For the past three years, it has cost me right at $5/day to keep a 60-gallon Superstor SS-60 heated, and $1,825 a year for hot water is no longer bearable. I'm wondering what I can do to reduce this expense.

The tank is heated by an oil-fired Burnham boiler (82.5%) and there is about 8' of pipe between the boiler and the Superstor. Year-round, the room stays at 52-60 degrees (in NH, so colder in the winter). The thermostat on the Superstor is set to about 117 degrees, and we're light users of hot water (I think): two retired people, at home 24X7 almost the entire year, 4-5 showers per week, low-flow shower heads, high-efficiency European DW/WD, and we use hot water only when necessary.

Any thoughts would be most welcome!

Is natural gas available? In the mean time, pull up the I&O manual for the SuperStor. See if the supply and return piping is the correct size. Make sure your boiler is appropriately sized for that SuperStor.



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I'm afraid we don't have natural gas available to us; we just have the usual sources: oil, electricity, and propane. We don't have solar or a heat pump.

Thanks, I'll see if I can locate a manual online and then take a look at it for those factors. Along with a number of other systems, this system was installed by one of the area's top mechanical outfits; in addition, I had a plumber out here for another issue look at it recently, so I'm not hopeful on that score. Mind you, I know nothing about this sort of thing, and I appreciate the suggestions.

I should mention: This system was installed at a time when we were heating the house using the oil-fired boiler. We now heat the house with wood.



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Do you have that boiler serviced annually? Soot build-up will kill heat transfer, and send the heat up the chimney.Check the boiler connection at the SuperStor. If the pipe size has been reduced, it's wrong.

I am a homeowner/machinist, not a plumbing/heating professional.



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We do have it serviced annually, and the tickets attached to it go back to the year it was installed (prior to our owning the home). There's no reduction in the pipe where it enters the Superstor.

I'm hoping that I'll be able to interact with a little more knowledge when I get the next plumber out here to look at the situation. Is it your thinking that there's got to be something wrong with the system and that otherwise it simply couldn't be using 1.45 gallons of oil each day given the usage I've described? (I realize that may not be a question you can answer with the information you have.)



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The boiler was sized to heat the home AND supply hot water.

When used 'solely' to supply hot water it will be GREATLY oversized and costly.

If you no longer use the boiler for heat you should get a 'dedicated' water heater.

No need to remove the old tank, just valve it off.

Whether to get electric or oil fired would be based upon your hot water usage.

If truly light, go electric.

Just my IMO.

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

You could easily be using that amount of oil in a 24 hr period.The nozzles that are used in oil burners are rated at so many GPH at a certain pressure. A small boiler might have a .7 nozzle in it, and use .7 gallons of oil for every hour it runs. The problem is the oil prices. If you use your computer,you can figure out your cost per therm ( 100,000 btus) of oil vs. your cost for electric. You'll have to convert KW to BTUs, but there are online calculators that will do it for you.



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edgar, I too have a SS60 for hot water. the boiler is oil fired. the problem is that oil costs so damn much.
you could try lowering the boiler high temperature to 160. not hot enough to heat the house but hot enough to heat your hot water..

bernabeau: Hmm...yes, I see what you're saying. More info (that I didn't think to mention before): The boiler was actually sized to provide underfloor heat for about 1/3 of the home's floor space, or about 700 square feet. After the original owners did that, we added the duct work for forced air heating and the Superstor, both at the same time, and the boiler has had no trouble keep up with our demands. (And then we went to wood for heating.)

Paul: I agree about the oil prices, and have assumed that sooner or later I'd have to compare BTU-equivalent usage for different units/solutions. Any idea how I can determine the boiler's nozzle size - the boiler's manual, ask the outfit that services it, or...?

packy: If I've set the thermostat on the Superstor to 117, is a boiler high temperature of 160 then a good match for it? Also, how do I adjust the boiler's high temperature (see photo below for what I'm looking at when I'm in front of the boiler)?

Gentlemen: Thank you for your prompt and informative answers - they are exactly what I was looking for!





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The boilers I&O manual should give you the proper nozzle size for that burner. The boiler looks pretty clean. I doubt it's over-fired. Usually you'll see scorching. It's good to know the correct size though. I've stopped techs from using the next size larger, because they didn't have mine on the truck. I had one oil company kill a Burnham boiler on me in 12 years. They cleaned the top of the boiler down into the fire box and never vacuumed the box.I was stupid then, and some would say I still am. I'm just better informed about boilers and heating systems now. Not by choice, just tired of getting ripped off.

One gallon #2 fuel oil= 149,000 BTU X appliance efficiency
One gallon propane= 92,500 BTU X appliance efficiency
one watt= 3.41 btu

Sharpen your pencil before you make the conversion leap. You may find that the cheapest water heater is the one you presently own.

BTW, what are you currently paying for fuel oil?



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Paul: Yeah, I'm afraid I'm just getting clued into what I've got in terms of the components of this system, and how they should be working - and I've got a long way to go yet.

m & m: Thanks for the data! And, yeah, I'm pretty well prepared for anything at this point, as well as curious to discover what's going to work the best for us. My last delivery on 3/20/14 was at $3.78/gallon; over the last three years it's been:

1/25/11 3.179
3/9/11 3.679
7/21/11 3.479
12/8/11 3.579
1/25/12 3.679
3/12/12 3.779
7/17/12 3.179
11/13/12 3.579
1/21/13 3.579
3/26/13 3.579
7/18/13 3.179
12/13/13 3.579
3/20/14 3.779



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FIRST STEP: CLEAN THE COILS

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"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Thanks - I found the instructions on how to do this from Superstor's manufacturer.