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Richard DiToma Plumbing Business |
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Dan Foley From the Field |
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Bob "Hot Rod" Rohr Green Systems |
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Ellen Rohr Business Expert |
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Bristol Stickney Solar Solutions |
2009 PHC News Boiler Report
Welcome to the 2009 Phc News Boiler Report. Phc News has the inside scoop from the top boiler manufacturers about the economy, new product introductions and other news and notes. Overwhelmingly, relationships are the key to weathering this economic uncertainty. It is imperative to maintain healthy relationships with your wholesaler, manufacturers (especially for training), and, most importantly, your customers. And just as important, manufacturers remain committed to you, the contractor. Here is a compilation of companies interviewed. They appear in no particular order.
Slant/Fin Corp.
100 Forest Drive
Greenvale, NY 11548
Brief history: Slant/Fin Corp. was founded in 1949 in Coney Island, N.Y., by Mel Dubin. Slant/Fin is in its 60th year of manufacturing baseboard heating, residential gas and oil fired boilers, residential and commercial modulating condensing boilers, commercial cast iron boilers and commercial fin tube and cover. Slant/Fin provides to its distribution and contractor network the most complete offering of hydronic heating. The addition of its modulating condensing gas products and its new Eutectic Triple Pass Oil boiler have allowed Slant/Fin to become the best choice for single source purchasing to meet every hydronic heating requirement.
What’s new: Slant/Fin has come off an unprecedented year in which it announced five new boiler models. The Lynx boiler is a modulating condensing gas boiler producing 85,000 Btuh in a very compact design. The Bobcat boiler, the flagship of its high efficiency gas line, was designed, engineered and manufactured in the USA specifically for the design characteristics that face every contractor in the U.S. The Bobcat is available in two sizes: 120,000 Btuh and 200,000 Btuh. Following the Bobcat is the Jaguar boiler that is rated at 390,000 Btuhs. On the oil side is its Eutectic Triple Pass Oil boiler. With a rating of over 87% afue, this boiler is the quietest triple pass boiler on the market. Slant/Fin rounds this out with two new electric boilers, the Monitron II and the Minitron.
Quotables: “In tough economic times, the companies that succeed, whether they are manufacturers, distributors or contractors, will be the companies that provide the best service and that stay closest to their valued customers. Slant/Fin is dedicated to doing its very best for its distributors and contractors by listening and providing them with very best service possible,” said Bob Flanagan, Slant/Fin.
Lochinvar Corporation
300 Maddox Simpson Pkwy.
Lebanon, TN 37090
Brief history: Lochinvar’s history dates back to 1919 with its founder Walter Vallett, Sr.’s entry into the water heater business. A true industry pioneer, Vallett was instrumental in the development of the first automatic gas fired water heaters early in his career. He founded the Walter Vallett Company May 16, 1946, which eventually became Lochinvar Water Heaters and is known today as Lochinvar Corporation. He remained committed to the industry, and active in the company, serving as Chairman of the Board until his death in 1982. Bill Vallett, Sr. took over as the second-generation owner of the business and currently his three sons, Bill Vallett, Jr. (president), Tom Vallett (executive vice president) and Jeff Vallett (executive vice president) own and operate the company.
What’s new: Lochinvar always has been a company that has been dedicated to ongoing product and technology development. The most recent introductions are the SHIELD™ commercial water heater, which is designed to provide a 100% defense against lime scale buildup within the tank, and the SYNC™ condensing boiler with an advanced touchscreen control system called SMART TOUCH™.
Notables: The KNIGHT heating boiler was recently featured on an episode of “This Old House,” and we have received a lot of positive feedback from our contractor customers about our involvement on this project.
Quotables: “Lochinvar enjoys many strong relationships with the top contractors and wholesale distributors in the industry. Having products and support in the field is a key ingredient to our continued success, especially in today’s challenging economic climate.
“Our VIP Contractor Program for residential boiler installers helps us stay in tune with what our contractors want in a boiler and allows us to reward their efforts of supporting our product sales. As part of our revamped VIP Contractor Program, we recently hosted the inaugural VIP Extreme Event. The 12 top-selling contractors received an all-expenses-paid trip to Nashville for a training session, plant tour and a trip to the Nashville Speedway — where they had the opportunity to ride shotgun along with a professionally trained driver from the Andretti Gordon Racing School, experiencing speeds up to 150 mph,” said Stirling Boston, director of marketing, Lochinvar Corp.
Heat Transfer Products
120 Braley Road
East Freetown, MA 02717-0429
Brief history: Established 1974 as a designer and fabricator of heat exchangers for the boiler and solar industries, Heat Transfer today is a full-fledged manufacturer on the cutting edge of energy efficient water heating technology. Although the company makes a wide assortment of water heating products and system components, it is best-known for its indirect-fired water heaters, first introduced in 1980; and, more recently, for its state-of-the-art lineup of condensing, modulating (“mod-con”) boilers.
Heat Transfer was the first U.S.-based manufacturer to bring a condensing gas water heater to the domestic market, unveiling the Voyager in 1994. Its condensing technology not only delivered a thermal efficiency of up to 98% (versus 80% for most conventional commercial gas water heaters), but also reduced flue-gas temperatures enough to permit venting with less expensive, easier-to-install PVC pipe. Two years later, Heat Transfer delivered yet another breakthrough with the launch of the Munchkin. This highly compact boiler coupled condensing technology with a modulating burner to further trim energy costs by aligning the burner’s firing action to present demand.
What’s new: The new, high-efficiency Elite Plus residential heating boiler features a unique, state-of-the-art, electronic combustion-control system that automatically adjusts to the type and quality of the fuel being used. An HTP exclusive, this breakthrough Gas Adaptive Technology assures a constant, optimum, air-to-gas combustion mixture with every firing — one that protects the environment and the end user’s budget.
Phoenix “Heat Packs”: Heat Transfer expands capabilities of its 96%-efficient Phoenix mod-con water heater with add-on technology that combines dhw with hydronic, hydro-air or radiant-floor space heating in one unit.
Depending upon which Phoenix Heat Pack is chosen, installers and specifiers can combine not only hydro-air space heating with dhw, but also traditional hydronic baseboard or radiant heating — all within the same comparatively small footprint and at the same ultra-high efficiency as the original Phoenix.
Quotables: To be a true innovator within the still-emerging mod-con space heating and water heating markets entails special responsibilities and obligations. “Whenever a contractor decides to pursue a new technology, he is understandably apprehensive,” said ceo Dave Davis. “He needs time to climb the learning curve even as the technology is evolving, but without losing money or standing with his own customers because of problems. So he depends upon a manufacturer like HTP to help him up the curve, provide all the support he needs to get the job done right the first time, and then to back him to the hilt should things not turn out exactly as planned.
“At Heat Transfer, we absolutely embrace those high customer expectations, and we are doing everything we can to meet them,” Davis continued. “Once contractors understand the full ramifications of our specialization in this market, and how that is intended to help support their own success at the local level, they inevitably feel a lot better about our company, as well as the special opportunity that awaits them in this market.”
Crown Boiler Co.
3633 I Street
Philadelphia, PA 19134
Brief history: What started in 1949 as Crown Industries, today’s Crown Boiler Co. has grown into an industry leader offering the latest in hydronic heating technology.
Crown’s product offering includes residential and commercial oil and gas fired cast iron boilers, as well as residential and commercial cast aluminum condensing boilers. Along with this extensive offering of boilers, the product line includes stainless steel indirect water heaters, hydronic air handlers and warm air furnaces.
Over the years, Crown Boiler Co. has remained true to its guiding principal of delivering quality products with outstanding customer service at competitive pricing.
What’s new: The latest Crown boiler is the Maui (mwc), a wall-mounted combi boiler.
Crown also is introducing a cpv/pvc vent option for the Bimini (bwc) series of condensing boiler to complement the already available concentric vent option.
Notables: One of the most important things that Crown does: it has no automated answering or voice mail for incoming phone calls. When a wholesaler/contractor calls in, he/she will talk to a person; this allows employees to take care of their questions in a prompt and personal fashion. Crown also places a very strong emphasis on training and maintains a very full training schedule, both here at Crown and on the road with one of its four training vans. Crown maintains a large inventory of product to serve its customers needs in a rapid fashion. Finally, Crown has been updating its website to make sure the latest in Crown Boiler Co. information can be found there, as well as other tools including a contractor locator that enable homeowners to find a Crown Boiler contractor near them.
Quotables: “I think that there is an even greater emphasis placed on our relationship with our contractor/wholesaler customer base during these rough economic times because it is these relationships that allow us to work together in combating a downturn in business and to prepare for the next upswing,” said Lee Ensminger, national sales manager, Crown Boilers Co.
Heat-Flo, Inc.
1 Spaceway Lane
Hopedale, MA 01747
Brief history: Heat-Flo, Inc. was started in 1998 as a design, manufacturing and marketing organization that focused on providing easy to install, high quality products that offered the installing contractor and the end user superior features and benefits.
The first product introduced in 1999 was the indirect water heater. This platform product has expanded into dual coil indirect water heaters that are used in solar thermal systems, hot water storage tanks that provide high amounts of hot water to satisfy “dump loads,” and hydronic buffer tanks that improve the operating efficiency of heat pumps, low mass boilers and chillers.
All of these products are manufactured in-house by Heat-Flo. This gives Heat-Flo total control over the product that its customers demand and appreciate. The company continues to expand by offering products in the growing alternate energy markets.
What’s new: Heat-Flo never rests in its efforts to continuously improve both product offerings and manufacturing processes, and quickly respond to customer needs.
The goal is to be the best supplier of product and customer service in our industry. All of the new products that are in the development stages come directly from the close working relationship with the customer base. This clear picture of a need in the market place allows us to get new product to market faster. Our focus for the future is to leverage our product and process expertise and apply it to new products in the heating and hydronic fields, and in the growing alternate energy fields.
There are some circles of thought that recognize that the leadership in the heating products field in terms of product innovation, performance and quality is imported from Western Europe. Heat-Flo’s goal is to meet and exceed these levels of technical and manufacturing expertise.
Quotables: “With the recent changes in the economy, we are striving to improve our service and shorten our delivery times for our customers. Our customers are generally less willing to inventory all of the broad range of products that we manufacture. The solution is to improve our response time to ship,” said George Celorier, Heat-Flo, Inc.
LAARS
20 Industrial Way,
Rochester, NH 03867
Brief history: In 1948, Laars engineers invented a way to improve the transfer of heat between metals, which led to the design of a new commercial boiler. Their concept was based on the principle that water could be heated rapidly through a finned copper tube heat exchanger exposed to gas flames, a technique that virtually eliminated the scaling and electrolytic corrosion that shortened the life of the cast iron and steel tube boilers.
In the 70s, the company expanded into residential hydronic systems. Laars Heating Systems Company was purchased by the Bradford White Corp. in 2005, greatly expanding Laars’ scope and marketplace. Recently, Laars completed full consolidation of all manufacturing at its Rochester, N.H. plant, with facilities in Canada.
What’s new: The NeoTherm® condensing boiler is a fully packaged, space-saving hydronic solution that offers 95% energy efficiency. Four new, smaller sizes are now introduced to the modulating boiler line. The boilers were first introduced in light commercial sizes of 285, 399 and 500 mbh. New residential models now include 80, 105, 150 and 210 MBH systems. All sizes will soon be available as volume water heaters.
NeoTherm is a direct vent, sealed combustion boiler that modulates with a 5:1 turndown. Zero clearance to combustibles and convenient top connections (horizontal or vertical direct vent) make it a good choice for tight installations. The natural gas or LP-fired boiler features an asme stainless steel heat exchanger, integral three-speed boiler pump and low NOx emissions. Features include top-mounted water and gas lines and air intake, permitting close, multiple boiler installation.
Quotables: “We’ve got one of the industry’s best-equipped and accessible technical resources for installers. But to add new dimension to this, we’re now offering regional webinars that have been very well attended and received. These are put together specifically for customers of wholesalers and rep organizations, by request. We’re also developing our fourth demo trailer. The residential and light commercial units are fully operational, and are sought out frequently for industry events. And we’re now about to unveil robust, online account information for trade customers with detailed, real-time access to all account information that includes details about shipments, invoices, credits and statements.
“Soon we’ll announce our new ‘Parts Finder,’ an online resource. One of the most common sources of irritation for homeowners, building owners and installers — industry-wide — is the inability to locate detailed information about past and current products. Soon, anyone will be able to locate, specify and purchase a replacement part for a Laars boiler, storage tank or water heater. Equipped with a serial number, a searcher will see an exploded illustration of the product and all its parts, complete with part numbers, and even new part numbers that have replaced older parts,” said Bill Root, vice president of sales and marketing, Laars.
“The backbone of our distribution strategy is to nourish the relationship between our management, wholesalers, and their customers — the professional installers. To develop it, we routinely hold meetings at wholesaler and manufacturer's rep locations, sometimes in conjunction with training, our operational demonstration trailers and cookouts. One of our key strengths, early on, was the strength and effectiveness of our regional training. And, today, we have a program where installers qualify for a free combustion analyzer with units purchased. Also, we offer wholesaler packages that enable suppliers to take advantage of pricing discounts and freight terms and lower quantities,” said Root.
Energy Kinetics, Inc.
51 Molasses Hill Rd.
Lebanon, NJ 08833
Brief history: Founded in 1979, Energy Kinetics is a manufacturer of innovative, high efficiency integrated heat and hot water systems designed to meet the needs of today’s demanding homeowners and heating professionals. Recognizing the inadequacies of existing technologies and understanding the growing need for more efficient heating systems, the System 2000 low mass boiler and thermally purgeable control system was developed. The result is a high performance system, capable of satisfying home and building heat and hot water requirements while greatly reducing energy consumption. System 2000 is manufactured in the U.S. with exacting, world-class standards, and it uses industry standard components.
What’s new: In 2008, Energy Kinetics needed to expand its corporate facility while managing overall energy consumption and costs. The expansion project offered an excellent opportunity to integrate energy efficiency, conservation and solar power production with their advanced heating technology into a state-of-the-art, high- performance facility located in Lebanon, N.J. This multi-faceted project features an industry-leading, renewable energy solar photovoltaic system used to produce electricity for manufacturing. This project also includes energy efficient upgrades to lighting (including motion sensors and natural lighting designs), hvac systems with high efficiency motors, heat recovery ventilators, programmable thermostats, and insulation and weatherization efforts. The results demonstrate the benefits of combining efficiency, conservation and renewable energy.
Energy Kinetics was named 2008 New Jersey Clean Energy Small Business Leader of Year by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (njbpu), Office of Clean Energy.
Energy Kinetics also received the 2009 ENERGY STAR Excellence Award.
Notables: Energy Kinetics partners with the installing contractors for close integration of product operation, feedback, support, design improvements, and product development. The company also provides on-going installation, service, technical, sales and marketing support and materials. Working with contractors to share best practices, providing tips and training to quickly analyze and design jobs for cost effective and efficient solutions in operation and installation is critical to business success in today’s economic climate. This process is also particularly important because home owners and building managers expect savings, and proper design and integration optimizes solutions, comfort and energy savings.
Bosch Thermotechnology Corp.
50 Wentworth Ave.
Londonderry, NH 03053
Brief history: Buderus established a presence the United States in 1990, and in 2008 became a member of Bosch Group. Buderus has been developing new heating technologies since 1825, making us a leader when it comes to manufacturing energy efficient, user friendly, and environmentally sound products. Today, Buderus products are acknowledged as the world standard in high-efficiency, low-emissions hydronic heating.
Buderus distributes residential and commercial hydronic heating equipment, including hot water boilers, dhw storage tanks, climate and energy controls, panel radiators, and solar thermal equipment. Headquarters in Londonderry, N.H. include a state-of-the-art training and distribution center to serve a large network of business partners.
What’s new: Buderus has one of the only condensing oil boilers qualifying for the Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency, the GB125BE System. The GB125BE Boiler has afues of over 91%, a high quality cast iron Buderus Boiler, a Buderus low NOx burner and a Buderus Logamatic System Control. Other Buderus qualifying products are the GB142 Condensing wall-hung gas boiler and the 201 wood/coal boiler. The Buderus Solar Thermal Systems, qualifies for an additional Federal Tax Credit. Buderus products are designed to be energy efficient and qualify for many other state, regional and utility rebates.
Buderus Solar Thermal Systems are new in the United States, but are backed with over 25 years of solar experience in Europe. The fully integrated Solar Solution consists of two styles of flat collectors with flexible mounting solutions for any roof type, two styles of storage tanks, a pump station and climate control.
Notables: Buderus is taking extra steps to help contractors reach their customers. Buderus offers a brochure to contractors to give consumers about the Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency and the qualifying Buderus products, more information is available at www.boschtaxcredit.com. The Buderus website, www.buderus.net, has links to other state and utility rebates, for which Buderus products qualify.
At its state-of-the-art facility, Buderus offers hands-on training for contractors. These one or two day trainings go over installation, servicing and troubleshooting. Full class offerings and dates can be found on the website. Buderus also brings training to the contractors who cannot travel to our facility.
Buderus is committed to bringing energy efficient products to the market and helping consumers save on expensive heating fuel without sacrificing comfort.
Weil-McLain
500 Blaine St
Michigan City, IN 46360
Brief history: Weil-McLain was founded in 1881 by Isadora and Benjamin Weil as a small plumbing and heating house in Chicago under the name “Weil-Brothers.” In 1918, they bought out their largest boiler supplier, J.H. McLain Company of Canton, Ohio and in 1919 the company name “Weil-McLain” was established.
In 1921, Weil-McLain moved its headquarters and boiler operations to Michigan City, Indiana. The headquarters and foundry operation remain in Michigan City to this day. In 2005, the company opened a state-of-the-art assembly facility in Eden, N.C.
What’s new: As fuel costs soar, home heating efficiency is on the mind of virtually every homeowner. The Ultra Series 3 is designed to be environmentally friendly and exceeds the highest North American air-quality standards.
For gas-fired applications, Ultra boilers employ an advanced mono-block aluminum heat exchanger that transfers heat faster than conventional materials. Ultra’s unique electronic sensor and control system allows key functions like the modulation of firing rates up or down, as conditions both inside and outside the home fluctuate. Unlike most other systems, Ultra senses precisely how much heat needs to be produced at any given instant and adjusts to the conditions.
Notables: The Weil-McLain School of Better Heating offers an in-depth training experience for contractors and distributors. Held at the Weil-McLain state-of-the-art training facility in Eden, North Carolina, the two-day session focuses on the ever-evolving technology that makes Weil McLain products and our industry tick.
Contractors and distributors will have the opportunity to:
Weil-McLain School of Better Heating two remaining session dates:
Peerless Boilers
Brief history: Peerless has provided over 100 years of quality cast iron boilers to the heating industry.
What’s new: Peerless Boilers is the only American boiler company to offer both oil and gas-fired boilers over 90% efficient that are eligible for the $1,500 Federal Tax Credit. The Peerless PureFire® is one of the boiler lines that meet the requirements for the tax credit. The direct-vent, gas-fired (for natural or LP gas) condensing boiler offers 96% afue. The PureFire is a sealed combustion boiler with many advanced features and controls and is the most thoroughly tested high efficiency boiler in the market. The boiler is ENERGY STAR® approved and has asme and etl certifications for both the U.S. and Canada.
Notables: Peerless has an outstanding network of manufacturer’s representatives across the United States that work closely with the contractor/wholesaler and provide product training and support at all levels. Peerless and its reps have established close relationships with their entire network of contractors/wholesalers, which is why the brand is successful.
Quotables: “Peerless’ success is contingent upon providing unlimited product support through our knowledgeable sales representatives and staff. Our regional managers are consistently out in the field with our sales team, meeting with customers and listening to their concerns and comments. By utilizing our customers’ feedback we are able to continually improve our products and offer new products that meet industry demand,” said Nichole Stough, spokesperson for Peerless Boilers.
ECR International
2201 Dwyer Ave.
Utica, NY 13501
Brief history: Beginning in 1928, Earle C. Reed established manufacturing facilities for cast iron boilers and radiators in Dunkirk and Utica, N.Y. ECR was formed in 1999 as a merger of The Utica Companies (Utica) and Dunkirk Radiator Corp. and named in his honor.
Early on, Dunkirk manufactured cast iron boilers and radiators and Utica manufactured only cast iron radiators and baseboard and bought boilers from Dunkirk. However, as the demand for both company’s products grew, the Utica and Dunkirk facilities have gone through many stages of improvements and modernization.
What’s new: Patented freewatt® micro-combined heat and power gas boiler or furnace based heating systems co-generate electric power while operating, which results in reducing a homeowner’s annual electric utility bill by as much as half. Consumers will have greater control and security over their heating system as freewatt® is Internet connected and can be remotely interfaced with for system operation and service monitoring.
Natural gas or propane powers the generator to produce electricity which is used in the house while the heat produced by the generation of electricity is used to warm the house. When and if the outside temperature requires additional heat, the furnace or boiler kicks on to provide the heat. Therefore, the natural gas produces both electricity and heat for the home, i.e. cogeneration.
Quotables: “For an average household north of the Mason-Dixon Line, the freewatt® system will cut the consumer’s electric bill in half while using the same amount of natural gas as a conventional heating system. In addition, the carbon footprint is reduced by 66% versus what is used in the current home for electricity and heat,” said Mike Paparone, president, ECR International.
Alternative Fuel Boilers LLC
795 Deer Street
Dunkirk, New York 14048
www.alternativefuelboilers.com
Brief history: Alternative Fuel Boilers is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dunkirk Metal Products, Inc., an ISO 9001-2000 certified company with a 60 year history of commitment to manufacturing excellence. Alternative Fuel Boilers was formed in 2006 as the marketing unit for Econoburn™ wood gasification boilers and began shipping in early 2007. Over the past two-plus years, the company has rapidly expanded its dealer network and sales of its high-energy, low-emission heating boilers designed for both residential and commercial applications. The company employs strict adherence to worldwide industry standards in materials, manufacturing, measuring and auditing to ensure the quality of all Econoburn™ boilers.
What’s new: The Econoburn™ series of high-efficiency, low-emission, wood gasification boilers was designed to be easy for the contractor to integrate into an existing heating system, and they are rated for indoor installation. These boilers are closed-loop vessels unlike older style “open-system” outdoor wood boilers (owbs). This allows the heating professional to integrate using the piping strategy that best suits the system requirements: parallel, primary/secondary, reverse return, etc.
The Econoburn sales and technical team are currently on a two-month training and promotional tour throughout the Northeast that concludes at the Radiant Panel Association’s national convention in Utica on May 29-30. Factory training events are scheduled throughout the year as well to educate new dealers and installers. Sales of the Econoburn are expanding into the Canadian market as the final requirements for csa — the Canadian equivalent of a U.L. safety certification in the U.S. — have been met. As emission guidelines continue to tighten in both the U.S. and Canada, the Econoburn offers consumers on both sides of the border boilers to meet their heating needs while controlling their fuel costs and limiting the emissions to the environment. The addition of asme-certified boilers to the product line-up this year has allowed for growth in “code” states and in the light commercial/industrial market. Solid-fueled boilers are treated differently from state to state and from municipality to municipality. Econoburn™ offers the broadest product line in the industry to handle most any heating application, while at the same time complying with regulations for both the pressure vessel and particulate emissions in any jurisdiction. The company has certified its boilers as qualifying for the Federal Tax Credit for Energy Efficiency of up to $1,500.
Notables: Initial sales of Econoburn™ wood gasification boilers was driven by a web-based, direct-to-consumer marketing program augmented by extensive public relations promotions in target markets. As demand for the product grew, it became evident that a key to high customer satisfaction was at the installation and service level. The company quickly moved to establish a network of well-qualified dealer/installers who, working with Alternative Fuel Boilers’ technical support staff, could effectively install and integrate the boilers into the heating and hot water systems of end-users. This important relationship has improved customer satisfaction and increased product demand. In addition, the company continues an aggressive direct-to-consumer public relations program that supports dealers and increases dealer sales by maintaining high market visibility for Econoburn™ boilers. The promotion plan emphasizes the cost-saving benefits of the wood gasification boiler during a time in which consumers and businesses are seeking alternatives to high heating fuel costs.
With the gasification technology employed by the Econoburn™, almost all the gases are burned, with little residual soot or creosote, and the extra energy is transferred to the Econoburn’s heat exchanger. Econoburn™ residential boilers range in size from 100,000 to 300,000 Btus and commercial boilers of up to 1,000,000 Btus are available. The Econoburn™ is compatible with radiant floor, forced air or traditional hot water boiler heating systems. Accessories to heat leisure products such as swimming pools and hot tubs are also available. The Econoburn™ can be installed as the primary boiler or easily integrated with existing heating appliances for automatic backup use. Dealer and customer support provides pre-purchase consultations on appropriate boiler sizing, system integration, accessory applications and other specialized design requirements the company’s website.
Burnham Hydronics
U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.
PO Box 3079
Lancaster, PA 17604
Brief history: Burnham has been in the boiler business since 1873 and is the industry leading manufacturer in hydronic heating equipment, with the most complete line of oil and gas fired boilers utilizing cast iron, carbon steel, stainless steel, and cast aluminum heat exchangers. Burnham is a very vertically integrated operation, including it’s own foundry in Zanesville, Ohio that produces all of Burnham’s cast iron, which is 100% made in America.
What’s new: The Alpine boiler is part of Burnham’s newest lineup of condensing boilers with efficiencies of 95%. Along with our cast aluminum Freedom and CHG condensing boilers, Burnham is the only boiler company to offer both stainless steel and cast aluminum heat exchangers with all three venting options: the popular pvc venting, the European standard polypropylene concentric venting, and AL29-4C stainless steel venting.
Notables: Burnham Hydronics has introduced more new, high efficiency products over the last several years than any other company at any time in the history of hydronic heating: from new ENERGY STAR® certified, gas-fired residential boilers to high efficiency oil-fired boilers, including advanced-design, 3-pass, cast iron boilers, along with the industry’s only, 3-pass, oil-fired, steam boiler, the only American-made commercial, 3-pass boiler with 89% efficiencies and units up to 3.5 million Btus.
Taken together, Burnham’s expansive lineup of hydronic heating products boasts the highest average efficiency, exceeding 85%, with maximum efficiencies over 95%.
And it doesn’t stop there. Burnham now offers the broadest line of condensing boilers available from any manufacturer anywhere. Only Burnham provides all the condensing options, cast aluminum heat exchangers, stainless steel heat exchangers, and three venting options, including the popular pvc piping system, the European standard Polypropylene Concentric Venting and AL29-4C stainless steel two-pipe systems.
Quotables: “Our customers, both distribution and installing contractors and dealers, are the strength of our line. We make every effort to provide them with the right tools and extensive training so that they can effectively, sell, install and service our products,” said Ken Niemi, Burnham Hydronics.
Marathon International
Exclusive Baxi distributor in North America
1815 Sismet Road
Mississauga, Ontario L4W 1P9
Brief history: Marathon International has been offering the Baxi hydronic heating line-up throughout North America since 1998. Baxi (since 1866) has been making wall-hung boilers for four decades, and is the second largest manufacturer of wall-hung boilers globally, producing and factory-testing 4,000 units a day at its Bassano, Italy plant. The Baxi range in N.A. includes modulating, condensing (up to 98% ee) and modulating, near-condensing (86% ee), with fully packaged residential models available in either combi ch&dhw, or heating-only; maximum output ranges from 105M to 350 M Btu/hr; up to 12 Baxi commercial-sized boilers may be cascaded to generate up to 4 million Btu/hr. Baxi is also a leader in renewable energy solutions, including solar water heating and micro combined heat and power technology.
What’s new: Working with its mostly exclusive-territory Baxi distributor network, Marathon International has stepped up its installation training and certification efforts to help Baxi contractors achieve flawless installations — first time, every time. In addition to regional classroom training coordinated by Marathon/Baxi reps and distributors, the company has an impressive Baxi learning series of cd-roms, covering the Baxi Luna HT modulating, condensing, Baxi Luna modulating and the new Baxi Luna 3 Comfort products. Each cd-rom offers a direct online Baxi certification test opportunity.
Marathon rewards Baxi-certified contractors for their commitment to ongoing Baxi learning receive a long list of benefits, including: advanced technical training and Baxi dealer networking opportunities; sizing and technical drawings support; qualified Baxi leads; personal use credits; extra months added to one-year parts warranty; the ability to offer customers an optional 10-year extended parts and labor warranty; first look at Baxi product innovations; customized sales support co-op ad materials; and 24/7 access to comprehensive technical and sales support information via password-protected section of www.wallhungboilers.com.
Notables: Marathon Intl. also announced that it has become the exclusive North America distributor of the proven Sentinel chemical water treatment products.
Viessmann Manufacturing Company (U.S.) Inc.
45 Access Road
Warwick, RI 02886
Brief history: The Viessmann Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heating and renewable energy systems. Family-owned since 1917, Dr. Martin Viessmann leads the company in its third generation. The group today employs over 8,000 employees worldwide and for three generations has been providing comfortable, efficient and environmentally-responsible heating solutions, tailored to the needs of the market. With ongoing research and development and a focus on product innovation, Viessmann has pioneered technologies that have continuously set standards and made the company into a technological innovator and pacesetter of the entire industry.
What’s new: Viessmann is expanding its training capacity at its U.S. headquarters in Warwick, R.I. This year Viessmann will offer training to 1,600 professionals, up from 1,200 last year. From a product standpoint, the company will announce some new features in the coming months. The new Vitodens 100, for example, is getting a little bigger in size to approximately 120,000 Btus of input, up from 100,000, and it will burn lp or natural gas and be rated for use up to 10,000 ft. A new Vitodens 200 will be introduced in the early third quarter with some new and exciting features and expanded size range.
Viessmann’s wall-mounted Vitodens 200 modulated condensing boiler offers superb efficiency and reliability. The Inox-Radial heat exchanger surface of high-alloy stainless steel and the modulating MatriX-compact gas burner make for maximum energy usage with minimum emissions and small space requirements.
This high-tech boiler offers efficiency of up to 98% with full modulation and 95.2% afue on all models and the ultimate in heat exchanger reliability. The boiler’s compact and lightweight design with multiple venting options means space limitations are not an issue. The unit is quieter than most refrigerators and can be installed in living areas.
Notables: Viessmann has always been, and will continue to be, dedicated to providing products to market via high quality professional distribution. It remains committed to continued development of value-added, two-step distribution and high quality training of its wholesalers and their contractors to assure effective installations for the end user. Structurally, Viessmann is committed to being proactive in support of its product. This commitment begins with upfront training, and it has a staff of professionals engaged that supports the product anywhere it’s installed.
Viessmann is a vertically integrated company. For example, in the upcoming release of the Vitodens 200, it continues to manufacture the boiler, heat exchanger, control system and combustion system, giving Viessmann a unique position as a single source supplier. No other manufacturer provides that level of single-source knowledge and responsibility.
Quotables: “Our focus is to provide industry-leading innovation, features and benefits that add value for our wholesalers, contractors and home or building owners. We design flexibility into our products through the application of various Viessmann controls. This means that the wholesaler can have one boiler that offers several different functions and levels of sophistication, allowing them to easily provide customized solutions for the end user,” said Rich Corcoran, general manager, Viessmann Mfg. Co.
BioHeatUSA
P.O. Box 285
Lyme, NH 03768
Brief history: BioHeatUSA, formerly TARM USA, is a third-generation, family-owned business that has pioneered the sales and service of European residential central heating equipment to North America for more than 30 years. BioHeatUSA’s primary objective is to offer European innovation in home heating solutions, paired with a significant commitment to consumer education and environmental awareness. Exclusive partnerships with iso 9001 certified manufacturers allow BioHeatUSA to offer products with operational reliability, exceptional efficiency, and to promote the clean burning of carbon-cycle biomass that is critical to the lowering of net greenhouse gas emissions.
What’s new: Made by Froling of Austria, the Lambda controlled wood boiler and the Vesta award-winning P4 pellet boiler have been introduced within the last six months. Froling boilers only are sold through specially-trained dealers.
Notables: BioHeatUSA has focused its efforts on dealers since the fall of 2007. It believes that during up, down or flat business periods, a network of trained sellers, installers and service people is necessary to properly serve the customer. When customers are well served, they will help build business. Energy should be a major focus in the plumbing and heating business — now and in the future.
BioHeatUSA offers generous discounts with a retroactive discount program. This discount program enables the beginning dealer to start with one unit and build from that point where at each discount quantity break, the dealer receives a retroactive discount on earlier purchases made at the smaller discount. BioHeatUSA also offers a “dealers-only” website, where all materials are posted; and there is a dealer bulletin board.
Ray, a division of Mestek, Inc.
260 North Elm Street
Westfield, MA 01085
Tel (413) 568-9571
Brief history: Mestek, Inc., is a leader in commercial and residential hvac technologies, and metal forming equipment in the United States and Canada. The company is headquartered in Westfield, Mass. For more information, visit www.mestek.com.
What’s new: Mestek has introduced its newest breakthrough in residential hydronic heating appliances: Ray™, the first high-efficiency, low mass, fully condensing cast iron boiler engineered for the American home. Ray is a gas fired system, running on either propane or natural gas with no conversion kit required, delivering 40,000 to199,000 Btuh at 92.7% afue. The combination of high efficiency and clean-burning fuels make it among the most “green” residential heating options available.
Ray’s cast iron sections have a patented design specifically engineered for condensing performance. They provide the well-established durability and long-cycle thermal retention of cast iron with the high-efficiency performance typically associated with less resilient tube-formed exchangers. In addition, Ray’s down-fired design requires less energy for operation while allowing less opportunity for condensate corrosion. This proprietary technology also is utilized in another proven Mestek-manufactured boiler line, the KN-Series, which has been demonstrated to excel in the most demanding commercial applications. Ray is completely cast, machined and assembled in one integrated facility, so that every component works as a total package, manufactured without compromise in quality or precision.
Mestek’s philosophy is to build its relationship with contractors, engineers and wholesalers through product training and education. The new Mestek Institute has been established to formalize our training programs. For info on boiler training, www.MestekInstitute.com.
