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Efficient Burnham Boiler for Heat and Hot Water

Bob visits with Mark Lundquist of Burnham Hydronics to check out the boiler for the hot-water heating system being installed in the Mashpee, Massachusetts, affordable homes. This Burnham Spirit model is a medium efficiency, easy-to-maintain, sealed-combustion unit. Since it is sealed combustion, it pulls the air it needs directly from the outdoors and vents to the exterior without the use of a chimney or flue. This enables a homeowner to close off the space surrounding the boiler without worrying about available combustion air for the furnace. This model uses standard parts, so any repairs will be fast and easy. The boiler is made of cast iron and has a 25 to 40 year life expectancy. It operates at 84 percent efficiency, so the homeowner will use energy dollars wisely. Charlie Delvecchio of Cape Plumbing breaks out the cost of the boiler to about $1,500 and the baseboard tubing for another $6,000, for a total cost of $7,500 for installation of the home heating system. The domestic hot-water tank is linked to the heating system as hot water from the boiler passes through a coil in the insulated hot-water tank, warming the household water through energy exchange. If the water is maintained at the proper temperature just from this passive exchange, the boiler will never be called upon to heat water for faucets and showers.

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Clip Transcript For:

Efficient Burnham Boiler for Heat and Hot Water

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" We've been talking about boilers for years because everybody's used to having you know the heat source in their house in cold climates. And what we've done here is try to focus on something that's not. The super high tech but standard and state of the art in terms of a traditional source of heat right so this is Burnham boiler does a Burnham Spirit yet. And that's the name used by it and it's has a lot of features about of the high quality stuff that you look and fought the efficiency. But the main thing on this unit. Is its sealed combustion meaning that it. Exhausts out through the wall which means I don't need a chimney at all you don't need a chimney flip -- and also the fresh air still comes from the outside so which sealed combustion so Charlie that's what you're in the middle of putting together right can install on the air -- So the air intake can be PC pipe yes you can -- OK but if in the future if the homeowner ever wanted to finish off the basement or put a laundry room down here because closes off. And basically they wouldn't have to worry about combustion air for the unit or anything like that right because you've got the air coming in through here and got the exhaust coming out the side and -- et cetera Africa. Now what about the efficiency. The assistance unit is 84%. And it's a cast iron boiler regions. The body of the unit is cast time which is 2540 years worth of expectancy life expectancy. And I read. Take advantage of static components and which if you ever needed -- readily available we're not answer any OEM or special products that need to be stocked as far as eight. A service contractor would have to hassle get if it went down to compete put right back online relatively easy to maintain -- Life expectancy. Efficiencies Wednesday and it is 84% 84%. And then what about the heat and domestic hot water needs who got a couple of bathrooms here we've got a laundry and we got a convention and you could potentially have a family -- right that's -- that's a great question what we see this is an indirect water -- yet and this will work just as a zone does with the upstairs as far as I'm -- in direct wanted to record meaning the boiler water yeah go screw with a coil stainless steel coil inside this tank okay and then this holds a capacity. Forty gallons of usable domestic agenda. -- I -- saw a dishwasher. Broad hand sinks or whatever the actual water that we're getting out of the faucet didn't go through the current house and -- picked up the heat by exchanging. With the beach user guardian that quote exactly and that's the advantage of this is six acts exactly like a thermos bottle. Clinton and the fact that if this is satisfied the boiler doesn't even run we don't maintain temperature. So why turn the boiler on and waste the heat if we don't have a place to -- it sure. And what about the warranty. This is a warranty is a limited lifetime warranty terrific. All right now Charlie what about the cost of the whole thing they'll -- Well boiler costs roughly around 1500 dollars -- by the time you're all said and done with installation and the baseboard the radiant heat. Everything else you could run around 7500 miles for a whole new system great losses -- college guys get back door. Thank you thanks thank you."

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