Combi boiler system adds efficiency, energy savings

machub June 25, 2015

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Boston Standard Plumbing & Heating Inc. — a Master Plumbing, Gas-fitting & Sheet Metal Corp. with the State of Massachusetts — was called to a Quincy residence with a boiler problem, during the beginning of a Northeast winter last year. The 100,000 BTU/hr, 2-bath home was in dire need of a heating/hot water system. The existing oil boiler was more than 40 years old, leaking at multiple points, and subsequently, the heating bills were “through the roof.” In addition, a tankless coil inside old boiler was plugged and water pressure was poor.

The solution? A Navien NCB-240 combi-boiler was installed to take care of the home’s heating and hot water needs. According to installing contractor, Joseph C. Wood, for this client, the “combi” was perfectly suited to their lifestyle, especially coming over from an old oil system. They were already used to “tankless” due to the old immersion coil in the old boiler and their home’s heating needs fit within the capabilities of the combi.

Also, while they have two standard full bathrooms, the home is occupied by an older couple who aren’t filling huge tubs or running hot water at multiple fixtures at the same time, so hot water wasn’t a concern even with our 38 degree incoming temperature water in Boston. Lastly, they didn’t want to take up the whole basement, so the new Navien NCB-240 fit right on the wall and could be closed in, if they desired, for a cleaner appearance.

“We chose to use a Navien product for a few reasons: First, we send all of our installers to the factory training course and as a result, we can easily get a customer up and running no matter the time of day or night. Second, we have a great track record with the Navien line. As a service and repair type of business, it all comes down to getting it fixed right the first time, and Navien provides us with “parts kits” that we keep in the shop or the on-call truck and that way we’re prepared even when our vendors are closed. Third, they’re the market leaders for this sort of stuff. Navien was the first to bring condensing tankless to the market and we want to stay aligned with companies that lead the way, the same way we’re trying to do. Boston Standard likes to use products that put us out there as a market leader,” said Wood.

In addition, Wood was presented with some unique challenges. “We needed to run a new gas line from the street and get it done before they closed the street down for dig work. We squeezed it in right before the season ended. Also, the piping system was done wrong and needed alteration,” said Wood.

According to Wood, the customer was using $500 of oil every 2-3 weeks in the years prior. In the end, “The customer has been thrilled with the new system for both energy savings — 30-35% (reported by customer) — and operation. He loves the hot water, especially,” says Wood.