Boiler Repair and Sales

GELCO Plumbing & Heating has been serving Airdrie and surrounding areas for over
10 years. Our main focus is residential plumbing, heating & gas fitting and our work
consists of renovations, new builds and service. Our goal has always been to provide
affordable, professional quality workmanship while maintaining a code of honesty
and accountability that our customers can rely on.

Of all the services and installations we provide with regards to maintaining and
upgrading your plumbing and heating systems, boilers or hydronic heating is the
least understood. If you are considering heating your home using a boiler, it is
important to know the basics. Gelco is here to help you navigate your boiler repair and sales.

Hydronic heating is the most efficient way to heat your home and deliver domestic
hot water for showers, laundry, etc. The initial cost of a boiler system is definitely
higher than conventional applications like forced air furnace and natural draft or
electric hot water tanks, but if designed properly, can provide you with a lifetime of
heat and hot water. Hydronic heating uses a pump or multiple pumps to push or pull
a liquid, usually water/glycol mixture, through a series of pipes to heat your home
through different types of transfer devices. These devices can be run individually or
have multiple zones running at the same time. Different types of heat transfer
devices can be in-slab, radiators, fan coils or indirect hot water tank. The main
component of these systems are the boilers. Boilers heat the water and tells the
system which zone needs heat. There are four types of boilers GELCO uses
residentially. Mid efficient, dual purpose hot water tank, combi-boiler and
condensing high efficient.

Mid efficient boilers run about 60-70% efficiency and take up more space than high efficient boilers. They are not as complex as a high efficient boiler. They have fewer parts and are therefore more economic to repair if they break down. A dual purpose hot water tank is the most economical option for your hydronic needs but generally the least efficient. This tank is a hot water tank that has two outlets for domestic hot water and two outlets for hydronic heat.
These systems work fine for smaller applications but they do have their disadvantages. One disadvantage is that they are always heating up the vessel of hot
water to maintain the call for heat. The other disadvantage is that these systems need to be oversized because on cold days the hydronic side can use all the hot water and not leave any for domestic use (showers, laundry, etc.).

A combi boiler is a boiler that consists of two boilers in one. One side is built for domestic hot water and acts like a hot water on demand providing you with instant hot water. This system is not connected to the hydronic side of the boiler and will not run short on cold days. The hydronic part of the boiler is on the other side and provides heat for your infloor heating or radiators. Combi boiler systems are very efficient, up to 98%, and take up very little room. If they are designed correctly, they can last 20 plus years. These systems are limited however; they are not designed for large applications. If there is a large need for
domestic hot water and if you are running multiple heat sources off the hydronic side, you should consider a high condensing boiler.

High Condensing Boilers are used for larger applications where the hydronic and domestic side have greater needs. The domestic side of a boiler is usually an indirect
hot water tank which means there is a separate vessel that holds domestic water for future use. This water is heated indirectly from a heating loop connected to the boiler. The recovery rate and efficiency of these storage tanks is much greater than a dual purpose hot water tank. The only disadvantage to this system is cost and space needed. The initial cost of these systems is large but if designed properly can provide many ears of heat and water for a fraction of the cost. Another thing to note with a system that is properly designed is that components can be removed, replaced and updated without changing everything out.

Frequently asked questions

Most frequent questions and answers

Can I use a regular hot water tank to heat my in-floor?

No. The plumbing code does not allow a regular hot water tank to provide
heat for hydronic applications. It is unsafe and illegal.

Can I put hydronic heating in my garage and/or my driveway?

YES! Hydronic heating works great to keep your garage heated and is very
effective for outside ice melt. There are however, extra precautions that must be taken so the outdoor lines do not freeze.

Can I run my forced air furnace off of a boiler?

YES! By using a heating coil. A heating coil is a box containing a group of
hydronic heating loops and a fan that blows over the coil, pushing warm air through the duct work of your home.

We would like to earn your business.

GELCO Plumbing & Heating want our customers to be satisfied with the work we do.
We take pride in our work and most importantly we do not want you to spend your
hard earned money on something you may not need. We feel it is our responsibility
to educate you so you can make the best decision and we are happy to help you with
your choices.

If you have further questions or would like to discuss how a boiler might work for
you and your family, please don’t hesitate to call us. We truly enjoy working with
boiler systems and are confident we can provide a solution for your needs. As
always, our quotes are FREE!