Heating Help

We found..

@ December 10, 2007 1:06 PM in Is there any hope..rad wont heat all the way

1) It's rarely the radiator pitch that causes a few rads to be "slow." 2) It is frequently the main vent size and location that is a culprit. 3) If there's poor or no insulation of the main(s) that's ALWAYS problematic! 4) Cheap brands of air vents come as one size fits all. Unfortunately, all rads most distant from the boiler are prone to balance issues when that kind of vent is used. 5) Few realize you can force more steam to cold rads by reducing vent orifice size(s) on warmer rads. Also, always have the smallest orifice on the rad affecting the 'stat most. This assures all get warm before the boiler shuts down. 6) Many balance issues are the result of aassuming more presure will reduce the problem. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Whattaya think now? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

How about a low...

@ December 10, 2007 12:59 PM in Questions from neophyte

resolution digital photo? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

The chemicals you added...

@ December 10, 2007 12:57 PM in two pipe steam

are what? We found automatic feeders to be inherently problematic. The reason? They are on timer pumps. The timers are set at a specific interval of say twic e aday, for say 30 seconds pump/run time. In fall, the pump puts in the same amount as dead of winter; resulting in huge overdosing and the resulting priming and srging you now experience. In dead of winter, that same pump rate will leave the boiler vulnerable and corrosion will accelerate. The solution? Stop plugging the chemical feeder into the wall outlet and tie it into a spare relay contact that will only actaute the feeder when the boiler is on! You have no feeder? No problem. Dump half the water in the boiler, don't add anymore chemicals and see if it quiets down. If so, you have the wrong chemicals or too much of the right one. I urge you to dump the entire boiler, fill it with clean water, add 1 cup of TSP per 100,000 BTU's of input, almost let it steam, dump and then rinse the TSP and see what happens with no chemicals or detergents in the system. If the water is stable without bounce or LWCO fake out, the problem is certifiably too much chemical or the wrong one. Let us know what develops. Show this post to your chemical guy. If he doesn't "understand," find a new chemical guy. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Vertical \"trap\"?

@ December 10, 2007 11:55 AM in Limited space for replacing vertical vents ... what to do?

Sound like someone had a bunch of vertical vents and simply added a short nipple and elbow to alter the 1/8" thread in the rad to vertical and then used a vertical vent. Gorton also made and probably still makes vertical mounts (most of their main vents already are), but why wouldn't you simply remove the nipp and ell and just screw the Gorton vent directly into the radiator? The term "trap" assumes a puddle of water somehow, That is NOT what should be there. Is the problem simply my misunderstanding of your choice of terminology? Or is there really a "trap" between the existing rads and the vents presently installed? A digital photo may be worth 1,000 words? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Okay,

@ December 9, 2007 7:43 PM in Hydronic Baseboard Design

The answer is to simply use higher output BB. Weil McLain used to make a decent looking slightly larger than "standard" HWBB unit. Running 180 average water would produce something like, 800 BTU's/L.F You're close enough for 95% of all winter if you get that oversized higher output HWBB and I'm sure others beside W/M make the stuff. The length, with 3/4 PEX or C for 30 out, 30 back, and 30 more for the to and from boiler takeoffs is well within the ball-park - of working with ~20dT with a middle sized wet rotor like the ubiquitus 007. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

U talkin'

@ December 8, 2007 9:45 PM in Pay average

to me?? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

He's kidding,

@ December 8, 2007 9:12 PM in Pay average

I hope (;-o) To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

P404 -what?

@ December 8, 2007 9:10 PM in Honeywell Pressuretrol Setting

The suffixes numbers define the model nuances. What are they? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Move.

@ December 8, 2007 9:05 PM in Pay average

Everyone else from Maine does. Don't forget to turn out the light. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Warren,

@ December 8, 2007 9:03 PM in Steam Heating Help NJ

It doesn't look that bad to me... A few dumb things like the vent pipe being bent to form a water trap is a no-no. Changing it out will improve the efficiency by a very small margin. Too small to justify a switch now, unless the boiler's leaking internally. Stop with all the chemicals! Clean it with TSP after rinsing all that junk outta there and rinse it again. Let's see what happens when all the junk's out of the water. If that fails, call Palmer in Clark. They do a lot of work in Morristown. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Too many variables...

@ December 8, 2007 8:54 PM in Hydronic Baseboard Design

But one glaring shortfall is the 30 feet of HWBB for a 24,000 BTU load Unless you're using High Output commercial fin-tube, you can' get more than ~ 600 BTU's / L.F. The 30 you're suggesting would only make 18,000 - leaving you shivvereing and turning blue. Unless, as I said, you chose commercial fin/tube radiation or something besides plain-jane HWBB To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

In Maine?

@ December 8, 2007 8:49 PM in Pay average

$12.00 an hour if you're good; you'll have to pay part of the bennies. Anywhere else, double it. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

I left an hour ago...

@ December 8, 2007 8:41 PM in Cost of Oil

Should make the second set at the jazz club... Save me a decent seat up front. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

They lied!

@ December 8, 2007 9:16 AM in Cost of Oil

I have no friends, and you know how people who hang out at bars are. After the third beer, don't trust a word spoken... Was the bar heated with a wood stove BTW? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Perhaps you could...

@ December 8, 2007 8:46 AM in how to pipe inside wood boiler to existing boiler

prevail on both a boiler manufacturer and the stove maker to provide piping schematics that meet either's "standards." You are not the first, nor will you be the last to conjur up dual fuel arrangements. If nothing comes up regarding your specific sititaion, look at drawings for multiple boiler installs and modify what wood can and can't do - and come up with a piping schematic - subject to the on/off limits of wood burners. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

No tool required.

@ December 8, 2007 8:40 AM in what tool ??

Simply be certain the receiver is spotless, the nipple as well, use a small but even coat of Never Seize on both surfaces and insert one end of the mating surface, maybe a block of wood to set one side, being sure to make it square (as opposed to cocked) and place the mating section in place and join via the tie rod or if none extsts, a clamp large enough to to squeeze the two faces flush - assuing complete engagement. Clamp might be blocks of wood on either side, and those pipe clamp type screw clamps, wood backed chain and come-along, any home-made form of "press," etc. The two halves must be pressed into place. This is no time for a hammer or beating. It's about constant, even, pressure over as large an area of the surface as practical. Having seen boilers and radiators taken apart and re-assembled or simply made as new at a factory, I never saw a "tool" that has the correct properties. Unless of course a press working on the two parts - not the nipple itself might be considered a tool... To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

That's strange...

@ December 7, 2007 5:06 PM in water coloum vs water gauge

They talk funny. I would assume exactly what you already suspect. Any way to hook 'em together or on a cosistant pressure; one's own mouth being a great source of w.c. range "tests" There' a gage glass (yes it is spelled gage not gauge) on very old equipment, water columns abounded. Hope that helps. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Three and a half days?

@ December 7, 2007 4:59 PM in Vitodens Parts Availability

And it still ain't up and runnin'? And, there were no holidays, Saturdays or Sundays to delay transportation? That's typical I suppose. But certainly nothing to brag about. You don't suppose the issue being on "The Wall" had anything to do with it only being three-and-a-half days just to get the part now - do ya? Imagine where the cold homeowner would be had we not spoken. Pure conjecture. Isn't it? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

I suspect the two

@ December 7, 2007 12:28 PM in Cost of Oil

teenagers - when and if they ever leave home, could reduce your fuel consumption by 641 gallons! To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

OK. Hey Mark Hunt!

@ December 7, 2007 11:59 AM in Cost of Oil

Ever service wood stoves? Ever seen a creosote fire in a wood burner-chimney? Assuming you work on, install or serviced on a regular basis - both a few wood stoves and a ton of oil/gas heating systems, what percentage of the venting danger sassociated with wood fired vs. oil/gas fired equipment have you seen? Not the number per se; but rather the venting problems as a PERCENTAGE of all the installs of BOTH wood and conventional forms you have seen. I have seen three homes razed to the ground from badly vented wood stoves. No such tragedies with conventionals since coming here to wood-stove country (the percentage of wood vs. conventional being roughly 4:1 oil/gas to wood burning ratio). I heard of a family being killed from CO poisoning down near Burlington about 2 months ago, that one being the only fatality I heard of for conventional. Wood stoves are like cats. You never notice the perpetual stink in the house if you happen to own one. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

I completely agree...

@ December 7, 2007 10:46 AM in Near Boiler Piping -Please see pics

with David's post above. You have done wonders with what you have; tweaked that puppy to near perfection with the boiler already in place and the fact hat the boiler has only 75MMBTU input and yet two risers, may be why it runs so well, despite there being a counterflow potential, which by-the-book is a no-no. Let that sleeping dog lie. Years from now, when you have reason to replace the boiler itself, then is the time to pipe it properly. Stay on top of water quality, blowing down the LWCO when it's steaming once a month or so and it'll run forever. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

I was thinking of a System 2000 but...

@ December 6, 2007 10:19 PM in Cost of Oil

found the anchor for my 14' fishing boat after all, the S-2000 was undeeded. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"