My present atmospheric, natural-gas boiler is oversized - but tests about 80% efficient. My annual cost of gas for space heating is less than $1000 for a house of nearly 4000 sq ft. I can afford the $1000/yr - it's less than I spend for lawn care plus snow removal. Conventional wisdom is that I should replace the boiler ASAP, which would save What, maybe $100-200 per year in fuel? If and when my present boiler craps out, I would want to replace it with a smaller sized boiler, thus saving fuel, but there are a few potential hidden costs and issues. I would likely have to install and deal with a boiler bypass (particularly with my cast-iron baseboards) and perhaps add a chimney flue liner (inside my existing tile liner). The smaller replacement boiler would have a longer recovery time after nighttime setback. Now, I just manually turn down the thermostat 2 deg. before retiring, and turn it back up upon rising - the kitchen is warmed up within several minutes, soon after I get the newspaper and certainly before coffee is made. My present boiler has no computerized controls, LEDs, programming, error codes, etc. - and it has been easy to work on. My single thermostat is a simple 2-wire jobbie. No outdoor reset. Has a standing pilot, which I turn off after the heating season. My current boiler, a fire-tube unit, can be cleaned in about two minutes, even though, as a gas-fired boiler, I only do it about once every two years. The major boiler appurtenances are recently replaced: circulator, relief valve, pressure reducing valve, tridicator, aquastat, barometric damper, low-water cutoff, flo-control valves, etc. There are modern ball valves for isolating the pump and expansion tank for maintenance. Sooner or later, Ole Betsy will spring a leak or crack open - but until then, she's mine. Then, I will have to shell out the really big bucks for asbestos abatement for my present boiler removal and for a new replacement boiler, and put up with the aggravation of a new, modern, computerized boiler. Until then, I will be as snug as a bug in a rug. Boiler salesmen: don't call me, I'll call you.

hello, i have a hot water furnace that heats my tap water and house, and i replaced my heater covers with heavy duty polypropylene soffit, now i did some research, the furnace water never goes above 160F, the water registers never go above 100F, and the soffit is rated not to distort until a temp above 160-200F. ever since i installed them, the home made soffit covers only get warm,never hot no matter how long the furnace is running, My question is, would this pass for a safe cover until i can afford store bought ones thank you..