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I would like to direct you to this open letter I am writing on behalf of a good friend of mine. He bought a Peerless Boiler - a fine piece of advanced, high-tech machinery designed to achieve an extremely complex task: take water that's at room temperature and... heat it. I understand that this is a crazy request. I mean, changing the temperature of water is a process that scientists have been struggling for years and years to accomplish. It's baffled the greatest minds all around the world from ancient egyptian times. Entire universities have opened 'water science' departments in an effort to understand this most complex of processes, so I was admittedly skeptical when Ken decided to go out and purchase a water boiler.
"A boiler, you say? You mean, to heat water? Bah, humbug! Wouldst thou mind picking me up a time machine on thy way to the store, as well?"
Well, apparently, there's one company bold enough out there to attempt to boil water, and who are willing to share their life-changing secret with you. It's Peerless Boilers, Peerless Boilers are like modern Da Vincis, dreaming up expensive and innovative solutions to the problem of supplying a house with that most rare of commodities, hot water. It's understandable that they don't work quite yet, I mean, after all, they're only in beta. We've been pretty satisfied so far. It's quite large, it's made out of some sort of sturdy metal I assume, it looks nice in the basement and most importantly of all, it fulfilled all of our hopes in terms of being quite expensive. How fantastic! We do, however, currently have one issue with the boiler. It's minor, but still we're hoping Peerless will be willing to address it:
Water: It doesn't heat it.
We've been enjoying the boiler for the month we've had it, of course. Marveling at its many pipes and fancy vents, drooling subtly as we trace our fingers around the impeccably-placed 'Peerless' logo on its smooth, metal veneer. I've grown so fond of it I've actually fallen in love with it, and now sleep in the basement curled up next to it, whispering sweet nothings into its ear and reminding it that we love it dearly, and any time it's ready to start trying to heat water, we'll be polite and not laugh. We understand it's asking a lot; we're willing to let it figure things out at its own pace.
The folks at peerless sure have been helpful! Every time we've called, we've been greeted by an equally sexy answering machine which takes our recorded messages and stores them away into oblivion so that we don't have to suffer the embarrassment of inconveniencing those fine folks at Peerless. Oh, those wonderful knights in splendid shining armor, fighting the mythical hydra known as 'freezing cold showers' with the bravery of the world's most daft and fanciful explorers. They truly are modern knights of the round table, they are. Every night I fall asleep praying to the heavens to help them find a solution soon, as such an intrepid band of renegades must need some sort of divine intervention to help them accomplish their lofty goal.
In fact, last time we called, our representative was too busy to assist us because he was headed out to a trade show! Fight on, brave soldier. Fight the good fight and earn more money for your company so one day you can bring relief to all of those of us who are suffering through these dark ages, when the science of heating water is so beyond the comprehension of most human minds that only the most well-equipped, intelligent crew of individuals dare to take on the problem.
Peerless, take your good old time. Take as long as you want to provide us with a boiler that truly heats water; for in this field, I know you are surely our only hope.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Next time just pick up the phone and call a serviceman... preferably the guy who put in your boiler "a month ago." any reputable installer will come right back if your boiler craps out within a month of installation. why are you calling the manufacturer? they have nothing to do with the way that the technician installed their product. you are a far better writer than thinker. I just realized, you might be a little kid, if so I take that back... just call the installer... and make sure that you have oil, and that the power is on to the controls.
Peerless sucks! if the installer can't get it right, that means the manufacture isn't doing there job. also, it's the unit that's not working right, not the installer! there are so many better systems out there now! peerless is out dated! my unit isn't even 5 years old and it leaks so much oil! not an installers fault! just a crap unit! not at all environmentally safe, because this unit is in a basement, and we all know that basements flood, when the unit leaks it gets oil in the water, which gets pumped out into the road or grown! i'm going with a new green unit called ruud! if you are looking for a great energy saving fuel free unit, that will keep your house warm, this is it! if you want to purchase one, feel free to call me at [protected] ask for debra. I don't sell them, but I can tell you where to go to get one! they are under 2, 000.00 installed. with a great warranty. people are switching them out, because the savings are amazing!
what a bunch of horse$%#t. It's a cast-iron boiler that is well built. It is not the boiler, it is the installing contractor. Why are you calling the factory rep? Instead of the penning this witty, well-crafted dissertation on the boiler why don't you use those smarts to find a good contractor through your local bbb.org or Angie's List
I have a Peerless boiler that has just been fantastic to this point. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. It is a model EC-05, and now that I jinxed myself, I hope this clarifies the problems the one gentleman was having above, which was never fully disclosed.
Service departments should be contacted, and like above stated it very well could be an installation problem. They will in turn contact Peerless if a warranty problem exists, or a defective part, ect.. I did this kind of work when I was a young man, and now approaching 60 I have to revert to the pros that install and service such. I have this Peerless boiler in my 160 plus year old farm house, and am considered a low consumption fuel oil customer. On the average when the temps dip down to approx.20 degrees F, or lower I use about 3 gal. per day of home heating oil. Average winter days, and nights are much lower, and it is very good hot water baseboard heat. Not bad considering my old original windows in my 2nd story are losing alot of heat there.
I feel so far the Peerless boiler is a very fine constructed piece of heating equipment.
Rick Orem
Red Lion, Pa.
I like the first comment. I have the top of the line Peerless gas boiler and I think it was designed to fail. The electrical components are subject to huge temperature swings because there in the area where the cold air comes in from outside. One by one the components fail and believe me it's expensive under warranty or not. Four years old now and the main board and fan/board assembly and gas valve have crapped out. I'm afraid to leave the house in the winter for fear of freezing the water pipes.
Peerless won't talk to anyone but an installer. My installer spent hours on the phone with them and charged it to me.
Good luck with this company!
I am a technican and 99% of all problems with new high efficent equipment has to do with improper installation of the product. If only contractors would open the directions and make sure they are installing the product correctly. The manufacturer cant be responsible for incompitant contractors. It dosent matter what manufacture or what type of equipment it is there will always be contractors that don't care about proper installation. Word of advice is DON'T EVER go with the cheapest bid because it is almost always leads to frustration and nothing but problems. Installing heating equipment is not like buying a stove from store; it relys completly on the installing contractor to insure proper installation and operation. Plus if you dont have a good contractor good luck having them fix your new boiler that has manditory 1 year labor warranty provided by contractor. I agree Peerless should have responded and try to work with contractor, but it is ultimitley up to installing contractor to insure proper installation and setup. Remember the cheapest contractors will blame everyone else but themselves and be quick to charge for repairs and parts that should be covered under warranty.
Nick Starck
To chuck960,
You sorta let the cat out of the hat when you explained the huge temperature swings the electrical components are subject to. Many years ago when I did this type of service work I came upon a boiler that was placed in an unheated room that was subject to extreme drafts, and on an average of at least 20 degrees difference than if placed in the average basement.
This caused the high/low limits to cycle on/off much more often just to keep the boiler up to the preset temp limits, and thus not only caused the customer a much higher fuel oil bill, but shortened the life of these said components.
It is not the boiler if these components are failing. You must look at alot of variables such as chimney draft, is the boiler properly filled, circulator pumps, thermostats, high/low limits, stack relays, and such before you condemn the boiler itself.
My Peerless boiler in my 160+ year old farm house just keeps ticking, and ticking never missing a beat, and is very economical/dependable with my application.
Rick Orem
Red Lion, Pa.
My Peerless has blown its logic board ("Status panel") twice. The first time the factory would not expedite shipment of the replacement part to us. They were extremely unhelpful! This time it burned out and the factory doesn't even have a replacement. They told my contractor they they would build more such parts starting in January! In the meantime I have no hot water and a nonfunctioning boiler in the middle of winter (Temp is 0 as I write this note) in Alaska. We are surviving on portable electric heaters and an old fashioned gas wall heaterI can't imagine a company that has no inventory of critical replacement parts. These people are simply irresponsible. I suggest steering clear of Peerless.
I have two of these boilers in one of my rentals.
I would NEVER buy one again or even suggest it to the person I hated the most in this world (whoever that is). When they go, good luck finding someone to fix them and the cost is insain!
And forget trying to get part for them at a local supply house!
They SUCK!
My comment is I have never had a problem with a peerless boiler... ever! and if did they would be right there to help me... I have heard of issues with the series pro, but not mine... ill bet any problems are installer related... 10 years in the busines 20 years in my area only 2 leaked, thats amazing... peerless has my vote best boiler ever... new stuff im not sure, but I would be sure to check before installing,., thats the service mans job, check out product befor swearing its great
THAT FIGURES, put in my two cents and who would have guessed, problems wiht the site!peerless fess up, your biolers are the problem along with " some" not all installers . So, if peerless dose admitt there is an installer problem then fix it ! I'm not an installer just a consummer with cold winter showers from my tankless Peerless boiler.
First, I apologize for not having part numbers and other details. But I am a home owner who had a Peerless gas-fired boiler installed about 10 years ago. It proved to be the most troublesome appliance I have ever owned.
On perhaps a dozen occasions I came home after work and find the house cold.
The boiler had White Roger’s control module – it seemed to fail once a year (always on a cold winter day, and always when the supply house was closed for the weekend). After replacing the unit twice someone suggested using a Honeywell controller. I did and never had another problem with that specific component.
The second problem was the use of these damned hot-surface ignitors (HSI). I replaced that component two times – once coming home to a house on a cold winter’s day that was barely 45 degrees. Why anyone would use this trouble-prone mechanism for lighting a mission-critical appliance I do not understand. For a drier, fine; if the drier fails I don’t have to worry about $20, 000 worth of burst pipes. Looking at the glowing HSI for hot-spots that foretold of forming cracks became a monthly task in the winter.
Third problem was the flame detector. This item became an annual maintenance item. At the start of each heating season I would remove it and carefully clean it lest it stop detecting the flame and shut down the boiler.
Other than this the boiler was okay. There were no mechanical issues, but the electronics on this boiler put me off ever buying another product from Peerless.
Is the author complaining about the heat side or the domestic hot water side? hydronic system (forced hot water) or steam system? on the domestic hot water (your showers, tubs, sinks) side, if its a steam system, make sure the water level is high enough to completely cover the tankless coil. if the coil is not covered you do not get good heat transfer. is the problem only in the shower? if it is, no matter if its a steam or hydronic system, install a low flow shower head (2.5gpm) and make sure there is a flow restrictor in place at the tankless coil.
On the heat side, is the boiler sized for the job right? no matter if it is steam or hydronic if the boiler is too small, you will not heat correctly. on a hydrolic boiler, is the circulator the correct one for the job, is there the right air elimination parts installed, is all the air purged from the system? on the steam method of heating, sized correctly?, returns the right size?, supply header piped the right size and done correctly?
if the installer did not size the boiler correctly, or pipe the boiler correctly then no matter what boiler manufacturer is used it will not work right. it's not the fault of the boiler! i've been in the trade for over 20 years and have worked on many boilers from many manufacturers and they all work if installed correctly. as far as electronic control boards "crapping out", yes they do sometimes, it seems to run in streaks, hot surface ignitors are the same, every so often you will get a bad batch of them. also when installing a hsi
Do not touch the glow bar, it will either (1) not work at all, (2) work just one time or (3) have a very short life span.
i have brand new peerless purefire 80 and very randomly it gives off very loud vibration on ignition. new york rep is non exitant and tech line is useless. i install boilers for living and never had a problem. Peerless will always have a place in my garbage can and the field rep is useless it was a fight to get him my house and when was here he was no help. Never rqueat a peerless if u do good luck.
I installed a Peerless PF 80 and had to replace the gas valve three times because of delayed ignition. The company was no help and the rep came out but to no avail, said the unit is working properly. Can you live with a loud vibration on ignition? Now the boiler is doing the same thing. I installed it. I am a contractor and I recommend not to install this Bolier ever. Go for a Crown Bimini. I installed three of these boilers and have no troubles. I will never install this boiler again. I still have to figure out what to do with this boiler the customer is pissed!
I've owned my peerless heater for 2 years. Unfortunately I wasn't aware there was a warrenty card to fill out so when the face display went out I ended up paying $602.00 to get it fixed after paying $7000.00 just 2 years ago to have it installed.
Bought a peerless boiler four years ago. The casting leaks. The rep said the pipes were leaking, even though they are dry. Old patches. No warrenty. No luck. Peerless is horrible. Do not buy. Do not buy. Three grand gone
Awful company. Stay away.
Why would anyone that has a one month old boiler not call the installing contractor to fix a problem? I am a contractor and have been installing Peerless oil and gas boilers for 17 years now and believe me if i had problems with them i would switch to another brand. The oil boilers are very simple to work on and have standard Honeywell controls that any service tech should be able to fix. The high efficiency stainless steel condensing boiler is on it's fifth generation now has had no more issues than any other brand. I would highly recommend buying a five or ten year parts and labor warranty on any high efficiency gas boiler of any brand as the parts are very expensive. Also if you have problem that your contractor can not fix he can call Peerless and they will send a rep to take care of the problem.
I think it is very unfair, to Peerless and to the consumers, to complain about a product, without understanding exactly what the problems are. I work on many boilers, oil, gas, different brands, they all have problems, and the problems are fixable. You will find that of the many different boilers, the same controls, gas valves, switches, etc, are used. I have serviced many boilers where the installing contractors are to blame. The cheapest price doesn't mean anything if the contractor does not warrantee his work. If I have a problem with a boiler, I get after the rep for assistance. If he doesn't help, I let him know he better get someone that can help. These guys make their money selling boilers, if their boilers don't work, they can't sell them. Reputable contractors will not sell boilers that fail often. I know that the manufacturers are reluctant to talk to the consumer, because they ask questions about the boiler that the consumer can't answer. If one has a boiler that doesn't work, and the installing contractor is not there to help, I have to ask myself, was the boiler installed by a qualified contractor?
I bought a peerless high effeciency boiler in 2003 and had it replace 3 times, now i am out of warrenty, costing me $2000 annually in reapirs, no co-operation from peerless and here is the really interesting part-my gas bills, adjusting for raising gas, cost more than a weil 40 yr old boiler. i wish someone had written about their experiences and read them before i purchase this brand.
My comment is why do Peerless Boilers support people who call women sluts and prostitues.
People from Peerless Boilers beat old people and kill kittens
I bought a peerless boiler... 20 year guarantee. I had professionals recommended by Peerless to install it.. 5 years of Owning my peerless the Boiler cracked.. I fought for 2 months for peerless to replace it. A manufacturers defect... They did send a new boiler but would not pay to have the old one removed or the new one put in. Another cost of 5 thousand on top of the 13 thousand I paid in the first place.Well, here we are at the 5 year mark of the 2nd boiler.. IT CRACKED ALL THE WAY DOWN THE SIDE. Causing major water damage... It's FEBRUARY in New England No heat or Hot water for 6 days ..DO NOT BUY A PEERLESS...
I think it is unfair to consumers to advertise, sell, and "qualify" installers for a product that is a piece of crap! Our installer came put the thing in and walked away. It never ran right, he never fixed it right, we finally had to get a different plumbing and heating contractor to come in an do what he could, we a warranty work done, it just doesn't stay running for very long. It is a piece of crap and the qualified installer is irresponsible and/or lousy at his job. It is not the customers job they got screwed, there is something wrong with the unit, the system of training, and the quality of customer service all the way around.
I bought a peerless oil Boiler in 2003 to we have after about 3 years the hot water coil leaked, but they said that it wasn't leaking.
The water would get so hot that steam would come out the hot water lines. The bladder in the expansion tank went from the temperature of the water. The release valve would blow and flood the boiler and the rest of the room so often that the boiler casing is rusted through, around the hot water coil is also rusted so badly that it could no longer be replaced if that was needed. Around the coil
there is about a 6 inch hole through the casing. Their fix was to clean up the area and spray paint it. We have had to have them come out and service this boiler for one thing or another 2 or 3 times a winter even after having them come out and ready it for the season.
THIS PEERLESS OIL BURNER IS A PIECE OF ###! Now that it has rusted out even worse than before, a representative was dispatched to take pictures of the unit. It only took 5 years of complaining to get to this point. I wait, not so tirelessly, for some kind of response about said pictures and what, if anything, will be done about it. AHHHHGGGG! JMC of PA
Sounds like a malfunctioning operating control if the boiler temperature has gotten that hot. Additionally, it also sounds like the code required domestic hot water tempering valve isn't working properly if you have water that hot coming from your faucets. The only other thought I have is that maybe the water level in the boiler isn't correct, and the aquastat well isn't fully immersed, thus sending a false reading to the control and letting the boiler run away.
Did you hire a licensed, insured contractor to install the boiler? If so, was the installation inspected by the local authorities? All of the problems you've described sound like maintenance issues to me...not something that Peerless is responsible for. Read the warranty that comes with the product. If the coil gasket is the source of the leak, it didn't happen overnight, and perhaps the licensed tech that services it annually for you neglected to check the bolts for snugness.
Bought Peerless PF210 in June 2011 from reputable, local installer.
-As of [protected], we have had almost 20 heat or DHW failures, two "control boards" replaced and several other parts. There are 3x without heat or DHW for 2 days or more.
-After almost 10 failures in first year, and after a letter of concern and complaint to installer and manufacturer, company and installer RE-INSTALLED and set-up equipment. Start of next heating season, BAM!, more failures.
Often techs cannot figure why it has failed. Parts are hard to come-by. Once, manufacturer/distributor (?) sent part to wrong (unknown) city.
Finally, installer told me that he has been having these sort of problems with the Peerless brand. He will not sell or install any more. I wonder why he has left us stressed out and frustrated for 2-1/2 years when he knew the equipment was defective. Why did he not agree to our request for a replacement with a different brand? Why did he not know that the service contract agreement that he sold us contains provision ofr replacement of equipment?
Peerless is HORRIBLE! Our local installer failed us by leaving us in the dark...and without hot water.
Frankly these complaints are not that believable. Some of them sound like outright lies.
The posts that attempt to refute or weakly belittle these complaints are ludicrous. The outrageous comments offer NO evidence to contradict the complaints. Such people reveal their insincerity (and perhaps stupidity). The detail and specifics of the complaints demonstrate their legitimacy.
I've installed hundreds of the 211 series boilers. Never once have I hahad to warranty a part. They are very reliable. If the local supply house doesn't stock common honeywell parts, it's not peerless fault
My original boiler was installed in 1964.Finaly died in 2004. Replaced with another peerless 100, 000 btu unit . I had no problems with this boiler except for replacement of thermo coupling and pump .
I think some of you are missing the point Old vs new tech. is it better or not
I have to completely agree with the author of this article. I've had a Peerless Boiler for nearly 18 months, and the installer (who has an amazing reputation and has come back every time for free) has been at our house no less than 24 times. Twice he has brought a cocky Peerless rep with him that was sarcastic, not helpful in the least, and seemed to know far less about their units than my installer does. Still, my installer wants to stand by the Peerless crap product. They have changed out virtually every part in the Peerless unit, redone the venting, ensure enough air was getting to the unit, etc., and still it throws error code after error code and we wake up to cold water more than once each month. Peerless not only makes a terrible product (our last boiler didn't fail once until its dying day), they don't stand by their product nor help their installers "make it right" with consumers. I'm certainly not as witty as the original author of this article, but I would stand by him 100% in his criticism of this terrible product, and worse company. DON'T BUY PEERLESS!
We sell/Install peerless boilers, along with many other brands, and can say for certain that 90% of the issues I've encountered by others companies installations is due to improper piping and/or venting. This is especially pertaining to condensing boilers (pinnacle and Purefire. Not having the right size copper piping and not having a return supply manifold with the right distance apart on the manifold as well as the lack of circulator pumps/size. Venting is by far the most common problem encounteted. Big not the correct minimum length/pitch/recirculating of exhaust gas into the combustion intake. These high efficiency boiler come with a very detailed installation manual which I find the installing contract doesn't read or folllow. If the boiler operates for a long period install correctly it will cause permanently damage and continuous problems from that point on. Another factor is the homeowners lack of yearly maintenance on the boiler. If burner gaskets not replaced and heat exchangers not cleaned properly with the right tools and materials you will indeed be on the road to unit failure and shut down. I can even give number of improperly installed systems I find. Lowest bidder is definitely a sign that your system won't be put in properly because they don't know what's needed for proper installation. Im not referring to hundreds of dollars in price difference but a $1000 or more is a definite sign of a unknowledgable contractor to this type of system. We have very little problems with our condensing may gas/prop installations. The problems that we do have is occasionally a part failure or lack of maintenance the homeowner decided not to spend money on. We have been installing them sine the first peerless pinnacle boiler was available and most are still in service today. Don't get me wrong, their have been problems with the first revision of the boilers but that is expected with any new equipment. Just look at how often smart phone software/firmware is tweaked and updated because of priblems. Find a qualified contract from peerless manufacturer and find out how many of the systems they put in and ask for references. This should eliminate hvac contractor you don't want touching l/installing your system. No new boiler is going to last as long as your old 70% efficient boiler...just like any older manufacturers product vs new. New systems have a lot of electronics and saftey features the old ones didn't have. The efficiency of the unit is another factor. Thick cast iron heat exchangers aren't going to transfer heat faster than thinner metals and our government specifies minimum efficiency standards so manufacturers have few options to achieve minimum efficiency. I feel your pain with all the issues you have with your system but more than likely the equipment is not the problem 99% of the time. Good luck
I have sold, installed, and serviced Peerless boilers for over 20 years. They have many different models, some are better (or more reliable) than others in my opinion. Generally I don't consider them "cutting edge", but they are traditionally very solid, well-built units that I see very few problems with. When it comes to problems on new installations, it is usually due to failure on the installer's part to install the unit correctly or adjust it properly. New units are rarely "dialed-in" at the factory and may require tuning and adjustment to get them to run correctly, or sometimes even at all. As far as component failures, you have to remember that Peerless DOES NOT manufacture many of the components of the system. Companies like Honeywell, Beckett, Carlin, Riello, Robertshaw, Watts, Taco, etc. supply most of the components. Actually, I don't think Peerless manufactures any of the "operational" components of the system, now that I think about it. The interesting part? Almost every boiler manufacturer uses these same components on their systems. Wouldn't matter if it was Burnham, Weil McLain, HB Smith...you'd find the exact same components, made by the same companies, on every one. For the OP, as far as your new boiler is concerned, the Peerless representative is NOT who you want to talk to or who can help you at this point. In reality, these people are sales personnel and typically their responsibility is to determine warranty status, promote the product, provide technical literature, and so forth. While some can provide a limited amount of technical service, for the most part they aren't technicians. It would be like asking your car salesman to fix your car. You need to contact your installing contractor, they should come back and determine what the problem is and repair it. If they won't come back, or have had multiple visits and have been unable to resolve the issue, THEN the Peerless representative could be helpful. They are familiar with what contractors in your area handle the product regularly, and even though they won't say it, they know which technicians are good and which ones aren't, so they're apt to recommend a company or technician that will solve the issue. Peerless is not a bad product, they use all common, industry-standard components that are shared among pretty much all of the manufacturers. Like anything, they can and do break with age and wear, but on a brand new installation like yours, I'm willing to bet the installer made a mistake somewhere. Could be just an honest mistake. But give the installer a call and give him the chance to come back and make it right. As a contractor, it's frustrating to do a job, have something go wrong afterward, and NEVER hear from the customer about it...all while they may be complaining to everyone they know about you or the product you sell. Most people who do this kind of work take pride in what they do and they want the customer to be happy. Call the installer!
Peerless is the cheap knock off of the HTP boiler. As a condensing boiler it is best to buy the best rendition of for a few hundred more, it's easier down the road to get parts and more quality dealers install and service better products. Knock off products are sold by installers how most times are out of business in a few years or not proficient in the fine details of installation and service. This is why Peerless gets bad reviews the guy installing this one probably had no idea how to read directions or follow a piping schematic.
Beware of improperly applied condensing boilers they will not save money or work efficiently in all applications. I have 35 years in hvac installing and servicing, and do not have a condensing boiler in my own home, because my house was designed for a high temperature boiler.
I installed peerless boiler oil and gas, steam or hot water system boiler for 22 years! I love peerless boiler because they use metal push nipple.. Sometime it's the installers fault, not using right controls or fitting, sometimes they use the cheapest material they can buy! Sometimes the manufacturer defectives controls.. Heating specialist! NYC
Stiblue24@yahoo.com
It been installing peerless boilers oil/gas, steam/hot water system boiler for 22 years! Sometimes if you pick the wrong installer, that's what you expect! Also some installer use the cheapest parts, controls, and fittings so they can save/make money, not having pride to their job! Sometimes it's factory defective, that can't do anything, but most likely the installer!
From reading this complaint it sounds like the burner or controls are the problem, not the boiler. All a boiler is an iron casting assembly with water holes for circulation. If the controls don't maintain the correct pressure and water level the boiler can be damaged. I have had A Peerless for 25 years. The few problems I have had were exasperated by poorly trained repairman and used replacement parts. Many boil of places put in new boilers but the controls are remanufactured parts like circulators thermostats usually are not new. That's how the repair company makes money. Always insist on new replacement parts. Companies of famous for using rebuilt stuff and charging new part prices.
Many companies use repairmen that just got out of school with little experience.
Thank you for the best written and most humorous boiler review ever.
Sorry to hear of your experience. I agree with those that say condensing boilers have very specific installation requirements which must be followed exactly by the original installer, and that the heat distribution system must be suitable for a condensing boiler. I have the impression that some boiler installers may have a bone to pick with new tech, and may actually sabotage the installation of new systems, intentional or not. If you have a boiler installer who says I've been installing boilers for 20 years, ... etc. I suggest you ask if they use a combustion gas analyzer when adjusting a boiler. If the answer is no look somewhere else, unless you would like them to install a 20 year old boiler. Keeping up with the latest systems is not a priority for some people.
- an energy rater and condensing oil fired boiler owner from Alaska
what a piece of garbage! After getting multiple ignit errors all winter long - no heat or hot water - I am now getting "no comm mainboard"...which sounds somehow worse than ignit error...ARGH! Do not buy one. Ever.