SWEI
Joined on November 26, 2011
Last Post on May 23, 2013
Recent Posts
Deep setbacks and radiant
@ May 12, 2013 12:33 PM in What is the most effective heating system for Schools & Intermittent use buildings?
rarely play well together, unless the system is oversized and the building envelope is dodgy. A few degrees overnight, a few more over a weekend is about what most can reliably deliver without sacrificing both comfort and fuel consumption.If you have a way to monitor daily or even realtime fuel use, you can find this sweet spot for each system, then work to improve overall efficiency on multiple fronts. Is someone performing regular combustion testing on the various boilers? Draft and combustion air improvements with a bit of tuning can work wonders at times.
The next step for us is a re-evaluation of the entire system, starting with a room-by-room heat loss and radiation survey plus interviewing occupants and operators to determine real and/or perceived shortcomings.
Envelope improvements are generally the next place we look. On older buildings, caulk and thermal window coverings alone can often provide major improvements.
Recommissioning of older systems, along with strategic repairs, replacements, and de-knuckleheading along the way comes next -- especially if budgets are tight. Replacing oversized single-speed circulators with ECM pumps on hot water systems often pays back fast enough to get the CFO's attention. If budgets allow, then new controls and ODR come next.
Not laughing
@ May 12, 2013 11:36 AM in Old System to new
just being impressed by good old applied engineering. Nice.why not
@ May 12, 2013 12:47 AM in zone valve question
a few smaller Stratos pumps? How many zone valves are there? You can run a Stratos ∆T if you need to.It almost follows a reset curve
@ May 12, 2013 12:18 AM in Old System to new
Some kind of semi-magical optimization of thermal mass and boiler sizing?Checklist
@ May 12, 2013 12:15 AM in Time to choose a boiler
Design is critical, and one of the most important aspects is the efficiency of the distribution and emitters. If you can build a system which meets your winter needs using water supplied at ~120F or less you will gain access to a world of comfort and efficiency about which others can merely dream.Hire a good designer, who may or may not be a contractor.
Type L copper
@ May 11, 2013 1:06 PM in Copper pipe pitting
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/astm-copper-tubes-d_779.html says 4.55 pounds.Learning from mistakes
@ May 11, 2013 10:30 AM in Primary Secondary Problem
Did not come naturally, or even willingly in many cases. I really am getting better at it, though...Exporting natural gas looks like a Bad Idea
@ May 11, 2013 10:21 AM in Exporting natural gas looks like a Bad Idea
For those of you who are not familiar with Chris Martenson or The Crash Course, he's been one of the more cogent commentators on the nexus of the Economy, Energy, and the Environment. Worth a read IMO.http://www.peakprosperity.com/blog/81839/obama-administrations-natural-gas-policy-tragically-misguided
Experience
@ May 11, 2013 10:16 AM in Primary Secondary Problem
My line goes something like: And I have the bite marks in my @ss to prove it.Idiotic oversized boiler pumps
@ May 11, 2013 12:27 AM in Delta-P/Delta-T Part #4
Are hardly unique to TT.I suspect a perverse relationship involving fossilized engineers and a lawyer or three.
If you actually have the experience
@ May 11, 2013 12:17 AM in Primary Secondary Problem
it includes a few unforgettable failures from which you finally learned WHY.Having years of experience but never actually asking why can cause all sorts of trouble.
What is the capacity
@ May 10, 2013 4:08 PM in zone valve question
of the zone? How many GPM at what ∆T will answer the question.Any reason not to use a pump as Bob suggested?
Is the main circulator fixed speed? Is it being replaced?
Far from Dead
@ May 10, 2013 12:47 PM in Solar Thermal is Dead
just needs to be applied properly. Unless the heat demand is year-round, ROI will suffer. PV has the advantage there for sure.PEX outside the wall
@ May 10, 2013 11:12 AM in Any advise on pex....
using the Uponor EP angle and straight stops is what we use most of the time. They have excellent resistance to hard water and are very low cost. You want to to exercise each valve 3-5 times before you apply pressure to the system -- prevents channeling in the lube on the ceramic disc, which has created slow drips in a few of them. Assuming it's a stud wall, a Sioux Chief Strong Arm with PEX Bend Lock Block goes behind it.If you want a more traditional look, Sioux Chief has a range of F1960 copper stub outs that put the PEX joint back inside the wall and let you use standard copper compression valves. Check out some of the Dahl F1960 options there.
Active solar thermal
@ May 10, 2013 2:31 AM in Solar Thermal is Dead
of mostly modern design has been with us since at least 1939 http://mit.edu/solardecathlon/solar1.htmlThe true cost of energy has been carefully hidden from Americans for a long time. If our defense budget only covered defense...
If the system is tight
@ May 9, 2013 11:39 AM in Automatic water cutoff
you shouldn't need the autofill at all. I turn them off whenever possible and teach people to check their system pressure every week or three.Slant/Fin CHS
@ May 9, 2013 11:36 AM in Time to choose a boiler
The CHS is a new line and I have no experience with them yet. Drawings in the IOM look similar to the vertical firetube design TT pioneered, but the HX flow restriction curves are quite a bit higher (though still far less restrictive than a GIannoni.) Anyone know more?Note that the smallest size they offer fires at 85k. Minimum turndown is 17k, essentially the same as the PTS 60.
Slant/Fin is a great company
@ May 9, 2013 10:23 AM in Time to choose a boiler
but the Lynx has an aluminum heat exchanger which would not be my first choice for a condensing boiler.outboard
@ May 8, 2013 11:08 PM in Identifying this trap
If I'm reading this right, they still have a thermostatic element, but tend not to collect debris?outboard trap
@ May 8, 2013 10:04 PM in Identifying this trap
OK, somebody's gotta 'splain that to us newbies...Water quality
@ May 8, 2013 10:01 PM in Cast iron baseboard
Any idea what the pH might be? How long has this been leaking?How much is the system losing per day?
@ May 8, 2013 9:55 PM in Automatic water cutoff
if it's more than zero, you have a problem.Assuming the expansion tank held more than the system's weekly losses I'd valve off the autofeeder and setup a schedule for manual fills while I worked on fixing leaks.
