02/26/2026
The best time to get HVAC work done is usually during the off-season. So as things get warmer outside, take a look at your heating systems and ask yourself if it is time for a change. If a system has been struggling along, maybe now is the time to get it replaced, rather than risking a no-heat emergency next winter.
To see what we can do for you, take a look at this boiler upgrade we recently did in a customer’s home.
What do all of the red and blue notes mean? Read on for more information!
Standard Efficiency Boilers versus High Efficiency Boilers:
Boilers heat water to be circulated around your home to heat it, usually via radiators, baseboard, or radiant floor heat. Standard efficiency boilers do this with about 80% efficiency. This means that of every dollar of energy you pump into your system, about 20 cents of it is venting out of the chimney rather than heating your home.
High efficiency boilers use newer technology to be able to use some of the energy as it goes out the flue (before it gets to the chimney), resulting in less energy and money lost. Here, we installed a Bradford White Brute, which is up to 95% efficient.
Because of the process used to pull energy back out of the flue, high efficiency boilers produce acidic condensate, which needs to be neutralized to avoid corrosive damage. For this home, we installed a condensate neutralizing pump, which uses a chalky basic substance to turn the acidic condensate into water, before pumping it out of the home.
Atmospheric Water Heaters versus Indirect Water Heaters:
Atmospheric vent water heaters are your traditional, tanked water heaters. They have their own heating element and vent out the chimney.
Indirect water heaters, meanwhile, use the indirect heat from your boiler to heat the water that will come out of your taps, without the need for their own energy supply or vent. Indirect water heaters have a higher recovery rate than atmospheric water heaters, which means that you get more hot water faster. They are also more efficient, so you save money on your energy bill. However, indirect water heaters only work with boilers, not furnaces or other heating solutions.
Don’t worry, though. Bradford White makes great versions of both that we’d be happy to install in your home.
Older Zone Valves versus Full-Port Ball Valves:
The older zone valves in this home were ball valves, but not full-port ball valves. Full-port ball valves have the same internal size as the pipe they’re attached to, which will allow the full volume of the pipe’s capacity to flow through unrestricted. Older style ball valves pinch that flow with a smaller internal diameter, so your system does not work to its fullest capacity.
Air Scoops versus Air Separators:
Air separators are a more efficient way to remove air from the water heating your home (avoiding loud noises or an airbound system) than air scoops. Air scoops also have to be placed much more particularly to be effective, which is not always done correctly.
For more information or to schedule an estimate, please call Curcio Plumbing at 908-647-9172.
