voyager replacement

[ian morrison]

I have a 20 year old Voyager model SSVH90 that provides DHW and heat for a radiant floor system in a 2000 sq.ft. home. I'm planning to replace it before it fails. My system was originally designed by HCS in Berkeley, CA. The unit has done what it was designed to do very well though I suspect it might be slightly oversized. I recently had a local company send a technician to replace a failed DHW mixing valve and his suggestion was to go with a wall hung Lochinvar boiler with a Squire indirect tank. He gave an off the cuff estimate of $24,000 for the job. I checked the Lochinvar boilers and they seem to be among the best. I did a rough estimate of parts involved for the replacement and even with labor at $140/hr., the price seemed high. I'm in the process of securing bids but would like to get some opinions, not only on the price, but on the equipment itself.

Should the output of the condensing boiler replacement be the same as what I have with the Voyager-
90,000 BTU? The Voyager tank is 45 gallons. Do I need one that big for the indirect heater? The Lochinvar manual shows two different plumbing schematics--one with a LLH and one without. Would one or the other be preferable for my situation?
Thank you.

 

[wood4d]

Without photos of your setup there is no way to know whether you need a low loss header or not. I try to buy american. As far as price goes we dont know what is being done although 24k sounds high. Im not a fan of indirect water heaters anymore. I think technology has rendered them obsolete. You currently have a water heater heating your home and are changing to a boiler making your hot water.

 

[ian morrison]

Without photos of your setup there is no way to know whether you need a low loss header or not. I try to buy american. As far as price goes we dont know what is being done although 24k sounds high. Im not a fan of indirect water heaters anymore. I think technology has rendered them obsolete. You currently have a water heater heating your home and are changing to a boiler making your hot water.

Thanks. I've wondered about indirect water heaters but here they seem to be pushing them. I could go with a voyager replacement--Phoenix or versa-hydro. Do you consider their technology to be superior?

 

[wood4d]

It would be cheaper to stay with your current application, unless there were satisfaction issues.
appareantly someone reputable designed a system for your house, you might want to stick with refurbishing what you have. Im not familiar with the voyager but i looked it up. If that can heat the house and give you hot water buy a new one if you have been happy with it. As far as price goes major installs always cost more than fix ups

 

[ian morrison]

It would be cheaper to stay with your current application, unless there were satisfaction issues.
appareantly someone reputable designed a system for your house, you might want to stick with refurbishing what you have. Im not familiar with the voyager but i looked it up. If that can heat the house and give you hot water buy a new one if you have been happy with it. As far as price goes major installs always cost more than fix ups

Good points and I'm leaning in that direction. The voyage is no longer made so I would have to find something similar.