Posted by Harold Kestenholz - Hydronic Network on July 16, 2000 at 00:52:21:
In Reply to: IDEAL Boiler posted by George Fallon on May 18, 2000 at 15:10:16:
Not so ideal. Coal and wood create fly ash, so their passages are wide open. Also they are slow-cycle machines, that is, they are meant to burn constantly over a full day. They were about 45% efficient as coal or wood-burners. They do little more than 65% when corbelled to fire oil. In short, a new oil boiler installed in 1960 would have paid for itself about ten times by now.
Sorry.