Heating Help

Thanks

@ January 5, 2011 9:09 PM in Maple Syrup

Thanks for the links, very informative.

Maple Syrup

@ January 5, 2011 8:11 PM in Maple Syrup

 How would I determine the optimum firing rate for an oil burner on a maple syrup evaporator?
No more wood fire for this farmer, he just bought a new evaporator that has a burner. I have not seen it yet. He says it will fire between 2.50 and 5.00 gph.
He asked me to determine the most efficient firing rate and adjustment. This thing is supposed to have all the bells and whistles. It has a secondary heat exchanger right near the flue as he explains it, if I understand correctly.
Maple syrup traditionally was a 40:1 reduction. Now he has a reverse osmosis thing that reduces it to 18:1. The sap gets collected with vacuum pumps now. 
Sounds like he has shelled out some serious coin on this stuff.
My theory is if the firing rate is too high I will have a high stack temp and be wasting fuel. Too low and I will be burning fuel and not getting it hot enough to evaporate quickly? How would you find the most efficient firing rate? Oil is over three bucks a gallon here.
Maple syrup must be denser than water? Does it take more heat to evaporate than water? Wish I could call my cousin the science guy.
I was hoping to show up with some knowledge when I go to set this burner up. The sap is already running, He will most likely be starting up very soon. I really don't know anyone I could ask. My brother used to make syrup be he used cords and cords and cords of wood.
Bill Nye

Did you ?

@ October 25, 2010 7:30 PM in Seeking contractor recommendations

Did you check the find-a-contractor page ?
http://www.heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor

A night out w/Dan Holohan

@ October 15, 2010 9:36 PM in A night out w/Dan Holohan

The Eastern Connecticut Chapter of the National Association of Oil Heat Service Managers ( NAOHSM) and Grasso Technical High School are proud to sponsor speaker and writer , and your host here, Dan Holohan.
 October 26, 2010 Tuesday 5pm-9pm @ Grasso Tech 189 Fort Hill Rd. Groton, Ct. 06340
 The Eastern Ct. chapter sponsors the hvac and plumbing class at the tech school. The trade and students are welcome. A $59.00 donation will cover the cost of a sit down dinner provided by the culinary students and attendees will be able to hear Dan speak about heating systems from around the world.
Profits will benefit Oil Heat Cares
Tech school students and members of the trade are welcome. 
contact John Harland 860 917 0555 chapter president for more info
Bill Nye chapter treasurer

Warm Start ?

@ June 16, 2009 9:54 PM in Tankless + Booster + Cold Start?

I am not an advocate of cold start because I service oil burners for a living. I see the damage it causes and the extra effort needed to clean it. I like "warm start", anything above 100° F. I did a boiler with my brother at his house. I took out an old Burnham V-34 and "restored" it with two new tankless coils, a new burner and controls, and a new combustion chamber. We piped the coils in series into a "used" system 2000 storage tank. The 8124 maintains 120° on the boiler and when the storage tank aquastat calls a switching relay starts the circ pump to the storage tank and starts the burner through ZR. There are 6 people in the house, never a hot water issue. Since my Dad owned the house I think they went through at least 5 oil fired water heaters.

rods and chains

@ June 6, 2009 9:43 AM in off topic - maybe?

I found this, http://www.math.ucr.edu/home/baez/inches.html I remember reading about early surveying and was amazed at the task of map making etc.

Only because

@ May 31, 2009 7:49 PM in Your personal heating system?

Only because I got a "deal" on every thing is the only reason I could afford it. I had forced warm air with an ancient Hallmark with a 1725 burner. I swithced to hydro-air and a free W/M boiler. Currently I have a Viessman BEA-29 Vitola with a Riello burner. I have the Viessmann indirect DHWH. I kept the hydro only because of the A/C but now have hot water baseboard. It is radiant panel aluminum. I also have radiant floor with Heatway entran tubing. I got a deal and it works. I also have the Tri-matic control on the Viessmann, outdoor reset. No thermostat indoor yet, maybe next year. It has been nine years and the indoor sensor has been installed for five years maybe I'll hook it up this fall.

Holiday week end

@ May 20, 2009 10:22 PM in Working Hard? Hardly Working? (OT)

Memorial day coming up. ............... The ones I enjoy the most usually involve holiday week ends, alcohol, brothers-in-law ( or some other relative ) water front property or vacation homes. Makes for some interesting service calls

bird decoy

@ May 17, 2009 11:23 AM in Solar Clothes Dryer ?

I just have to wash and wax my car and park it outside, the birds will leave the clothes alone. I Know !

My wife

@ May 16, 2009 6:31 PM in Solar Clothes Dryer ?

My wife wants a solar clothes dryer. I put it off for too long. My excuse was that I was doing research. I looked in my customers back yards, I asked my brother, my cousin, my neighbor, and co-workers. I searched the internet and even tried to find some of those old Hippie magazines from the 70's. My electric bill is too high, everytime I bi--h about all of the lights that get left on, the clothes line subject gets thrown in my face. I wanted to go from the back step to the garage with pulleys ( most practical and efficient in my opinion) but she vetoed that. Any experts? not so experts?................. This may have to go down tomorrow. How may feet between poles? 20? What is the best quality rope? Stretch proof, rot proof? How deep to bury the poles?North -South, East-West ? I have 42' of 1-1/4" galvanized sched. 40, thinking of using that? Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated, I only want to do this once. I know this may not be a DIY project but I could not find a professional in my area. I do have experience with a shovel, I used to be a plumber.

9.6

@ May 15, 2009 9:52 PM in those !^#%$!#-* milwaukee

Back in the late 80's I had the 9.6 Makita tools. Don't know how we ever lived w/o them. Battery life wasn't all that great but as long as you had a "good" one you could be charging the other one. I did the Dewalts for a while. The batteries held up but the tools didn't last. I always had Milwaukee power tools (corded) and also 12, 14, 18, and 28 volt. I had several sets stolen. I had trouble finding batteries andd chargers for the 12 volt. I use it for sheetmetal screws in duct and smoke pipe. Last a long time between charges. The 18 volt really hasn't been bad. They did have trouble with batteries, had some recalls. When I was doing new construction we drilled a h--l of a lot of holes for water pipe and heat pipe. The sawzall and circular saw were awesome for roughing in A/C. I had a complete 28 volt kit and a 18 volt kit plus a 3 bay charger and a radio and a new 18 volt circualr saw one week old all stolen. Along with a hole hawg , right angle drill , 2 sawzalls, and a chop saw. I guess some one neede them more than me. I have the 28 v impact wrench and a sawzall now. They work great, but the batteries go stone dead in about two days even if you don't use them

28V

@ May 13, 2009 9:58 PM in those !^#%$!#-* milwaukee

The 28 volt batteries are worse! They will go dead in a day w/o even using them.

Alan's Birthday

@ May 11, 2009 4:20 PM in Let's all wish Alan Mercurio a HAPPY BIRTHDAY

You know, come to think of it , It is "always" Alan's birthday every time we go out to dinner at any trade show. Some one tells the waitress it's Alan's Birthday and he gets a free desert and the girls sing happy birthday!

Wow !

@ March 15, 2009 10:33 AM in Dan on a Bus

There's Scott Kneeland , John Harland and his lovely companion Lynn!! Not too early to start planning for 2011, wish I was there. Was Dan trying to get everyone to sing ? He does that sometimes on a bus ride.

Wow

@ March 10, 2009 8:28 PM in 20 yrs ago

I started my oil burner career 20 yrs ago this year ! We had a recession in the new construction industry 20 yrs ago in the 1988 -1989 era. I was a young hot shot plumber - heater contractor then. I had 5 employees and 4 trucks. I just bought a 1989 Ford F-350 with a 9' body and 60 payments. Then the bottom fell out of the housing. Not so much different from now. I laid every one off, made payments on the truck that sat in the driveway and took a job with one of the big oil companies in my area. In 1986 if I could start the job right away it was mine. Money wasn't as important to the builder as "when can you start". That was the eighties building boom. In retrospect, I make more money now, have less headaches, no truck payments, and health insurance ! Life is good. Now I am replacing the equipment that was installed back then

warm start

@ March 10, 2009 8:17 PM in Tankless to Cold Start

How about warm start ? Turn the aquastat down to 110 -120° ? I like to see the boiler have a "running start" instead of trying to "catch up". But that's just me. You want to pull one of the wires out of the white aquastat block on your 8124 or 8182. I forgot which wire.Sorry I didn't help.

People skills

@ January 27, 2009 8:47 AM in Dear Old Dad

Thinking back. I remember when my dad had a customer hanging over his shoulder he would hand the guy the tools and said, "here go ahead,if you're so smart, do it yourself" Or there was the time the guy didn't pay for his boiler. After a year or so (don't recall the details) Pop wrapped a chain around his boiler and dragged it out of the basement and down the street one Saturday afternoon. He never got paid , but the guy didn't get a free boiler. those were the days before lawyers got so involved. {ps he didn't disconnect anything, just yanked it out} He told me "Don't get old , you're not gonna like it". I know his regrets were that he didn't take time to hunt and fish more often when he was younger. Bad knees and a bad hip forced surgery and early , 62 or 63? retirement. He had a helper to do all his "running" and kept working. He couldn't get around in the woods but he had Moose tags in Maine just last year.

Pop

@ January 26, 2009 9:01 PM in Dear Old Dad

My dear old Dad passed away today. He was 78. He had cancer. I saw him at Christmas, he didn't look so great. He went downhill real fast. Pop was a plumber, he was in the Marine Corp. and he served in Korea. He received a purple heart. He taught me the plumbing trade. I rode in an oil truck he was driving when I was 2. It must have got in my veins. He worked for the same builder for almost 30 years. They must have built over a thousand homes. He was tough , but fair. He could yell from sun-up to sunset. He never had a pager or a cell phone. He loved to hunt and fish. He was also a friend of Bill W. I am not sure of the exact number but he was married to my mother for approx 60 yrs. Yeah, were gonna' miss him.

EVER HEAR

@ October 23, 2008 8:32 PM in EVER HEAR OF \"BELKNAP RADIATOR VALVE\"?

of the caps lock key , it is on the left side of the keyboard

Jim

@ October 14, 2008 12:10 PM in power venter

Jim, the week before there was a couch leaning against the powerventer, the one in the picture was three days old. I did NOT stage the picture

smaller pumps

@ October 14, 2008 7:15 AM in Every picture...

I changed a few. This house probably has a mile or more of copper tubing. I think the 3/8" copper may cause some serious resistance to flow. I guess you would have to see it.

I told them 3X.....

@ October 13, 2008 10:09 PM in power venter

Some people just won't listen........... Moved everything away on Friday, this is what I found on Monday ..... !