Yes. We assess your building, your existing distribution system, and how you actually use heat, then recommend a boiler sized and configured for it — rather than simply matching the BTU rating on the unit being replaced, which is how most oversized boilers get installed.

What We Evaluate

  • Heat loss calculation — square footage, insulation, windows, and infiltration determine the actual BTU requirement
  • Distribution type — cast iron radiators, baseboard, or radiant floor each want different water temperatures, which affects whether a condensing boiler makes sense
  • Fuel — natural gas or propane, and whether the existing gas line can carry the load
  • Domestic hot water — whether the boiler should also serve your hot water through an indirect tank or combi arrangement
  • Venting — condensing boilers vent differently than atmospheric units, which sometimes drives the decision in older homes
  • Water quality — New Mexico’s hard water is hard on boilers and heat exchangers

Condensing vs. Conventional

High-efficiency condensing boilers reach their rated efficiency only when return water temperature is low enough to condense flue gases. That works beautifully with radiant floor and modern low-temperature baseboard. With old cast iron radiators sized for 180-degree water, a condensing boiler often runs outside its condensing range and never delivers the efficiency you paid for. This is the single most common mismatch in boiler replacement, and it is worth getting right.

Sizing Down Is Usually Correct

Boilers are frequently oversized, and the unit being replaced is often the wrong reference point — especially if the home has had windows or insulation upgraded since. An oversized boiler short-cycles, wastes fuel, and wears out early. A heat loss calculation almost always points smaller than homeowners expect.

Residential and Commercial

We work on both. Boilers are common in older Santa Fe and North Valley homes, and in commercial buildings across the metro.

Financing is available. Contact B. Carlson for a boiler consultation in Albuquerque.