Product Review: Dunkirk Helix Boiler

Share With:

Hurricane Sandy hit the North East on October 30, 2012, which damaged thousands upon thousands of homes in the Rockland County (NY) region. Basements were completely submerged leaving homeowners stunned and hopeless. We were getting tons of phone calls from our customers, hoping we could revive their heating systems!  On many accounts there was no hope what so ever and BMC Plumbing and Heating Inc needed a plan. Customers whose homes were located right on the Hudson River needed to re-evaluate their heating system options. The main concern for many was to install another boiler in the basement and be hit with another super storm, only to wash it away again. I quickly suggested to some of our customers the Dunkirk Helix, wall-hung boiler. Not only is this unit space and energy friendly, but also plumber friendly! You certainly can’t beat that!

Space Friendly
“Ok, so you’re telling me that you can install a high efficiency boiler that will heat my home properly and it won’t be installed in the basement, but in my house?” You should have seen the look on her face when one of our customers said this to me. “Where exactly do you think your installing a boiler in this house?” Believe it or not, we found a way! We installed the Dunkirk Helix right in her laundry room! Positioned perfectly so the washer and dryer could still fit right underneath the Helix like a puzzle!  (see photo) The look on her face was priceless, relieved and very grateful that she never has to worry about her boiler becoming completely submerged again.

Plumber’s Friend
I know all of you plumbers reading this now are saying, “Sean, I know this may look nice and saves space, but I know whenever dealing with a high efficiency boiler there is always a ton of piping to install. Where and how am I going to install a primary and secondary loop in a closet-like space? You are out of your mind!”

Trust me, I thought the same thing when I was first introduced to this product, and boy was a blown away! Dunkirk carefully thought through this entire process. They took a good look at what was out on the market in terms of high efficiency wall hung boilers, they knew they had to design this product to favor the plumber.  There is no need to install primary and secondary pipe work because Dunkirk did all of the hard work for us.  They installed both primary and secondary pipe work inside the actual unit!  I couldn’t believe it!  It really is as simple as piping your Supply and Return with one pump, not two because the other is installed in the Helix already right into the boiler! This is a genius design not only for installation purposes but also servicing the boiler.  Dunkirk designed the Helix with the contractors in mind giving us ample room so we can fit our hands inside the unit in order to reach certain parts if needed. As far as the interface, it can’t get any easier! It tells you everything you need to know about the boiler with only a few buttons to push!  This Dunkirk Helix is without a doubt my friend for life!

As a plumbing contractor, I highly recommend the Dunkirk Helix wall hung boiler. Thus far the Helix has been headache free especially when installing.   It has truly been a life saver for our customers who endured this past Super Storm.  They now have peace of mind knowing they will remain warm, save money doing so and never have a flooded boiler again. Thank You Dunkirk!

Features include:

• Modulating condensing boiler with 5:1 turndown ratio
• Innovative 316L/444 stainless steel fin tube heat exchanger
• Built-in primary/secondary piping
• Factory wired and installed probe-type, low water cut -off.
• Corrosion resistant CPVC Flue Collector for long life
• Control features simple, plain English display, outdoor reset, priority domestic hot water and integrated multiple boiler control capability for up to 16 boiler modules.
• Simplified electrical connections with removable terminal block.
• Replacement ready with 1-1/4” piping connections and low pressure drop – no high head pump required.
• Jacket slides on and off for quick access.
• Wall-mount bracket included.

For information, http://www.dunkirk.com/product-details.asp?id=247

Review written by Sean McCormack, BMC Plumbing and Heating, Rockland County (New York).

 

Join the conversation: