Heating Help

Battery backup

@ August 29, 2011 11:09 AM in Sump pump without electricity

You may want to consider the battery backup pump they can be mounted by way of a saddle just above you pump operate off of a car battery which is kept charged by a trickelcharger monitor. Which has LED lights that light to show the pump has run so you know to check you main pump for problems.

Boiler Bypass

@ August 29, 2011 11:02 AM in Boiler Bypass

Bypass location on hot water boiler. Is it best before or after the pump? I've seen drawings both ways. My thought is you can get better mix control after the pump. Do you agree?

freezing split

@ July 5, 2011 8:52 PM in Frozen split

On many of the units you need at least 12 feet in front of the unit so cold air doesn't bounce back to the coil. Brand X was using an over sized condenser coil a fee years back. 68 degrees was fine if it was above 80 outside. But get below 70 degrees you needed a low ambient kit or they would become ice machines.
    A properly built and installed unit should have no problems. With the exception of the possible window conditions mentioned before.

Indoor coil

@ July 5, 2011 8:44 PM in Need Leak Finding Help

How clean is the indoor coil? Are the returns sized right? Are any blocked? If the coil is freezing up it will look like it is under charged. Adding will make it work sometimes, but when temperatures and humidity and load conditions change so will the charge look low or high. Also is there anything in the system that can block metering device (piston)? I have seen systems with contamination in them work fine under low load condition. But under high load and longer run times the contamination would block the piston and the system wouldn't cool. Under low load when the compressor shut off the debris fell away from the piston and the system cooled when the compressor restarted.

RTV

@ July 5, 2011 4:21 PM in gasket material?

If you use RTV coat one side with cooking spray. Makes for easy disassembly.

Webinir

@ July 5, 2011 3:50 PM in Taco 5000-2 Mixing Valve

Try this link. Join the neighborhood and John will send you invitations to join. I took to liking them.

http://flopro.taco-hvac.com/index.html?action=pr_login_fp#

Seal Material

@ June 14, 2011 4:13 PM in Homeowner

Kaowool good up to 2300 degrees. Available at SiD Harvey 1" X1/4" 300 foot roll Part # 633-90 Kaowool # 9501. A good contractor who services boilers should have it on the truck. You pretty much can't do a lot of boiler service work with out it. Some guys will use the fiberglass rope. I carry both on the truck.

sand hole

@ June 14, 2011 1:13 PM in sand hole

I have an elderly lady with a steam boiler approximately 20 years old. Has a drip from the center section looks like a sand hole. I remember when I was young the old timers using boiler seal. Does anyone know could this be a lasting repair?
   If not is it feasible to replace a section on something that old?

Wash

@ February 2, 2011 1:29 PM in Gurgling Continues / Pressure Reading "0"

1.)Pour it in the easiest opening. The relief valve is usually the easiest.
2.)I would put the valve back for safety.
3.) I drain off through the skim port to get the gunk so it doesn't stick to the side if you drain too much.
4.)With the water trickling watch the temp gauge and keep the temp above 180 or close to that if you can. After the water runs clear I drained the boiler and refilled it.
I was taught to keep the water flow about half the skim pipe no more so the oil doesn't stick on the sides of the opening. No hoses or elbows leave the water fall into a bucket or drain.  PS: with the boiler overfull you may have to turn the pressuretrol up to 1 or 2 to get it to fire then turn it back to (.5) after you start draining the water.

BE VERY CAREFUL OPENING THE SKIM VALVE!!!! Try to stand behind it so you don't get splashed. We don't want to hear your in the burn center.

wiring

@ February 1, 2011 11:08 PM in BF3 Post purge

My training manual says for post purge remove the sub base to ensure proper wiring. white (motor) wire on #12 with yellow wire from AL1009. Attach gray wire from AL1009 circuit board to #7. Blue wire ( oil valve coil) on #11 with one of the blue wires from the AL1009 CB. Attach the remaining wire from the board to #2. Take either red wire and place it with the blue wire on #6. A continuously powered wire must be run from the service disconnect to the remaining red wire to provide power for proper operation.
Note if equipped with K7R Module the black wire entering the module connects to the wire from the disconnect and the red wire for continuous power.
Gray and white wires from K7R connect to 'L' and 'N'.

Steam and millivolt

@ February 1, 2011 10:12 PM in running boiler in a power outage

I have a millivolt gas valve on the shelf next to the boiler. If it looks like the power will be off for a while. Disconnect one union, thermal coupling and 2 wires. Spin the valve off and replace with the millivolt valve on have a burner tube with the pilot and powerpile on it ready to go.

#5 expansion tank

@ February 1, 2011 10:02 PM in If I had a (water) hammer

How would a #5 expansion tank work? The ones we put on water heaters when we install the back flow presenters. They have a bladder and air cushion. Wouldn't that act like a large hammer arrestor?

Shopvac

@ February 1, 2011 9:49 PM in Small service vacuums and compressors.......

Shop-vac makes a little 1 gallon unit. I like it for clean the gas boilers and small pickup jobs. I use my soot vac for oil. If I'm doing a job where I'll be making a mess. I put my 5 gallon Shop-Vac on the truck.

used

@ February 1, 2011 11:52 AM in found two vaporstats which to buy?

If it's used. Why was it removed? Does it work properly. Will you have the problems the guy who tried to salvage one from the garbage did. If it's off a working boiler that was replaced maybe worth the effort.We usually don't replace them if they are working properly. So used, could mean problems. You need to ask why it was taken off and where it came from. We salvage pressuretrols when we change boilers from oil to gas. Vapor stats usually don't come OEM so usually get reused if good.

Squick

@ February 1, 2011 11:26 AM in Gurgling Continues / Pressure Reading "0"

Squick is a good product. I absorbs the oil and caries it to the bottom of the boiler and help to dry steam.
    If it were my boiler I would use the Arm and Hammer washing soda or TSP product, skim, flush the boiler then add the Squick.

Squick

@ February 1, 2011 11:26 AM in Gurgling Continues / Pressure Reading "0"

Squick is a good product. I absorbs the oil and caries it to the bottom of the boiler and help to dry steam.
    If it were my boiler I would use the Arm and Hammer washing soda or TSP product, skim, flush the boiler then add the Squick.

Socket

@ February 1, 2011 9:38 AM in Gurgling Continues / Pressure Reading "0"

Me I would go to my tool box and pull out a socket either 3/4 or inch drive to fit. For you it's probably cheaper to go to the grocery store and get a box of Arm and Hammer washing soda. Mix a cup full with some water pour it into the boiler. Fill the boiler up so the water is above the top of the boiler run the boiler to get it to the boiling point shut it down and open your valve and proceed with skimming once the water gets down to that level. Keep firing the boiler on and off to keep the water hot till it runs clear. I'm quit certain you'll get a lot of globs of oil and black gunk. Bigger pipes work better for skimming, but a little detergent with what you have should get the job done.

Skimport

@ February 1, 2011 9:10 AM in Gurgling Continues / Pressure Reading "0"

The skim port needs to be at the top of the boiler with NO obstructions, ie; bushings, reducers, valves must be full port. Otherwise the oil will catch on the bushing and stay in the boiler. When your skimming the water should be1/2 pipe level coming out. Don't leave the boiler sit 20 minutes. If you keep the port open and run the boiler turning it off as soon as the water coming out starts to sputter then fire it back up in a couple of minutes it should loosen most of the oil. At this point I would try the Peerless method. It's been once and done the times I used it.
Try skimming it with an 1-1/2 open nipple then cap or plug the opening and see what happens. PS: turn the pressuretrol to it's lowest settings. (.5) (1/2) with a (1) differential

Many causes

@ January 31, 2011 11:07 PM in Primary lockout

The burner should be checked for proper fuel pressure, the transformer tested. the eye checked is it less than 1500 ohms when it's firing?. Is the flame clean? Is something causing a smoky flam? Do you have an air leak allowing air in the line when it's off long periods? How does it start when you push the reset? Is it a clean instant start?
I had one where it turned out to be the aquastat. Sometimes the contact didn't close cleanly and gave enough voltage to start the primary but not enough voltage to turn the burner motor. Good luck..

Many causes

@ January 31, 2011 11:07 PM in Primary lockout

The burner should be checked for proper fuel pressure, the transformer tested. the eye checked is it less than 1500 ohms when it's firing?. Is the flame clean? Is something causing a smoky flam? Do you have an air leak allowing air in the line when it's off long periods? How does it start when you push the reset? Is it a clean instant start?
I had one where it turned out to be the aquastat. Sometimes the contact didn't close cleanly and gave enough voltage to start the primary but not enough voltage to turn the burner motor. Good luck..

Pressure/air

@ January 31, 2011 10:33 PM in baseboard heat 180 degrees not keeping house warm

Is there enough pressure in the boiler to push the water high enough to fill the system? Is theeree air in the system? Is there a valve partially closed? If it worked before what changed?

Pressure/air

@ January 31, 2011 10:33 PM in baseboard heat 180 degrees not keeping house warm

Is there enough pressure in the boiler to push the water high enough to fill the system? Is theeree air in the system? Is there a valve partially closed? If it worked before what changed?