Heating Help

Yup.

@ March 30, 2010 9:39 PM in Amp draw

Should work the same way.

Well...

@ March 30, 2010 9:33 PM in 2 over-sized boiler questions

...if you're just going to replace the boiler for better resale, I wouldn't go crazy with a high efficiency boiler.

1 Therm = 100,000 BTU

Maybe you can use that to figure how much you would be saving.

No question.

@ March 30, 2010 8:48 PM in 2 over-sized boiler questions

You would be saving with a new boiler. How much? Who knows? But you would be cutting down on your gas usage. Have you had a combustion test to check efficiency?

To top it all off.

@ March 30, 2010 7:40 PM in Water feed location.

I had to go back to this job today because I left the Taco zone valves in the manual On position when I was purging. I swear...you can try as hard as you want to be a good student of heating, and all it takes is one little lever to knock you right back down a notch.

I have the same Aquastat.

@ March 30, 2010 7:32 PM in Triple acting relay

Disconnect the blue wire going to terminal B right next to the Differential dial. It's just a stake-on connector that you can pull off. Don't cut any wires.

Forgot to ask.

@ March 30, 2010 7:17 PM in 2 over-sized boiler questions

Did you add a pick-up factor to the total radiation load? Usually add 33%. Some guys add as much as 50% if you have a lot of piping in the system, especially uninsulated. If your main concern is efficiency, you can install a boiler with less input BTUH, that runs at a higher efficiency.

Are you having any problems with the system? Are you just figuring out if anything could be done to be more efficient?

Just whistle.

@ March 30, 2010 6:23 AM in Leak Detection

Pump down the system, if you can, and leak test with nitrogen. About 400 psi will make the leaks start hissing. If you still don't hear anything, the leak might be in the condenser or from the schrader valves if you have 'em, which you can check by disconnecting your hoses.

...

@ March 30, 2010 6:18 AM in Mills 350 Steam Boiler

http://www.heatinghelp.com/article/97/Problems-that-plague-TWO-PIPE-steam-systems/110/Steam-is-coming-out-of-the-condensate-or-boiler-feed-receiver-vent

Depends what make...

@ March 30, 2010 5:59 AM in Triple acting relay

 I have a Honeywell Triple Acting Relay. I found the lead wire for the low limit setting and disconnected it (simple spade connector). If you find the wiring schematics, you can find the right wire, or post a model number for the relay and we'll find something.

BTUH

@ March 30, 2010 5:56 AM in 2 over-sized boiler questions

Your boiler rating of 168K is for input or output BTUH? You need a boiler whose output rating matches your connected load. So maybe you're not 50% oversized...maybe you're only 50% efficient.

Wrong Location.

@ March 30, 2010 5:51 AM in Hot Forced Air - stale air / dry mouth

First floor humidistat is in the wrong location. Right now it is downstream of the humidifier. That means it will satisfy as soon as the furnace blower comes on. You need to have it moved to the return. Personally, I always put the humidifier on the return, and the humidistat as far upstream on the return as possible, while still sensing every return in the house. Usually, that means, the humidifier is about chest high, and the humidistat is a good foot higher.

Second floor humidifier is in a closet? And the duct run for it goes to the return ceiling box? That seems kind of sketchy. But the installers also didn't make a return plenum on the furnace so it would be hard to run that supply duct to there.

When you look at your system, try to think about where the humidity wants to go, and where the humidistat is sensing the air.

How was the boiler sized?

@ March 29, 2010 7:53 PM in 2 over-sized boiler questions

Did you measure all of your radiators? How did you come to the conclusion that your boiler is oversized?

I would personally keep steam temperatures constant throughout the day. I like to keep all of those pipes and radiators from getting too cold when the boiler first cycles on.

Boiler specs.

@ March 29, 2010 7:50 PM in my radiators sound like the wind!

How many BTUH output is the boiler? Do you have pictures of the near boiler piping? Can you get pictures of the problem radiators, count the columns and take measurements of width, height, and depth? Can you also see where the troubled radiator supply pipes take off of the steam main? Do they stay the same size the whole way, or are the radiator valves a smaller size than the pipe closest to the main?

Happy Endings.

@ March 29, 2010 7:44 PM in Phantom Air

Can't wait for next winter!

It's a shame.

@ March 29, 2010 5:50 AM in Cool Wall Radiators

Every day at work, I drive past houses, and see junkmen taking old radiators out to their trucks, and I'm assuming to the junkyard.

We should start a Dead Men Library. Save the radiators and parts from the scrap yard for the people who still appreciate the older systems.

I also asked the ebay seller to relist the items. If he'll unload them for a dollar, I'll snatch 'em up.

Sigh.

@ March 28, 2010 8:54 PM in Hot Forced Air - stale air / dry mouth

Welcome to forced hot air.

What are your humidifiers set to? What do you mean by "heat switch one notch down"?

...

@ March 28, 2010 10:22 AM in Cool Wall Radiators

I live about 5 miles from where this ebay seller is listed. If anybody wants these radiators, I would be more than happy to pick them up and store them for further use.

Eek.

@ March 27, 2010 8:32 PM in www.spokeo.com

Spooky....o.

Depends...

@ March 27, 2010 7:40 PM in O & B TERMINALS

...on the exact system, and the way the t-stat is set up, but typically O/B will energize the reversing valve for cooling. You'd wire this terminal on the t-stat to the air handler and condenser.

Pictures.

@ March 27, 2010 10:17 AM in How Far Down?

Do you have a picture of how your near boiler is piped? What size is the equalizer line? A few things can cause surging.

Yup.

@ March 27, 2010 7:16 AM in How Far Down?

I was referring to the supply risers coming out of the boiler. If you had just one tapping used, you could get false readings in the sight glass.

If you aren't getting any water hammer, or major problems, I wouldn't be overly concerned about it....as long as the water eventually comes back on its own and the water feeder doesn't add water every time the boiler cycles.

If you have the factory installed Hydrolevel CycleGuard, there will be a 15 second delay between sensing low water, and shutting the boiler down. Does your water line bounce up and down in the glass a lot when the boiler's running? Or does it just gradually go down throughout the cycle?

Tanks.

@ March 27, 2010 7:04 AM in Phantom Air

No separation at all. They are true "compression" tanks, because the water pressure compresses the air inside the tank.


http://www.bellgossett.com/homeowners/CompressionTank.htm