Heating Help

oil to gas

@ March 10, 2011 10:18 PM in Converting Old Thatcher Boiler to Gas?

I've only seen a couple of Thatcher boilers in my day and I personally would not convert it. Gas can save you money but only in an efficient boiler. The boiler certainly doens't care if the heat source is gas or oil as long as the BTU input is the same. Your boiler has outlived its expected life and you should consider replacement. The cost of conversion will go quite a way towards the replacement cost. The ultimate goal of conversion is energy conservation and increased efficiency....I simply don't see that happening with an old boiler like yours.

oil leak

@ February 25, 2011 4:36 PM in oil leak

Tehy caused it, they should pay for it. In Maine, we are bound to notify the DEP of ANY oil spill, no matter how small or large. Usually that will get the culprits on the move. Find out who insures the oil company and have your attorney put them on notice that you intend to take legal action. They certainly should pick up the tab if it was their fault as you say it was. Put a little pressure on your insurance agent. Covered or not, they should at least get you started in the right direction.

boiler controls

@ February 25, 2011 4:25 PM in Retrofit Boiler Controls

In my book, Tekmar and Heattimer are the best out there. As to the condition of the system, if it isn't up to par and working as best it can based on how it was designed and installed (assuming that was done correctly) all the best controls in the world won't help. A quality control like Heattimer that is disconnected is usually the result of poor control selection or improper installation and set up.
I have walked away from more jobs than I have done like this because the owner wouldn't listen to me. When you walk into a situation like this, you are supposed to be the expert. You are supposed to know more than they do, that's why they hired you...so act like it. Make the recommendations you feel will make the system work by doing your home work and then slowly back away if they don't want to spend the money to do it right. In most cases, you can put a short to long term plan together and prioritize the upgrade. Even if it takes a couple or three years to get it done, its better than taking short cuts to satisfy an owner or property manager that is so budget driven he won't listen to you.
Both TEKMAR and Heattimer have excellent technical support and will work with you to design a system that will work properly and show good operational efficiency and cost savings that can pay for themselves in a year or two if done correctly. Good luck.

igor in the basement

@ February 20, 2011 7:49 PM in Newly nervous

It certainly can be tough to tame the beast in the basement,  but you have to consider some things......#1 the system was probably way too big when it was installed, and #2 your trying to make it smaller without addressing the main problem.....the size of the boiler. It can be downfired somewhat and there are ways to make the system a little more user friendly, but you need some professional help. Find a good steam guy in your area and invest in some of his time to help evaluate the system and put a plan in place......Dan's books are great and have a lot of information, but in the field experience is needed also. Every system is different and needs its own plan for efficiency......you asked if a steam system can ever be efficient ??? You would get a resounding YES from us Wallies if you could hear us.....get some help and good luck.

hago ES

@ February 8, 2011 9:03 PM in Hago Nozzles are ES the same as B?

The Hago ES is a solid core nozzle but is not necessarily the same. Some burners simply like some nozzles more than others. Try it and set up your burner wtih instruments and you will know if it is "the same" in a hurry.

gas unit heater

@ February 8, 2011 8:28 AM in Unit heater- gas

With cost and operating perameters mentioned, the Empire is probably your best choice. Fits the job nicely. Not the most efficient unit but has installed tons of them over the years with good results.

burner short cycle

@ February 6, 2011 9:59 AM in Burner shutting on and off frequently

Could be the stat or the relay in the aquastat. If you have the knowledge and ability to do this without hurting yourself, shut off the power to the boiler and jump out the TT connection where your thermostat connects. Turn on the power. IF the boiler continues to short cycle, it's not the T stat. If it runs OK, then look at the stat.
IF the boiler continues to start/stop with TT jumped, most watch the gray relay in the aquastat, if it drops out and then pulls back in repeatedly, you need a new aquastat.
Please, if you are not comfortable or knowledgeable about electricity, you should hire a pro to do this for you. BE CAREFUL.

damper problem

@ February 2, 2011 10:13 AM in Draft Damper question

Teh function of that damper is to regulate the draft over the fire in your boiler. Wide open will draw more room air up the chimney and closed will draw more out of the boiler, which means more heat going up the chimney (this is all assuming you have good draft in the chimney). Losing a pin is not an uncommon issue with barometric dampers. A finish nail can be used when a pin is lost. Give the holder a little squeeze with pliers to hold it in place, but have a tech come and set it properly. You need a draft gauge to set the barometric in the right position. It may never stay closed completely if there is good or excessive draft in your chimney.

sizing boiler

@ January 30, 2011 7:12 PM in sizing a steam boiler - misc. loads and how to calculate

Add all the connected loads in the system together and size the boiler to that. All manufacturers these days allow for pickup loads in their sizing charts. Don't worry about adding for the tankless. Never have in a steam boiler and never any complaints.....that is unless you have an unusually high hot water demand.
IF the connect steam EDR and the hot water loop added up match up with a boiler size you will be OK

new safety valve

@ January 30, 2011 7:08 PM in replaced leaking relief valve new one started to leak

It has to be one of three things that are building pressure in your boiler: The expansion tank, the auto fill or if you have a tankless, there could be a hole in it.
Check the expansion tank first. You check the other two by shutting off the water supply to the boiler and tankless for a few hours or all day if you can. IF no pressure builds, its the expansion tank.....don't forget to turn the water back on after testing and don't leave the boiler unattended with the water off.
Good luck

hiriing a salesman

@ January 30, 2011 7:02 PM in Hiring a salesman

You left some important information out of your questions.....how big is your company and how much time do you devote to sales yourself?. It's always a tough call and the timing is never right, As mentioned in the other post, hiring the right guy is so critical. But if you have to train him to think like you do and he doesn't have the knowledge to get out there on his own, maybe it makes more sense to let go of some of the things you do and do the selling while others get the work done, either in the field on in the office. No one will ever look at the job like you do and selling something differently than you would do it only leads to headaches and decreased profits. Take a good hard, long look at your role before you leap. Obviously if you have employees, adding a good lead tech or supervisor would free you up. If you are a small shop, find an experienced tech or installer that knows the business as well as you do, because from the sound of it, you won't have much time to train him or her.....that's right......her !! I have met a lot of great women sales reps out there. Don't be afraid to consider that.
Good luck.

Happy Birthday, Dan

@ January 27, 2011 7:36 PM in Happy Birthday Dan Holohan!

Nonie and I joining in to wish you the very best Birthday wishes. Don't know how many but don't get too old too fast, we need you out here !!
Thanks so much for all you do for us !!

looking for contractor

@ January 26, 2011 8:22 AM in Finding a contractor

Did you us the Find a Pro section on this site...many good guys in your area.

overhead oil line

@ January 26, 2011 8:20 AM in out of oil

Bleeding an overhead oil line can be tough and time consuming, even for a heating pro. The proceedure is to bleed the pump while it is running and can be involved for someone not in the know. I suggest you get some help from a pro. Trying to explain it here could only lead to problems with no help readily available. Call a pro. Or, your fuel supplier may offer a restart service. Most drivers are trained to restart burners after a run out. You may also have to replace filters if sludge got into the tank filter or fuel line.

steam piping

@ January 26, 2011 8:14 AM in installing threaded pipes

good advice on the previous post but I always use teflon and dope on the steam or steel piping and as you mentioned for ease of removal, only teflon tape on the vent and wrench snug only.....there is so little pressure in a steam system that you do not need to crank down on things like vents, syphon tubes and gauges. As my dad always said: "think about the next guy and hope he will smile and not grunt and cuss when he takes something apart you installed"

send return loop

@ January 26, 2011 8:09 AM in Help me understand: send/return loop

Johnny, its hard to tell from the angle of the photo but most mod/con boilers are piped primary/secondary as it looks like yours is. The horizontal pipe appears to be the heating loop connecting the returns to the supplies (send) loop and the boiler is taking water out of that loop and heating it so it doesn't have to heat all the water in the system, it just maintains design loop temp. Not sure why the restricting ball valve but it probably is used to restrict flow. You should talk with the installer about why he put it there and why it is adjusted where it is.
It most likely is not mixing with the return piping as the flow would appear to be from right to left in the main and the pump is taking water out and sending it thru the boiler and back into the main. More photos would be necessary to verify my assumptions which I never like to do but unless you are having operational issues, I would not be too concerned. Congratulations for wanting to understand your system better as most people just ignore it as long as it is working. Call your installer. If he cares enough to use Viessmann, he most likely will be happy to help you understand the how and why of his work.
Good luck.

fuse blows

@ January 25, 2011 10:13 PM in Uponor/Wirsbo A3030004 controler fuse keeps blowing

Something is obviously drawing overcurrent on the fuse. You may have a wiring issue or the zone valve is going bad and pulling too much amperage. A good test meter will help you diagnose the problem.

boiler run time

@ January 25, 2011 10:09 PM in Radiant heat boiler running time ?

too many variables to consider and too little information, Mike but here is a question or two for you: Are you comfortable in the house ? If so, what's the issue? If not, there may be an issue. A lot of factors go into calculating boiler demand and project run time/fuel usage so we would be hard pressed to say if you have an issue with information provided. IF you feel it is really problem, bring in a heating expert to help you evaluate the system's performance.

steam system performance

@ January 25, 2011 10:00 PM in 2 pipe system- Photos

Looks like the copper bandit has been hard at work again.....guess the installer left his threading gear home the day he installed your boiler, huh !!
You didn't mention what kind of issues you were having with the system and the photos don't show enough of the system to detail the layout but it look more like a single pipe from these angles. Is that vent working?? It may be the place to start looking for operational issues. IF the return at that point is slow in heating up on a call, and some or the rads get hot first, you have a venting issue.
Would need more info to help you out any further

cleaning the probe

@ January 25, 2011 9:53 PM in On cleaning the LWCO probe

You are correct that it should be cleaned and we always included it in our maintenance and went as far as marking the boiler "Clean LWCO annually"
It is the most critical device in protecting your boiler. Usually a simple flushing with water and wiping with a rag is sufficient. Don't forget to check inside the probe location on the boiler for any build up of sediment. Anything wet contacting that probe will give a false signal that all is OK........make sure it gets done on a regular basis.

replacing radiator

@ January 25, 2011 9:49 PM in Can I change out a steam radiator for a hot water one?

Most all of the hot water cast iron radiators are suitable for steam use. They are joined at both the top and bottom so they can be used for either system.
Steam only rads are not joined at the top of each section and should not be used for hot water heating systems. Hot water rads usually operate at 15 PSI or more so going to a 1 1/2 PSI system will be no problem.....just test it first and relocate the vent to the proper position for steam.
Good luck.

louder boiler

@ January 25, 2011 9:40 PM in Louder

Seems and is are two different things but maybe it was very dirty and the soot helped insulated the sound ???? Actually it's more likely a change in the settings. If the technician adjusted the burner air settings or the draft differently than it was, you could experience a  change in the sound level, but I suspect it would be minimal. If it is really louder when it comes on, call the tech back as you may be experiencing delayed ignition.