Heating Help

DHW

@ May 19, 2012 7:23 PM in Help sizing new gas boiler

Just make sure you install a tempering valve at the outlet of the water heater - 140F or 160F is too hot to go to the fixtures.

The smaller boiler with the indirect will be fine, especially at the higher water temperature.

Heat Loss

@ May 16, 2012 12:37 PM in Hot water baseboard heat

There is still more information needed for a proper calculation, i.e. ceiling construction and insulation, how many windows in each room, any cold walls, etc.), but I have put pen to paper and your Trophy room would require 23,500 BTU's to keep the temperature at 68F on the coldest average day (-2F) and the Rec. room would need 15,000 BTU's.

I figure 500 BTU's output per foot of baseboard (BB) at 180F water temperature, so you would need 47' and 30' respectively.  The ceiling fans will be a necessity in the Trophy room.

There are many things to consider before the design is complete such as what kind of boiler you currently have, choice of heat emitters (BB, radiators, fan convectors, etc.), location of emitters, zoning, room orientation, etc. and as icesailor said, you should get the help of an experienced designer and installer in your area.

is this what

@ May 15, 2012 10:23 PM in Recessed radiators

you're talking about?  If so, you have to allow plenty of space below and above the radiator for proper convection.

As far as insulation, the higher the R-value, the better.

Need more info.

@ May 15, 2012 10:13 PM in Hot water baseboard heat

Any windows? Size? Double or single glazed?

Length of exposed wall(s)?

"18' high walls which turns into mt trophy" What does this mean?  You have 18' ceilings? What is mt trophy?

Is the floor concrete? If so, any insulation underneath?

Are the walls below grade?  If anything is above grade, what is the wall construction? 2x4, 2x6?  Any insualtion?

City and state where you live?

Cell Block Heating

@ May 10, 2012 3:23 PM in Cell Block Heating

My cousin from Belgium is visiting me and we took the chance to visit Alcatraz yesterday.

The cells were cozy - 5' x 9' with a toilet, basin, steel cot, chair and writing stand.  The best cells were at the top of the block where it was warmer and there was less traffic.

There was a power plant on the west side of the island that provided steam for heating the massive radiators distributed around the perimeter of the cell block.  Unfortunately, the power plant was not on display.

Another "What is this?".

@ May 3, 2012 9:09 PM in Another "What is this?".

Thirty-two years in the trade and this was the first time I've ever seen this.  Every vent in the attic of a 1928 house in Berkeley had a 3" strip of linen neatly wrapped around the pipe and secured with a piece of cotton twine.

My stupid cat figured it out before I did - can you?

Fascinating!

@ May 2, 2012 9:50 PM in What is this?

Thanks, Jean-David.

Bob: Did your sister ever find out?

What is this?

@ May 2, 2012 11:20 AM in What is this?

It was removed from the basement of a house and has a solid porcelain base.

Marking are "Western Electric Co." and "Patented Dec. 19, 1905".  The three leads at the top have embossings in the porcelain.  The outside leads are marked "I " and the inside lead is marked "G".

It sounds as though

@ April 27, 2012 12:57 AM in servicemagic

they should do some real magic and disappear.

How do you spend so much money and not get results?

There must be

@ April 24, 2012 12:45 PM in Unusual Radiator Repair By All Steamed Up, Inc.

10,000 threads on The Wall about re-building a radiator and very few showing how it's done.

Excellent work, Gordo.  I commend your craftsmanship and your patience.

Alan

Sounds like

@ April 18, 2012 8:44 PM in baseboard heating - hearing water sloshing around

air.  It could have entered the system when the relief valve was replaced.  There should be some kind of air elimination device on your system (automatic air vent, Spirovent, etc.); the trick is to get the air to migrate to that device.  Do you have someone that services your boiler?

PRV's

@ April 13, 2012 9:51 PM in Pressure Reducing Valves

Thanks, guys!  That helps a lot.

Uploading photos from my iPhone

@ April 13, 2012 9:50 PM in Uploading photos from my iPhone

I plug my iPhone into my computer and want to add pictures to my thread, but the photos are too large.  Is there an easy way to upload them without having to reduce the size of each one.

Either that or petition Dan to handle larger file sizes.

Pressure Reducing Valves

@ April 11, 2012 12:37 PM in Pressure Reducing Valves

This is more of a plumbing question:

I've always purchased Watts PRV's when street pressure is over 80 psi - model U5B.  They also make a model 25AUB which is about one-third the price, but I'm told that it does not flow as well as the more expensive valve.  That is, the U5B will provide more GPM.

I'd be interested to hear from those more experienced if the more expensive valve is worth the cost for normal household use.

Thanks.

Alan

T-T

@ March 31, 2012 7:57 PM in Uponor Tstat to Taco Z Controller

Connect the thermostat leads to T-T on the controller.

http://www.taco-hvac.com/uploads/FileLibrary/100-5.1.pdf

But the spec's say

@ March 31, 2012 7:54 PM in Amp draw of a Taco 007

it should be .71 amps at 115 v.

http://www.taco-hvac.com/uploads/FileLibrary/101-029.pdf

Burner Gaskets

@ March 27, 2012 11:57 AM in Burner Gaskets

I've serviced many Munchkin boilers and not one of them had a burner gasket from the factory, but one is shown on the parts diagram. Is this an afterthought?

Waht kind of boiler?

@ March 25, 2012 6:50 PM in Boiler Maintain.

Steam or hot water?

Sludge

@ March 25, 2012 2:15 PM in Steam

Thanks, Ron.  I'll replace that last 90 with a tee and plug for purging because I am worried about any left over sludge in the system.  I'll be cleaning and skimming the boiler on Monday. 

I'm not sure if the boiler was dry-fired, but since the owners were not aware they had to drain the boiler weekly, I'd say that's part of what caused its demise.

ff15: I think I'm shy the 24" to the bottom of the header and will have to remember that for the next time - thanks.

Yes, there is a second 3" outlet off the boiler, but the instructions gave me a choice: 1-3" or 2-2-1/2" outlets.  Being a lazy man when it comes to large diameter pipes, I chose the former.  They also specified an 1-1/4" equalizer which is what we installed.

I was concerned about how the boiler operated once we got it steaming since all the asbestos insulation had been removed without replacement and there were some sections of pipe with negative slope, but it worked fine and to my great relief there was no banging. 

I included a picture of the MM low water cutoff to show its level compared the the boiler water level shown on the side of the boiler.  The MM's line was quite a few inches lower than the boiler's and I thought perhaps we used the wrong tappings, but a call to Peerless said it was OK to operate the boiler that way.  (Maybe now I have that 24" to the header).  Tom Fallon with Peerless sent me a drawing of the gauge glass with an explanation of the different levels which I have attached.

Steam

@ March 24, 2012 4:28 PM in Steam

We usually don't do much steam work, but this boiler replacement job came our way.  The old boiler wasn't maintained properly and it eventually built up enough sludge that it failed.  The old boiler sections split.

Air vs. Pressure Drop

@ March 14, 2012 10:17 PM in Myson 7000 toekick heater

When push comes to shove, I don't think it's an air problem and I think furnacefighter15 and others have hit it on the nose.  Water coming into the tee sees the pressure drop on the branch and decides it's easier to go straight, bypassing the toe kick heater.  Whatever you can do to increase the pressure drop on the run will make it work:

- Increase the distance between the tees.
- Replace the return tee with another venturi (pointed in the opposite direction) so that you have two.

There must be

@ March 14, 2012 1:49 AM in Myson 7000 toekick heater

an air blockage somewhere in the branch piping.  Put that ball valve between the tees.  With it turned off, the water should push the air through.