Energy Kinetics System 2000 oil boiler... Anyone have one? (2025 Update)

Get efficiency ratings from the manufacturers

Steel boilers can last as long as cast iron as long as air is purged and kept out of the system. It's the free oxygen in the air bubbles that aids in corrosion.

I've seen many steel boilers (there are quite a few Columbia steel oil fired boilers in my area) that have lasted 30 to 40 years. Like most things, maintenance is a factor in achieving good longevity.

Aside from the above comment, I have no knowledge of the efficiency of th System 2000 except to say that it has to be more efficient than your old boiler. Newer USA government regulations, as of 1991, I believe, require a minimum efficiency of 80% (78% with standing pilot) for residential oil and gas fired heating systems. Your old Burnham is probably 70% at best. The manufactoorer must list the seasonal AFUE. What figures does System 2000 give for their unit?

Doug

System 2000 AFUE is ~86% but they make the claim that this is a poor measure of real efficiency. Check them out...

Oh and thanks to m Ransley for pointing me to

I have had one in my house for about 12 years. No major problems.

Some things to keep in mind though.

The internal boards will fry if lightning strikes near your house have good surge suppression on you house.

Have the installer give you the emergency board so the system will operate as a normal boiler if the board goes bad.

Have the system cleaned regularly

Are you going to use a chimney or use the power vent kit? If you use the power vent kit make certain that the power vent is in a location where it does not trap heat. Had to replace the blower once due to this.

The zone valves sometimes stick in the open position, ask your installer to add the proper lubricant additive to the boiler water.

Funny thing is that our oil supplier was the one who recommended the system, now they don't sell this as it does save oil use. We went from

Hmmm... maybe I'll wire in an isolation transformer.

once a year wheather it needs it or not...

Chimney.. no problems here...

They don't use standard Honeywell zone valves?

My oil supplier is absolutely adament that this boiler is tough to adjust and not reliable. But your savings of 10% is far less than the

For what it's worth...

I can't comment specifically on the boilers you're looking at. But that claim of "30% savings" seems awfully suspicious.

An old boiler (and by "old" I mean 40+ years) might be 70% efficient. Even with a boiler of this age, to obtain a 30% reduction in oil usage the new one would have to be 100% efficient which is impossible except in the case of a heat pump.

I suspect more realistic numbers might be 75% for the old one and 95% for the new one, giving a 20% savings. That's *if* the new one is 95% efficient - that's an awfully high number.

Eric Law

If you look at Energy Kinetics comparisons of gas to oil operating cost savings their numbers are even more unbeliveable. For one gas furnaces go to 94.5 % vs 87% for energy kinetics . Im sure it is a good unit , but run your own numbers first.

They don't use standard Honeywell zone valves? They are not the thermal zone valves but moterized and somtimes the return spring will stick.

Can't say about the savings as our house is about 100 years old and the old boiler was just about as old. previous owners gave us the oil bills from the year they moved out. Before replacement we had an electric water heater after new system the EK provied hot water.

As for adjustment and relilablity never had a problem, sounds like he doesn't want to send his crew to the traiining EK provides.

We built a house in 2001 and installed a System 2000. Couldn't be more satisfied with it. During the first couple years a fuel jet had to be replaced and that is the only repair we've had to do. Runs quiet, burns more efficiently and you get plenty of hot water. The only down side is that we put in a power vent instead of venting into a chimney. The fan needs to be cleaned at least once a year - it's starts getting very loud and vibrates when dirty. If you can vent into a chimney I bet you'd never know it is running.

I've posted here before about mine. My oil savings run 38% to 40% over my old 1978 model boiler it replaced. I've been tracking by degree days for comparisons year t years. Going on 4 years now. Not a problem.

we had the system 2000 installed in september of 2022 and immediate we smelled a hydrogen sulfide odor in the hot water. the company that installed it will "flush" out the hot water tank at no cost to us (under warranty) but we would have to get the well "shocked" before they do the flushing. we've been in the house for 14 years with a peerless boiler and have never had this smell. I'm, wondering if anyone else has had this problem.

Don't have a well but never had it with city water. I has the System

Have had a new system 2000 since 2006, installed by a local heating oil company. It would behoove you to keep that same oil company as your delivery service. I switched to a different company with a service contract ..( for 10 yrs.) Over that time period not all company repairmen know how to fix my furnace. I called with a ..no heat ..problem. Took them 3 days and $1100. of labor and parts shipped up from NJ. None of which should have occurred but they ( all 4 repairmen ) had different ideas of what to fix. They changed the copper piping around so I'm not sure if it will function as originally installed.....Lucky the winter weather was mild. Thankyou...

Had one in my last house. Saved me about 38% on oil use each year tracked by degree days. Never had a service issue.

I also occasionally get smelly hot water from my Energy Kinetics System 2000/Frontier heat and hot water. I've had this problem off and on for the 10 years that i've owned this system. I called the manufacturer soon after this was installed and the water started smelling bad and had a conversation about an anode rod. My oil company, that installed this system, took out the anode rod, but the manufacturer said it had to be put back in. My water just started smelling again, which is why i googled it. The furnace servicemen don't check the anode rod unless i ask them to and i have to pay extra for them to do it. I think i also need to shock my well - but the other times i've done that, was in the summer. Also, the thermostat in one (or 2) zones switched from the temp i set it to, to "Lo". I went downstairs to check the furnace and it the lights were out in 2 zones. I tried hitting the reset button - nothing. Then i took the (relatively new) batteries out and put them right back in. The heat started right up again. This has happened two more times in the past couple of weeks - in one zone, during outdoor night temperatures of single digits - teens. I put in different new battery a few nights ago and will see if that does the trick.

Anode rod corrosion will cause odor at times. Check your water chemistry that may be the cause.

Turn on the hot water faucets in your house and let them run for 10 minutes or so to flush the stinky water out of the hot water tank.