Recent content by PeterDux

The original boiler was 151K BTUs, and the replacement is 77K BTUs. And I've added a 730 square foot suite over the garage since the house was built. I would like to have gone smaller, but there really isn't much available. The original boiler would frequently very short cycle. This one doesn't...

I wrestled with exactly this problem a few years ago, including not having natural gas on my street. I considered switching to propane to get a modulating boiler, but that would include buying (and locating) a much larger tank so I could spot buy the propane to control its high cost. I did...

Maybe mine is one of the good ones. 26 years old and working perfectly. I replaced my boiler two years ago but left the Boilermate alone.

Eighteen months after install we finally got some cold weather here in Southeastern MA! Single digit F temps for three nights, daytime highs in the teens. Also very windy the first couple cold days, which provided an opportunity to test whether or not a much smaller boiler than originally spec'd...

I don't know anything about large diameter pipes and radiators, but I can vouch for Dana's heat load estimator. My thread is here: https://terrylove.com/forums/index.php?threads/replacement-boiler-sizing-in-se-ma.81532/ along with a post-mortem on the first season's heating cost with a new...

Start of 2020/21 heating season update: After a full season with the MPOIQ84 I've gone back and calculated my home's fuel load using Dana's heating size calculator. I used different dates because they're based on when the oil tank is filled, but actually covered a longer time period: in 2018/9 I...

I have Nest thermostats in my house without common wires and they work fine. When I installed my new boiler the electrician warned me that I might need a common wire with the new system, and just because they worked with the old circulators they might not with the new. Not a problem, it turns...

I don't think electricians or contractors exactly know with what hardware Nests will or will not be powered without a power wire. When I installed Nests in my house last year I had an old (24 years) 2 wire system for most of the thermostats, and had two thermostats that also ran a separate A/C...

I meant foam pipe insulation. And the contractor didn't put it on the new plumbing when they installed the boiler. I'll do that first. Basement temps are in the 60s, and will probably drop some when we get some consistent cold weather. Definitely cooler than before.

It is working great. I will be interested in how it performs when it (or if) it gets really cold, but I'm not concerned. I think it will do fine. Basement isn't as cool as I expected. However, the ground is still pretty warm. Dana, I've been reading your other posts about insulating...

UPDATE: We've had a few cold days, finally, morning temps in the teens. System is working beautifully. This morning with 4 of 5 zones calling for heat (5th zone is rarely, if ever, used) the boiler was still cycling, but run times were pretty long. Honestly it's so quiet I don't really notice...

I got cold feet (pun intended) about changing settings on the boiler myself, so I had my contractor stop by to adjust the settings. They also have a Burnham hand held that makes setting it up much easier. The tech they sent does all the setups for them, and after some initial resistance I was...

I haven't made any changes to the boiler yet, but I have had an opportunity to read the manual. It's interesting because it seems some set points will override others, and I'm not sure how to best adjust others. There's a separate domestic hot water set point. This temp is requested when DHW...

Why not just use Nest thermostats? The phone app works great and utility companies often offer discounts and/or rebates. I got some Nest Ecos last fall for $99.

Thanks for your response and the link to the reset card manual. I hadn't located that. I will read it. I find it interesting that boilers now have these sophisticated controls, but installers (or my installer at least) doesn't make an effort to use them to optimize system operation. I guess they...