Heating Help

Chromalox

@ May 8, 2008 11:44 AM in Electric heating element and Tstat for an Indirect WH

I took a good look but 2000 watts was about the max but it did have a nice built-in thermostat. Anyway I met with the builder-engineer and revised the plan to shore up the beam without a new column so that the boiler won't need to move but only a small venting change and some minor electrical rerouting will be necessary. Thanks for the suggestion. I still might consider the smallest electric Steibel Eltron instantaneous WH as a backup.

Elbi Aquamate

@ May 8, 2008 11:38 AM in Electric heating element and Tstat for an Indirect WH

Elbi Aquamate from Italy, but AFAIK they are discontinued. lots of tappings: anode rod, temperature gauge, thermostat, electric element, top DHW supply and bottom side cold inlet. It is very solid with strong tappings.

@ May 6, 2008 10:26 AM in Electric heating element and Tstat for an Indirect WH

I have a 40 gallon indirect water heater with a 1.5" tapping for a heating element and a .5" tapping for a Tstat well just below it (see attached picture). I would like to get about a 6000 watt element in there to provide temporary DHW while the boiler is moved out of the way for some structural work in the basement. I currently keep the tank at 140 degrees and mix it down to 120 for the house. We have a 60 inch GFX heat recovery unit so I think volumes and recovery times should be Ok with 6000 watts. Can anyone recommend equipment and a strategy I can relay to the plumber and electrician safely install this.

ME Did this with his Munchkin 50

@ February 12, 2008 10:10 AM in Condensate Volume of Mod-Con

Vertically for 20 some feet, IIRC from a long ago post. I searched but could not find it. What say you ME? Would a section of stainless steel tubing for the inner exhaust vent be feasible as a tertiary HX? C

Similar performance without the watts

@ December 10, 2007 5:12 PM in Our FIRST residential radiant window project (ME)

I have followed this stock for a while but never bought, nor do I have a recommendation. I didn't know they were working on this but it may have similar performance to the wired glass or they may work well together. http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/071207/20071207005042.html?.v=1 Southwall's Heat Mirror Insulating Glass Achieves Insulation Value of R-20/U-0.05 . . . Equal to the Insulation of a Solid Wall Friday December 7, 8:00 am ET Available for Residential & Commercial Applications in Windows, Doors & Fixed Glass PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Southwall Technologies, Inc., the worldwide innovator of high performance, energy-saving films and glass products, announced today the ability of Heat Mirror® insulating glass to insulate against heat loss at a record breaking R-20/U-0.05 insulation value. ADVERTISEMENT R-20 Heat Mirror insulating glass consists of three heat reflective coated films mounted inside an insulating glass unit between two pieces of low-e coated glass. This super insulating glass construction creates four heat-impeding gas-filled cavities and achieves R-20 performance when used in conjunction with a thermally insulated fiberglass frame. Heat Mirror R-20 is a product of Alpen Energy Systems, a leading Southwall customer licensed to fabricate Heat Mirror insulating glass. “This astounding achievement in energy efficiency is a tribute to the collaborative team effort of Southwall and its window and insulating glass customers who jointly push the envelope in enhancing the performance and value of Heat Mirror technology,” said John Meade, Southwall’s Director of Business Development Superior to any low-e glass currently available, Heat Mirror is a technologically advanced low emissivity and solar reflective film that can be mounted inside an insulating glass unit in a variety of configurations (one, two or three coated films, uncoated or low-e coated glass) to provide energy conservation performance ranging from R-6 to R-20 to meet the unique requirements of commercial and residential new construction and renovation projects. Heat Mirror is the technological alternative to coated glass that extends performance well beyond that of generic low-e glass available today. Heat Mirror insulating glass, as well as other innovative glass technologies currently under development, is driving the US Department of Energy to revise the glass performance standards of its Energy Star program that rates the energy efficiency of appliances and building components. Scheduled to debut as early as 2009, revised Energy Star glass performance standards will make clear that generic low-e glass, with a maximum insulating performance level of R-4, no longer represents a level of energy efficiency required to “transform the market”, a key charter of the agency’s ratings and standards program. Among Energy Star’s objectives is increased market penetration of windows achieving insulating performance of R-10 by 2010, an objective readily achieved by Heat Mirror technology today. Why is increasing the energy efficiency of glass important? According to Chris Mathis, a founding member of the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC), which sets standards for window energy efficiency, 64 percent of the 110 million existing homes in the US have single-pane windows. This contributes 25%-35% of the total energy wasted in buildings and 10% of the total carbon emissions in the US annually. Southwall Technologies, Inc., (OTCBB:SWTX - News) introduced the world’s first low-e coated glass product in 1981, a pioneering technology recognized in 2000 by Popular Science magazine as one of the "Top 100 Inventions of the Millennium.” Southwall’s Heat Mirror insulating glass units are available from over 50 window and insulating glass manufacturers worldwide.

Piping Replacement Boiler

@ November 17, 2007 2:07 PM in Piping Replacement Boiler

I have a boiler replacement for a client. An old CI energy hog. It's been in the talk for over an year, finally narrowed it down to a Knight. Current arrangement on boiler is circulator pump towards boiler. I plan on P/S, with primary pumping towards new boiler and away from Ex.tank. I guess my question is a there any problems with leaving existing circulators in the return lines of newly created secondary. Manual shows circulators in supply lines. But that could pose a problem with actual location on Ex. tank. Thought about hydraulic separations also. Thanks Jack

Ranco ETC line

@ February 15, 2007 5:37 PM in Temperature to 0-10 volt DC Transducer

Ranco ETC line has a 0-10v output availble on some models like the ETC-112100. Range -30 to +220 F.

Averaging thermosts

@ February 9, 2007 10:18 AM in Thermostat location--pros check this out

Don't thermostats/hvac controls exist that take an average of multiple sensors and try to work the middle ground. May not be the best solution, but may eliminate the extremes. I am too lazy right now to look them up, but I have run across them on the web.

German Hyddrogen Boiler Research

@ September 15, 2006 11:05 AM in When are those Germans going to make Hydrogen fuel boilers?

Some links I have been sitting on... old but interesting. Solar Hydrogen Project at Neunburg vorm Wald, Germany Test of a premixing radiant burner for the low NOx combustion of natural gas / hydrogen mixtures: http://www.neuhaus.com/swb/englisch/e13.htm Operation of 20 kWth gas-fired heating boilers with hydrogen, natural gas and hydrogen / natural gas mixtures: http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:X74yvSLa5xMJ:www.neuhaus.com/swb/englisch/e04.htm+hydrogen+boiler&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=11

I've done that

@ September 6, 2006 5:16 PM in potable water pre heat

but baths are a rarity around here with youngest turn 11 soon.

50% to 55%

@ September 6, 2006 3:16 PM in potable water pre heat

I tried to come up with wording that reflected what I rembered from the GFX website that I believe stated a general 5% of additional recovery. ie. 50% to 55% when cold water shower supply was tapped off the GFX in addition to the usual "50%". More flow = more heat recovery.

Thinking outsde the tank

@ September 6, 2006 11:41 AM in Grey water heat recovery system

Mark I like your idea and I have one of my own. Why not wrap the exterior of the tank in the highest heat transfer pex you can find and run your cold water through the pex for preheat. You could gang pex runs together like some GFXs to reduce head losses or use a pump on a differential control to transfer the heat to the coil in an indirect or just to the taps on a regular water heater. Perhaps a primary secondary pump arrangement that runs when a sensor detects cold water flowing to the water heater or cold side shower. Some thermal paste on the pex-tank interface and insulation on the exterior would help with heat transfer and you would have a nice insulated double wall heat exchanger that you wouldn't have to clean.

GFX installed both ways at the same time

@ September 6, 2006 11:17 AM in potable water pre heat

is the recommended way for the best heat recovery. Both as a system pre-heater, with warmed water going into your water heater and to plumb in a tee so warmed water goes directly into the shower being used, on the cold side. Works great in my house. Plumbing the cold side of the shower in addtion to feeding the the water heater with the GFX is supposed increase the heat recovery by about 5 percentage points.

Take a look at the BRAC System

@ August 30, 2006 10:59 AM in Grey water heat recovery system

I admire your attempt at Grey Water and Grey Water Heat recovery. BRAC System's make's a turn-key Grey Water recycling system that you may want to consider or at least take a look at the firly extensive documention an their website for some ideas to use on your own system . You could possibly mod their tank some how to provide heat recovery as well. A GFX on the floor above the Grey Water system would take care of a lot the heat recovery. At minimum, a GFX for preheating cold side shower water only could be used as well. A GFX with a sump pump below to feed the Grey Wter tank is another possibility. Brac reccomends a tri-chlor based tablet, such as the Lysol Brand Continuous Action Toilet Bowl Cleaner tablet for sanitation.

Checkout Sunergy

@ July 20, 2006 9:44 AM in use of pool deck as a source of solar gain

http://sunergy.ecosmartinc.com/

Heat Pipe passive dehumidification

@ April 23, 2006 8:40 AM in A/C for radiant house

Heat pipes may be described as having two sections: precool and reheat. The first section is located in the incoming air stream. When warm air passes over the heat pipes, the refrigerant vaporizes, carrying heat to the second section of heat pipes, placed downstream. Because some heat has been removed from the air before encountering the evaporator coil, the incoming air stream section is called the precool heat pipe. Air passing through the evaporator coil is assisted to a lower temperature, resulting in greater condensate removal. The "overcooled" air is then reheated to a comfortable temperature by the reheat heat pipe section, using the heat transferred from the precool heat pipe. This entire process of precool and reheat is accomplished with no additional energy use. The result is an air conditioning system with the ability to remove 50 to 100% more moisture than regular systems. Please email me if you would like more information or pricing. Cliff http://www.heatpipe.com/heatpipes.htm http://www.heatpipe.com/mktg_materials/Brochures/zcoil.gif http://www.heatpipe.com/mktg_materials/Brochures/Residential%20Line.htm http://www.heatpipe.com/mktg_materials/Brochures/hpcases.pdf

@ April 23, 2006 8:38 AM in A/C for radiant house

Clogged bottom jet?

@ April 1, 2006 11:20 AM in Okay plumbers, have at it

I had one with a similar frequency of under flushing that turned out to have sediment (from the bowl itself) clogging the jet at the bottom front of the bowl. Using my pinky or a small stick would loosen the sediment during a clean flush and would increase the flow into the trap enough for reliable flushing.

\"Furnace\" replaced with Tankless and HX

@ February 12, 2006 5:51 PM in A Tree Hugger wall of shame

I haven't had the heart (or time) to post there to tell them what I really think, but aside from the obvious problems, this is the first time I have seen so much equipment stuck to a crumbling basement wall. I tried to attaceh the after picture but something failed. Others are welcome to try to attach the picture. http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/02/cut_your_gas_co_1.php

DOE take on Partial Load

@ December 19, 2005 10:48 AM in Oversize ModCon Boiler to operate at lo-fire (more efficient?)

See page 14 of this great promtion of condensing boilers.

Your choice.

@ December 7, 2005 4:37 PM in Tekmar help

The indoor feedback you get with tn4 as well as the other bells and whistles may or may not be worth it to you. The ability to ramp up the boiler as zones come on line or on return from setback is something that boiler outdoor reset alone can't do. The utility of setback has been debated here but with the indoor feedback combined with the boiler and availble radiation headroom, it certainly can work. Study the documentation on the 42x series and the thremostats to see what combo fits your application and the make the choice. The tease of a future module to monitor and log the tn4 activity to a computer is compelling to certain geek types.

423? Please tell more.

@ December 7, 2005 4:03 PM in Tekmar help

And what about the module for gathering tn4 data, any word?