Heating Help

Lots of 10 year heaters

@ February 7, 2012 3:30 PM in Do people really change anodes?

have only a piece of paper that calls them a 10 year now Bob, I just found that out a few years ago, they no longer install the second anode rod. So now for X dollars you get a warranty, and a stick and it is now a 10 year heater.

One note on the radiator

@ February 7, 2012 2:55 PM in Identify This Annoying Sound

with the current location of the air vent the radiator is not working with a full usable volume of steam. This may have been done on purpose since it is a small room. The steam will short circuit across the top to the vent and close it before all the air is vented out. Glad your migraine is gone. As for covers they can reduce or increase the output of the radiator. If you do a search on "The Wall" there are many threads about them. I recommend against their use in general.

Nothing on the market

@ January 15, 2012 8:04 PM in condensing boilers

As said it would require another heat exchanger to reach condensation and this would  need placed in the return water to be of any use. The combustion gases would also need to follow a top down path with the hottest gases at the top of the boiler and them exiting low in the colder water of the return.

Do the Powers valves

@ January 13, 2012 10:26 AM in I am stumped....

have limit screws for high temp? I am not familiar with Powers, Symmons is king in my area for shower valves, They have a set screw. The fancier Symmons tend to lock off to cold if they are not used for a few days, I know I have 2 in Da's house. Doing it by the numbers I would say is how you will solve this. One thought is there a valve on the return piping that could have dropped a gate?

Looks like

@ January 12, 2012 12:41 PM in Boiler block cracks

2 risers are 2" maybe only 1 1/2" If they are 2" they are 25% too small if one 3" is called for. Small pipe means high speed steam sucking water out of the boiler. The piping on the returns makes it hard for the water to come back to the boiler. Active waterlines make for boiler cracks, to keep it simple.

DO a heat loss

@ January 9, 2012 6:12 PM in Oil Boiler to Electric Boiler

of the building. Just as you would for any other boiler change out.

My comments apply to one pipe systems

@ January 9, 2012 5:44 PM in Any effects on NOT insulating dry returns?

Jamie has a vapor system and his dry returns see much less heat than you have in a one pipe system.

One reason I have been taught to insulate returns

@ January 9, 2012 5:42 PM in Any effects on NOT insulating dry returns?

Carbonic corrosion. the more the water cools the more carbon dioxide it can absorb and therefore the more corrosion that can occur. There is also the heat loss to the basement and the need to raise the water from a lower temperature to boiling during a heating cycle. That said few returns get insulated. If you can afford to insulate them I say do it. It can only help.

Price is one thing we do not discuss as

@ December 23, 2011 11:19 PM in Currently, gas radiator steam heat - considering switching to hot water heat

it is a big world and different areas have different costs related to working there. WHat region of the world are you in?

If your contractor is calling it a furnace

@ December 23, 2011 10:45 PM in Currently, gas radiator steam heat - considering switching to hot water heat

You need to find another contractor. Steam can be as high as 85% efficient and will not require all the pumps and wiring hot water systems need. The 95% efficent boiler will only be 83% efficient if the water temps are not kept quite low. This means lots of radiation to utilize low temps.

Plastic putty knifes

@ December 23, 2011 11:58 AM in Methods for Heat Exchanger Cleaning?

all the hardware stores have them for $1-$2 a piece. I was told spray it down with mineral oil and then fire it briefly, then rinse. I will be using Marks idea. I had bent my tube at a 90 and pinched the end mostly closed.

Equalizer, Hartford loop??

@ December 23, 2011 12:23 AM in inefficent oil boiler replacement??

The old snow man boiler they replaced never had  one why should they have one? Please note I am being sarcastic. The "main" vent is a 33 which is the same size we use for TRV vents. also the vent is right at the end of the dry return, right at the water hammer cross road. Looking at the boiler I would keep the system repairs simple for this winter and get things lined up for a new boiler when the weather breaks. Do you have natural gas available

Try to tighten them first

@ December 22, 2011 10:30 PM in breaking loose steam traps

After heating and waxing tighten them just a bit then loosen them.

Try to tighten them first

@ December 22, 2011 10:30 PM in breaking loose steam traps

After heating and waxing tighten them just a bit then loosen them.

I wonder if the high pressure

@ December 22, 2011 10:13 PM in Help setting proper pressure for steam boiler.

is due to the lack of radiative surface area, so they cranked the pressure to try and get more btu's from each square foot. The vents are most likely rated no more than 3 pounds of pressure.

Do you have any other radiators?

@ December 22, 2011 10:09 PM in Help setting proper pressure for steam boiler.

or baseboard. What you list is about 22kbtu's of heat and your boiler is 170Kbtu's. That's some way over sized boiler. Does the house heat up?

It is not ideal but it will function

@ December 22, 2011 9:59 PM in Old Steam system

There is a slight loss in heating rate when piped this way.

I had a similar issue

@ December 22, 2011 12:20 PM in More Draft With Damper Closed

a customer had a liner installed on a Buderus and I was scratching my head as the draft was not consistent, Some days it spilled others it ran fine. I even wrote in here looking for help. Turned out the 6" liner the chimney guy installed was a 5 1/2" liner. also turned out there was nothing wrong with the original chimney aside from the tiles the chimney guy broke out to install the liner. The end of the story was liner was removed, chimney was repaired, and the boiler runs fine now. I would double check the liner size.

I agree with Steamhead, low water pressure.

@ December 22, 2011 12:13 PM in No Heat Out of One Radiator

The use of automatic vents is also an indication that there is a problem with air. On hot water convectors I use only manual vents to prevent air from reentering the system. You say the northeast I do service a fairly wide area of the northeast.

You say you have hot water heat.

@ December 22, 2011 7:58 AM in No Heat Out of One Radiator

 Can you post a photo of your radiator?

One last point for the original poster

@ December 22, 2011 7:50 AM in inefficent oil boiler replacement??

It is no problem for your oil company as they reap the rewards of that boiler. I have serious doubts as to how well it is tuned if he thinks 68 is ok. If you do not get a new boiler you do need a new service person. It is costing you $6 for 140000 btu's of heat, roughly. Compare this to $4.50 or less for 140000 btu's of heat from a new boiler that is 85% efficient. This is not taking into account other ways to save your oil like using an indirect water heater as opposed to a tankless coil on the boiler.

Also if the venting is poor

@ December 22, 2011 7:42 AM in inefficent oil boiler replacement??

that is like driving with the E brake on for the whole trip.