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Installing an Oil-Fired Boiler For the New Home Addition

Bob meets Jack O'Leary, the plumbing and heating contractor for this remodeling project. They discuss the old heating unit, which was an oil-fired steam system that used radiators throughout the house. The house has doubled in size since adding a new addition, and the old unit can't handle the new load. It was too costly to add another steam unit, so they decided to go with an oil-fired boiler. This works well for the homeowner, since oil is cheaper than electric, and gas isn't available in the area.

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Installing an Oil-Fired Boiler For the New Home Addition

computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate

" It essentially we've got a house that's doubled in size and what we got here we have single type steam system which wasn't capable of hitting the new addition. And it's oil by this is oil fires -- steam radiators. How -- installation with a 1012 years old so it. Probably had a big lacked adequate what does this the last 2530 years it is maintained a problem but. It doesn't put an upbeat used to have provided steam for revenue for the catch right this is just too far away the rooms are too big so wouldn't with a big enough to handle. And now what is it what do be feasible to try to -- complete conversion in this house and get rid of all the steam radiators and put in warm water baseboard throughout. You waited with very very expensive at this time to do a whole household the -- and you get steam radiators it's a lot of work a lot of money. Yeah so the alternative that you install a new we have an oil -- to boil off hot water. The reinstall the new addition how big is it how many BTUs. This is on in 21000 BTUs. This is hot water we have two zones -- his own sort of second floor and -- old for the personal okay here is -- belts. And the the fact visited that we've had this stick to oil because in this particular part of Newton we don't have gas available on the street. And so what you're looking at the bottom there is really. Top of the line oil burner and it's the traditional type of burner and it's been used her for many years. Especially in the New England states is still used. But you've had a 121000. BTU a lot of this. Burnham furnace that's a lot this is this who handled the whole house would put this in figure that they do want to convert put hot water in the future. They will have enough. To a -- open house. Explain to us exactly how it works it you've got two story addition in the back of the house now it's I would to a stories. Then the system. This is feed this is a spiral purposes eliminates all the here on the system or some nice quiet. Heating system no -- in the pipes OK when these zones open up this is the second floor. That's will be warm water 11 we'll circulate through okay now another aspect of having new heating equipment put in. Is the whole issue of these the the byproduct of combustion. Carbon monoxide to dangerous aspects of it and proper ventilation we don't have a chimney here is ideal company -- would have a -- we have fans a direct vent. So this -- will give an evolving. Fumes that -- right outside here we have the yet have a house OK and is there any kind of fail safe I mean -- This if this does not -- on this fought this oil on the fire off so if you're in a storm and you lose power on the street you also going to Lucy you lose your heat you're -- oil. For the safety features as long as this if this fans are working you know have to worry about. -- back into the house as it's not going to go on now the other aspect of the job it's different it's. These distribution is not just copper you brought the copper out about six feet. And then you're switching over to. Vinyl tubing. For the rest of the job -- that -- vinyl. Toby is great for remodeling work we had to crawl space so we'll door opening in fishing out small walls -- which will really do want to bring the torch and in light of having. So right here Bob just push this together and have a compression out. Which -- sent. I remember when this was -- interest about ten years ago and there was a lot of German technology associated desired that's what this this book is this is also use a lot of radiant heat yes. And it's really proven itself in the marketplace to be a very good alternative. Okay Jack in the edition in this part we've got -- on both sides normally need to put your baseboard heat right under the glass we -- like that. How do you deal with a problem well we have a lot of heat gets us -- Existing out of the house which is open to the new additions so we should have plenty he all of us open plan honestly that it came to it and you've got. Three feet of baseboard here in this it aesthetics. All right we have of war. The -- little -- on the back wall we have in California we have a total of twenty will be okay. More than enough to -- this new addition OK and you've got one would not completed yet what's this unit to the final -- it's one right here though. The way this works is you've got a copper tubing. Which has all of these little -- of Madeleine that's right with a heat conducts -- on to the and radiates. Off in the room we have the same connections that we have a charge earlier in these compression. That's what this group that these right up into the final ending this. So there's no soldering or anything just to tighten it up as if you were tending a garden -- exactly yeah. Right now are these banning the big problem what with. Bursting copper pipe would have. Ice stuff you know have a failure in the system is the -- a better protection in the copper is stronger than -- is that strong. Stock is that the copper it's awful thing underneath. OK and then how do you address the stuff. Is this that's old maple -- connection but this will be a final cover the play goes right on top."

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