Jim Hankinson
Joined on July 28, 2005
Last Post on April 19, 2012
Recent Posts
Radiant heat
@ April 19, 2012 9:11 AM in Anything wrong with this baseboard?
Carl, until you got rid of the boat anchor the office was kept warm by radiant heat.When we bought our house 15 years ago it had been empty for several years. It had been poorly winterized so a lot of the baseboard had to be replaced. I found the same thing you did, the fins were a quarter turn off. The only room that was correct had been added on much later.
Flex oil lines
@ December 15, 2011 10:40 AM in Tigerloop flexable lines
I followed the link and noted that on the page that comes up it reads"For swing out doors and oil de-aerators". The Tiger Loop is an oil de-aerator so can't see where there would be any issues. I used the same lines for years without a problem.Efficiency rule
@ December 14, 2011 9:06 AM in Mandated reset controls in 2012
Outdoor reset is one option for meeting the efficiency requirement for 2012 but not the only one. A purge control is another option.System 2000 problem
@ November 17, 2011 10:27 AM in System 2000 controler
Schmoked, I contacted the rep for your area. He recognized the situation and said he did call you and referred you to several nearby dealers. I sent you an e-mail with the names and phone numbers.System 2000
@ November 14, 2011 9:55 AM in System 2000 controler
Because of the spiral design of the EK boiler, the system circulator has to run continuously during a cycle. Whoever was working on your system last has no clue. Only a System 2000 manager will work correctly on a System 2000. From the age of the system you likely need what's called the Classic manager. If you can't find a qualified tech to work on it call EK Customer Service at 800-323-2066 for references.Unless you are a burner tech, electrician, plumber, etc, you won't be able to buy a manager directly. Also, don't believe the frequent remarks made on this and other sites that it will cost you an arm and a leg. There is a core credit for returned managers that are rebuildable that covers quite a bit of the replacement cost.
Managers are not field repairable so I don't know what the tech was trying to do but he certainly didn't do you any favors.
Oil tank
@ June 27, 2011 8:42 AM in life expectancy of an oil tank?
More often than not an oil tank will rot through from the inside out. The bottom can look good until a leak actually starts. When you pull the tank and clean it out you can see a lot of pock marks. The sludge that forms on the botttom is acidic. At 40 years I'd replace the tank.Piping per code
@ May 17, 2011 9:08 AM in Eliminating blow back when filling tanks
I was curious to see if there was a prescribed piping method for 3 tanks in NFPA31, I knew there was for 2. The piping per the 2011 edition is as follows: tank 1) separate fill and vent. Tanks 2 & 3) fill into tank 2, 2" crossover into tank 3, vent from tank 3 only.I used to fill quite a few dual tank setups and never had a situation with full size crossover tanks that caused back pressure as long as the vent was sized sufficiently.
Lorraine Marran of Energy Kinetics passed
@ April 26, 2011 9:14 AM in Lorraine Marran of Energy Kinetics passed
Lorraine Marran, widow of John Marran, founder of Energy Kinetics, passed away on Monday, April 18, 2011. Lorraine was the wind beneath John's sails as he strove to grow his fledgling company, often spending days at a time on the road. She was the company's first vice president and office managerLorraine's viewing was yesterday afternoon with the funeral service this morning. She will be interred next to John at Immaculate Conception Church in Annandale, NJ
Link to funeral home where her obituary can be viewed
[u][size=8][color=#0000ff][size=8][color=#0000ff]http://williamjleberfh.com/[/size][/color][/size][/color][/u]
[u][size=8][color=#0000ff][size=8][color=#0000ff]http://williamjleberfh.com/[/size][/color][/size][/color][/u]
EK serial numbers
@ April 19, 2011 3:54 PM in Boiler serial numbers
That plate doesn't have the complete serial number but there's enough to determine year of mfr and it has the last 4 digits of the serial number. From that we can usually determine who bought it and when.System 2000
@ December 28, 2010 9:48 AM in Ok got a call yesterday for a system 2000
The correct CO2 setting is 10-11%. Higher CO2 gives lower stack temp which in this particular system is about 100º too low already. The correct safety high limit setting is 205-215º as Bill noted. If the system is operating normally the burner is controlled by return water temp, not supply.This information is available at www.energykinetics.com
system 2000
@ December 20, 2010 2:15 PM in system 2000 problem
System 2000 doesn't normally use zone valves with end switches. The thermostats are wired to the manager. The manager outputs power the zone valves. There are exceptions which may be the case here. In any event that wouldn't make the boiler use that much more oil.Excess fuel consumption
@ December 20, 2010 9:17 AM in system 2000 problem
Maximum firing rate for the EK-1 is 1.00 GPH. Nozzle is .85 GPH at 136 psi. Factory firing rate is .85 GPH, .75@130 psi. Please explain the zone valve situation. How many zones total are there? Which manager? If it's a digital are there any flashing lights? As previously mentioned, using the gauge is not an accurate way to judge consumption.Cleaning System 2000
@ December 15, 2010 10:48 AM in Cleaning my first System 2000
If you go to their website www.energykinetics.com you'll find tune up info for the system with specs. If you need more specific info than is there call the 800 number for Tech SupportPricing
@ October 13, 2010 9:48 AM in prices
Hollis, you said the high limit is a Honeywell which to me indicates you have a Frontier at that location. If that's the case it's a standard, off the shelf aquastat. The only aquastat we've ever used that is rather unique is the direct immersion limit and that's not made specifically for EK. The only system components made specifically for EK are the manager and digital temp sensor. If the manager fails it can be bypassed temporarily with a service board. If the sensor fails the manager automatically goes into service board mode.As far as what you were charged, I can't comment specifically on that. Does that company use flat rate pricing? If so, then what you're charged is based on averages as far as time and materials. Sometimes that job takes 10 minutes, sometimes 2 hrs, so the labor charge is somewhere in the middle. If the limit that had to be replaced was the direct immersion type, that can take awile depending on how old the system is.
Some companies charge commercial accounts on the heavy side because they figure it's a tax write off so it's not out of pocket. They go easy on retirees, low income, etc because they know that what ever they charge is going to be a hardship. In the end it evens out. Not saying it's right but it happens. When I was in business for myself I had a few customers that I knew might never pay me but I slept well at night.
You may want to shop around now while you have no problems. Ask about their billing practice, etc.
Switch location
@ July 27, 2010 9:13 AM in emergency furnace shut off switch location
The location of the switch is generally at the top of the stairs. Which side of the door depends on state or local codes. I have no stairs, one level dwelling, so my switch is in a closet that's the opposite side of the boiler room.Water heater
@ June 9, 2010 8:37 AM in Small Boiler
We had one of them when I was a kid. We had a coal fired octopus for heat and what we called a pot stove or jack stove for hot water. The basement was always warm and dry but couldn't say that for the house when it was cold out. There's a water jacket in the pot stove and circulation through the storage tank was gravity.EK chamber
@ May 24, 2010 9:19 AM in Arrrgggh another combustion chamber.
The correct CO2 setting is 10-11% tested at the over fire test port. Some techs feel a need to remove the chamber to remove the last speck of scale from the converter but if you have a rear cleanout boiler that's ill-advised. Most chambers the are replaced are done so for one of 3 reasons: removal of it for cleaning, CO2 set much too high, surface cracks that the tech feels constitutes a failure.Garber filter
@ April 27, 2010 11:05 AM in garber filter gauge reading
The filter is normally replaced when the running vacuum is 4-5" above clean filter vacuum. Once you reach that point the vacuum increases progressively faster.Stuttering flame
@ April 1, 2010 8:58 AM in Im Stuck!
Run the nozzle line into a container and watch the oil flow. If it runs in spurts it's a fuel supply issue. Any air bubbles, suction leak is quite possible. Was the original pump a 2-stage? How about a Tiger Loop and 1-pipe?I don't know what state you're in but in NJ 1/2" od is code for oil lines.
GE rumble
@ April 1, 2010 8:52 AM in G E Downfire rumble
Were the scrubber plates ever removed when the conversion was done? The only conversion I ever did was back in the 70's and removing the scrubbers (baffles) was part of the procedure. I saw others that had been converted, mostly with an AFG, that worked fine for years.I wouldn't bet on gaining much efficiency with a new boiler if the GE was properly maintained. I saw some that were less efficient than the GE.
dacron bag
@ March 31, 2010 8:56 AM in soot vacuums
The throw away bags are fine if the bag is changed on a regular basis. They tend to deteriorate when there is soot or scale in them for more than just a short period of time. I started using the dacron bag years ago and other than burning a hole in one from hot debris from the chamber, they hold up well, can be shaken out to restore suction and can also be hosed off if they get too dirty.BTW, if you buy a cheap vac that's what you'll have. Mine is a Sid Harvey and it's lasted for many years none the worse for wear. They carry all the repair parts you might ever need, i.e., hose, soot snoot, etc.
