Heating Help

Third Floor

@ May 26, 2010 5:15 PM in Heat for 3rd floor addition

Radiant heating would be the most comfortable.  If the third floor is where you will be spending a lot of time, i.e. your bedroom, bathroom, etc., choose radiant.  If it's a guest bedroom or some other rooms that don't get used often, go with radiators or baseboard.

Radiant will be the most expensive to install followed by radiators and then baseboard.

Antivirus Pro 2010

@ May 25, 2010 12:31 PM in Antivirus Help

I got it as well even though I had Trend Micro Internet Security.

I downloaded Malware Bytes

http://www.malwarebytes.org/

and it removed most of the infection, but I still had problems.  Finally ended up getting a new computer.

Poor Guy

@ May 23, 2010 5:03 PM in Hartford loop question

All he wants is a diagram. 

Foraging in the Woods (OT)

@ May 21, 2010 11:34 PM in Foraging in the Woods (OT)

Many of you must go hunting for wild game in the woods close to your home; deer, wild boar, ducks, quail..............It's nice to have a hobby that gets you out of the office, with friends and close to nature.

This last week I had a chance to go up to the high country in Northern California to search for morels; here are some photos of the little devils:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11835125@N04/sets/72157624109971960/

Tell me what you go after.

"......and from what I have seen here in Calgary not many do the insulation, "

@ May 16, 2010 12:10 AM in Hot water tank sizing, how big is needed?

OK.........that makes it tough.

What is your design temperature way up there in Calgary?  This is the coldest average temperature you see.

Expansion tanks

@ May 15, 2010 4:40 PM in Radiant floor diaphragm tanks

"Both systems have air eliminators on them, hence the diaphragm tanks... "

Just because you have an air eliminator doesn't mean you need an x-tank.  X-tanks are there to allow water to expand without a rise in pressure.

Bradford-White Combi-Cor water heaters are legendary for failing, but have a newly designed heat exchanger.  I haven't tried one out yet.

And as to your main question about a special x-tank for radiant, the only special one I know of is the one for potable water when non-barrier tubing has been used.  These x-tanks can tolerate water with entrained oxygen.

Heaven forbid

@ May 11, 2010 4:30 PM in domestic and radiant with an on demand

I've done one open system in my life; 20 years ago when I didn't know any  better.

There's a single wall heat exchanger (HX) in that Taco X-Pump Block.  Yewsta'  be that you couldn't install a single wall HX in Oakland or SF per the Uniform Plumbing Code, but they allow them now, thank goodness.

You got anything against single wall HX's out there in Mass.?

Mass.

@ May 10, 2010 11:47 AM in domestic and radiant with an on demand

I know you have some strict codes, but if Noritz, Takagi and/or Rinnai approve the use for combined DHW/radiant, what in the code prevents it?

Domestic

@ May 10, 2010 10:52 AM in domestic and radiant with an on demand

Yes, it is.  Here is a better picture showing the domestic lines on the right side of the indirect.

Radiant w/ Indirect

@ May 10, 2010 9:43 AM in domestic and radiant with an on demand

No diagram; only a photo using a Taco X-Pump Block and a Noritz indirect.

If you're

@ May 8, 2010 8:13 PM in Air Scoop

talking about a Taco Vortec air eliminator, it is a microbubble air eliminator.  As far as a cast iron vs. brass body, brass is always better and will last longer.  Even so, I've always used and been satisfied with a cast iron one.

Summer Shutdown

@ May 6, 2010 2:03 AM in Shutting down boiler for summer

#1 - Yes, you still have to drain the low water cutoff (LWCO), but only once a month instead of once a week.

#2 - No, leave the water in the boiler.

#3 - Sure, turn off the pilot.

Design Temperature

@ May 3, 2010 2:39 PM in design temp in Alta, Utah?

Yes! You won't get any complaints with that design.  It will make your Runtal radiators a bit bigger and your Warmboard outdoor reset parameters somewhat larger.  Let the owners know what you are doing so they know you are paying attention to their comfort.

How will you design your multi-temperature system?  Run your mod-con at high temp. with reset for Runtal and mixing valve for Warmboard?  If so, what kind of mixing valve do you prefer?

Alta Design Temp.

@ May 2, 2010 2:32 PM in design temp in Alta, Utah?

I'm with Tim. 

I just joined a new gardening website and they want to know what planting zone you live in, finding it by zip code.  I entered Alta's (84092) which comes up with zone 5.

"Average Annual Minimum Temperature", i.e. design temperature
Zone 5a (-20/-15F)
Zone 5b (-15/-10F)

http://www.gardenweb.com/zones/

Short

@ May 2, 2010 1:55 PM in Electrical Problem

Thank you, Frank for describing that procedure in layman's terms; something I can deal with.

And thank you, Wayne for that most excellent .pdf on transformers.  It explained a lot of things and taught me how to phase a transformer.

I believe that the problem is localized at boiler #2 since boiler #1 works fine until you connect the ground at boiler #2.

I'll let you know what I find out.  I'm with Frank so far to say it's a short within the gas valve. 

All the best,

Alan

Ground Fault

@ April 30, 2010 6:19 PM in Electrical Problem

Hi Frank:

How exactly do you do that?

Electrical Problem

@ April 30, 2010 5:15 PM in Electrical Problem

I've got a customer that owns a small apartment building with radiant heating in Berkeley.  They have 2 original A.O.Smith cast iron boilers that are wired in parallel.  When a thermostat calls for heat, a relay closes sending 24 volts to both boilers via an outdoor sensor (WWSD) and an aquastat; very simple.

The problem is that when you try to connect the green ground wire on boiler #2 from the ignition control module (S8610U) to the grounding clip on the gas valve, there's a spark and then boiler #1 shuts down and boiler #2 won't fire.

I've replaced the ICM to no avail.  And I've by-passed the WWSD and aquastat......nada.

I could leave the ground clip off the gas control to allow it to work properly, but this does not seem right.  I'd like to find out the answer.

Can anyone help?

Radiator

@ April 30, 2010 11:41 AM in Radiant Floor Project & a Radiator?

Other than decorating the wall, it won't produce any heat with water temperatures below 120°.

That's the dilemma of going with plates; there's not much else you can do with water at that low of a temperature.

Venting

@ April 28, 2010 6:34 PM in Main vent piping

Go large.

Can't really

@ April 23, 2010 1:29 AM in Hartford loop question

see enough.  I'd like to see the main riser coming out of the boiler to the steam main.  I'd also like to see if there's an equalizer back down to the Hartford Loop; it seems as though yes, but need to see the whole picture.

Nice math

@ April 23, 2010 1:20 AM in sizing boiler for brewery

but what happened to the 970 BTU's to take one pound of water from 212° not boiling to 212° boiling?

Missing

@ April 22, 2010 10:36 PM in Aquapex in radiant system

As I understand it, oxygen in the air can pass through non-barrier tubing and be absorbed by the water in the radiant system. This oxygen is not air and no matter how good your air elimination (hmmmm), you can't get this oxygen out since it has been absorbed by the water.

Stick with barrier tubing.