Description

GSHA Services, LTD installs, services and repairs Peerless boilers, including the Series GM, in McHenry County and Lake County, IL, the northern and western Chicago suburbs and southeastern Wisconsin.

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What the Peerless Series GM is

The Series GM is a gas-fired, cast-iron, hot-water (hydronic) boiler. In a hot-water system a pump circulates heated water through radiators, baseboard or in-floor tubing and back to the boiler; in a steam system the boiler boils water and the steam rises through the pipes on its own. The Series GM is a hot-water boiler only, in every size. It is not made or rated for steam.

It is also a heating-only boiler. A combi boiler is one appliance that heats the building and makes domestic hot water; a tankless water heater makes domestic hot water only and does not heat the building. The Series GM does neither of those jobs on its own: for domestic hot water it needs an indirect water heater, which is an insulated tank piped to the boiler as its own heating zone, or a separate water heater.

Peerless (PB Heat, LLC) lists the Series GM as a current semi-commercial boiler for large residences and multiple or modular boiler applications. It is a non-condensing boiler. A condensing boiler uses a stainless steel or aluminum heat exchanger, reaches 90%+ AFUE by pulling extra heat out of the exhaust, vents through PVC or polypropylene pipe out a sidewall and needs a condensate drain, so it can sit almost anywhere a drain and a vent route are available. The Series GM instead vents through a conventional chimney with a vertical draft hood, so it must be placed where a sound chimney is available, and it does not need a condensate drain. If an older chimney is oversized or deteriorated, a chimney liner (a metal flue pipe run inside the masonry) may be needed for safe draft.

The heat exchanger is built from cast-iron sections joined with steel push nipples. Cast-iron sections tolerate high water temperatures and typically give a long service life when the system water is kept clean.

Who the Series GM suits

The Series GM suits large homes and semi-commercial buildings whose heat loss falls roughly in the 158 to 278 MBH net range, or larger buildings where several boilers are installed together. The right size comes from a heat-loss calculation of the building, its insulation and windows, not from the old boiler’s nameplate, because older boilers were often oversized. GSHA performs that calculation during the free on-site estimate.

Benefits

• Cast-iron sections with steel push nipples, a design known for long service life when system water is kept clean.
• Four published sizes and suitability for multiple or modular boiler installations, so a large building can be matched closely to its heat loss and heated evenly.
• Conventional chimney venting with no condensate drain, which keeps the installation simple where a sound chimney already exists.
• Spark ignition with a boiler reset control and low-water cut-off, plus flame rollout and vent safety switches, so the boiler shuts down safely if venting or water level is wrong.
• Hot-water operation that supports zoning: separate thermostats for parts of the building, each with its own circulator or zone valve, for even heat where it is wanted.

Sizes, ratings and installed price

PB Heat publishes ratings for four sizes, from 214,500 to 399,000 BTU/h input. AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency) is the share of the fuel that becomes heat for the building over a heating season; at 84% AFUE roughly 16 cents of every fuel dollar goes up the chimney. PB Heat publishes AFUE for the GM-e-05 and GM-e-06 only; the GM-07 and GM-08 are rated by thermal efficiency (80.3%) instead.

Model	Input (BTU/h)	Net I=B=R water (MBH)	Efficiency	Installed price
GM-e-05	214,500	158	84.2% AFUE	After a free on-site estimate
GM-e-06	268,000	197	84.0% AFUE	After a free on-site estimate
GM-07	342,000	239	80.3% thermal (no AFUE published)	After a free on-site estimate
GM-08	399,000	278	80.3% thermal (no AFUE published)	After a free on-site estimate

The input is the gas the boiler burns; the net I=B=R rating is the heat actually delivered to the radiation after piping and pickup allowances. Weight, water content and gas and electrical requirements are not listed here; see the manufacturer’s product data.

GSHA has no standard installation package for the Series GM, so no starting price is shown for this model: installed price after a free on-site estimate. Financing is available with approved credit.

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Specifications

Item	Peerless Series GM
Boiler type	Cast-iron gas-fired hot-water (hydronic) boiler, heating-only, non-condensing
Status	Current, semi-commercial (large residences, multiple or modular applications)
Fuel	Natural gas or LP gas
Sizes / input	GM-e-05, GM-e-06, GM-07, GM-08: 214,500 to 399,000 BTU/h
Efficiency	84.2% AFUE (GM-e-05), 84.0% AFUE (GM-e-06); GM-07 and GM-08 80.3% thermal / 82.5% combustion efficiency, no AFUE published
Heat exchanger	Cast-iron sections with steel push nipples
Venting	Natural draft to a chimney, vertical draft hood; vent connector 7, 8, 10 and 10 in by size
Ignition	Spark ignition
Controls	Boiler reset control with low-water cut-off; flame rollout and vent safety switches; 30 PSI relief valve (up to 100 PSIG option)
Dimensions	25-3/4 in deep x 35-1/4 in high; width 19-1/4 to 29-3/4 in by size; weight not published

Source: peerlessboilers.com Series GM product page and product data sheet. Fields PB Heat does not publish (weight, water content, gas and electrical requirements) are left out.

Installation scope and what changes the price

A Series GM installation is scoped on site because a large-residence or semi-commercial boiler room varies far more than a typical home. The items that set the final price are the chimney condition and flue sizing (vent connectors run 7 to 10 inches depending on size, and a liner may be needed), gas line capacity for a 214,500 to 399,000 BTU/h burner, piping and zoning changes, circulators and zone valves, expansion tank and air separation, water-quality treatment, electrical work, relief-valve pressure (30 PSI standard, up to 100 PSIG available), removal of the old boiler, permits and accessories, which are priced separately. The free on-site estimate lists all of this in writing.

Repair and service

If you already own a Series GM, GSHA Services, LTD repairs and maintains it. Common service items on a cast-iron chimney-vented boiler include the spark ignition system, the boiler reset control and low-water cut-off, the flame rollout and vent safety switches, the relief valve, the circulator, and the draft hood and flue connection. An annual tune-up matters because it keeps combustion clean, tests the safety controls, checks the chimney draft and catches small leaks before they damage the sections.

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Warranty

Manufacturer warranty: the Peerless commercial warranty document, which PB Heat links from the Series GM page, covers parts for one year and the cast-iron sections on a limited basis from the second through the tenth year, with registration required; labor is not covered. Peerless’s separate residential warranty document lists limited lifetime section coverage for one- and two-family homes, and PB Heat does not state which document applies to a Series GM installed in a private home. Ask us to confirm the applicable terms for your building before installation.

Peerless offers optional Extended Service Agreements through the installing contractor; ask us whether one is available for a Series GM installation. Any such agreement is priced separately.

GSHA’s Install-Right limited warranty is written into our residential installation packages. Because there is no Series GM package, any GSHA labor coverage for a Series GM installation is stated in the written estimate rather than assumed here.

Frequently asked questions

Do you install and repair Peerless boilers in my city?

Yes, if you are in McHenry County or Lake County, IL, the northern and western Chicago suburbs or southeastern Wisconsin. GSHA Services, LTD works from Woodstock and Lake Bluff, IL; check the service area page for the city and ZIP list, or call (224) 220-3660.

Can my existing Series GM Gas Boiler be repaired?

Yes. The Series GM is a current Peerless model and GSHA Services, LTD repairs and services existing units; controls, ignition components, safety switches and circulators are serviceable. A cracked or leaking cast-iron section is the main case where replacement is discussed instead.

What is the difference between a combi boiler and a heating-only boiler?

A combi boiler heats the building and makes domestic hot water in one appliance; a heating-only boiler such as the Series GM heats the building only. A tankless water heater is different again: it makes domestic hot water only. With a Series GM, domestic hot water comes from an indirect water heater piped to the boiler as a zone or from a separate water heater.

Is this boiler for steam or hot-water heating?

The Series GM is a hot-water (hydronic) boiler only, in every size. It is not made or rated for steam heating.

What does installation include and what can change the price?

Installation of a Series GM is scoped on site and written into the free on-site estimate. The price depends on the chimney and liner condition, flue sizing, gas line capacity, piping and zoning changes, circulators and zone valves, expansion tank and air separation, water-quality treatment, electrical work, removal of the old boiler, permits and accessories. There is no standard package for this model, so the installed price is given after the free on-site estimate.

When does repair make more sense than replacement?

Repair usually makes sense when the boiler’s sections are sound and the problem is a control, ignition, safety switch, circulator or venting part. Replacement is worth considering when a cast-iron section has cracked or is leaking, when repairs are recurring, when parts are hard to get, or when a safety inspection finds a venting or combustion problem that cannot be corrected. Age alone is not a reason: a well-maintained cast-iron boiler can run for decades.

What replaces it?

Nothing needs to: the Series GM is still in production, so a worn-out unit can be replaced with a current Series GM of the right size. For a single-family home with a smaller heat load, the residential Peerless Series MI-e may fit better; see the Peerless boilers page for current residential models. A heat-loss calculation during the free on-site estimate settles the size and model.

Does the Series GM provide domestic hot water?

No. It is a heating-only boiler. Domestic hot water needs an indirect water heater piped to the boiler as a zone, or a separate water heater.

Schedule service or an estimate

Schedule Boiler Repair | Request a Boiler Installation Estimate | Call (224) 220-3660

See all current models on the Peerless boilers page, the Boiler Installation hub and our service area. Related Peerless model: Peerless Series MI (discontinued, still serviced).