replacement boilers, if your previous boiler was sufficient and worked well you can simply replace the existing boiler with a new one that has the same BTU capacity.

As many of you know, "green" energy efficient products are rapidly growing in popularity. Energy efficient boilers can save thousands of dollars in energy bills while helping to conserve the environment. New boilers are in general going to be more energy efficient then boilers that were produced 20 years ago. High efficiency boilers that are condensing and modulating may have energy efficiency ratings around 90%. Traditional boilers have energy ratings around 80%. The reduced fuel consumption with high efficiency boilers is significant. This longer term cost savings is a good reason to pay more up front for a better rated boiler.

Some boilers can also be used for domestic hot water (DHW). This can be accomplished in several ways. Boilers may come with an optional tankless coil, an indirect water heater may be purchased with your boiler to provide DHW, or a heat exchanger can be used. There are many different brands of boilers available on the market today. These include Buderus, Burnham, Lochinvar, Triangle Tube, Viessman, Weil Mclain, and many more. When purchasing a boiler, be

sure to select a reputable manufacturer and check the manufacturer's warranty. All of the boilers sold on PexSupply.com are from large and reputable manufacturers.

Think of a boiler as the engine for heating your home. Your boiler is a big investment and it is important to get all of the proper information when making a selection. Make sure to select an installer that has worked with and is knowledgeable about the brand of boiler you choose. Often times a manufacturer will list these installers in the contractor locator section of their website.