Historic Grade I residence benefits from Blue Flame boiler refurb

When the aged boilers at an impressive Grade I listed, five bedroom Tudor-style property in Killearn failed and needed replacing, the owners opted for a pair of Navien LCB700 Blue Flame units to fulfil their heating and hot water requirements.

The original boiler was an antiquated cast iron atmospheric unit situated inside a small boiler house; this was replaced in August 2019 with a new, condensing system relocated in a separate workshop area. Navien became involved after the
homeowner’s son researched the options available online. The family contacted Steven McAllister, Area Sales Manager at Navien, who then offered guidance on the best options available.

The resplendent Scottish house dates back to 1908 and is now owned by Riccardo Cornacchia, the Director of a letting company. Upon inheriting the property, which has been in his family for generations, one of the first things he did was address the issue of the old boilers, as he explained: “The original cast iron system seemed to date back to the ark! It seemed to struggle
to warm the house at all, yet the heating bills were extremely high. When they went ‘kaput’, we contacted Navien – and they’ve been fantastic since day one.”

Commenting on the new boilers, Steven McAllister said: “We had to ensure the new boilers were capable of heating the house without effecting the actual architecture, as it is a listed building. Working closely with local installers C Hanlon Ltd, we found the workshop area to be perfect for the
two LCB700 Blue Flame oil boilers, while a complete control system was also fitted to maximise energy efficiency and useability.”

Due to the age of the pipework in the historic, mansion-style home, care had to be taken in protecting the architecture while upgrading the heating system to the necessary standards. As a result, a plate-to-plate heat exchanger was used, connecting the original pipework from the gravity-fed system to the new pressurised boilers, allowing for maximum and energy efficient heat
transference.

The LCB700 boiler is manufactured from the highest quality materials to ensure supreme longevity and durability. It also benefits from Navien’s latest heat exchanger technology, which maximises heat transfer for superb efficiencies.
Plus, with extremely low NOx emissions, the LCB700’s blue flame burner meets the more stringent NOx levels expected in 2022.

Mr Cornacchia was certainly pleased with these efficiency credentials, as he enthused: “The blue flame technology is amazing! When I discovered how it works, it was a great surprise to learn the boilers would be cheaper to run and environmentally friendly. Having this, as well as a ten-year warranty offers wonderful peace of mind; it’s so reassuring to know everything is protected and that Navien is always there to support us if we need them.”

He continued: “The new boilers are running pretty well – they’re incredibly quiet when operating in tandem, while the tablet-style interface is very user-friendly, so everything’s easy to control. Plus, the heating costs have dropped dramatically; we’re now using about half the amount of oil as before, which is a massive difference, yet in terms of performance, the whole building is kept extremely comfortable. In fact, with the older boiler, it always used to be a cold home to live in, but now it is nice and warm.”

Steven McAllister added: “Not only is the LCB700’s blue flame technology reliable, it’s also the most efficient on the market. This allowed Riccardo and his family to enjoy reduced NOx emissions and running costs, as well as the confidence and peace of mind of a ten-year warranty. The project was the perfect combination of the old meeting the new, without compromising on heating and hot water performance.” Mr Cornacchia concluded: “I can’t fault the boilers – and I certainly can’t fault Navien, they’ve been nothing but excellent.”