Older Boiler

Hello all,
I need a bit of advice on negotiating a boiler price. I have the opportunity to buy an EFM 520 with a square door. It is currently set up for steam, but will change that over to HW, it is a dual fuel unit with a newer Becket oil gun (10 yrs old?). It is in good shape but not perfect. Specifically, the mechanism the stoker mechanism looks tight and the burn pot looks good. It was being run about 5 mos ago, but has set for 5 mos or so....so there is a small amount of rust inside. Also there is a very small leak at the bottom of the DHW plate on the back of the boiler. The previous owner cut off 2 feet of the auger tube/auger to meet his needs. Lastly it does not come with a jacket or insulation (which I will need). Evidently the previous owner paid about $5000.00 for it as a refurbished boiler 4-5 years ago. I do not know who refurbished it. So I am wondering:

1. What else should I check?
2. does sitting for 5 mos matter?
3. how large of a problem is the DHW leak? and how hard is it to fix (i'm pretty handy, but far from a professional!)
4. How much would you offer?
5. how much is a jacket and insulation (I'm handy....but not fabrication-handy!)

thanks in advance!

coldinmaine wrote: 3. how large of a problem is the DHW leak? and how hard is it to fix (i'm pretty handy, but far from a professional!)

If it's leaking now and not on it may stop leaking when you fire it up. That is probably the only design flaw, my Van wert is the same way. They have a flange now, Chris from efm showed me a piece for retrofitting the older ones but it has to be welded in AFAIK.

Your In Luck ! We've Got A Flock Of EFM Pros Here ! Sit Tight,Check In And Hang On To Your Hat! I think You're going to enjoy the Ride ! Oh,By The Way,Welcome To "Der Coal Board" !

How might that sort of leak be fixed....does it require welding?

Are you planning to use the DHW coil? Your planned use may affect the cost of dealing with the leak.

The price of a boiler you might get from a dealer or refurb specialist is different from the price an end-user is likely to get selling a used boiler out of their basement. To start with, it's no picnic getting those things out of the basement. After that, the seller normally isn't going to provide any type of warranty, so you're on your own paying for parts and repairs that turn out to be needed. If a good refurb was done 5 years ago it may not need a lot, but you're taking on all of the risk. I don't want to pick an exact number, but for a 520 in the situation you describe I wouldn't be bashful about offering a lot less than the $5k number mentioned.

I wouldn't worry too much about the jackets. Many people elect to run without them - we did and it greatly improved the usefulness of the basement and the "feel" of the upstairs. If needed, you can insulate the boiler with foil-faced insulation, etc. A decent set of used jackets might cost a few hundred $.

Hope this helps.

Mike

Very helpful thanks!

You're welcome.

Mike