Heating Help

@ April 27, 2009 12:50 PM in Onix plateless vs. pex w/plates

Great thing on this forum is we get folks from all over the world. Tough thing is we get people from all kinds of climates. I know 15 BTU per sq foot would be a joke even in a super insulated house. So we need the BTU's for those cold February days. This is also why we use outdoor resets.

@ April 27, 2009 12:44 PM in Onix plateless vs. pex w/plates

Well the wood is less than 1/2" as opposed to 1 1/2" which many old homes have around here. granted any prodact can be put in bad if one works hard enough even Veissman can be a terrible boiler when installed wrong enough. With climate panels you better lay your loops out well too avoid too long of a run also. I still like it best.

@ April 25, 2009 11:34 PM in Onix plateless vs. pex w/plates

climate panels are my choice. the install makes all the difference. I am not even considering the possible gunking of onyx. why heat below wood layers if you do not need to? Hold a heater under a typical wood floor and see what you feel come through. Granted it gets a mite colder here than in Virginia.

@ April 25, 2009 11:25 PM in Woodya think of this? (ME)

http://www.lindsaybks.com/ Lots of books here about wood gas and gasifiers. Also steam engine stuff. got to love all things steam. One goal for retirement in 100 years from now is to have a steam powered sawmill. I will not actually build it but always liked the idea.

@ April 25, 2009 11:18 PM in WTB: 72\" Pipe Wrench

Dave do you remember the Scotsman's name? My Da was pretty good with wiping joints in his day, probably could still do them today. He used to wipe faucets onto water supplies back in the old country.

@ April 22, 2009 2:23 PM in what not to do

And yet we have all seen worse. I do not think the barometric damper was really needed there. I will bet with it fixed the head aches and memory loss with get better for anyone left still on this side of the sod.

@ April 22, 2009 2:18 PM in Your Ideas, Please

Are you using the boiler for domestic hot water? if so it will keep warm running the indirect. Poly and cement is better but running I think is best. For the drains I put them in. Drains work when air compressors do not. I had house to drain out during the ice storms and no power and half mile walk in to one of them . So dragging a gas power compressor was a no for me. drains worked out nice. I also install manual vents at the high spots saves a lot of time on late night calls when changing out a circulator or zone valve. Isolation valves are standard for all my installs too.

@ April 22, 2009 2:09 PM in Massachusetts continuing education

Got to do so go and think happy thoughts. I saw many guys who needed it so not a bad thing for them. I also see many guys who can not size a gas main but since we all have the license might as well try and keep us all up to code.

@ April 14, 2009 2:53 PM in 37 zones of radiant heat...(JohnNY)

Also perhaps the training you are pffering is not what suits the clients you are trying to reach? Many of us read a lot in our spare time as well as greatly appreciate well written I&O's.

@ April 14, 2009 2:51 PM in 37 zones of radiant heat...(JohnNY)

Heather please read the whole post. If you scroll down a few lines you will understand the handle.

Here is three gens of our clan.

@ April 6, 2009 7:46 AM in Faces with posts.

Pick me out!

@ April 4, 2009 1:41 PM in design question for pros

Clammy around here many design for 200 to 210 for water temps when bidding systems. Means short baseboard and almost no chance to use a ODR properly when changing in the future. We design for 180 max water temp for radiator and baseboard jobs. I also see many 120 to 140 degree radiant floor installs. Makes it hard to compare apples to apples when bidding. New regs will just mean more rules that wil be ignored.

@ March 30, 2009 10:33 PM in Workboots-OT

I prefer 6" American made boots (Wolverine or Chippewa) without steel toes as they tend to cut into my toes and I Had the misfortune of seeing one too many pairs needing cut off of folks who over estimated their protection rating. I also like boots with limited tread as when I go in and out of homes the ability to not carry 3 pounds of dirt in on the soles of my boots is appreciated.

@ March 30, 2009 10:25 PM in Steam to Hot Water Conversions

Lee going with new boilers, possibly 2 units.or four units 2 for each zone would be one way to get a grip on who is using what for heat. The multiple boilers would allow for a more accurate heat load match and also provide backup if a unit should drop in January at least the building will have some heat until it can be up and running.

@ March 27, 2009 3:32 PM in Bradford white Products

Out here I can buy Bradford white for the same or less than any other heater. Sticking with none box store units of course. For me it is a matter of who is closest to the job site, Bradford WHite or State. I like that Bradford White is wholesale or no sale.

@ March 27, 2009 9:34 AM in Buderus rads with pinholes

Mark you said at an earlier accelerrated rate, I am wondering if they have expected life span for these items? My father staunchly is against these panel rads as per concerns of this nature. I do prefer perimeter baseboard of good quality for hydronics, but i feel i am being a dinosaur untill i start reading posts like these.

@ March 25, 2009 2:26 PM in use condensate as baseboard heat

but it comes down to not getting what you didn't pay for. seldom are there many free heat ideas that actually work.

@ March 25, 2009 2:19 PM in Mothballing a boiler, literally!

Mark watch those ultra sonics. I had a customer who used them and a squirrel managed to enter the home through some loose hardware cloth. It acted as a trap door, it could get in that way but not out. the ultra sonics drove the squirrel crazy and it tried chewing through every window sill in the house to get away from the ultra sonics. By the way insurance does not cover rodent damage no matter how severe.

@ March 25, 2009 2:19 PM in Mothballing a boiler, literally!

> and I too was a skeptic, until I applied them and
> didn't find or see any signs of Mickey's in my
> two cabins, where before there was PLENTY of
> signs.
>
> I have a bunch of those inhumane
> sticky traps around and have not caught hide nor
> hair (pun intended) since placing the
> ultrasonics, so in my case, they worked. Now, if
> you have mice with small ears, or deaf mice, it
> may not work...:-)
>
> The bad thing about those
> stickies for mickey's is, that if you catch one,
> you have to dispose of it in the trash
> immediately.
>
> I had caught some mickey's on
> the stickies a few years ago, and had placed the
> capturies outside on top of my trash can so I
> could bag them for disposal later. When I went
> back later in the day to zip lock them for
> disposal, they were gone. Later that weekend, I
> saw a big magpie flying around with a white
> sticky stuck to it's beak!
>
> Whooda thunk!
> I now will zip lock them and dispose of them
> immediately...
>
> Bird was having a hell of a
> time flying ;-(
>
> ME

Mark watch those ultra sonics. I had a customer who used them and a squirrel managed to enter the home through some loose hardware cloth. It acted as a trap door, it could get in that way but not out. the ultra sonics drove the squirrel crazy and it tried chewing through every window sill in the house to get away from the ultra sonics. By the way insurance does not cover rodent damage no matter how severe.

@ March 22, 2009 10:38 PM in \"HoneyGirls\" new ride

Norm when is it getting upfitted? You know letter it get a ladder rack. Cross over toolboxes I better weil McLain will co-op you funds for lettering it. Cute photo!!

@ March 22, 2009 10:29 PM in Challenge to All on the Wall

ME I must say my favorite way to fix a radiator for a paying customer is to call Governale. Over the years I have been burned to many times trying to repair rads of customers I do appreciate the work taken to try and keep these parts of the past alive. One of the first jobs I had out of high school with Da was a dreaded steam to hot water conversion on a bid contract. Tainted me towards working on old rads. I will be reading this and enjoying all the work you guys do. I do wonder if copper plating would help seal the holes in an old rad.I also wonder if chrome plating would be helpfull for bathroom rads.

@ March 19, 2009 11:03 PM in Single Best Tool Purchase

They make an 8 foot rule I prefer that one as I do residential a lot so that covers me most of the time from floor to ceiling. Yep I am called a dinosaur for having a folding rule but when working alone it is nice to not need to hold the flopping end out there for an accurate measure. I actually prefer 16 foot for tape measures, less weight hanging on my belt. But single best purchase is my 12 inch knipex I stand by that.