Heating Help

If you put the boiler

@ March 14, 2013 11:13 AM in Backup boiler piping for solar drainback system

on the supply to the mixing valves. Then simple have the circ run after boiler shut down until boiler is below X temperature with the four way directing flow straight to tank it will store excess boiler heat post heat call. Keep it simple.

Tom aside from the wise cracks

@ March 14, 2013 11:00 AM in WTB: Ridgid 1210

I have been scanning craigslist with no luck near me. I know the Chinese ones sound tempting but for tools I need to work I would stick with Rigid or Rothenberger. Be patient and maybe get a rigid 700 for the mean time. between CL and ebay you should be able to find one.

You will rot out the baseboard

@ March 13, 2013 6:14 PM in Converting Closed Radiant BBoard to Potable HW

or cross contaminate the DHW. use a Heat exchanger, you families life is worth more then it costs I can promise you that.

Wow another boiler made in my fair city of Springfield, MA

@ March 13, 2013 4:37 PM in help with harvey whipple

So are you near Springfield?

has any one been near the boiler?

@ March 13, 2013 4:35 PM in help with harvey whipple

could be a valve was shut off. I have seen them clog shut but there was lots of warning. Is it stopped at all faucets?

If you take a deep breath

@ March 13, 2013 4:31 PM in adjusting the air on a power flame gas burner

grab a cup of coffee and grab a seat under a good light it is all in that manual. Read it step by step and do it by the numbers. I was sent to work on a power burner a decade, maybe two decades ago, with no back ground on these burners. In half an hour I had it lighting smooth and in an hour is was shifting from high to low and back without spiking the CO levels.

if it was a pressurized

@ March 13, 2013 4:25 PM in Backup boiler piping for solar drainback system

and super insulated tank you could pipe it for the boiler to be on the return pipe to charge the tank but it would be a waste of fuel. If you warm the tank then the sun comes out where do you store the solar heat if the tank is full of heat? you want only the system requirements to be drawn from the boiler with no excess go into storage as it is paid for heat. You want to leave the tank "space" for the "free" heat.

Keep it simple

@ March 13, 2013 4:21 PM in Backup boiler piping for solar drainback system

I would pipe the boiler in close tees on the supply side to the mixing valves. with a properly sized circ on the boiler flow rate should be covered with at most a manual mix through the boiler feed and return pipes. You do not want too much heat to get back to the tank as it is a big heat loss area.

Riello 40 series

@ March 13, 2013 4:12 PM in Oil Burner to Gas Burner

works nice on these size boilers.

all this time

@ March 13, 2013 4:04 PM in WTB: Ridgid 1210

I thought the 300 was the shoulder carry threader. They make lighter ones? too funny.

why a valve for each floor?

@ March 13, 2013 4:00 PM in Backup boiler piping for solar drainback system

are the required temps different for each floor? With variable speed pumps flow can be handled simply there.

the O2 infiltration

@ March 13, 2013 3:54 PM in pex on condensate loop

means gas in the water. Even though your system is open O2 matters. I avoid installing hot water loops above the water line. I also usually do not leave the room the boiler is in. If I need to go further I use a heat exchanger. Brazed plate would be fine here  and you could run it no problem with pex. Why not just change the 1" to 1 1/4"? And provide a drip before the riser to keep the condensate out of the horizontal pipe.

pipe the boiler

@ March 13, 2013 3:47 PM in Backup boiler piping for solar drainback system

with closely spaced tees on the system supply to the mixing valve. could you change the three way mixing valve to a 4 way valve?

slow venting on the baseboard heaters

@ March 13, 2013 10:25 AM in Steam Boiler Nozzle Size and Spitting Vents

and making sure the pigtail is clear and the differential is down to 1 on the pressurtrol will help in the mean time.

the GV locks out on safety

@ March 12, 2013 5:26 PM in New to the boiler scene

a lock out once a year is one thing. You needs to get the burner looked at. Is it firing on oil? The boiler could be dirty, out of tune or the chimney could be blocked.

Has anything changed?

@ March 12, 2013 5:21 PM in Steam Radiator problem

is this a new boiler? Is the boiler oil or gas? I have come across many underfired systems this year.

yes do away with air vent

@ March 8, 2013 8:34 AM in Adding baseboard steam rads: How?

How tall is the kick plate? As long as pitch is maintained offsetting will not be an issue. You could make an indirect radiator if you have the head room below the kitchen. You would need to build duct work and hang it from the floor joist. It needs a return and feed grill cut into the floor.

If you add baseboard

@ March 7, 2013 9:40 PM in Adding baseboard steam rads: How?

it should be piped two pipe. You can have the return enter an existing dry return if you do so with a water trap to keep the steam from entering the baseboard via the return. This also requires an air vent on the end of the baseboard. If the baseboard is less then 4 feet long you can pipe it simply as one pipe with a vent. It gets anchored directly to the wall.

Boilers only run

@ March 7, 2013 9:53 AM in Hydro-air

when you call for heat, just like the burner in the heat exchanger. size the hydro coils large for a lower required supply temp to maximize efficiency of the condensing boiler no matter the brand you use.

Wysteria Hurst home

@ March 7, 2013 9:12 AM in Radiant Tables in Greenhouses

In Holyoke, MA uses 4" bell and spigot for radiant heat in the greenhouses. Simple staple up on the bottom of the tables would work fine. If it is easier to add it to the top then the thin set concrete would work great. You can also use it with a floor sensor to run a propogating bed for seed starting.

New boilers and water heaters in MA

@ March 7, 2013 9:08 AM in Looking for feedback

for state and federal work are all condensing units. High efficiency sells at government level due to the fact they have little problem spending tax money for a future yearly budget savings. The question is going to be will they maintain them. It comes down to cost of installation to up grade. People do not get a ROI within the appliance life span and they have maintenance costs they did not have with a tank heater.

time for reality

@ March 7, 2013 8:59 AM in Rattling Copper Pipes - Arghhhh

The radiators are piped wrong. This makes me think the knuckle heading goes all the way back to the boiler. You have simply been labeled as a complainer by now by the landlord/super, and the contractors invovled. The idea of moving is a valid idea. The wasted fuel this system is burning is included in your rent, you are paying for this. I am sure you think the suggestion of moving is Mark being negating your problem. Mark does not seem to be saying that. All the posters know what needs to be done to fix this, including yourself. It needs done properly. Your choice now is to move or to get ear plugs. I think your complaint is valid but landing on deaf ears.