Modern boilers are rather long lasting, solid, long life investments. They also tend to be rather expensive, which is only fair since no one really is willing to replace one when they need to. But even if you’re planning on upgrading soon, just realize that modern boilers actually offer quite a few convenience, price, and environmental advantages over their older predecessors. With this in mind, there are a few things you may want to look out for before deciding on a new boiler.
Modern boilers usually use a fuel such as propane, natural gas, or even liquid petroleum gas (LPG). While these are great choices for heating your home now, you’ll find that they can be less than reliable over the long run. While liquid petroleum gas burns cleaner and releases little smoke, the combustion products of gas are messy and tend to give off undesirable odors. Plus, modern boilers that use LPG can become rather expensive to run, especially if your home gets a lot of sun exposure. Propane and natural gas tend to generate less pollution, but they require frequent servicing to ensure that your heating system is not leaking dangerous levels of gas into your home.
Finally, modern boilers generally come with a variable control device to allow you more precise control over temperature. This is good, because you will want to be able to regulate your temperatures depending on whether it’s night or day. However, the downside is that this can make your device less functional and inefficient if your air source is not vented properly. Variable control devices can also create unnecessary wear and tear on your flue gases, causing them to slowly lose pressure and ultimately bursting. Therefore, it’s important that you always check your device for wear and tear, as well as to make sure it is venting the right amount of gas to keep your device working at its optimal performance.
