Heating Help

Something Easy and better

@ September 6, 2011 4:32 PM in zoning with circulators

I would forgo the zone panels and fixed speed 007.  I really like the Delta T 007 from Taco.  this little pump is amazing.  You set it for a 20 degree difference between the supply and return piping and it will speed up and slow down to keep that difference.  It will only put into the living space what the living space needs.  It is really handy if you are using outdoor reset.  Remember our GPM requirements are dependent on BTU requirements.  GPM= BTU load/ (Delta T* 500)
That formula alone proves that we need a variable speed pump.  The nice thing about the 007 Delta T is it has end switches you can use for zoning.  I have taken the liberty of drawing up a wiring diagram for you.  They are a little more money than the fixed speed 007.  But they will save you money in the long run and make your home much more comfortable. 

This should help

@ September 6, 2011 3:57 PM in Wiring Truesteam Humidifier to Oil burning Furnace

Low-Voltage Terminals
24V AC power for electronic humidistat.
HUM Low-voltage humidistat (or thermostat) terminals control humidifier operation.
C, R Connects to HVAC system transformer terminals (or relay transformer fan control R and C) to ensure HVAC power is present before humidifying. This can be disabled by changing DIP switch 4 (see page 16).
RT Connects to thermostat R terminal, which is normally switched to call for fan.
GT, GT connects to thermostat G terminal. GF connects to fan board G terminal. Thermostat G passes through the normally-closed (NC) relay contacts to GF, allowing fan activation. When TrueSTEAM is ready to provide humidity to the home, it will take control of the fan by forcing power from RT to GF (if not already activated).
EXT When a 24-vac fan board is not used to control blower (hydronic or cooling-only applications), this connection with GF provides dry-contact closure for fan calls. EXT/GF may be wired to a low-voltage relay control center to provide line-voltage fan control.

H and H go to your humidistat
R goes to R on your fan center
G on your fan center goes to GF
GT goes to the G on the thermostat
Then just hook up the transformer 24V to the 24V terminals.  There you go.  Good luck.  Don't forget to push the reset button to ready the device. 

Codes and standards

@ September 6, 2011 3:32 PM in Has anyone seen this?

I would check out what NFPA 54 has to say about that.

Venting the G125BE

@ August 29, 2011 8:35 AM in Boiler Change Out - Low Mass vs High mass plus brands

You can not and must not vent the G125BE with PVC!  You still need to use smoke pipe for a chimney vent or L vent for direct vent.  I use a peace of Z flex for direct vent.  Even in the manual it tells you not to use PVC or CPVC.  

Buderus

@ August 29, 2011 8:28 AM in Boiler Change Out - Low Mass vs High mass plus brands

The 115 is a really good boiler.  I have seen anywhere from 45-70% savings by installing them.  The only thing that worries me is the indirect tank they want to install.  If you are going to use the Logamatic 2107 control.  I hope you do.  You really need to use the Buderus indirect tank for DHW.  There is something about other indirect water heaters that the control does not like and will not keep the tank at a constant temp.  They are using the super store because it is cheep.  For a little extra money you can get the Buderus tank and have no problems.  You just need to have the anode rod checked annually and replaced if necessary.  The G125BE is an awesome boiler.  However the price of lining the chimney usually is not worth the little difference in efficiency between it and the 115.  Don't give me that **** about not having to line the chimney.  Your flue gasses are well below 350.  It is going to condense in the chimney.  That equals acid.  The boiler can take it.  The chimney can not. 

Purging

@ August 8, 2011 11:27 AM in how to fill weil mclain gold oil boiler with water

No.  Your system will not self purge.  Because your contractor put the circulators on the return line.  what you need to do is close the ball valve on each return line and hook up a hose to the hose bib and open your auto fill valve.  when the return pipe is as hot as the supply chances are you got the large amount of air out.  anything else should be let out by the air vent.   But because they did not give the air purger the 16" after the elbow it will take a wile.  do be careful.  If it is not done right you can be like a dog chasing its tail.  Any time you introduce fresh water into a system you bring in air.  when you heat the water it lets go of its air.  That air finds a nice place to lay and block water from passing through and now you purge again.  letting more air and other dirt and grime that is in the water into the system.  next thing you know the system is leaking and no one knows why.  could not be the 150,000 times it was purged because of a no heat call?  the entire problem can be solved by putting the circulators on the supply line pumping away from the exspantion tank. 

Boiler Staging

@ August 3, 2011 3:24 PM in Multiple Boiler Controllers

If you use a Tekmar control that should do the job.  a tekmar 275 should do fine. You can then use outdoor reset and indoor reset.  I like indoor reset over outdoor reset for multiple reasons.  That control will also rotate the boilers.  I used its little brother on two MPO-IQ boilers and the customer loves their new heating system. I used four room temp sensor for house averaging.  With their cast iron rads the house could not be more comfortable. 

more specks

@ August 1, 2011 9:29 AM in Need some words

He had air in the radiators.  It was from the boiler being piped the old school way.  Fill valve piped right into the low side of the circulator on the return line along with a maid of the mist air vent just above the low side of the circulator.  it was sucking air in through the vent.  How ever I know that a unit that over sized can cause some problems with heating the home evenly.  Two zones.  one is the main house with cast iron radiation and the second zone is for an addition with baseboard convectors.  He has a DHW coil in the boiler.

indirect

@ July 29, 2011 9:40 AM in heat loss formula help

My I suggest using a Buderus indirect tank.  If you are using the Logamatic 2107 boiler control you might have trouble setting the temp for the indirect because of the location of the sensing probe.  I have been told horror stories about using non Buderus tanks with the 2107.  Trust me the 2107 with the BFU and the circulator set to constant run  your house has never been so comfortable. 

Usually the supply house you are getting it from or the person who is installing it can do a heat loss for you.  just measure the perimeter of the house, windows, doors, and include amount of insulation in the walls and attic, direction the house is sitting and you should be fine.

cold start

@ July 29, 2011 8:56 AM in Triple Aquastat with No DHW Coil... A Waste of Oil?

watch it.  not every boiler made today is cold start.  I will say read the manual that came with the boiler.  That will tell you what the manufactures recommendations are for low temp settings.  I know the new yorker FR122 requires a minimum temp of 120.  Wile the FR-HGS1 and 2 come with cold start controls.  just read the manual and you will be fine.  Set up is very important.  where you test is just as important.  to many times I go out to new customers homes and find the test hole in the wrong place or no hole at all.  In this day and age with digital combustion testers  there are people out there who are still to lazy to do a run time test.  No excuse.  one place the test hole was on the other side of the draft regulator.  there was 2 feet of smoke pipe before it.  why?  I am chalking it up to ignorance.  I hope it is not stupidity. 

Riello

@ July 29, 2011 8:39 AM in riello not firing

1. If you give an oil burner too much air it will smoke and soot.  30% excess air on a Riello is to much.  If the air band is wide open then the burner is getting too much air.  Remember any time you change a nozzle, adjust the air band, even sneeze in the direction of the burner you need to do a run time efficiency test.  Start with draft and once you got that adjusted then go for a 0- trace smoke.  then you can adjust for CO2.  With a G115 your testing hole needs to be 4-6" away from the breech and 6-8" away from the draft regulator.  a lot of the time people do not test in the right place and it messes everything up.  Oh and you CAN NOT test in an elbow. 

Riello

@ July 26, 2011 8:25 AM in riello not firing

Riellos are really touchy when it comes to air.  You give them to much and they go haywire.  You should only be running around 25% excess air.  I have seen some run around 10%.  I have a Riello bible.  What G115 are you using.  then I can tell you your nozzle size, turbulator, insertion depth, air band settings, everything you need to know.  But to me it sounds like you have the air band open too much.  If you continue to have problems then you might want to think about switching the Riello out for the Beckett NX.  That is the burner I use with the G115 and I have had no problems what so ever.  You can do a direct vent with the NX as well.  The NX is a little more quiet. 

Specks

@ July 20, 2011 1:18 PM in Need some words

It is cast iron radiators in every room.  More than enough.  The person who put the unit in did the old that was there sizing.  The customer has put in new windows, doors, re-insulated the walls and attic.  The load calc came out to 44,000 BTUs.  I think we have a couple of things going on here. 
1.  There is air in the radiators.  The customer tells me there is a waterfall noise.
2.  The system is so over sized that it is just sitting there short cycling and not running long enough to heat the home properly. 
The customer has timed the system run cycles.  on the coldest days it will run for 15Min then be off for 10Min.  so it is getting up to temp then shutting down.
Classic short cycle.

2107

@ July 20, 2011 1:07 PM in Indirect vs. tankless coil energy savings

I install primarily Buderus G115 with the 2107 Logamatic control.  I have seen savings from 45% all the way to 70%.  The key is to use the BFU room temp sensor and run the circulator on constant run.  The BFU will set the system to room reset not just outdoor reset.  It will take into account people in the room as well as if you are cooking.  If the oven is on you don't need the same temp in the system than if it were off.  I find it to be much more comfortable than just using outdoor reset alone.  Another big thing is what kind of heat do you have?  Is it baseboard, radiant, or cast iron radiators?  Each one of these require different water temps and the BFU will compensate for each.
Just for an example.  I put a new system in my Aunt's home last September.  She had a Bhurnham boiler with a hot water coil.  I replaced that system with a Buderus G115WS/3 with the Logamatic 2107 and a S120 Indirect tank.  On average she would burn about 200 gallons of fuel per month during the winter.  Oct- Feb.  Last December she used 60 gallons.  that is a 70% savings.  The home is more evenly heated and she no longer runs out of hot water.  Love the Buderus and the Logamatic.  In my opinion there is no better system. 

Need some words

@ July 20, 2011 12:45 PM in Need some words

I have a customer who is looking at a new system.  He lives in a med rancher well insulated.  The main reason he is looking at a new system is because he is cold in the winter.  I have done a heat loss and the home only requires 44,000 BTU to heat the home properly.  The unit that is in there is 158,000 BTU.  I know a system that is that over sized can cause problems.  I am having a problem in putting this into words that the customer can understand.  Any help will be appreciated. 

Water

@ June 29, 2011 11:48 AM in Need Leak Finding Help

I pulled the cover off the coil box and there was a large plug of gunk plugging up the condensate line.  I removed the plug of gunk and cleaned the coil and put a cake in to help prevent future buildup.  After that the system was started up again.  Everything looked good.  I got called on Thursday and the system was two pounds low.  Checked it this last Monday and the system is running fine.  The only thing I did was put in a tube of dye. 

Help

@ June 27, 2011 3:49 PM in Need Leak Finding Help

It uses a Piston metering device.  I did not know I can take up to a week for the dye to show up.  I guess I will just need to keep an eye on the system and see what happens.  

Need Leak Finding Help

@ June 27, 2011 3:24 PM in Need Leak Finding Help

I am working on an Armada AC unit. 
the first time I was there I hooked my test equipment up and found 50 super heat and a 40 sub cool.  Head was around 175 and low was 25psi. Charged the system to 16 super heat and 12 sub cool.  Head of just over 200 and low of 68psi.  The house temp was at 75 dry bulb coming back to the unit on the return line with about 45% humidity.  the outdoor temp was 75 dry I know the humidity was around 50%. So not that much of a load on the system.  When I took off the dust cap on the high side of the system I got a puff of R22.  So I replaced the valve core. 
that was on a Sat morning. 
Got a call Monday the house is at 78 and the unit will not shut off.
Took temp readings.  The house was at 74 dry bulb with a 50% humidity.  Supply temp of 68 Degrees and 50% humidity.  There was water laying all around the furnace so I took off the access panel and there was a clogged condensate line.  I removed the clog and cleaned the coil.  humidity dropped to 40% and supply air was at 65 degrees. 
Customer then called on Thursday saying unit was not cooling again. 
Checked supply temp and return no delta T.  Checked charge in unit and back to where we were in the first place.  I recharged the system to the specks I stated before because conditions were not that far off from the first time.  I also ran my leak detector over both coils nothing.  I then injected a tube of dye into the system.  Came back Friday and can not find any trace of dye on ether coil anywhere.  Checked charge and charge looked good for the conditions.  17 super heat 15 sub cool.  Left the unit run over the weekend. 
Customer called Monday morning saying the system is not cooling.  They have air blowing but it does not feel cold.  I checked the super heat 16 and sub cool 12.  outside temp is in the high 70s.  I was not able to gain access to the house to know what the delta T is across the coil or to know the house conditions.  I can only guess that the house is at 72 where the customer sets the thermostat because the unit was turning on and off.  I found no trace of a leak on the outside coil.  I went over every inch of the system with a high intensity UV flashlight to find the dye and found nothing.  Now that the charge seems to be okay after running all weekend.  Any advice?

Re think

@ June 6, 2011 8:31 AM in The EPA and elecric hot water heaters

I know what you are saying.  I agree with that.  It is just a tool I use to get their attention.  Also it does work.  The key is I am not asking them to give anything up.  Smokers love their cigs.  I know.  I tell my customers you don't know comfort till you know Buderus.

HARUMMPH

@ June 3, 2011 4:08 PM in loud HARUMMMPH when Buderus+Riello boiler tries to start

Knowing Riello burners and how they work with Buderus boilers.  What is the mod # of the Buderus boiler?  I know Buderus was having a small problem with the G215 with a Riello burner.  What they did to resolve the issue I do not know.  Everything looks good with the efficiency numbers you posted.  It almost sounds like it has to much air.  Riellos can be really touchy when it comes to excess air.  If you post the mod # of the burner and the Riello you are using I can give you more info. 

Re think

@ May 31, 2011 10:25 AM in The EPA and elecric hot water heaters

Electric water heaters are not the most efficient way to heat water.  A solar system with indirect backup is.  As a nation we need to rethink the way we use energy.  We will spend thousands of dollars on a HD 3D TV.  We will not invest in a DHW solar system.  Beckett has a superb system out for DHW solar.  The savings on your energy bill will buy you that 3D TV.  When I put in a new boiler I ask my customers, how would you like a new car?  Because most of the time the monthly savings on their oil bill will pay the payments on a new car.

Hot water heaters

@ May 27, 2011 4:30 PM in The EPA and elecric hot water heaters

I do not know if that is true.  I did here roomers that because of the new energy laws coming out in 2012 that electric water heaters will not be able to be sold.  The only ones that meet the new requirements are the heat pump water heaters.  This is only something someone mentioned to me.  I do not know if it is true.  I am only posting it because if someone does know the truth will they please set us strait.  Thank you.