What is a Condensing Boiler and How Does it Work?

People in colder climates know how much to budget for monthly expenses when heaters run in their residences or places of business. Floridians often do not. So, how do we save money during unexpected cold spurts? A Condensing Boiler is one of our industry’s most energy-efficient boilers.

What is a Condensing Boiler and How Does It Work?

Homeowners and business managers may see dollar bills going out the window with the carbon dioxide, natural gas, and water vapor created by a boiler’s combustion process, basically becoming wasted energy. In fact, “about 10% of the fuel’s energy is tied up as water vapor,” reported on a webpage for the manufacturer of high-efficiency heating and renewable energy systems, Viessmann.

Many people use condensing boilers to save money by saving energy. The same Viessmann webpage defines a condensing boiler by explaining that it “uses not just the heat from the combustion of natural gas, but also from this otherwise unused energy.” An article on the website for Boxt, a technology platform that sells home heating packages at a fixed price in the UK, simplifies the difference in this process versus that of a standard boiler. They explain, “The heat also travels through a secondary condensing area, which is something other types of boilers don’t have. As it does so, the warm air condenses, causing droplets, or water vapor to occur -which are then collected and taken away to be disposed of via a drain.”

Common Client Question: How do you Size a Condensing Boiler?

Individuals and businesses who come to Engineering Energy Equipment for professional heating solutions ask for guidance on what boiler to use. If a condensing boiler sounds suitable for our client, the next question we need to answer involves what size of boiler fits their needs. Most heating and energy professionals will agree that it is vital to consult an expert when trying to find the correct size of boiler your building needs.

The selling website Ecomfort.com mentions, “An ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America) Manual J Calculation is the only trusted way to get the right-sized heating and cooling equipment.” Sizing any boiler is genuinely complicated. To learn more about why it is essential to consult a professional when sizing a boiler for your HVAC, please visit http://bit.ly/3YYiVxc. Clicking the words Manual J Calculation above will redirect you to the ACCA website, where you can purchase a manual.

Common Client Question: What Temperature Should You Set a Condensing Boiler To?

One of the essential questions we answer for our clients involves the correct temperatures to set a condensing boiler. The Boxt article mentioned earlier in this blog post emphasizes, “The whole point of a condensing boiler is to ensure energy and heat are being saved, so making sure it is at the perfect temperature is a must.” The critical answer to this question is to keep the central heating setting of the condensing boiler around 158 degrees Fahrenheit; any higher and the environment can be detrimental to a person’s health. The condensing boiler setting for the hot water must be near 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you are in the market for a condensing boiler or your existing boiler needs to be fixed, please call Engineered Energy Equipment!