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Today a heating contractor came to the house (upstate NY) and told me I needed a new boiler because his meter was getting CO readings above 9 ppm. The house is old (1865) and uses radiator heat to heat its c. 1800 sq ft. The boiler was here 28 years ago when I bought the house. Boiler is probably 35-45 years old.
Originally I had the heating contractor coming to replace the intake valve and a couple of release valves. He was here about 10 minutes and called me to the furnace room and told me about the high CO reading. He showed me readings of (11ppm to 14ppm). Then wham...he said by law he had to disable our boiler until we got a new boiler. His company will provide financing and do the work.
Question: In my 66 years this potential new boiler purchase will be my first. The guy who came seemed honest, but the whole scenario cried scam potential. I'm sure I should get a second opinion, but does anyone know what I should look out for, or hidden fees, or needless repairs? Any experience out there?
Follow Ups:
...go drop $50-100 on a good CO detector--not the cheapest one you can find--a "known" brand like Kidde or First Alert.
Not automatically saying your first guy is an out-right liar in the business of selling new boilers--you might have a real issue that needs to be addressed, but there might be an alternative repair (like improved venting or burner cleaning/replacement)--not just total replacement.
It's been a long time since I owned a home with a boiler heating system, but the one I had was ancient. I kind of just assumed that it would need to be replaced, so I called a guy. He did a full inspection, told me that the system had obviously been well-maintained, and that it would most likely out-live both him and me if I kept-up on maintenance. A new one would be more efficient (of course), but "they don't build 'em like this anymore". It was still there when I sold the house (a decade later).
That's just my two cents--that and a couple bucks will get you a cup of coffee... so take it FWIW.
"No tears to cry. No feelings left. This species has amused itself to death..."--Roger Waters~Amused to Death, 1992
Good advice. I ordered a couple of CO detectors, and they are arriving tomorrow. One problem...the heating guy disabled my heat system. He said he was required by law to shut it down since he got a reading of greater than 9ppm. I'll have to wait until Tuesday to get another reading, when I've got a second-opinion guy coming to check out the furnace. Thanks for your reply.
Likely no charge but they'll red tag it if they find CO
I did check with them, and no they don't normally check for CO. And to be frank after a day of phone calls and arrangements, I can't remember exactly what they told me about why they didn't. I think after they reminded me it was law to have a CO detector on every floor (I don't), I just told them I would buy a detector and check it myself. Good idea though. Thanks.
Get the most efficient replacement boiler that you can afford.
That would be 85% or higher, right? Or even higher? Higher efficiency means lower natural gas use, right?
It was leaking through the casting, from erosion over the decades. It was 46 years old, my father installed it when the house was built. Hot water system, not steam.
I would get another two (or three or four) contractors in for estimates. I think we got six. We had wildly varying estimates; do a bit of research on your own regarding different quality boilers. We went with a 'better' boiler, and not the lowest installation estimate; the folks we chose made some system improvements (moved/improved control valves, water supply, air trap).
We had been using a local company for service since the beginning, and while I knew they were high priced, they were very good. But when we got estimates, they came in 95% higher than the next lowest bid. Greedy bastards, thought they had a sucker. Just make sure you're not in the same place with your current heating contractor.
We've had no water leaks...that's why I want to proceed with caution. I have another contractor coming next Tuesday. I may get a third estimate, but the problem is you have to pay for the time/estimate if you don't go with that contractor.
Just did a roof in June, so this timing is not great.
Burners and flues wear out too, that's probably why you are getting the CO issues. Likely not economic to repair, even if possible.
But yes, time to get estimates. I can see a second opinion test by a service contractor costing $, but after that, if they don't test and they simply bid the job, I wouldn't expect to pay.
Did Gandalf place a mark on your door, too?
Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase...as true of humans as of molecules - Pardot Kynes
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