Are Williamson and Weil-McLain the same?
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Are Williamson and Weil-McLain the same?
Hi,
I am soliciting bids to replace my boiler.
One contractor claims that Williamson and Weil-McLain are essentially the same... same manufacturer, same burner, etc.
This is tempting to beleive, but how true is it?
Cheers,
Marinna
I am soliciting bids to replace my boiler.
One contractor claims that Williamson and Weil-McLain are essentially the same... same manufacturer, same burner, etc.
This is tempting to beleive, but how true is it?
Cheers,
Marinna
#2
I am way behind in the merger news but last I knew, Willimason was only warm air furnaces. Weil McLain is probably the one and only. Most cast iron boilers are not much different from each other until you get into the higher end boilers. Different applications can bring out the best and the worst in equipment so after your contractors perform a load calculation on your home and the connected radiation, you will know what size you really need and can proceed from there. Don't be fooled by AFUE efficiency ratings if you use your boiler for domestic hot water. Do your own homework. Post any specific questions and you will get mostly unbiased answers here. We all have our favorite systems and it is hard to totally remain impartial but we try.
Ken
Ken
#3
Thermoflo brought out Williamson name. so no, Weil-McLain does not own the Williamson name.
http://www.williamson-thermoflo.com/
These are NOT the old true old Williamson Furnace from the 70's.
http://www.williamson-thermoflo.com/
These are NOT the old true old Williamson Furnace from the 70's.
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Williamson/Weil-McLain
I did a search for Williamson Boilers & found Williamson/Thermo-Flo does indeed sell boilers & they are listed with the Weil-McLain QB burner. To the best of my knowledge, Weil-McLain quit making the QB several years ago. They did quit using them on their own boilers but may still make them for someone else or may have sold the rights to others. If the Williamson/Thermo-Flo boiler is the same as Weil-McLain, I would stay away from it.
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Williamson/Weil-McLain
Thanks for the replies.
This is interesting. First, the various plumbers whose quotes I have specified a three section boiler without any obvious calculations. There is a choice of burner capacities. However, the application seems rediculously simple... a three bedroom, one bath 1960's stamp-it-on-the-ground ranch on Cape Cod with two zones, one to heat the residential floor (basement is unheated) and one to heat an indirect domestic hot water tank. Heated space is 1200 sq. ft. at most with force hot water baseboards around the 22x44 ft perimenter. So perhaps there isn't much to calculate (or at least to make note of in my presence).
The brochures I have for the Williamson/Weil-McLain shows boilers that look like duplicates of each other, both using Beckett burners. The Williamson, I am told, is about $500 less.
Another quote I have, which is about $1k more, is for a Burnham.
The final quote, which I got from Sears, of all places, is for about $2.5k more for a Kenmore which I was told was really a Ducane. Sears was awful, the salesman knew nothing, didn't want to FAX in advance the "paperwork" I would have to sign and had no brochures to leave with me or any description of anything.
Marinna
This is interesting. First, the various plumbers whose quotes I have specified a three section boiler without any obvious calculations. There is a choice of burner capacities. However, the application seems rediculously simple... a three bedroom, one bath 1960's stamp-it-on-the-ground ranch on Cape Cod with two zones, one to heat the residential floor (basement is unheated) and one to heat an indirect domestic hot water tank. Heated space is 1200 sq. ft. at most with force hot water baseboards around the 22x44 ft perimenter. So perhaps there isn't much to calculate (or at least to make note of in my presence).
The brochures I have for the Williamson/Weil-McLain shows boilers that look like duplicates of each other, both using Beckett burners. The Williamson, I am told, is about $500 less.
Another quote I have, which is about $1k more, is for a Burnham.
The final quote, which I got from Sears, of all places, is for about $2.5k more for a Kenmore which I was told was really a Ducane. Sears was awful, the salesman knew nothing, didn't want to FAX in advance the "paperwork" I would have to sign and had no brochures to leave with me or any description of anything.
Marinna
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Boiler choice
Your application sounds very similar to mine except I have more zones. In my own house, I put a Crown CT-3 & their Mega-Stor indirect. The one mistake I made on my own job but not since was using the 26 gallon indirect. Everthing I've done hence has used the 40 gallon. The Beckett is a good burner & what I have but if I were to do it again today, I'd use the Riello.
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They are the same except boiler, the williamson is green and the WM is gold. Its just a way for WM to sell their boiler cheaper and in the same areas as dealers that have the WM line already. Wholesale there is about a 150 dollar difference
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Purchasing gas boiler to replace oil
We are new owners of a 1700 colonial and the heating system is being converted from oil to gas. The boiler recommended is a Weil McLain standing pilot 4 section. The current owner will replace it, and has had a WM oil burner for 20 years with no problems. He is thoughtful and generous, and I'm just doing my due diligence in researching in case there is something better (as in more reliable; not looking for the top of the line). Thank you for your thoughts.