Question regarding installation best products & pricing on an indirect Brunham Alpin propane boiler

[annelisemcl]

Hello all & thanks for any suggestions.

Our 16yr old 80 gallon electric BW independent DHW tank has a slow leak and requires replacement. I have been researching and am considering having installed an indirect DHW tank to my Burnham Alpine propane boiler ALP150W-2L02 installed in 2011 for our cast iron baseboard radiators.

I have received 2 proposals and I am awaiting an appointment with a 3rd smaller local independent. All 3 names were given to me by US Boiler as certified Burnham trained operations.

I am having a difficult time narrowing down my tank choices and understanding the pricing. My home is a 3 bathroom (2 tubs 1 shower)home with 2 adults & 2 children in which we wash laundry mainly in cold water and do not at this time have a large soaking tub but hope to install 1 in the future. We are supplied with city water in the northeast of Philadelphia which will include some chlorine and harder minerals. I have not done a PH test of our water.

TO compare apples with apples I will only give pricing for the 50 gallon tanks (although a smaller tank option has been suggested too - 27 burnham/ 32 burderus). All pricing includes draining, disconnect, and removal of the BW DHW tank.

Proposal A: Lochinvar SIT050 Indirect Water Heater, piping, filling, testing, and clean-up. 1 year parts & labor on install plus manufacturers limited lifetime warranty. $4555

Proposal B1: Buderus SU-54/5 Indirect Water Heater, piping, filling, testing, and clean-up. 2 year parts & labor on install, plus manufacturer's limited lifetime warranty, and plus 1 year Burnham boiler manufacturer service. $4219

Proposal B2: Burnham AL50 Indirect Water Heater, piping, filling, testing, and clean-up. 2 year parts & labor on install, plus manufacturer's limited lifetime warranty, and plus 1 year Burnham boiler manufacturer service. $4118

Have not received a visit or proposal from independent small US boiler referred tech yet. We are playing phone tag.

My questions are as follows:
-Out of these 3 5o gal indirect tanks, which manufacturer would you select and why - Lochinvar (31rl SS), Buderus (glass/ enamel lined), Burnham (stone lining)? Or would you not recommend any of these and suggest another.

-If an internet search for tank pricing puts the Lochinvar at $1500, the Buderus at $1550, and the Burnham at $1165; is removal, install, parts and labor reasonable at $27oo-$3k additional?

-Am I able to use an IntelliCon-HW+ Hydronic Heating System Fuel Economizer on a Burnham High efficiency condensing Boiler such as the ALP150W-2L02? Or is it only for standard non-mod com boilers? (thanks Dana for the many different posts in which you discuss this boiler addition)

Thank you all for your replies. I am trying to find the information to justify to my partner the expense of this install over just replacing the 80gallon independent electric DWH at about 1/3 the cost.

And thanks in advance for any suggestions of an "on demand" tankless DHW. I am not interested in considering a tankless.

Ann

 

[annelisemcl]

OR...in PA does it NOT make an energy-conscience choice to go to an indirect water heater when an electric independent DHW tank is very efficient.?

(Forgot to mention my home is a ranch, with most copper plumbing pipes running under the floor in the slab from an interior mechanical room that houses 1 electrical panel, the boiler and the DWH. A second set of water lines is run through the attic insulation to a new bathroom with pex.)

 

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[annelisemcl]

So, in further research I have decided to NOT go with an indirect set-up because I have a propane boiler (if I had natural gas it would be a no brainer for the indirect). Propane cost for me now is $2.47 gallon. I only run my boiler at most 6 months out of the year, which means those other 6 months I would be running the boiler (if only 1x a day) just for hot water - seems wasteful & costly even with my modcom Burnham Alpine. With my electric utility cost of 0.21 per kwh (this is including all taxes, fees, etc), it seems more dollar sense based on other replies regarding indirect to stay with an independent electric DHW tank. I will take additional steps to reduce thermal loss (insulating the hot water pipes, placing closed cell insulation pad under the tank, add an insulation jacket to the tank) and I will ask for a wags flood safe pipe to be added and a drip pan.

I was considering the AO Smith Conservationist 80 gal or the BW High efficiency energy saver 80 gal but it seems a no brainer to go with the BW at $960 vs the AO at $1600 (internet estimate pricing) when both warranties are similar and the difference in energy saving rating is .94 for the BW vs .95 for the AO. Of course I will ask for pricing from the licensed plummer who installs this.

I do wish I had some pro replies to affirm my thinking...