A few years ago we purchased a grand, 107 year old, 5,600 sq foot home in downtown Kelowna which we decided to utilize as a Bed & Breakfast. Our inherited heating system was a noisy, 25+ year old gas boiler and a large array of cast iron radiators that were at least that old, plus a more recent yet still dated large, electric water heater. While our cast iron radiators worked well, and we were getting the heat we needed, we grew concerned that our old boiler was nearing the end of it’s useful life. We couldn’t afford to be cold - not with rooms full of guests. We also weren’t sure how long our hot water tank would last, so our concerns were two fold.
We began our search for a reputable installer as we knew nothing about the available product options out there. We called pretty much everyone in town. Several companies came in - looked over our old system - and refused to quote, stating it was too complex. A couple did quote, but their prices were outrageous, and in the end we felt we were being fleeced. The search grew rather frustrating until we finally heard about and contacted John de Man from
De Man on Demand Plumbing. John immediately impressed us with his honest, professional manner - his prompt and courteous contact with us - and the fact that if he said he would call or show up - he did; and when expected. John reviewed our current systems in detail, admitted it was going to be a tough nut to crack, but he did a detailed evaluation, did his research, and presented us with solution options. In the end we chose to go with the Eco-King C200. This option allowed us to replace not only our out-dated, low efficiency gas boiler with a state of the art system, but just as importantly, we were also concerned about the longevity of our electric hot water system, and the size of our electric bills. We knew gas was a much cheaper option, and we felt the Eco-King C200, high efficiency boiler was the right answer for us. John told us how long it would take to install, we set aside time in our booking schedule, he got started and worked tirelessly to meet the timeline he provided to us. We had customers due in and we simply had to have heat and hot water. We did not want to risk loosing bookings, but even far more importantly, our reputation.
John really delivered. We couldn’t believe the power of the system, the small footprint - our old boiler and hot water tank took up a great deal of space - and it was so cleverly installed on the wall - out of the way. Admittedly, I’m a certified 3rd Class Power Engineer. Running large, commercial boilers is what I do, and I must say I was impressed with all the professional grade features of the Eco-King system. Frankly, it made me wish I had some of those features on my boilers at work! But to be honest, when John walked me through the system, explaining what each thing does and how I can make adjustments to the settings - I felt it was extremely use friendly. The systems I run are vastly different, but I was able to easily grasp the menus and quickly learn how to change the options.
If that was the end of our experience with John and Eco-King, we would have been impressed enough. But there is some truth in the fact that you never really know what level of service you are going to get, until you need it. As our house was old, and our cast iron radiators and the sheer volume of water in our piping is daunting, we knew that this state of the art system was going to need tweaking. John said as much, upfront. We had some challenges, the system needed some tuning, and true to his word John was there - every time. We’d call, he’d answer and either walk us through the adjustment or show up on a timely basis and perform the fix himself. John even offered, and we accepted, to drop in and check on our system when we were away; just to make sure all was as it should be.
At one point we seemed to have a recurring noise/vibration that was coming from the boiler. John tried several changes and configurations but we just couldn’t solve it. As John has an excellent relationship with the manufacturer of the Eco-King product line - Chad Euverman - he called Chad directly and discussed the challenges. As luck would have it Chad would be in town in the next few weeks and Chad set aside time from his schedule to visit our home and personally analyze our installation. That level of commitment to a product is rarely seen these days. We can attest first hand that Chad and Eco-King absolutely stand behind their products. We also learned after testing that our system was performing at a 97.5% efficiently level. That is simply outstanding.
In short order John and Chad were able to narrow down the probable cause, began to make adjustments and it was only after a few more visits from John that the cause revealed itself. It was a part that was just “failing” enough to give symptoms but not show itself to be the obvious issue. Finally, the part itself failed and John promptly arrived, diagnosed and replaced the part from his full repair kit within less than an hour. Today our system is purring, and working extremely efficiently. By replacing our electric hot water tank and inefficient natural gas boiler we have seen dramatic savings in our energy costs. Now not only do we have a state of the art system, but we enjoy peace of mind, considerable energy cost savings … and the $1,500 Fortis rebate on it’s way is a very nice little bonus earned by replacing our heating and hot water systems with the high efficiency Eco-King C200.
We can’t say enough good things about John de Man, and his recommended solution to our problems, the Eco-King C200. Thanks John!!!
