Heating Help

Which Oil Boiler

I've had several bids on a new oil boiler for my hydronic baseboard heat (no water coil).  Each contractor says his is the best.  If putting in your house, which would you choose?

Weil McClain WGO 3
Carrier Performance 86
Utica Tri Fire
Dunkirk Empire II
Slant Fin Intrepid TR

Thanks for any help.

None of the above

I would choose the contractor that I felt most comfortable with.

Do they have any factory training on the brand they sell?

Do they stock parts for the boiler they intend to install?

How far away are they?

References?
Did any of them do a proper heat loss calc?

My favorite in that group

would be the Utica Tri-fire. Its three-pass design is much easier to maintain than the other four, which are vertical-flue types with pins to absorb heat. These pins can be difficult to clean, and if not cleaned properly your efficiency will suffer. Since you're going to be living with this boiler for a while, might as well get the better design.

Other three-pass boilers are Biasi/QHT, Buderus, Burnham MPO, Dunkirk Excelsior, Slant/Fin Eutectic, Solaia, Viessmann, Weil-McLain Ultra Oil, and any others I forgot to mention. As far as I know they're all in the 86-87% AFUE range.

And as to contractors- what Mike said.

service what you sell

Its ture, triple pass boilers are about the most effic outfits...the little kerr comet isnt a bad steel tube boiler thou, pick the contractor who will come and clean out the boiler yearly....and come out in the middle of the nite if theres a no heater