Boiler Install Costs

[Matt@Bauhaus]

Hey there,

We've purchased an Ajax low-pressure steam boiler (gas fired) for our 30bbl brewhouse, and the mechanical quote for install is freaking me out. The boiler input is 1,500,000 btu/hr and the output is 1,237,500 btu/hr. The quote for install (piping, condensate return system, etc.) is $70k. This quote does NOT include the boiler itself and seems excessively high to me. Am I on to something or am I just naive? We're soliciting bids from other mechanical contractors right now, and I'm hoping to see a much lower number, but I'm not sure what to expect. What is a realistic estimate?

Here is a shot of our floor plan -- you can see that the boiler (number 56) is fairly close to the brewhouse and the HLT (number 10). This doesn't strike me as a particularly complex job, which is all the more reason that the $70k quote seems excessive.



Matt

[Brewdawg75]

70 K is ridiculously high, our install with a short condensate return run like yours as well as RO2 water feed and carbon filtration as well a feed tank was well less than 15 grand but we did all of the plumbing ourselves. If you can handle plumbing and rent a pipe threader do it yourself and save a ton of dough shop around those guys are overcharging you.

[Matt@Bauhaus]

70 K is ridiculously high, our install with a short condensate return run like yours as well as RO2 water feed and carbon filtration as well a feed tank was well less than 15 grand but we did all of the plumbing ourselves. If you can handle plumbing and rent a pipe threader do it yourself and save a ton of dough shop around those guys are overcharging you.

It seems ridiculously high to me, and it's reassuring to hear that you share that view. Unfortunately, we can't do the piping ourselves without a license in Minnesota. The only exceptions are if you are piping your own personal residence or if you register to be an "unlicensed individual." You need to have demonstrable experience in order to have your registration to be an unlicensed individual approved, and, unfortunately, we don't have much piping experience. Still, I'm confident that we can get much lower bids from other contractors.

[scmorgan]

In O you cannot self install or do plumbing, it is highly regulated. Ours is $35k which 2 other contractors came in at the same price. We have a short run and there is no building required around the unit. Worst part is a 40 foot roof, the flu has to be stainless and cost a fortune.

[Matt@Bauhaus]

In O you cannot self install or do plumbing, it is highly regulated. Ours is $35k which 2 other contractors came in at the same price. We have a short run and there is no building required around the unit. Worst part is a 40 foot roof, the flu has to be stainless and cost a fortune.

$35k AUS is still expensive, but it's less than half of what we were quoted for boiler install. We have 30' ceilings, but I think we'll be able to vent out the side of the building at a much lower cost. I was actually prepared for a boiler install quote of between $25k-$40k, but $70k is, as I said in my OP, freaking me out!

[BrewinLou]

Sounds high, price it out to other companies. There are a lot of mechanical companies out there and they will travel to a job.

[rudge75]

As the others here have stated, that quote is ridiculous. Your expected estimate sounds more reasonable. This is why you need 3 quotes for every trade job in your place.

[Matt@Bauhaus]

I actually spoke with some similarly sized breweries in our area the other day about mechanical pricing, and they indicated that their mechanical/plumbing pricing was less than half of what we were quoted. We're seeking bids from the contractors they used and hoping for much better pricing.

[scmorgan]

On our services (CO2, water, Glycol) we had 3 quotes, one starting at $90k, the other at $60k and 3 seperate contractors at a total of $37k. Needless to say we went the 3 separates and the job was done in no time.

Seems like a lot of 'we practice the dark arts' with the boiler install though; our installer would be right at place in the Guild of Wizards in a Pratchett book ...

Scotty

[Eclectic Ales]

That's a crazy price! I had my 5bbl system done recently and they charged me $9500. I though that was even a bit high since it was such a short run of pipe but it looks like its the norm. Contractors like to charge a premium for commercial work.

[Natrat]

Having said all of that, a good install, boiler included, for that range (1.2-1.5 million BTU) including insulating pipe, condensate returns, water treatment, and boiler room upgrades (such as a temperature controlled room air baffle) will usually cost 80-100k when the dust clears.

Last one I was part of cost 98K with a Fulton. You don't want to know the quote on the Miura.

[Matt@Bauhaus]

Just wanted to follow up on this thread to provide an update. We did some shopping around and ended up accepting a proposal for the following scope of work: boiler install (including insulating pipes, condensate returns, water treatment, etc.), brewhouse piping and cold room mechanical. Total price for this scope of work: <$75k. The boiler install was just over $40k, much more in line with my initial estimates. Just another reason to get multiple quotes!!

[uptown brothers]

Just wanted to follow up on this thread to provide an update. We did some shopping around and ended up accepting a proposal for the following scope of work: boiler install (including insulating pipes, condensate returns, water treatment, etc.), brewhouse piping and cold room mechanical. Total price for this scope of work: <$75k. The boiler install was just over $40k, much more in line with my initial estimates. Just another reason to get multiple quotes!!

dumb question, does that also cover any part of your glycol chiller plumbing? I didn't see any mention of "cellar" but some functions of the glycol system might be included under "brewhouse piping" or "cold room mechanical"....at least to this noob.

[pintobean]

We assembled our boiler and did all the piping and controls ourselves. I welded up all the piping...it pays to be handy (and a mechanical engineer). I was also an ASME certified welder for pressure vessels in the past. Our whole install including the boiler and piping cost less than $10k. It was a 800 MBTU boiler for our 15 BBL system.

[kappyk66]

For you DIYers

How did you size your steam lines? Our initial quote for install was $71K and I nearly laughed the guy out of the building. We've got brand new equipment coming from a very reputable company which means we've got the plans basically laid out for us as if it were paint by numbers... Part numbers for valves, traps, etc, etc, etc... All they have to do is size the supply and return lines based on distance.

Now I've got 3 other quotes coming in besides the $71K guy. But I'm thinking if I can figure out the sizing for the supple and return that I could crank it out in a few days. If we get a reasonable quote back I'll probably just use that for expediency... But at this point it doesn't hurt to have a fall back plan. I'm handy. I've run lots of NG black pipe and have plumbed more stuff than I care to admit, can weld, can fabricate. I just don't want to screw up and go too big or too small.

20BBL brewhouse(not even 10 feet from the boiler), 60 BBL HLT (40-50ft from boiler), 1,200,000 BTU boiler.

Any advice?