They called me because they thought they would like to install enough tankless water heaters to provide them with hot water. The problem with that idea is that they would need a 3 inch gas pipe! Tankless may not run when you don’t need them, but they do use a ton of gas when they are running. Plus how would you vent all of them?

What we did was install a Buderus GB142 96% AFUE boiler. It’s only function is to make domestic hot water. And the only thing it’s hooked up to is a T44 Turbomax.

That’s right, only 44 gallons: 44 gallons and we took out 200 gallons of hot water heaters!!!!! And they have plenty of hot water.

The Turbomax has an incredible 99% heat transfer efficiency, and it loves to have a lot of BTUs put into it.  It transfers those dollars right into that hot water, instead of up a chimney like a hot water heater. And because we are able to run the Buderus modulating condensing boiler at 120 to 140 degrees, it’s condensing all the time, producing hot water from over 90% of the heating dollars that go into it. I can’t wait until they get their next bill.

Besides all that, the Turbomax has a 10 year warranty, even in a commercial installation. That’s the best warranty you’ll get. The only reason we don’t install them in homes is that it’s hard to beat Superstore’s lifetime warranty. And Superstore is a great product.

If you need a commercial water heater replaced, or it’s getting old and you know it’s going to go soon, call us!!

Hey, it’s blowing my own horn a bit, but I recieved a nice testimonial from a customer I’ve had for 30 or so years and I wanted to share it.

This is from Rona from Cambridge:

“Dennis Foley has helped me renovate a small Queen Anne house in North Cambridge over the past thirty years.  He has installed garbage disposals and dishwashers; he has gutted and rebuilt the kitchen, two bathrooms, and assorted other rooms; he has replaced hot water tanks and toilet stacks, installed a wood-burning stove, and reclaimed a front porch – so I guess you can say that he has done it all – even including the kitchen sink!

Dennis is particularly creative in solving problems encountered in old houses – somehow, he has always been able to find relatively simple solutions to what seem to be insoluble problems.  He understands budgeting constraints and he has always been willing to think through alternative approaches and to identify trade-offs that can help lower costs.  I have long relied on his judgment about where the money needs to be spent on any given project.

The quality of Dennis’s work has never varied – the plumbing doesn’t leak, the windows don’t leak, the chimney doesn’t leak.  Those are strong statements since some of the work is now twenty to thirty years old.  He has always been honest and straightforward and accountable and most importantly, accessible in an emergency.  I wouldn’t trust my home to anyone else.”

This is the reason for my tag line, “A Name You Can Trust!”. I may not always be perfect, and I have been wrong a few times, but you can trust we always have YOUR best interests at heart.

Lifetime Hot Water Tank

You know, it’s really funny that I’ve already written about high efficiency oil fired boilers, and about steam boilers, when the majority of the boilers that we install aren’t either one!

Nowadays, with the cost of fuel escalating, and with our country’s reliance on foreign energy products, we feel it’s really our duty to recommend installing high efficiency boilers whenever it’s possible.  It’s in everyone’s best interest.

A boiler is a large and long term investment, and to not install  the best, most efficient  product available at the time of installation usually leads to regrets within a few years. Make no mistake- fuel costs will go up. While it might cost more to install now, you’re savings will be that much more in the future.

Our favorite boiler to install is the Buderus GB142 series of hot water boilers.

This is a modulating, condensing boiler that can deliver up to 95% AFUE, especially in the shoulder months when the heat is not needed to full capacity. Even in colder weather you’ll get 90% or so. Your heating system will be more comfortable and you will get even greater savings, because the boiler comes with an outdoor reset control that will adjust the water temperature in the system based on the outside temperature. That’s designed right into the boiler system.

Lately we’ve been experimenting with turning the temperatures down on our systems to further enhance savings. With this type of boiler, if you can keep the system return temperature below 150 degrees, you’re going to get that 95% fuel usage. We can just about guarantee a savings of 30% off your gas bill, and one of my clients has saved over 50%! Since he was smart enough to have us install this boiler 2 years ago, he’s way ahead of the game on energy usage and savings. As are a lot of my folks, as you can see from my pictures.

When we do install these boilers, we  also reccomend installing an indirectly fired hot water heater, usually a Superstore 40 or 60 gallon one depending on the size of your household. It just makes sense to take advantage of your 95% AFUE boiler by using it to heat your hot water, in a tank that is guaranteed for life! That’s right, no more burst tanks to clean up after. That will add to your long term savings!!