Another efm 520 family member

3 linear feet is the standard asbestos abatement rule. Below that it can be done DIY. Above it and you must use a licensed contractor and follow all the rules.

coaledsweat wrote: ↑

Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 6:43 am

3 linear feet is the standard asbestos abatement rule. Below that it can be done DIY. Above it and you must use a licensed contractor and follow all the rules.

Yes from a quick google that is the law in ct. DIY is 3 linear feet or 3sq feet. So I’m close enough for homeowner removal.
I my take the winter see if I can rig a engine hoist or gantry to hoist the old boiler in one piece. I plan to paint it to trap the insulation, then set it in the corner. I can take the money I’d save on a internal asbestos removal, put it to bulk head entry then I can get the boiler out of the house without to much disturbance of the old asbestos.

Just make sure it is soaked down good with water so it can't get airborne. Small amounts can go in the trash as I understand it.

coaledsweat wrote: ↑

Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 9:54 am

Just make sure it is soaked down good with water so it can't get airborne. Small amounts can go in the trash as I understand it.

Ya sounds like a plan.

What’s my best option for factory parts. I know I can’t get anything online. I have to go to a dealer. Is any dealer better than one or the other to call or use? I don't have any efm dealers close and would like to work with a dealer that ships parts.
Or is there a business rep on the forum I can buy from?

There is another option. Dig a hole in the basement floor and knock the boiler in it.

The bilco entrance would be very handy for taking the ashes out.

Rob R. wrote: ↑

Tue. Sep. 10, 2019 10:47 am

There is another option. Dig a hole in the basement floor and knock the boiler in it.

The bilco entrance would be very handy for taking the ashes out.

I just poured the floor this June, but that would have solved all my problems and I could have saved a little on concrete as well.....

Hi all, starting to gather parts.
I’m more than likely going to put a indirect tank and separate zone for my domestic. I’ll probably do a water test to determine what type of tank to buy. I have a water softener as we have a lot of lime in the ground water.
What type of tank should I get? There are glass lined, stone lined, and full stainless. Not sure what is better for my application.

Indirect + zone + installation typically costs a whole lot more than a simple coil. If you were talking about an exceptionally small boiler or large DHW load you might see a benefit from keeping an "inventory" of DHW in an indirect, but my guess would be most people who have used a 520 with a 5 gpm coil have found it to be all that is needed for DHW.

Mike

Canaan coal man wrote: ↑

Thu. Sep. 26, 2019 12:18 pm

Hi all, starting to gather parts.
I’m more than likely going to put a indirect tank and separate zone for my domestic. I’ll probably do a water test to determine what type of tank to buy. I have a water softener as we have a lot of lime in the ground water.
What type of tank should I get? There are glass lined, stone lined, and full stainless. Not sure what is better for my application.

As always, budgets dictate choices no doubt.
The benefit of an Indirect are partially for a small inventory of HW, but there are some other benefits as well.
Break downs of gasket leaks and inflected corrosion damage as well as the perils of the coils them self are popular topic points, as can be read about all over this discussion board...need I say more...

Indirect tanks have different ways of transferring the boiler water's heat to the DHW side. Minerals usually interfere with the DHW side of the HX surfaces, so not an issue always with the tank walls unless tank walls, as in some, are also the HX.

Obviously, any tank/cylinder has a life expectancy based on durability, you can figure out the construction that is better or worse, but tanks are no different for direct or indirect as far as that all goes.

I would point out that some HX designs would respond to periodic cleanings better than others, and that should maybe be factored in when making a choice too.

Stone line Indirect DHW tanks (heavy) are some of the finest but carrying them to the desire location can be a big chore but you'd only have to do it once in your lifetime.

Pacowy wrote: ↑

Thu. Sep. 26, 2019 1:19 pm

Indirect + zone + installation typically costs a whole lot more than a simple coil. If you were talking about an exceptionally small boiler or large DHW load you might see a benefit from keeping an "inventory" of DHW in an indirect, but my guess would be most people who have used a 520 with a 5 gpm coil have found it to be all that is needed for DHW.

Mike

There are a few factors that I have read about that are making me lean away from The efm domestic coil.
1 I have no idea the life expectancy of a coil with my current water conditions. I’m waiting a quote for for a 5gpm coil and a 7gpm coil. But I imagine if I have to replace a coil once every 5 years an indirect will pay for itself rather quickly.

2 I have read I can shock and reverse the boiler if I run a domestic coil. I won’t know my heat loads till I’m actually running it. And I would hate to have to re plumb the system with a indirect after I already set the system up for a coil.
Those are my concerns but I may be wrong about both.

I have read that glass lined tanks are preferred over stainless for water with high chlorine content. Not sure about stone lined. If you are on well water and your softener is working properly, I think any of the tank materials you listed would be fine.

How do you plan to produce DHW in the summer?

I think Rob mentioned earlier that there is no need to consider a 7 gpm coil because the 5 gpm coil will basically max out a 520. I believe the 7 gpm coils were for the larger 700-900-1300 boilers. 520's have been used with 5 gpm coils for 60+ years, and if there are systematic shocking or other problems with them it would be a surprise to me.

I have no info regarding the effects of water quality issues on a 5 gpm coil, or how those may differ from their effects on an indirect and associated piping, pump, etc. I believe in general that the 5 gpm coils found in older 520's typically last a lot longer than 5 years, and that the "payback" of spending (a lot) more up front for an indirect is most often not favorable in the way you have described. If anything, the complexity associated with the indirect (pump, controls, piping) introduces longer-term maintenance and performance issues that don't arise with coils, even if the tank itself lasts longer.

Mike

All good points. I asked about summertime DHW because if you do not intend to run the 520 year-round, you will need another means of producing DHW. If that turns out to be an electric or gas water heater, a side-arm or plate exchanger may also be good options.

Summer dhw will be an electric hot water heater.