Hot water boiler replacement for your Winnipeg home
. Homes which were built in the early 1900's where most often heated with a hot-water heating system. Water was heated in a boiler (example shown) and then the water and/or steam was pumped thru pipes into room radiators, thereby heating the home. Converting a hot-water heated home into a modern, blown-air furnace system is NOT cheap, especially if we are dealing with a 2-storey home. Since the original system did not require any duct-work, adding ducts at a later time (to accept the new air-furnace system) can be a very costly undertaking. For this reason, many hot-water/boiler heated homes are still keeping the old system.
Are the old Boiler systems safe?
However, that does not mean that the home-owner has to live with a 90-yr old, often unsafe and usually inefficient, heating system. Why ‘unsafe'? One issue could be the fact that any 90-yr old system, using oil or gas to heat up water, may develop cracks, allowing exhaust fumes to escape. Another very real issue is the fact that many of these boilers were insulated using asbestos insulations. Asbestos is classified as a carcinogen, although the common wisdom is that if left alone, its acceptable in solid form. Just don's sand it, scraped it, or disturb it in any way that causes it to become airborne. Still, many homeowners would not feel comfortable around it, especially if they have small children. So, what are the options?
Install a new, efficient boiler
These old behemoths can be replaced with new, modern and efficient, gas-fired boilers. About 1/4 the size of the old models, these new boilers look more like a small furnace than their predecessors. It is highly recommended that you have the old (asbestos covered) model removed by a reputable and trained professional, rather than mess with the unit yourself. Which brings me to an interesting point:
Government Program available
I just learned from a good friend, who happens to be a reputable and trained heating professional, that a Government Program (Manitoba Hydro) is available to help with the cost of removing the old boiler and replacing it with a new one. While there are many factors in deciding which home qualifies for the grant, if you have been considering the replacing of your old boiler, getting access to a government program should be great news. Here is how it works, (as I understand it)
It all starts with an energy appraisal of your home. A qualified inspector determines IF a new furnace would save you sufficient money to make it all worth it. If your home qualifies, the ‘program' would cover all (or part) of the cost of replacing the boiler, however you KEEP PAYING THE OLD HEATING BILLS UNTIL THE NEW FURNACE AND INSTALLATION ARE PAID OFF.
So in essence, this is not a grant, but rather a convenient ‘loan'.
If you're interested in finding out more, let me know and I'll put you in touch with these professionals (in #Winnipeg), who can tell you, after examining your home and boiler, whether you qualify for this Government Grant.
Contact me via e-mail at boknowshomes at gmail.com or via commenting on his post. I'd love to help you out!
Bo Kauffmann is a residential real estate agent with over 18 yrs experience in helping buyers and sellers achieve their goals. Inducted into the REMAX Hall of Fame in 2010 and receiving the REMAX Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019, Bo has sold over 500 houses and condos in the Greater Winnipeg market. He is an accredited buyer representative (A.B.R.) and a Luxury Home Marketing Specialist.
Bo provides exceptional service to First-Time Home-Buyers, Seniors looking to downsize and Home Sellers of all ages.
He can be reached easily By E-Mail or call/text him Call/Text Here Our Latest Web-Stories
Never miss an episode of our real estate podcast.
Install our FREE Podcast App available on iOS and Android.
For your Apple Devices, click here to install our iOS App.
For your Android Devices, click here to install our Android App.
Check my videos on Youtube
To provide the best experiences, we and our partners use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us and our partners to process personal data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site and show (non-) personalized ads. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Click below to consent to the above or make granular choices. Your choices will be applied to this site only. You can change your settings at any time, including withdrawing your consent, by using the toggles on the Cookie Policy, or by clicking on the manage consent button at the bottom of the screen.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.