Heating Help

yup

@ March 6, 2010 9:26 PM in Do outdoor resets and tekmar controls really $ave money?

we finished one this fall for a small school. they wont tell me what their fuels bills were, but did tell me they saved twelve hundred the first two months over the old 180 degree system.  

any resloution?

@ March 6, 2010 9:08 PM in High Temperature hot water system

on the generators we have, which also happened to be six hundies, the solution was to pipe the outlet up to the supply piping so that the dissolved nitro will flow by instead of collecting, and install the low water cutoff in a tee fitting. sort of like a bypass line. as long as the low water cutoff is in the right elevation, it will work just fine.

triangle too

@ March 6, 2010 8:38 PM in Who's using what for 1.5M BTU commercial boilers

yeah, i like the triangles as well. we have done two small schools this year, both originally had a weil mclain 74 at 1.5 mil, and we replaced them with three triangle tube 399's as well. the last one is setup primary secondary with seven zones, two of which are air handlers, the rest fan coils. the owner is loving the improved comfort over the old setup running 180 degree water all year, and also the energy savings, which amounted to 1500 bucks the  first two months.

@ November 2, 2006 2:37 PM in Luxaire gas orifice change

you should be able to get this system in line using an analyzer. setting the gas to 3.5 isn't the answer. this is a starting point only and needs to be checked. even luxaire will tell you that if you ask. they assume that you already did that.

@ November 2, 2006 2:30 PM in not enough preassure

Wow, could it be dirty causing poor heat transfer? could it be leaking causing more load to be applied due to cold return? could it be a burner that is poorly adjusted, ie too much excess air? could the water side need to be cleaned causing poor heat transfer? could it be running at too high of a setting causing many issues? im done for now.

@ November 2, 2006 2:18 PM in hybrid sysetm

sales hype...this is a dual fuel setup heatpump with fossil backup. can be done with LP, natural, oil. these have been around for a long time. with the 410 the balance point is a bit lower. The new outdoor units have many features previously unavailable which take away some of the wiring issues and make for a cleaner job. switching can be done automatically in the micro now instead of the cumbersome old changeover panels.

@ November 2, 2006 2:14 PM in Need a manufacturer for a 1 1/2\" three way zone valve

honeywell absolutely makes one, but it may not be available from your local plumbing supply.

@ November 2, 2006 2:11 PM in Zoning a one pipe system in a church

steam zoning is done all the time. you need to think about where you install zone valves though. you will need a trap upstream of the zone valve to prevent the valve from getting ripped apart after long periods of closure. zone valves can be either electric or pneumatic depending on what is available.

@ November 2, 2006 2:08 PM in big problematic one pipe system

thermostatic air vents on rads? these can offer you two benefits, individual temp control and increase ability to vent. what about cycling of the burner? you need on/off cycles to make this work right. is this a real job or a pipe screen saver gone wild?

@ September 25, 2006 10:24 AM in anyone doing T Drill?

We first used a tee drill in the late eighties for a water source heatpump project. it was a high rise application, with roughly twenty units per floor. all joints do need to be brazed due to lack of getting a full cup. excellent time saving device once it was accepted. job is still fimne many years later.

@ September 22, 2006 1:29 PM in Pneumatic Thermostat System

pneumatics can be pretty easy to work on. the best way to find out what you have is to get the thermostat number off the thermostat. on honeywell stats the number is usually on a tag on the rear of the stat. on jci stuff its usually printed in small letters. this will tell you whether you have direct or reverse acting stats. then you can download literature on those to get calibration procedures from the manufacturers sites.

@ September 22, 2006 1:23 PM in Heating Options Seasonal Home

in my cabin in NE pa, i use electric oil filled baseboard. each room has its own system utilizing the new honeywell line voltage programmable thermostats. they are in the vision pro line. I also have two lp fired wall hung units that i use to preheat the home when i get there on friday night. I keep the stats programmed for fifty degrees all the time unless i am there. works well and very cost effective.

@ September 22, 2006 1:17 PM in Removing 80 year old radiator valve.

cut the nipple off. heat the fitting below the floor with a torch not the nipple. should come out. I use turbo tips for this as they have a concentrated flame that is much easier to direct around tight spaces.

@ September 22, 2006 1:12 PM in Glycol effect on boiler and heat exchanger rating

Ethylene or propylene? should be prop. typical concentrations range around 40% for protection unless you are in a really cold climate. to calculate you need to know concentration, then charge specific gravity versus water. your pump horsepower will go up due to more dense fluid, as well as heat transfer going down. typical results at roughly fifteen percent more or less.

@ September 22, 2006 1:06 PM in Gas vs oil efficiency

if you have a boiler THAT old, it was probably rated at net efficiency of roughly 50%. newer boilers are much more efficient. So far there isnt one that can be a true condensing type boiler using oil. the viessman approaches that possibility but isnt there. you may consider using a new standard oil boiler now to gain significant savings, but payback will depend on location, consumption etc. at nearly three bucks a gallon. you will see serious payback this winter. now if you go to gas, you can see even greater payback, less problems related to fuel delivery, less problems with firing, and better load matching.

@ September 22, 2006 12:57 PM in A question of balance

reverse return is a setup that allows the return loop of various loads to mix to allow for more even return temps. In essence you pipe the system so that the first panel supplied is the last panel returned. you do this by having a riser that start at the first panel, picks up all the next panels in the loop, then returns to the storage tank. if done correctly it will look as if there is a thre pipe system at the panels, the supply and reverse return water run in the same direction, until the last panel where the reverse return loops back 180 degrees and becomes the reurn with water running back the opposite way.

@ March 5, 2006 7:36 PM in Commercial Clients Acct. Rec.

this is getting to be a bigger problem it seems monthly. On average I have about 75k in receivables, most of which are nearing sixty days. my first approach is to remind them of the excellent service they receive at a fair price. this will usually move along payment, but if not they are told that they will not be seviced until payment is in full, then at that point they must go on cod terms for a year. after that its game on which would include liens, small claims court and letters to vendors who do business with them.

@ October 25, 2005 10:42 AM in How did the dead men build this one?

could it be that the sections were pressed together and the nipples were machined as an offset to allow this fine piece of art?

@ October 25, 2005 10:38 AM in Searching for Steam System Specialist in South Jersey

perhaps, but i do mostly commercial/industrial and dont want to get heavy into residential at this time, but if there is a customer who is truly in need and there is not someone else here to service them properly, i will work with them.

@ October 25, 2005 10:34 AM in hybrid system choices?

I am currently planning a replacement of a total system. this system is currently utilizing an old weil mclein oil fired boiler which also makes domestic hot water via a coil not an indirect. the hvac is accomplished using carrier air handlers with dx coils for ac and hot water coils for heating. in addition, there are two humidifiers and two honeywell air cleaners. my first option is to use an ultra oil boiler, new hydro air air handlers and an indirect water heater, with all new controls including outdoor reset. second choice is to use an ultra with LP and same setup otherwise. third option is to get rid of the boiler, use high efficiency LP furnaces and an electric hot water heater. this job is located in NE pa. looking for pros and cons. I do mostly commercial/industrial so i am looking for input from the guys who do resi every day.

@ October 25, 2005 10:26 AM in Searching for Steam System Specialist in South Jersey

if you'd like to give me a call you may do so at 267-278-0588. thx. we may be able to help.

@ September 15, 2004 9:04 PM in hydronic boiler flow control valves

i guess its easy to describe as a weighted check valve with a manual opener. when the pump starts, it lifts the check, when it stops it allows the check to return to the closed position. this keeps zones from receiving gravuty flow which could cause overheating, especially in mild weather. if you were to have some reason to not use the check valve, the manual overide on top will allow you to manually open the valve. this could come in handy during a power failure, you could open the valve and allow any heat left in the boiler to heat the house for a short period of time.