Reed,

I took your class in August and passed the exam for a special license with no problem. 

I am looking for direction and/or advice on possibly purchasing a new boiler for my 18-unit apartment building in St. Paul.  We have a 1 pipe low pressure steam system.  The boiler is a 1961 vintage peerless cast iron sectional with an input of 630,000 BTU.  There has been a minute water leak between a couple of sections for a number of years.  I am assuming and have been told that the boiler should be replaced.

I am wondering if you offer any services or advice regarding specifying a new boiler.  Also, if you have a list of contractors that you would recommend for such a job.

Xcel is apparently offering a 30% rebate on improvements including boilers until the end of November.  I would like to take advantage of that if I am going to replace the boiler this year.

Thanks for the question Stephen.

I'm sure your boiler could be repaired.  It's just a matter of taking it apart, cleaning it and putting it back together using new gaskets (I would think).  However, a 1961 boiler is getting a bit old, and with energy costs what they are it is probably worth replacing, especially with the rebate.

You should get a quote on just replacing your current boiler and another one on changing over to a 2-pipe system.  There will be significant cost associated with this because new piping will need to be run.  That said, a 2-pipe system is much easier to work with and much more efficient than a 1-pipe system. 

If going to a 2-pipe setup is financially feasible, I would strongly consider a hot-water system if your contractor says your current radiators or baseboard heaters have enough capacity for that.  It should be cheaper to install because no steam traps are needed and copper piping is cheaper to run than black pipe.  Also, a hot-water system is safer and more efficient.

I can't officially recommend one contractor over another for liability reasons, but I have always been satisfied with Egan and NewMech.  There are probably plumbers with the ability to do this as well, but you will need to make sure they know what they are doing.  You should probably post more questions here if you use a plumber so you can make sure they are doing things that make sense.

Call Leslie at: (651) 631-3644 and ask her to send you a $10 gift certificate for posting a question.

I hope this helps,

Reed