The right and wrong ways to select a boiler
Understanding boiler terms is key to selecting a unit that’s not undersized or oversized for your building.
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Once you’ve completed a heat-loss calculation, selecting a boiler would appear to be fairly straightforward. Just choose a boiler that can meet the heat loss of the building on the coldest day of the year. But comparing outputs from different boiler manufacturers can be surprisingly difficult, Stephen Minnich writes in PHCP Pros.
“Let me know if any of these terms sound familiar: MBH, input MBH, output MBH, heating capacity MBH, IBR rating, AGA rating, AHRI rating, DOE heating capacity, thermal efficiency, combustion efficiency, AFUE, piping losses and pick-up losses,” he writes. “No matter which boiler manufacturer’s Data and Specifications Sheet you’re looking at, you’re going to see those terms. It’s essential to know what they mean — and which ones mean the same thing. It would be nice if everyone agreed on one term for each piece of specified data listed.”
Modern propane boilers are available with some of the most advanced and efficient technology in the heating world, but all of that cutting-edge functionality can go to waste if the unit is oversized. Check out the article for tips on getting the selection right from the start.
