Heating Help

put it on a two wheel

@ April 11, 2013 11:04 AM in SF TR50:New water level vs. Old

hand cart and lower it one step at a time.

fix the bad traps

@ April 11, 2013 10:56 AM in Water shooting out of main vent

not to be glib, but that's where to start.

also thanks

@ April 7, 2013 9:40 AM in Vibrating Munchkin boiler???

for the update. People often disappear and we never find out if the problem is fixed or not.

any idea why the swirl plate

@ April 6, 2013 10:09 PM in Vibrating Munchkin boiler???

was bad? Glad you found the issue.

first off I do not notice this but it could be

@ April 6, 2013 9:54 PM in Why Does Steam Heat dry out the air More than fin tube elements??

due to the higher surface temperature of the radiators.

Chris that made me laugh

@ April 6, 2013 9:41 PM in brazed fittings ok for oil line?

Legal and state property does not mean legal. We once were looking into a  smell complaint and found the state employee had installed a propane water heater to replace an electric water heater and vented it the same way they vented the electric water heater. 

In MA with our cold water temps

@ April 5, 2013 9:16 AM in Does an indirect HW heater make sense with steam boiler?

I have good results with and indirect. Boiler does not need to get up to steam temps to heat water heater. No need for larger gas lines, and meter. It also keeps the boiler exercising all summer. Also the indirect has very low jacket loss and a very high capacity.  

only place I have seen brazed oil lines

@ April 5, 2013 9:11 AM in brazed fittings ok for oil line?

Has been in Massachusetts Commonwealth owned buildings. They often used it for 3/4" oil supply lines coming in from their underground tanks. The headquarters for D.C.R.  in Pittsfield, MA has them.

how does the steam boiler

@ April 5, 2013 8:59 AM in Radiant off steam boiler

compare to the EDR of the steam emitters? Being a SGO3 it may not have the power to maintain steam and heat the zone. Heat loss calculations and radiator surveys need done. If you have the btu's then you can come off the same everhot and use a 3 way mixing valve for the radiant zone.

location of vent?

@ April 5, 2013 8:40 AM in Water boils into pipes.

If the main vent is right at the end of the pipe at a vertical drop it will be prone to spitting and even spurting water. Main vent should be 12" OR MORE  back from a change in plane for the return.

Many failures I see

@ April 1, 2013 10:21 PM in Question about leaking 8-year old Burnham steam boiler

are based on poor installation or system maintenance that leads to either an unstable water line or excess fresh water usage. Photos of the current piping would help as the cost does not matter if you have to keep changing the block every 8 years be cause it is piped poorly.

One sick child

@ March 30, 2013 10:07 PM in Backflow preventer with vent

Have you seen a truck loose it's brakes on a long hill and crash? They build run away truck ramps yet it hardly ever happens. One sick child, one dead person, these are not worth a hundred flooded houses. Do you not think that we have few cases because of the codes we have?

Dan you are one of the exceptions

@ March 29, 2013 8:35 AM in copper press fitting question

You and your company carry the pride in workmanship forward as the system parts change. How do you like the Aquatherm? I know the tooling is not cheap but the labor does seem like it would drop. I am also thinking 8" Aquatherm would be a lot easier to deal with then iron. The fused tees look promising too.

here is the MA reps page

@ March 29, 2013 8:30 AM in copper press fitting question

they have many links. http://nextgenenergysolutions.com/?cat=1

Yes I know they are safer

@ March 29, 2013 8:18 AM in Backflow preventer with vent

I have seen many checks and double checks fail to prevent reverse flow. The vent does get peoples attention most times.

It is Climatherm for steam

@ March 28, 2013 9:48 PM in copper press fitting question

I was using Aquatherm generically. Aquatherm is for potable water use. Guess I need to get familiar with the proper terms.

Ron I respectfully disagree

@ March 28, 2013 9:46 PM in Backflow preventer with vent

I think a flooded house is much better than a sick person.

They were not wrong with the other changes

@ March 28, 2013 2:57 PM in copper press fitting question

There has been a constant downward spiral of tradesman like behavior as each step of progress comes and goes. PVC let many dolts plumb that would have been scared off by lead and oakum. Copper sweat let people cram in things that would have been done better in threaded brass. Propress is just another way for labourers to do the work of tradesmen. I use PEX because I can not compete with the cost of it otherwise. I will get certified for Aquatherm because I do not want to have to turn down work because it was installed with it by another and now they need it installed right and are calling me. Will I use it for steam? Heck no! Not until I see it 20 years old and holding strong. The progress in the trades is to make it so a few people make a lot of money from the sweat of the many.

Did you check the chimney?

@ March 27, 2013 3:31 PM in bad burners???

Was a liner installed? Is the chimney blocked?

never mind press fittings JUST A RUMOR

@ March 27, 2013 3:24 PM in copper press fitting question

Aquatherm has been approved for use in Mass and it is approved for low pressure steam. Plastic steam pipes just when I finally got a nice 6" gear head threader. Guess I will get some poses with it for the Museum of Ancient history. Why bother with copper when you can use plastic everywhere now?

TURNS OUT AQUTHERM IS NOT RATED FOR STEAM. IT MAY BE USED IN CERTAIN CASES FOR CONDENSATE. NOT FOR LIVE STEAM THOUGH.
This is why I need to go direct to the source no matter how certain the salesman for the wholesaler is about a product.

The original water line

@ March 27, 2013 3:11 PM in Determining water line in already installed Steam boiler

means nothing as you do not have that boiler anymore. You need the system to work with your current water line. That level you know.

Ron two questions

@ March 27, 2013 3:06 PM in Backflow preventer with vent

Why was the vent not piped to a drain or a safe location where spillage could be seen but cause limited issues? We use catch pans and drains for any system not in unfinished space.
Why did no one shut off the valves when they saw the water leaking?
one reason vented BFP are used is they let you know a bad condition is occurring so you can address it.