What else are they replacing besides the boiler? Circ pump(s) or zone valves, flow valves, regulator, expansion tank, low water cutoff, thermostat(s), sleeving the chimney, getting permits or running in and out????? If the system has a problem, will you be able to find them? If the contractor is just cutting 2 pipes and sliding a new boiler under the old system, you will get what you pay for. If he is bringing the system up to code and replacing old components you will most likely get a very reliable system but pay more for it. there ain't no free lunch. Weil Mclain makes a very good boiler. Smith is OK, Solia is not sold in my area. I'll let the oil guys fight it out over who has the best burner. Personally I like Beckett. The Weil McLain PWGO-5 boiler is a 175,000 Btu boiler. I hope you have a very large home in a cold climate because that is a lot of boiler. Are you replacing an old 175,000 Btu unit with the -5? If you want to replace with the proper size, your contractor should do a Manual-J on your home, count the radiators or measure the baseboard lengths to determine the correct boiler size. The new boilers make hot water on demand and do not store hot water like the old units. If the boiler is over-sized it will short cycle and cause you no end of problems. Good luck,

THANK YOU so much for your responses. Jake: I totally forgot about the fact that we need to update/upgrade our electric panel for our 1976-house. So any electric option is not viable. asolo: I read a couple of your other posts about tankless; I'm very convinced not to do tankless. joeplumb: our furnace (boiler) is designed to heat up the 1st floor, 2nd floor, and an indirect water heater. so to get a direct water, we'd wouldn't be utilizing our furnace optimally. We're in MA: very high gas and oil and electric prices. And forecasted to be worst this winter. sigh. We went with the SuperStor indirect stainless steel water heater, which is supposed to work great w/ well water. Yay for hot showers again. again, thank you very much.

“We had an oil company sell us this existing system and install it, should we be calling other oil companies in our area - or looking for a good HVAC person who is not connected to the oil industry?” I would suggest trying to find a mechanical contractor (perhaps plumber) that specializes in hydronic heating that is knowledgeable and experienced in steam heating to evaluate your system and prepare a written report. They may have a sensible ‘fix’ that will end your problems. “They are still going to expect us to pay for removal of the old system and installing the new one, which will be still very expensive.” This is true; a deal will have to be struck unless you’re prepared to fight it out to the bitter end. Keep in mind that there are no guarantees in law. To apply even more pressure to your installer/oil company, I would suggest that since we are near the end of this heating season, that you notify them by registered mail, requiring a signature of receipt by them, to suspend all future automatic oil deliveries until further notice. You might also mention that you’re inquiring about other forms of energy as well. You’ll see just how badly they want to retain you as a client. You will have to monitor the oil level in your tank, particularly if you’re heating your domestic hot water with oil. Should you change to another source of energy, you will not be paid for the oil in your tank. You will likely be charged for its remove and ‘ecological disposal’ – even though it will likely be pumped into someone else’s tank! If natural gas is available in your area, you might want to explore the cost of conversion, considering that your boiler is about 10-years old and likely has an efficiency of about 65%. All-electric is another option to explore, however that might require an upgrade to your electrical panel and entrance. Personally, I would see what costs I could recover by threatening legal action and seriously explore replacement with another source of energy. Oil is not a great choice, your system is about 10-year old and its efficiency is quite low compared to the alternatives; not the ‘greenest’ option. Hope this helps. IMPO SR

Being new to the community, I am surprised at the perceived negativity. Why downgrade someone's comment saying you didn't think it was great when they did? When I said it was a good discussion, I take in the fact that people who have had negative results with the topic, have a tendency to repost because because they need to get their feelings validated. I can't speak for artistsharonva, but I do agree with their post. Information, good or bad, positive or negative, is still valuable. It is what I do with it that matters to me. I want to know what other users experiences are. Please understand that I am not criticizing Mr. Wonderdog's or Mr. Cary's responses or views. They are both intelligent, reasonable and responsible posts. I just happened to use this post to vent and let out some of perceived impressions of how people respond to others posts. After all, like in real life. It is not what you say, it is how other people receive it.