What Are You Looking For?

Warranty

At Dunkirk, we stand by our products. That’s why we back up all of our boilers with coverage through our manufacturer warranties. Our warranty coverage gives you peace of mind about every boiler you purchase.

Learn More

Rebates & Incentives

You could save hundreds of dollars by taking advantage of rebates and incentives available in your region.

Learn More

Find a Dealer

Not sure where to start? Speak with a dealer to learn about what product would best fit your needs.

Learn More

Find the Right Product

Not sure about the size or the type of boiler that you need? Use our product finder. We will match you with the right boiler for your home or business.

Learn More

FAQS

General

In the interest of public safety, ECR International, Inc., supports warnings issued by the Air-Conditioning, Heating and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI) that recommend the replacement of all flood-damaged HVAC equipment regardless of its age.

Replacing only the operating controls of flood damaged HVAC equipment may not be sufficient if other parts of the equipment like piping, venting, burners, insulation, etc., have been effected by the flood waters.

It is always safer to replace rather than repair.

The best way to determine the size of the heating unit needed for your home is to have a heat load calculation done by a qualified heating technician. This calculation looks at the size of the structure, insulation, doors and windows along with your climate area for outdoor design temperature. A heat loss is then calculated to determine what is required for the furnace and the heating elements to heat the structure. It is an exercise worth the time and effort to know that you have the sufficient sized equipment and radiation to do the required job next winter, without oversizing the unit and losing efficiency.

No. As a manufacturer of equipment, we sell our products only through wholesale distribution, which in turn will supply the dealer in your area with our products along with all the other items your dealer will need for your system. We support the professional tradespeople to know that your new piece of heating equipment is installed and operating correctly for maximum efficiency and safety concerns. With today’s installation codes, in many areas a piece of equipment can only be installed by a licensed plumber or heating technician, which is good for the industry and safety of all concerned.

The only way to determine the proper size of your boiler/furnace is to have a heat load done on your home by a qualified heating technician. This calculation looks at the size of the structure, insulation, doors and windows, along with your climate area for outdoor design temperature. A heat loss is then calculated to determine what is required for the boiler/furnace and the heating elements to heat the structure. It is an exercise worth the time and effort to know that you have the properly sized equipment and radiation sufficient to do the required job next winter, without over sizing the unit and losing efficiency.

Costs for different types of fuels vary tremendously throughout the U.S., and therefore so does the cost comparison. The formulas below can be used to compare equivalent energy costs (price per 1 million BTUs) among different fuels.

Electricity: (insert price per kilowatt)* x 293 = Cost per 1,000,000 BTUs

#2 Fuel Oil: (insert price per gallon)* x 7.21 ÷ rated efficiency** = Cost per 1,000,000 BTUs

Natural Gas: (insert price per therm)* x 10 ÷ rated efficiency** = Cost per 1,000,000 BTUs

Propane: (insert price per gallon)* x 11 ÷ rated efficiency** = Cost per 1,000,000 BTUs

* Price per unit of energy can be determined by contacting your local provider.

** Rated efficiency can be found on the heating product literature (AFUE).

It is always recommended that the installer of the boiler be contacted first. If the installer is unable to be contacted or is unable to provide service, a qualified local heating technician should be contacted. In the hands of an inexperienced person, heating equipment can be dangerous; never attempt a repair yourself.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that accounts for more deaths annually in the U.S. than any other poison. All fuel-burning processes can produce CO. This is not something isolated to any particular fuel.

To protect yourself, always have your boiler, furnace and any other heating or cooking appliance installed properly and periodically serviced by a qualified heating technician.

We recommended that you have at least one CO detector in your home, and preferably, one on each floor.

In most cases, a heating contractor will install a chimney liner if the chimney has an oversized or deteriorated terra cotta (clay) liner. He will always install a liner if there’s an unlined masonry chimney. Both the National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54) and the National Installation of Oil-Burning Equipment Code (NFPA 31) compel the heating contractor to install the chimney liner in these circumstances.

As boilers have increased in efficiency, the temperature of flue gases has decreased. This is good because you waste less heat up the chimney. If the flue gases cool too much, however, they will condense, and that can create problems. Condensation contains impurities from the fuel, which makes the condensed flue gases acidic and able to corrode most metal components. Brick, non-glazed clay and mortar will absorb condensation and deteriorate. If it’s cold enough, condensate will also freeze between boiler cycles, and that will cause materials such as mortar to crack. You may have noticed a course or two of brick at the top of an old chimney that’s apparently missing its mortar. That’s condensate damage. Over time, prolonged exposure to condensation may cause the chimney to become weak and unstable.

A chimney liner is useful for correcting an oversized chimney. The liner reduces the surface area of the chimney, lowering the amount of flue gas heat lost to the chimney. It may not make sense at first, but the reduced chimney diameter will often result in better draft for the boiler.

The simple answer is no.

Boiler manufacturers design most boilers to accommodate the characteristics of the intended fuel. A boiler meant to burn natural gas (a vapor) uses burners that simply can’t burn No. 2 fuel oil (an atomized liquid). There are power gas burners available from third-party manufacturers that can replace oil burners, but we don’t sanction any of these as suitable replacements for our heating systems and we don’t recommend their use.

It’s mainly dust, and often carbon soot from fireplaces, water heaters, furnaces, standing pilot lights, candles, cigarette smoke, cooking byproducts and even automobile exhaust. The natural convection that occurs through a radiator during the heating cycle moves all of these gases through your baseboard heaters, and they often show up as stains on the walls above.

Homeowner

Boiler technology has come a long way. Condensing boilers are more efficient than traditional non-condensing boilers because of the way they are designed.

They achieve the highest efficiency possible by condensing water vapor in the exhaust gases and recover and re-use heat which would otherwise have been wasted. Traditional older boilers are not designed this way and therefore operate at a lower efficiency level in the range of 65-82%. Our Utica Boilers condensing boilers operate at an efficiency level of 90-95%+ which saves energy and costs, and is friendly to the environment.

If you don’t know if you have a steam or water boiler, the best way to find out is if you have a water gauge on the boiler. If you have a water gauge, you have steam.

The best way to determine the size of the heating unit needed for your home is to have a heat load calculation done by a qualified heating technician. This calculation looks at the size of the structure, insulation, doors and windows along with your climate area for outdoor design temperature. A heat loss is then calculated to determine what is required for the furnace and the heating elements to heat the structure. It is an exercise worth the time and effort to know that you have the sufficient sized equipment and radiation to do the required job next winter, without oversizing the unit and losing efficiency.

It is strongly recommended that at all homes be equipped with have at least one carbon monoxide detector. It is as important to have your fuel burning equipment serviced annually to prevent the possibility of Carbon Monoxide.

Carbon monoxide (CO) is a colorless, odorless gas that accounts for more deaths annually in the U.S. than any other poison. All fuel-burning processes can produce CO. This is not a something isolated to any particular fuel.

To protect yourself, always have your boiler, furnace and any other heating or cooking appliance installed properly and periodically serviced by a qualified heating technician.

We recommended that you have at least one CO detector in your home, and preferably, one on each floor.

In most cases, a heating contractor will install a chimney liner if the chimney has an oversized or deteriorated terra cotta (clay) liner. He will always install a liner if there’s an unlined masonry chimney. Both the National Fuel Gas Code (NFPA 54) and the National Installation of Oil-Burning Equipment Code (NFPA 31) compel the heating contractor to install the chimney liner in these circumstances.

As boilers have increased in efficiency, the temperature of the flues gases has gotten lower. This is good because you waste less heat up the chimney. If the flue gases cool too much, however, they will condense, and that can create problems. Condensation contains impurities from the fuel, which makes the condensed flue gases acidic and able to corrode most metal components. Brick, non-glazed clay and mortar will absorb condensation and deteriorate. If it’s cold enough, condensate will also freeze between boiler cycles, and that will cause materials such as mortar to pit. You may have noticed a course or two of brick at the top of an old chimney that’s apparently missing its mortar. That’s condensate damage. Over time, prolonged exposure to condensation may cause the chimney to become weak and unstable.

A chimney liner is useful for correcting an over-sized chimney. The liner reduces the surface area of the chimney, lowering the amount of flue gas heat lost to the chimney. It may not make sense at first, but the reduced chimney diameter will often result in better draft for the boiler.

Hot Water Boilers

By having your heating technician install an air elimination system external of the boiler to remove air from the water system; this is installed on the main supply pipe as the water leaves the boiler.

Where is this air coming from you may ask. First, let’s review; what is water?

Water is H2O two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen; as the oxygen is being driven out of the water, it needs to be removed via this air elimination system. If you have air in the pipes upstairs, bleeders or automatic air vents can be installed by your technician at the pipe that drops down from the heating element back to the basement. This is where the air will collect since the pump is working to pump it back downstairs and the laws of physics make it always want to bubble back up to the highest point in the system, making it hard to remove without the proper access.

In many cases, the boiler is at the lowest point in the system, which means that there is little likelihood that the boiler will run dry. If radiators are below the top of the boiler, you’ll need a low water cutoff. An example of this would be baseboard radiators near the basement floor, or in-floor radiant heating in the basement. Some states (New York and New Jersey, for example) and some local jurisdictions mandate their use, regardless of radiator location.

It depends on the type of hot water heating system you’re working with. For instance, you’d normally set a hot water baseboard heating system for a high temperature of 180°F. A radiant-floor heating system, on the other hand, can vary widely, with a supply temperature from 90°F to 130°F, depending on what type of construction and the material covering it (carpeting, hardwood flooring and ceramic tile). The radiant designer takes all of this into consideration.

Sediment accumulating in the bottom of the boiler sections, which is typically the lowest point in the hydronic heating system, can create a hot spot. The sediment acts as insulation and that leads to the hot spot. The sediment comes from poor feed water. Filter it, if necessary, and correct its pH level so that it’s in the range of 7 to 8.5.

The popping sound you may hear comes from water, trapped near the insulating sediment that turns suddenly into steam and escapes into the cooler, surrounding water, where it cools rapidly. The surrounding water rushes in to fill the void left by the condensing steam bubble and that’s what gives you the popping sound. A heating service technician can usually flush the heating system to get rid of the sediment. If necessary, he or she will use a boiler cleaner.

Yes. If the heat exchanger is made of cast iron, use an antifreeze designed for hydronic heating systems, such as propylene glycol (which is non-toxic), or ethylene glycol. Always follow the antifreeze manufacturer’s recommendations when mixing a solution of up to 55%. Never use automotive antifreeze or any petroleum-based antifreeze in a hydronic heating system.

For aluminum heat exchangers, use only Intercool NFP-50 coolant. (Please contact customer service at 1-866-847-6656.) Some brands have corrosion inhibitors that break down more rapidly, or become ineffective at higher operating temperatures when they’re in an aluminum heat exchanger. Follow the antifreeze manufacturer’s instructions to determine the proper ratio of antifreeze to water for the expected low temperature conditions, and for maintaining the quality of the antifreeze solution from year to year. Again, never use automotive antifreeze or any petroleum-based antifreeze in a hydronic heating system. This type of antifreeze can damage hydronic heating system components.

Oil Fired

The boilers designed today are more efficient then your old oil fired boiler that you replaced. This major efficiency is not only due to the internal design of the equipment so you get the maximum heat transfer but also the oil boiler design that is the reason for the higher pitched noise of today’s equipment. This noise is due to the fact that the oil boiler is running at 3450 RPM (revolutions per minute) compared to the old unit that was only at half that speed of 1725 RPM. This new higher efficient design oil boiler is going twice as fast and breaking down the oil into smaller droplets along with mixing it better with the combustion air for a higher efficiency. Your old boiler may have been around 50-62% efficient; when your dealer adjusts your new burner for maximum efficiency, it should run around 83-85% combustion efficiency, which is going to save you real dollars in fuel cost.

Steam Boilers

A new steam boiler could be short cycling due to a number of reasons. The first may be something as simple as having installed a room thermostat that has an adjustable heat anticipator setting within it. This setting needs to be at 1.2 for the longest cycle setting as possible allowed by the thermostat. The best thermostat for this is the standard Honeywell T87F round design unit that has this internal setting on the unit. The new digital thermostats of today are timed and many do not offer the option to give you a set point to satisfy the system requirements. Another item that can cause short cycling and surging is making sure the internal sections of the boiler are clean. This is done the best way by having your installer skim the top of your boiler water off via a skim tapping that he or she installed on the system during installation. A new boiler and pipes when manufactured have oil on them – this oil will float to the top of the water and cause the water line to rise and lower within the boiler; this is happening due to steam looking to escape through it during the process. With this oil removed, the system will make steam and the boiler should not short cycle or surge.

The last item is that the piping around the boiler on both the supply and return systems (Near Boiler Piping); making sure that this is correct in both size and design for the Btu/hr of the boiler. Incorrect pipe size will not allow the steam to escape out of the boiler and can cause the system to short cycle.

We call a fluctuation in the water line of a steam boiler surging. A small amount of fluctuation is common, but if it gets to be more than that, it can lead to water hammer and inefficient operation of the heating system. Severe surging would be a waterline that moves more than one inch, or when you can see water running down from the top of the sight glass.

Oil on the surface of the water can cause violent surging when the water boils. Skimming usually cures this, and we’ve detailed how to skim in the installation manual of our steam boilers. It’s the only true way to rid the water of oil. Adding chemicals and draining the boiler may help slightly, but this will not work to remove all the oil from the boiler. Oil on the water’s surface will simply stick to the sides of the boiler when you drain the boiler, and then reappear as a problem when you refill the boiler.

To avoid surging, pipe, clean and maintain your steam boiler as detailed in the boiler’s installation manual. Proper piping, cleaning and maintenance will ensure the best overall performance and efficient operation of your steam boiler.

Warranty Registration

We recommend you register your warranty so we have your information on file should we ever need to contact you in regard to a technical issue.