Boilers are expensive, and all homeowners know it.
A boiler is a significant investment for you and your household, and your choice can affect the house’s performance and safety. Before purchasing one, it’s best to examine the pros and cons of traditional versus green and hot water versus steam equipment, and whether it’s best to buy or rent a boiler from a certified company.
Some companies allow homeowners to rent boilers and pay a monthly fee. The scheme should cover the boiler, parts and the heating system against damage, repairs and breaks. When you don’t afford to pay one upfront, this solution is the best. But the rental boiler industry is unique and functions different from e-commerce businesses, so it’s challenging to compare pricing. So, how can you determine the potential cost in the preliminary stage before hiring a company?
There is a list of factors that influence the final price. Start from gathering information and evaluating them.
Table of Contents
Equipment
The process and steam capacity requirement can influence the model of boiler fit for your household. For example, if you use a water tube boiler (which is the right choice for large capacity needs), it runs at higher costs than a firetube model. But if you need additional equipment, like a water softener, deaerating feedwater system, or SCR system, it can add extra costs to the final price.
It would be best if you can connect the rental boiler to the existing auxiliaries. To determine if this is an available option, get in touch with the local boiler rental company to check your home system. When you need a complete steam plant, ask the provider if they can offer a mobile boiler room, water softener, firetube boiler, and blowdown separator. But because you rent the entire pre-piped and wired system, expect the fee to be higher than if you’d get only the boiler.
Freight
Most times, rental boiler suppliers ask a separate fee to bring the equipment to your location or move it from a place to another. They may also ask you to pay a fee when they recover the boiler to take it back to their storage facility. The cost depends on the number of shipments required to deliver the system and how far the provider must travel to your house. Most companies offer freight information on their website to help you estimate how much it costs to transport the boiler. If you cannot find an online calculator, contact the company, and they’ll offer all the details you need.
Installation
Some boiler rental providers also offer boiler installation services, but often, you need to coordinate this step of the process with a third-party. The size of the project influences the installation cost. It’s more affordable to install a mobile boiler than a large water tube system. It’s always best to hire an expert to handle this job because it requires the use of special equipment. Check here best hometree.
Start-up
Often, rental boiler companies also supply a technician to help you set the equipment and ensure it works properly. The technician costs are billed once, and the fee varies according to your needs. Check if your utilities are already piped before renting the boiler because if the technician needs to do extra work besides the job the contract includes, the costs can rise. Some companies also tax safety training for homeowners to provide them with knowledge on how to use the system.
Utilities
As you’ve already guessed, the utilities are your responsibility, and you shouldn’t overlook the expenses. Expect to experience costs associated with electricity, fuel, water, and other supplies needed for the system to function. The boiler rental cannot estimate these costs, and therefore you need to check your previous bills and try to determine how much the utilities will add to the monthly rental price. You can use a blowdown heat recovery system or an economizer to reduce the costs.
Water treatment
This is a crucial step in using and maintaining a rental boiler, and when you fail to do it, it can trigger extra costs for equipment repairs. It’s more affordable to contract a boiler rental service that includes water treatment rather than replacing or repairing a damaged system.
Now that you how what factors you must check to estimate the cost, let’s figure out how it works.
Many companies provide boiler rental services for residential clients. You can find rental services available for steam and hot water boilers, so you need to pick the option that better fits your needs. Rental boilers are extremely useful during the cold season, so if you can anticipate the increase in the combustion capacity, you can hire an additional boiler to ensure that your house is warm during the winter and you have hot water even during the coldest days. Rentals cover boilers of all sizes, and if you don’t know what type you need, the provider can send an expert to evaluate your property. A too smaller boiler won’t offer the heat level you need, and a too-large system can be too expensive to run.
When your budget is limited, renting a boiler can provide cost savings. It’s also a good option when your boiler needs repairs or is damaged, and you don’t afford to buy a new one. Renting also allows you to test different models and determine what model better serves your household. Another benefit is that you can see how the equipment interacts with the existing device.
Once you determine what model better fits your house’s needs, you can buy a new boiler. Before ordering one, hire an authorized representative to evaluate your existing system and give you some quotes. Review the models available and consider workload capacity, key specs, emission levels, and safety features. Ask the provider about what it implies to run, repair, and maintain the model you prefer. When you buy a new device, you control the model, make, and specifications, so if you want one that protects the environment, you can choose from a range of green equipment.