Heating Help

Pumping Away?

@ October 14, 2011 1:31 PM in Do you laugh or do you RUN!!

It looks like the flue connector goes into a flexible flue liner - with a high temp caulk seal.
At least the pump is set up for "pumping away!"

Another One - geez

@ April 29, 2011 3:37 PM in Another One - geez

http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2011/04/29/2-dead-after-suspected-carbon-monoxide-poisoning-in-upper-darby/

Creative solution...

@ December 29, 2010 2:41 PM in Creative solution...

...to that pesky placement problem!

Ugliness is only skin deep

@ December 13, 2010 4:48 PM in Ugliness is only skin deep

This beautiful Arco was found in a Philadelphia row house during an energy audit in 2008 - still running!  Any old-timers  recognize the nameplate on the conversion burner?

My Delco's Uglier Than Yours!

@ December 9, 2010 11:15 AM in My Delco's Uglier Than Yours!

This one's from 1938 (estimated) and at 1.5 gph was more than twice the capacity that this house needs.

Nope.

@ April 3, 2010 9:40 PM in At a University Near You

This is a private school. We were called in to talk a look at the energy use in some of their "smaller" buildings.

At a University Near You

@ April 2, 2010 12:45 PM in At a University Near You

Place: 100 year-old frat house at a major university
Heat source: university steam loop
Scene: spring break - house unoccupied for 10 days
Temperature ouside: 35 degrees
Temperature inside: 90 degrees
Controls: T-stat with inoperative motor valve - stuck open!
Most interesting feature: radiator at 200 degrees next to window airconditioner at 58.5 degrees.  Radiator winning.
Energy cost: $19,000/year for steam; $18,000 for electricity
Number of frat houses at this institution: 35
You do the math!

Now I'm really worried!

@ April 1, 2010 4:17 PM in Now I'm really worried!

I just read the "article" that Dan posted about do-it-yourself circulator pump sizing. Is that for real?  Please tell me that it was a joke.  Then maybe I can laugh.

You bet!

@ March 31, 2010 12:25 PM in Price has no relationship to performance

Cast iron rads work beautifully at lower temps.  My home system was orginially gravity (converted to pumped hot water in the 30's), so it was set up to use cooler water.  The radiation is about twice what would be needed with water at 180 degrees.
I now use a modcon with outdoor reset.  The system target temps range from 100 to no more than 150 (at zero outside).  Heats well and is very comfortable.

Steam Control

@ March 8, 2010 1:04 PM in Thermostat or not?

You don't say whether your question comes because of problems you have heating the building, but I can imagine that there may be comfort problems with a single thermostat controlling the boiler, plus individual radiator controls. 
 A single thermostat can sense temperature only in the zone where it is located, thus the cycle length is dependent on what is happening in one zone only.  Others zones may not get the right amount of steam.
The pressuretrol controls the burner, and keeps the steam pressure between high and low limits during a steaming cycle.  It has nothing to do with the length of the cycle per se.
Where you have many independent zones,  controlling the boiler  with a device such as a "Heat TImer" may serve better.  A device like this is a cycling control that bases the steaming cycle length on outdoor temperature: the colder it is, the longer each heating cycle is.  The radiator controls will then vary the steam to the radiators to control indoor temperature. 
With a cycling control you can get additional goodies, like night setback and morning boost.  Make sure the installer knows how to set the unit up properly, and you'll be all set.  It will be helpful if you understand the control basics as well, to be able to make adjustments to tune the control to your building's characteristics.
http://www.heat-timer.com/En/ProductDetail.aspx?Id=5
.

Hybrid Water Heater

@ March 1, 2010 2:14 PM in on demand gas water heater with integral tank?

[url=http://eternalwaterheater.com/]http://eternalwaterheater.com/

You don't need GPS with stupid criminals

@ February 25, 2010 1:04 PM in Plumber’s GPS ,1 / Thieves, 0

GPS?  You don't need GPS when a stick shift will do:
[url=http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20100108_Fed-Ex_truck_carjacked_in_Center_City.html]http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/20100108_Fed-Ex_truck_carjacked_in_Center_City.html

Maybe yes, maybe no

@ February 8, 2010 8:51 PM in boiler in a vacum

A steam boiler that runs a vacuum in a system not designed for vacuum risks sucking make-up water in through the check valve, producing a flooded boiler.  I've seen this happen in two-pipe systems with zone valves that shut off all the mains when there is no call for heat.  The fix is to install a vacuum breaker above the water line to relieve the vacuum.
One-pipe systems with main and radiator vents should never run a vacuum.
See "The Lost Art" for details on vacuum systems.

Header Size

@ February 5, 2010 1:47 PM in Weil Mclain install pics for your opinions

Since no one else has weighed in yet, I'll take a stab at it.
It's very hard to see all the details of the setup from your pictures, but it looks to me like the header piping is the same 3/4-inch size as the zone piping.  Those zone pumps are rather large, and may be in intense competition when both are running.  This could cause poor distribution and lots of flow noise.  In addition, the pumps are both mounted too close to the header tees.  There should be a straight run at least 10 pipe diameters long between tee and pump flange for best pump performance, mininmum noise and maximum pump longevity.

Fuel oil mistake

@ February 4, 2010 11:58 AM in Fuel oil mistake

Today's sidebar has a news item about a driver delivering oil to a house will no tank - filling the basement with oil.  Everybody wants to string up the driver, but who was the idiot that left the fill pipe in place after the tank was removed?  The Scully fitting is still there for crying out loud!  I hope nobody on this Wall who is doing gas conversions is leaving the old oil piping.  This is just courting disaster as todays news post shows.
This unfortunate event took place in Bethpage. I wonder who's house it was.  Say...doesn't Dan live in Bethpage?

Fuel oil mistake

@ February 4, 2010 11:58 AM in Fuel oil mistake

Today's sidebar has a news item about a driver delivering oil to a house will no tank - filling the basement with oil.  Everybody wants to string up the driver, but who was the idiot that left the fill pipe in place after the tank was removed?  The Scully fitting is still there for crying out loud!  I hope nobody on this Wall who is doing gas conversions is leaving the old oil piping.  This is just courting disaster as todays news post shows.
This unfortunate event took place in Bethpage. I wonder who's house it was.  Say...doesn't Dan live in Bethpage?

Water Heaters

@ May 14, 2009 4:13 PM in Conventional Hot Water Heaters

Try this link: http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=water_heat.pr_help_me

Neutralizer Size

@ May 6, 2009 4:49 PM in Neutralizer designs?

Has anyone checked what the pH of the flow is coming out of one type of neutralizer vs another? How large should it be (and how many pounds of chips) does it take to neutralize the condensate from an average modcon? Judging from the pictures you guys have posted, I'm beginning to think I may be making the neutralizers too small.

BCAM

@ April 30, 2009 12:55 PM in Flir camera question (gerry gill)

Our home energy auditors use the BCAM SD, and it is a great piece of equipment, in my humble opinion. There are enough features that it takes awhile to learn it all, but you can just pick it up and use it for basic scanning without too much training. Now, if they could just get the price down!

I know there's something this reminds me of

@ April 3, 2009 12:28 PM in check out these pics

Oh, yeah: my old F-150 plow horse

Thanks for all your help

@ March 27, 2009 2:26 PM in W/M Gold Oil \"Burping\"

I appreciate all the posts. This boiler was a brand new design in 1995 (I got the second one in the county) and I know the settings have changed somewhat since then. It came with a 1.00 nozzle @ 100 psi. I downrated it to .85 a couple years later and tried a number of nozzles, but it seemed to work best with a 90 degree. (Flame would not stay on the head with an 80) I never tried raising the pump pressure. Will try that now. The real question for me is: What changed in the last couple of months to make this burp/hiccupp start happening? And to answer your questions: Pump pressure steady, vacuum zero, head/electrode settings at spec, draft .03 over fire, combustion numbers normal, stack 385, smoke 0 to trace.

W/M Gold Oil \"Burping\"

@ March 26, 2009 2:19 PM in W/M Gold Oil \"Burping\"

I installed this W/M Gold Oil 3-section boiler in 1995, and it has been running the current setup since '99: AFG burner,.85 90 degree nozzle and delay oil valve. It has been running well all this time with annual maintenance, and only 2 service calls: for pump and xmfr. Recently it has been "burping" on start up. When the oil valve opens, the flame lights off immediately, then drops and comes back 1 to 3 times before becoming completely stable. The burping is more severe when the boiler is cold. And yes, it's causing some accelerated sooting. It seems the AFG is not able to hold the flame in front of the retention head at light-off, which leads me to believe there is excess pressure in the chamber at light-off. But why? I checked the breeching and flue for blockage - OK; changed the nozzle; and pump pressure is steady at 100 psi. Everything else including draft is normal - and exactly as it has been for almost 10 years. One clue (maybe): if I open the inspection port, then start the burner, there is no burping - just a puff of exhaust out the port - as you would expect. Any of you great burner techs out there have some ideas?