Should We remove LP Baseboard heating system & replace with what
Just Bought a 2 story 3700 sqft solid brick(Not veneer) Home built in the early 1950’s in the classic Georgian style that has a American arco w065 series 2bj3 Boiler that heats the baseboard in the entire house. House Has 5 ton Heat pump added to also heat & cool the house 5 years ago system is in good condition .The heat pump is not zoned
Should I take out the older Boiler or just leave it and turn it down low How do i keep it from cycling on ?
? If so what is now considered the state of HVAC sytem needed to replace it. The Lp gas bill runs around 3-4 hundred dollars a month in the winter and fall . The heat pump to cool runs around 200 in summer & spring
Thanks , !!!!
Replies
You gotta ask what you're going to replace it with. Do you feel the heat pump alone is up to the task?
If it is working, do not do anything until you have lived there a season or two and gotten to know the place and its quirks
What Piffin said
FWIW, many/most people find HW heat much more comfortable than forced air (if that's your idea of "state of the art")
Solid brick? Wow! I can't think of a worse wall construction from an energy use point of view.
You don't say where you are, but unless the brick look is important to you, I'd consider sheathing the house in EIFS (instead of ditching existing systems and the investment in them) - EIFS was originaly developed for masonry construction, and the water infiltration problems associated with EIFS only apply to wood sructures.
Should you take the old boiler? - No. Turn it down low? I would set it to maintain your house at a comfortable temperature for you and your family.
How do you keep the boiler from cycling on? You can disable it. But then your house would get cold. I would prefer my boiler to cycle on, most importanly so in the winter when heat is needed.
The HP will provide most or all of the heat you need in milder weather, like spring and fall. The rest of the winter, you need (and want) the boiler to provide most if not all of the heat. In most, if not all, of the US, heat pumps are sized to provide the required cooling. In areas where heating loads dominate, the outside air gets way too cold for "air cooled" HPs to provide any substantial heat. Supplemental heat, usually electric resistence, as a second stage, is required. Ground source (geothermal) heat pumps can provide adequate heat through the winter in most climates, and no supplemental heat is required. In your case, you have an LP fired hot water boiler feeding baseboards. A pretty nice option IMO.
Controls can be simple. When the low temps will be below 30, turn off the HP and let the boiler provide the heat. Maybe experience will dictate a different cut-off temp. Otherwise, the boiler could be set to come on when the HP can't keep up, or staged in one way or another.