Heating Help

Latest Intrepid/EZ-Gas Steamer

The old one was a Slant/Fin Galaxy with a rating of 325 square feet. Can't find the Before pics, but it was piped in with 2-inch (rather than 2-1/2") copper and wired with Romex, and it didn't even have a boiler drain installed. The house has 382.5 square feet of radiation, and the Galaxy heated the house real slowly. But it wasn't rotted out (yet)- just way undersized.

The new Intrepid is a 4-section, chosen because the owner wants to add some radiators where none exist. It's down-fired a bit, but still can build about a pound of pressure when all the rads are fully heated. We've decided to include the acoustic cover on all our EZ-Gas installations- it really muffles the roar.

We replaced an underground return on this job, and found the old one was in bad shape. We also rerouted a radiator runout that had been added to serve a first-floor bathroom, but was run past the boiler to the main on the other side. That rad took forever to heat when it heated at all, even with a wide-open Heat-Timer vent on it. You can see the tee we added for it in the top right of the first pic- now it heats properly with a Hoffman #40 vent.

Gordon has named our 4-foot pipe wrench "Skuld".

The chimney needed attention on this job- "All About Chimneys" handled that for us.

Dead Men Live On

I love the natty apron and the old-timey facial hair!

That is a Very Gracious Way

of saying I needed a shave and a haircut! ;-)

The use of an apron is very deliberate, for just the very reason you like.

It also keeps the clothes from waring out prematurely.

Thank you for your kind words

Skuld.....

Is that from getting in the skull with it too many times.  We regularly call ours the "Headache Makers".  Just replaced the jaws on mine....gets real interesting when it slips on a 6 inch CI fitting!

Before pictures

Here are a couple of before pictures.

Thanks, Rob!

nm

Sight Glass Fittings

As always, two of my pet peeves on sight glass fittings are the "brass" slip washers and the "drain valve".

If you take the "brass" slip washers out and put a magnet to them, they stick.  I called  Combraco about this and the poor guy who answered the phone got an ear-full from me when he insisted that they were all indeed pure brass. 

I insisted he get a magnet and test them himself.  To his credit, he did.

"Hey, you're right, they're not brass!"  "How did THAT happen, I wonder?" 

Yeah, I wonder.  China?

"So.... what difference does this all make?" you ask, reasonably.

None, I answer, none at all....No, 'tis nothing, 'tis something...unless there is a leak, then the "brass" rusts and binds to the brass nut and wipes it out, too.

And not to mention the deception and petty chicanery when you go and buy a hundred of these washers from the local supply house and the written description on the package says "brass" bold as.  Funny brass.  Funny magnetic brass.

The counterman shrugs.  "Dude, that's what I got.  You want it or not?"

Not.

All Steamed Up, Inc custom ordered a thousand of pure brass sight glass washers because we've got OCD.

And then there is the sick joke of a drain valve on these sight glass fittings...but that's for another day.  Skuld protect us.

Fantastic!

Nothing better than a good professional install.   Equal or better to the manufacturers minimum piping requirements.  

Many Thanks

for your words of praise, sir!

nice job guys

Hey, are they offering the Intrepid in Direct Vent yet for steam?  I see they have it for hot water.  Why not steam?

Thanks-

Not sure

but you could use a power-venter if needed. That said, both direct-vent and power-vent add complications that you don't have with a chimney. 

just called

no, i have a power venter because of caved in chimney.  I was looking to get rid of the power venter somehow with direct vent.
-
I called slant-fin to see if their Intrepid Direct Vent was approved for steam (its currently approved for hot water), and they said 'No'.  The tech guy could not tell me why though.  Something along the lines of 'its too hot and doesn't work well'.
-TomM

-
Sorry to steal the thread.  Carry on..........

Sight glass

Steamhead, what is the hose doing from the bottom of the sight glass ? Are you skimming from that point rather than the skim port?

That's

to blow down the sight glass, to keep it clean without taking it apart. The hose goes onto a small ball valve. 

I like

the sight glass blowdown idea!

As always you two do great work.

Frank and Gordo ,

Your work still brings a smile to my face !!  great job guys !! as always :-)

David
aka DrPepper