With failing boilers and an inefficient heating system, historic Zion Episcopal Church in Oconomowoc, Wis., needed guidance and help. New, high efficiency condensing boilers from Weil-McLain provided the answer to solve their heating woes. Zion Episcopal Church is a Wisconsin landmark founded more than a century and a half ago. In 1846, the Rt. Reverend Read more
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With failing boilers and an inefficient heating system, historic Zion Episcopal Church in Oconomowoc, Wis., needed guidance and help. New, high efficiency condensing boilers from Weil-McLain provided the answer to solve their heating woes.
Zion Episcopal Church is a Wisconsin landmark founded more than a century and a half ago. In 1846, the Rt. Reverend Jackson Kemper, the first missionary Episcopal Bishop, established the Zion Episcopal community in Oconomowoc. The present day stone church situated on Fowler Lake was built in 1889.
“Our heating system consisted of four nearly 12-year old 199 MBH boilers,” said Linda Georgeson, senior warden with Zion Episcopal Church. “Two of the four boilers were no longer functioning, and we were convinced the other two would fail because one was leaking.
“We were quite distressed to have such failures on this large purchase of units that were considered state-of-the-art when we bought them,” she added.
The boiler manufacturer offered to honor the warranty and install new units, but Zion declined. Instead, Georgeson requested bids from three mechanical contractors, including local Oconomowoc, Wis. firm Schulte Heating. Schulte submitted a bid to install Weil-McLain boilers, while the two other firms proposed installing different manufacturers’ equipment.
“We invested a lot of time researching and evaluating commercial boilers and reviewing the proposals we received,” said Georgeson. “In an open meeting of the church, we charted cross comparisons of all of the different units, the associated costs and warranties, and who would handle installation.”
In the end, Schulte Heating and Weil-McLain came out on top.
“We chose Weil-McLain Evergreen units because we thought the engineering was excellent, and the system design seemed attractive in terms of overcoming our issues,” said Georgeson. “We also liked the warranty, the ability to easily service them and that Schulte Heating was a local firm.”
Rich Schulte, Jr., vice president of Schulte Heating, oversaw the boiler upgrade project.
“Upon our analysis, in addition to having unreliable boilers, the church also had quite a bit more capacity than they needed with the four previous boilers,” said Schulte. “And, the church knew it had to act quickly because they wouldn’t be able to heat the building with only one functioning boiler.”
Installing Evergreen Units
In September 2015, church staff determined it was time to proceed with the project, and the Evergreen units were installed in October.
Schulte Heating replaced the four failing boilers with two Evergreen boilers, a 299 MBH and a 399 MBH; they were installed as a Multiple Boiler System (MBS) using the Modbus Communication feature. In this configuration, a master boiler controls the modulation and sequencing of boilers on the network to achieve the desired system supply temperature.
“With the automatic sequencing feature, the boilers communicate directly with one another so they sequence themselves and rotate as needed,” said Schulte. “Both operate at the lowest rate to optimize efficiencies.”
The new 95% AFUE Evergreen from Weil-McLain offers simple controls, flexible functionality for multiple applications and a durable design, and is easy to install, use and maintain.
The units are adaptable for most heating needs including light commercial or large residential applications and for single or multi-boiler installations. Evergreen offers quiet operation, an aesthetically pleasing design, floor standing or wall mount options and environmental sustainability.
“Evergreen is the only boiler I proposed to Zion because I really like the technology of the fire tube heat exchanger in those boilers,” said Schulte. “In addition, they are easy to set up through the set-up wizard option provided on initial start-up and also easily maintained.
“Another important feature is the units don’t require a separate, external control panel or boiler panel, and that was ideal because the church did not currently have a separate interface to view the status of the systems,” said Schulte. “It’s now very easy to see the system status and service the units, if needed.”
The installation took less than a week.
Boiler Upgrade Benefits
Georgeson is already seeing efficiencies with the new units, though installed for less than a year.
“We’ve noticed a significant savings on our energy bills when comparing this year’s monthly bills to last year,” said Georgeson. “This was not surprising as we expected to experience energy savings based on the high efficiency of these boilers. We imagine we will save hundreds of dollars in the long term.
“The Evergreen boilers also are very reactive to our heating needs,” said Georgeson. “The units keep the baseline water temperature at a level where they can react quickly if additional heating is required, such as when our church doors open on Sunday morning.”
The units are configured to handle the five separate church thermostats/zones. Each thermostat is programmed for usage depending on the day and whether the area is occupied.
“I can control temperatures throughout the church when people need heat or when I can keep it low,” she said. “The units are very responsive for zone use.”
Georgeson also appreciates the easy-to-use interface.
“I can even reboot the boilers myself if needed because the interface is very user-friendly,” said Georgeson.
The two Evergreen units also allow for more space and access in the boiler room.
“It’s not an overcrowded area anymore because we have two appropriately sized boilers handling the heating load of the church instead of four,” said Georgeson.
Schulte Heating will handle annual maintenance to keep the units in top working order.
“Schulte Heating’s workmanship was excellent, and I am very satisfied with the performance of the units,” added Georgeson.
Slant/Fin is now offering their most popular gas boiler in a beautiful shade of pink – to show our support for breast cancer research and a cure. Our most popular boiler, the reliable Sentry, is a gas-fired hot water boiler which is suited to a variety of boiler requirements using propane or natural gas. It Read more
Slant/Fin is now offering their most popular gas boiler in a beautiful shade of pink – to show our support for breast cancer research and a cure. Our most popular boiler, the reliable Sentry, is a gas-fired hot water boiler which is suited to a variety of boiler requirements using propane or natural gas. It provides homeowners with years of trouble-free, efficient operation, hassle-free maintenance, and boasts easy installation and set-up. The Sentry also comes with a 25-year Limited Lifetime Warranty.
The S-90 and S-120 models are now available in Heating for a Cure pink, with a portion of the proceeds being donated by Slant/Fin to breast cancer support and research charities. As well as knowing they have supported breast cancer research, those who purchase a Heating for a Cure pink boiler are also minimizing their impact with regard to environmental damage.
Our Sentry boilers comply with government directives that are in place to achieve lower levels of carbon dioxide by 2021. Carbon dioxide is a gas that contributes to global warming, a process that could significantly change the world’s climate and cause untold damage to the environment. Sentry Models S-34 to S-120 are DOE (United States Department of Energy) compliant, which means their design meets energy conservation standards set down by the government in an effort to minimize carbon dioxide emissions. The U.S Department of Energy has already begun pushing for businesses to attend to the energy efficiency requirements in time for 2021.
We are trying to get as many of our boilers as possible to meet the specifications, as soon as possible, and in fact, many of our boilers are already compliant. This includes our Heating for a Cure pink Sentry boiler.
With failing oil-fired boilers and an aging, inefficient heating system, Elm Street School in Gardner, Mass., turned to modulating boilers from Weil-McLain to spark energy efficiencies and lower heating costs for the school. Built in 1923, Elm Street first served as a high school, but over the course of numerous years, the district converted the Read more
With failing oil-fired boilers and an aging, inefficient heating system, Elm Street School in Gardner, Mass., turned to modulating boilers from Weil-McLain to spark energy efficiencies and lower heating costs for the school.
Built in 1923, Elm Street first served as a high school, but over the course of numerous years, the district converted the facility into an elementary school. Today, the 130,000-square foot facility houses more than 500 students.
“Our heating system consisted of two nearly 20-year-old boilers that were in constant need of repair,” said Robert O’Brien, director of facilities for Gardner Public Schools. “We found ourselves changing out cast iron sections on an annual basis. In addition to the maintenance issues, we wanted to decrease our overall heat load.”
To assist with project funding and help cover boiler replacement costs, the school applied for and received a green repair grant from the Massachusetts School Board Authority (MSBA). The MSBA Green Repair Program offers districts the opportunity to repair or replace roofs, windows and/or boilers in public school facilities that are otherwise structurally, functionally and educationally sound.
With funding in place, the school selected, MacRitchie Engineering, based in Braintree, Mass., which provides HVAC, plumbing and electrical design services, to handle the boiler replacement.
“We sought a dual combination gas and oil commercial boiler and Weil-McLain was my primary choice,” said O’Brien. “We also wanted units with the ability to modulate with a control package that could be implemented into a building management system.
“We received three competitive offerings when the project was put out for bid and we chose Weil-McLain because the equipment had the best load matching characteristics,” said O’Brien.
The team chose three Weil-McLain 88 Series low pressure steam boilers as the optimal choice to match heating load requirements with two carrying the building load and one installed for redundancy. MacRitchie also was tasked with handling oil conversion to add gas for dual fuel firing, boiler room valves, boiler feed unit, fuel oil pumps and controls, and associated electrical and plumbing work.
The Weil-McLain 88 Series boilers offer up to 85.7% thermal efficiencies, are operational in single or multiple systems as gas, oil or gas/oil, and feature modulation control.
The old oil-fired burners were removed and replaced with the Weil-McLain dual fuel boilers and configured with gas as the main fuel source and oil as a backup. Each boiler was installed with its own pump plus a common manually valved standby pump.
The project was completed and the units were placed in operation in October 2015.
Built in 1923, Elm Street School in Gardner, Mass., houses more than 500 elementary students.
Numerous Benefits Realized
According to O’Brien, the installation went smoothly and the school already is experiencing benefits.
“We expect to save anywhere from 20% to 25% of our fuel costs with these new boilers because they are more energy efficient, feature low-range pressure controls and have the ability to modulate,” said O’Brien.
Modulating burners are designed to control the burner output to match the boilers’ variable load requirements to ensure maximum combustion and boiler efficiencies during large heating demands. The modulation feature also has decreased the system pressure.
“Thanks to modulation, we reduced the amount of operating pressure from about 10 pounds on a cold day to about 5 pounds,” said O’Brien. “Dropping the pressure created a lot of savings, yet we are still maintaining the temperature inside the building so that’s a definite plus.”
Other benefits O’Brien and building staff are realizing include the adoption of a building management system that will send notifications via email and sound an audible alarm in the school if an issue should arise.
“If a boiler burner should misfire, for example, I immediately get an email and an audio alarm goes off in the school,” said O’Brien. “This alerts school custodian staff that an issue is happening, and it’s an important safety feature to have.”
The expected duration and life of the boilers are another plus, according to O’Brien.
“The life expectancy is typically 30 or more years for these boilers,” he said.
Weil-McLain®, a leading North American designer and manufacturer of hydronic comfort heating systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings, has launched its 2016 School of Better Heating training program. The School of Better Heating is an annual series of seminars that now includes a new learning model that incorporates feedback from past and prospective attendees Read more
Weil-McLain®, a leading North American designer and manufacturer of hydronic comfort heating systems for residential, commercial and institutional buildings, has launched its 2016 School of Better Heating training program. The School of Better Heating is an annual series of seminars that now includes a new learning model that incorporates feedback from past and prospective attendees of the training events.
The one- to two-day sessions feature classes on Hydronics 101, a Circulator Course, gas control troubleshooting, information on managing multiple boilers, efficiency operation training and more.
The School of Better Heating reflects Weil-McLain’s leadership in hydronic system training, which also includes extensive in-field experience with hands-on and application training, in addition to class instruction and special certified courses for continuing education.
“By securing ongoing feedback, we can better understand our end user needs,” said Greg Pickens, Director of Learning and Development at Weil-McLain. “It’s about becoming the thought leader in training, which means understanding our training event attendees and being diligent in our course adaptation.”
According to Pickens, these programs will standardize the training process through smart application, feedback and investment in partnerships with other leading HVAC industry brands like Taco® and Sentinel®.
“Partnering with other companies allows us to incorporate a more thorough learning program into our School of Better Heating events,” said Pickens. “A contractor will be able to gain valuable information on hydronic heating techniques and Weil-McLain products while learning about other systems, such as inline circulators from Taco representatives, for example.”
The 2016 School of Better Heating training schedule kicked off in Philadelphia on March 15 and will continue through September at various locations in the Eastern and Midwest regions, including:
- April 10-12 – Eden, N.C.
- April 12-14 – Eden, N.C.
- May 17-18 – Pittsburgh
- June 12-14 – Michigan City, Ind.
- June 14-16 – Michigan City, Ind.
- July 19-20 – Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- August 16-17 – Boston
- September 20-21 – Westchester County, N.Y.
For more information visit http://www.weil-mclain.com/school-better-heating.
Hurst Boiler launches their new website which includes a user-friendly online CAD download solution which shows their latest boiler models and plan view configurations. Jeff Hurst said they did this so their products could be found online and “Easily integrated into the normal engineering and design process.” Their new web-based CAD download solution makes it easy Read more
Hurst Boiler launches their new website which includes a user-friendly online CAD download solution which shows their latest boiler models and plan view configurations.
Jeff Hurst said they did this so their products could be found online and “Easily integrated into the normal engineering and design process.”
Their new web-based CAD download solution makes it easy to search and select the right boiler online. This new online solution includes Hurst boilers available as BIM-compatible 2D and 3D CAD/Revit objects, users have the option to either download the object in the desired file type or directly import the object into their design/specification software. The application supports most popular file types and CAD software programs.
This great tool available for contractors and engineers is available at the new Hurst Boiler Website.