Heat Transfer Debuts the Elite Heating Boiler: High-Efficiency Mod-Con Boiler For Residential Projects

February, 2009 -- Heat Transfer Products (HTP) is unveiling a more powerful and more versatile line of high-efficiency residential boilers, with inputs ranging from 80,000 Btu per hour to 399,000 Btu/h and an industry-leading turndown ratio of six to one.

The Elite Heating Boiler Series is the first of two new residential lines from the makers of the popular Munchkin line that helped pioneer modulating-condensing (mod-con) boiler technology in this country in the mid-1990s. Previewed at the recent AHR Expo in Chicago, the Elite will be ready for shipment by the third quarter of 2009, according to HTP president David Martin.

“Our new Elite Series expands on the Munchkin line by offering higher-input boilers with the same ultra-high efficiencies,” says Martin.

Heat Transfer Products' Elite Series High-Efficiency Boiler

“Each model can be mounted either on the wall or the floor. As a result, our contractor customers will be able to handle a wider range of residential applications — and our distributors, more sales orders — with fewer SKUs [stock keeping units].”

Field-convertible to either natural gas or LP gas, the Elite Series includes six direct-vent and sealed-combustion models in all, with maximum Btu/h inputs of 80,000, 110,000, 150,000, 220,000, 299,000, and the aforementioned 399,000.

Carrying a 12-year limited warranty, the new Elite Boiler Series offers a number of important performance features:

Modulation range of 6 to 1: The Elite Heating Boiler has a turndown ratio that is up to 100% greater than competitive units. For example, the 80,000 Btu/h model will operate with an input as low as 13,000 Btu/h, while the top-of-the-line 399,990 Btu/h model will modulate all the way down to 67,000 Btu/h. This six-to-one ratio helps avoid short cycling on smaller heating loads and allows the Elite to meet the highly variable needs of space heating and domestic hot water. “The Elite will save energy on warmer spring and fall days when the heating load is light and spans just a few hours,” comments HTP CEO Dave Davis.

Link up to eight boilers: These dramatic turndown ratios can be further leveraged by piping multiple Elite units together, using HTP’s quick-connect plug-in system. Up to eight boilers can be linked and controlled in unison to handle larger loads, permitting modulation levels of up to 48 to 1. For example, eight of the 399,000 Btu/h models will deliver a combined maximum input of 3,192,000 Btu/h, with a minimum input of 67,000 Btu/h (one boiler).

Built-in electronic staging allows the controls on one unit to manage all the others, while sparing the installer the task of designing his own complex control setup, according to Davis.

“The Heat Transfer philosophy is dedicated to both mod-con technology and modular boiler setups,” he explains. “There’s no longer any need for a single massive boiler firing to the max, regardless of demand, and wasting precious energy. Our modular concept connects multiple, modulating, high-efficiency boilers that save substantial amounts of energy by matching their inputs with the inevitable fluctuations in heat load across a season. When joined together, these same smaller boilers can also meet the large-volume demands of bigger residential projects.”

In addition, boiler controls are set up to permit built-in redundancy, so that an Elite system can continuously supply heat during service calls. If repairs are necessary, instead of shutting down the entire system, the technician need remove only the boiler requiring service or replacement.

User-friendly LCD display: The factory-installed liquid crystal display features a two-line, 20-character, backlit graphic that facilitates system setup and diagnostics by allowing easy real-time monitoring of return temperatures, water level, electrical current, etc. “This display uses words, not just codes,” says Davis, “and automatically indicates when maintenance is required.”

Longer vent runs: Elite models can accommodate vent runs of up to 200 feet, as compared with the maximum of 85 feet with Munchkin models. “The small footprint, the built-in wall- and floor-mounting options, and the longer vent runs all combine to maximize installation flexibility and minimize hassles, helping builders and heating contractors meet the most challenging applications,” says Davis. In addition, Elite models have flue-exhaust temperatures low enough to permit venting with Schedule 40 PVC or CPVC pipe as well as stainless steel.

Other key features of the new Elite Series include:

• Compact footprint: Elite Heating Boilers have a smaller footprint than conventional cast iron or steel boilers, measuring 27-1/4 inches high x 14-3/4 inches wide x 26-1/2 inches deep. This will allow them to fit neatly into smaller spaces, an especially critical consideration on replacement projects.
  
  
• Outdoor sensing with indirect priority allows for greater energy savings and comfort.
  
  
• Patent-pending system for collecting condensate produced by the combustion process includes overflow protection. A condensation neutralization kit is optional.
  
  
• Integral low-water cutoff with an additional high-limit manual reset is standard on all models.
  
  

ABOUT HEAT TRANSFER: Founded in 1974, Heat Transfer is a designer and manufacturer of advanced heating and hot water systems. Product categories include: mod-con commercial high-efficiency boilers, Munchkin residential high-efficiency boilers, SuperStor indirect water heaters, Phoenix high-efficiency gas-fired water heaters, Solar Spectrum solar hot water systems, and oil-fired and electric water heaters.

For more information about these products, visit Heat Transfer at www.htproducts.com.