Hot Water Heating Systems

How Hot Water Systems Work
Boilers heat hot water which is circulated through the house via a piping system to heating elements located in each room. Hot water circulates at a temperature up to 180 degrees F. Distribution of heat from hot water based systems can be provided by a variety of heating elements including radiators, baseboard sections, in-floor radiant tubing, and towel warmers.

Replacement Hot Water Boilers

Existing Boiler Capacity
Heating units are rated in BTU's (British Thermal Units) per hour. The nameplate of the boiler is typically located on the boiler jacket. The nameplate will have two lines with BTU ratings. The larger value will be the boiler input rating, the smaller value will be the boiler output rating. The output rating on the nameplate is the boiler capacity.

The difference between the boiler input and output BTU values is related to its efficiency. If a boiler has input rating of 150,000 BTU/hour and an output rating of 97,500 BTU/hour, it's efficiency rating is 65%. Please see the section below titled "efficiency ratings" for a more detailed explanation of system efficiency

Efficiency Ratings
The U.S. government tests and rates residential heating appliances. They measure and record the boiler input BTU, output BTU, electrical power usage, flue losses and net combustion efficiency. The result of this rating is a boilers A.F.U.E. (annual fuel utilization efficiency) value. A.F.U.E. is a more sophisticated calculation than the ratio of output to input BTU.

Remove and Disposal of Old Equipment
We properly remove and dispose of your existing boiler. The sections of system piping not required for the new boiler will be removed as well. In some cases the old equipment and piping will be covered with asbestos insulation. Asbestos needs to be removed by a separate specially licensed contractor. We let you know if any asbestos we encounter needs to be removed to allow the installation of the new boiler. Our quotation to you does not include any asbestos removal unless it is specifically listed as a line item in the quote.

New Boiler Placement
We position the new boiler at the same location where the old boiler was removed, unless we specifically state otherwise in your quotation. We reuse the old boiler base, gas or oil piping, and electrical wiring unless our quotation specifically includes changes or modifications to these things.

Piping Connections
We fabricate and install the necessary new piping to connect the new boiler to your existing delivery system.

Flue Piping
Boilers with efficiency ratings below 80% will use a traditional metal flue pipe. We fabricate and install a new metal flue pipe from the new boiler to the existing masonry chimney. We install a new stainless steel exhaust system for boilers with efficiency ratings in the higher than 80%. This piping will be connected to the exterior of the home. The old masonry opening will be capped off with a metal thimble. Sometimes, alterations of other appliances are required. We will advise you accordingly.

Thermostat
We reuse your existing wall mounted thermostat for the new boiler. We will adjust the operation of the new thermostat to match the new boiler. We provide information on replacement thermostats if you decide to upgrade the features of your control thermostat.

National, State, and Local Safety Codes
Our experienced and licensed staff believes that these codes are a valuable system to ensure systems are installed properly. At Keyes North Atlantic our work always meets or exceeds the code requirements. If you'd like to know more about our licenses and credentials, we welcome you to the Insurance and Licenses portion of our Credentials section.

Insurance
We are fully covered for workers compensation insurance, and we carry two million dollars of general liability insurance. We are happy to forward certificates of insurance coverage to you for your records. Or view them right here in the Insurance and Licenses portion of our Credentials section.

Warranties and Guarantees
We provide a full one-year guarantee on our work, equipment, and materials. This guarantee is provided in addition to the warranties, which the manufacturers provide on the equipment that we install in your home. Click here for more information on our workmanship warranty.