Heating Help

I'm not seeing the problem?

@ May 25, 2012 3:18 PM in Refinishing Recessed Steam radiators

If the valve is disconnected you should be able to wiggle them out of the recess i would imagine..unless the floor was raised in front of them..am i missing something here?

Jumper- tell us more!

@ May 21, 2012 6:59 AM in Is this why we make fun of engineers

i want to here about these steam systems.

Depends.

@ May 19, 2012 10:03 AM in to convert or not to convert

i dont advocate converting steam to hot water, but that doesn't sound like what you would do..what you are advocating i think, is a complete removal of the pipes, radiators, boiler etc. and a complete do over..if that is what your thoughts are i am much more open to the idea.. The answer is still it depends..i like floor radiant heat..i think its the best heat..but i dont really care for baseboard heat..its ugly and doesnt work as well as radiant or steam..if your doing a complete gut and do over and thinking radiant, i would be in your camp for that one..that said, there is alot to consider with radiant, such as upfront cost, carpeting desires, is there enough floor without supplemental heat etc.--hope that helps-

Nice save!

@ May 18, 2012 6:55 AM in DE-Knuckleheading, Upgrading & Converting a Slant/Fin Liberty

That ought to save them alot of dough this up coming season..that is if we have a winter this year..

Yup, i read it and thought

@ May 17, 2012 9:46 PM in Is this why we make fun of engineers

what a reject..how much engineering went into reinventing the wheel..and i assume his design would need electricity to run the fan..i thought trv instantly and then i thought, if we cant get the cheapskate landlords to buy a trv, then how the heck is he going to get them to buy radiator straight jackets!

No. its not a good idea.

@ May 11, 2012 5:31 PM in Commercial steam boiler - drain for summer?

Either press it up. (fill it into the header after adding chemicals to control corossion) or just turn off the switch and salute it.

now those

@ May 7, 2012 9:49 PM in Unique Steam Radiators

are just simply gorgeous! They need heat down there?

its very possible

@ May 7, 2012 5:56 PM in Trane Vapor System?

that the feeder is okay and was doing what it was asked to do..thats not to say it may not be bad, but if the 67 hasn't been taken apart and cleaned like its supposed to be each year, it may have sent the feed signal and got stuck in muck..has your buddy done the weekly blowdown?

my co worker

@ May 2, 2012 9:12 PM in Treasurer-Condo Assoc

converted his steam system to hot water and his gas bill actually went up..we converted it back to steam..gas bill went back down.

depends.

@ April 30, 2012 7:40 PM in Towel Warmer Radiator

How hot can a tankless heater get? The towel warmer should operate around 150F..I've never installed a tankless heater so i cannot adequately answer that part of your question.

you can do a towel warmer

@ April 30, 2012 6:29 PM in Towel Warmer Radiator

by pulling a water loop off the steam boiler. This will do both the floor and towel warmer, altho they will have to be set up to operate at different temps. Perhaps the info here will help. http://www.gwgillplumbingandheating.com/webapp/GetPage?pid=420

If the glass is really bad

@ April 28, 2012 3:10 PM in Pressuretrol settings

we usually just change them as they are inexpensive..just make sure you also get a nut, ring and washer set (2) for the top and bottom of the glass..i'd say half the dampers in town are locked open due to causing boiler issues..

your pressuretrol settings are now better.

@ April 28, 2012 9:47 AM in Pressuretrol settings

You will probably have less issues with spitting air vents too..your gauge glass it sounds like needs a good cleaning as well as the ports that connect the gauge glass to the boiler as they contain gunk in the horizontal sections. We use a 1/4 o.d. tube that we can shoot water thru to do this. The gage glass knobs need to be removed to do this..you may be uncomfortable doing that yourself. If so have your heating guy do it. Also ensure the pigtail that the pressuretrol is mounted to is open. We shoot water thru these to. The auto fill will only keep the water in the boiler at its safe minimum level. Not necessarily where you would optimally run the boiler at.

Cool find.

@ April 26, 2012 10:31 PM in OK What is it

Yes, like Steamhead says look for a name on the boiler return trap. That would most likely identify the system and it may very well have been patented which means its operating documentation is available..there is undoughtedly major room for efficiency upgrades to that system..But leave the return trap and float vent in place..They dont hurt and always identify the maker..I think venting would be a great opportunity there!

shouldn't matter at all.

@ April 22, 2012 10:41 PM in upside down lwco

It does annoy me that when i put in a Burnham that comes with a hydrolevel control i have to turn it sideways to get it to clear the gauge..you would think they would have seen that at the factory..it doesn't hurt, but its not pretty to see the words sideways..i peel the lable off often.

maybe there

@ April 22, 2012 12:18 PM in Clow Gasteam Radiator - SOUGHT

was supposed to be a decimal point after the 8? that thing is only worth 18 bucks..

something doesn't sound right.

@ April 22, 2012 11:33 AM in F&T traps on commercial buildings.

The f&t is a steam to return line segragation device..why are you trying to put it by the hartford loop? your not trying to master trap are you? can you sketch out a drawing, as i'm not sure i'm following your desires.

i would feel that if you

@ April 19, 2012 9:29 PM in Wrong Main Vent

dont at least have a Gorton #2 for a main vent that you are just wasting money. Picture yourself as the steam and you go down the main, if that main vent doesn't look as big as all outdoors to you, you'll easily take a detour and head for a radiator vent.

The reset control for steam

@ April 14, 2012 3:07 PM in Converting one pipe steam to two pipe hot water radiator

isn't really something you would normally find in a house..its a glorified timer that runs the boiler for certain time lengths based upon outside temps..apartment buildings generally use them..thats not to say you couldn't use it in a house..tekmar 279 is one model.

Very Nice!

@ April 13, 2012 4:33 PM in Before & after

I would also suspect that the fuel bill will be much lower now that its piped right.

Havent tried one but

@ April 11, 2012 9:27 PM in Converting one pipe steam to two pipe hot water radiator

you would need to have existing water style radiators on your one pipe steam system for it to work..just make sure you dont have true steam radiators.

I would believe so

@ April 11, 2012 8:03 PM in 2 pipe radiator Q....

otherwise the trap should have been open allowing draiange..it is also possible it is clogged with rust or gunk and is open but clogged..