Many investors build houses without considering the placement of a gas boiler. This is a mistake.
In the design phase, several issues must be considered
for gas boilers to function properly. In our experience we know 8 out of 10 newly built houses had unsuitable chimneys which could not accept boiler installation.
Modern gas boilers are virtually maintenance free. The amount of heat supplied to the heating system is always optimal. Once installing and setting all parameters to automatic control the boiler usually functions, attention free, during the entire heating season.
Each owner wants his gas boiler device to consume as little gas as possible which is economically wise. However, the boiler is only half of the equation. The installation that is associated with the boiler is the other side of the coin. Even the most expensive boiler cannot reach its peak performance if the installation is inadequate. They must be compatible.
Gas boilers are a family of heating devices which have one thing in common; that is the type of fuel by which they are powered. Some features need to be determined before selecting the correct boiler in order to meet the owner’s expectations:
– a standing or hanging apparatus – depends on its location,
– single or dual function – depends on the expectation of performance,
– opened or closed combustion chambers – the construction of the combustion chamber and its connection determines air in-take and the way it transfers the out-take of air exhaust
– traditional or condensing – depends on the way of action
Modern boilers with small dimensions can be successfully installed in kitchen cabinets; there’s no need to have a separate boiler house.
The most common myths or misconceptions about boilers:
– condensing boilers work well only with underfloor heating
– if you want to use condensing boilers with heaters, they should be twice as large
– it doesn’t pay to install a condensing boiler with the traditional system
These myths result from a lack of understanding of the phenomenon of condensation. It is not true that condensing boilers work economically only with underfloor heating. Condensation occurs when exhaust in gas boilers are cooled below the dew point (57°C); that is,when the temperature of water returning from the system is slightly below this level. It is also not necessary to have over-sized radiators. It is enough to adjust them to parameters of 70/55/20.
When we connect the boiler to the traditional installation of 90/70/20/, the device will work with condensation for a large part of the heating season; only in the coldest days it will work as traditional gas boiler.
Another myth concerning the traditional system is also easy to dispel. Let’s take the exemplary traditional installation designed for the operating parameters 90/70 (90°C – supply temperature, 70°C – return temperature), with outdoor computational temperature -22°C for Bialystok.
The actual average temperatures during the heating season (according to data of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management) in 2009-2010 were (°C):
– September: 14
– October: 6
– November: 4
– December: -3
– January: -10
– February: -3
– March: 2
– April: 8
As you can easily see, the temperature of -22°C is only for a few days and only then the installation works on computational parameters. During the remaining part of the heating season the installation doesn’t have to be so warm, thus the boiler has the option of entering the work range with condensation.
Even if the condensation doesn’t occur condensing boilers achieve higher efficiency than conventional boilers.