JoeSolbach
New Member
Hello everyone, new to this forum and am looking for some advice.
Live in a two unit home in Chicago built in 1900. Both units are about 900 sq. ft each, I live on 2nd flr., Both apartments are heated with cast iron radiators. Two boilers, one for each unit. Each one is 100K btu's in, my unit is a 15 year old Peerless and the other a 40 year old Utica. All of the piping feeding the radiators is newer copper, looks like 1" mains and 3/4" and 1/2" supplies to the radiators. EDR for the radiators comes out to about 250 for each unit.
The problem is that the chimney, in the center of the house is in poor condition. There is no terra cotta or any kind of liner, just one course of bricks in which the two boilers and two water heaters all vent into. Water heaters are both 12 years old. The mortar is crumbling and if I look inside the cleanout it looks like about half of it is gone between the bricks. There are also several cracks in it visible in the attic and the mortar is all soft and crumbly, with some loose bricks.
Trying to decide what to do, considering the age of the equipment. One heating guy I had came out just wanted to drop a liner down the deteriorated chimney and recommended a new 225K btu boiler for the whole building and one 75 gal water heater. Obviously, I never called him back.
I'd like to eliminate the old chimney anyway, i want to do a bedroom, bathroom and laundry room in the attic duplexed to my 2nd floor apartment, and the chimney cuts right through where I'd like the bath to go.
Trying to figure what my best options are, go with two new boilers, one for each unit, or one boiler for the whole place serving both units, same for the water heaters, do one or two? What kind?
The house is balloon frame, open stud bays in the basement, no insulation in the walls except in my kitchen which I redid. Attic is semi finished, there is insulation in the rafters. Exterior is asbestos cement shingles. I've been air sealing and insulating the the open stud bays above the sill plates in the basement, but there is a lot of air leakage in the attic with plumbing chases. Even the partition walls lack top plates and are open to the attic! I've been stuffing insulation in these.
Live in a two unit home in Chicago built in 1900. Both units are about 900 sq. ft each, I live on 2nd flr., Both apartments are heated with cast iron radiators. Two boilers, one for each unit. Each one is 100K btu's in, my unit is a 15 year old Peerless and the other a 40 year old Utica. All of the piping feeding the radiators is newer copper, looks like 1" mains and 3/4" and 1/2" supplies to the radiators. EDR for the radiators comes out to about 250 for each unit.
The problem is that the chimney, in the center of the house is in poor condition. There is no terra cotta or any kind of liner, just one course of bricks in which the two boilers and two water heaters all vent into. Water heaters are both 12 years old. The mortar is crumbling and if I look inside the cleanout it looks like about half of it is gone between the bricks. There are also several cracks in it visible in the attic and the mortar is all soft and crumbly, with some loose bricks.
Trying to decide what to do, considering the age of the equipment. One heating guy I had came out just wanted to drop a liner down the deteriorated chimney and recommended a new 225K btu boiler for the whole building and one 75 gal water heater. Obviously, I never called him back.
I'd like to eliminate the old chimney anyway, i want to do a bedroom, bathroom and laundry room in the attic duplexed to my 2nd floor apartment, and the chimney cuts right through where I'd like the bath to go.
Trying to figure what my best options are, go with two new boilers, one for each unit, or one boiler for the whole place serving both units, same for the water heaters, do one or two? What kind?
The house is balloon frame, open stud bays in the basement, no insulation in the walls except in my kitchen which I redid. Attic is semi finished, there is insulation in the rafters. Exterior is asbestos cement shingles. I've been air sealing and insulating the the open stud bays above the sill plates in the basement, but there is a lot of air leakage in the attic with plumbing chases. Even the partition walls lack top plates and are open to the attic! I've been stuffing insulation in these.