Heating Help

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@ March 25, 2013 7:40 PM in oil to gas conversion

Jstar!

If it doesn't look something like this

@ March 25, 2013 7:35 PM in saving money on gas

it's wrong.

See your other thread

@ March 25, 2013 10:41 AM in oil boiler and burner info needed

under Gas Heating, for our replies.

Jstar's quote

@ March 25, 2013 10:31 AM in oil to gas conversion

"You will be the same or more efficient as oil. It works great."

says it all. No reason not to do it.

If your present boiler is oversized, it will short-cycle. It may be possible to adjust the firing rate to lessen this- the WBV-04 can be fired at 1.25 GPH on steam too, from the factory- but you don't want to go too far or you won't get good combustion. That's one of many reasons it's not a DIY job. 

The EZ-Gas itself does not modulate, but properly setting the firing rate will help.

You also need to look at what's happening out in the system- in particular, pipe insulation, main vents, other distribution issues- you can waste a lot of fuel there. I'd do this first.

Have a knowledgeable pro look this over. Where are you located?

Probably because it didn't sell

@ March 25, 2013 10:15 AM in Buderus GB125BE/30

Three reasons I can think of:

Around here at least, most oil-fired boiler installations are done by oil suppliers, at rock-bottom prices (and quality) to keep the gas guys at bay- and they make it up on fuel sales. So any price increase at all means the customer goes gas.

Another thing is the burner- it's very well done but is quite unlike anything else out there. So it means you need to stock another set of parts in case one goes down on Saturday afternoon when it's 5 degrees outside, and you need to train your techs on it. The Riello people overcame this by making their burner available on many different boilers, but I don't see this happening with the Buderus burner. Weil-McLain went thru this with their QB burner series- and that one used at least some industry-standard parts.

Then there's the questionable fuel oil quality we've experienced in the past few years.

So oil-fired systems are really only viable where there is no natural gas- and even then, propane and (oh, the horror) heat-pump systems are displacing oil. Chalk that last one up to the typical lousy service oil customers get all too often.

Bob, I looked at the page and didn't see the ratings for that boiler- can you post them pleeeez?

Also measure

@ March 25, 2013 9:57 AM in Looking over existing steam system

how long your steam mains are, what pipe size and what vents are on them.The bullet-shaped vent is a Hoffman #4A but I'm not sure what the other one is. These measurements will tell us how much main venting you need.

Actually

@ March 22, 2013 10:32 PM in I've always found better musicians here!

the first pic was all we had for that performance. Again, whoever could be there. 

We didn't know

@ March 21, 2013 10:54 PM in I've always found better musicians here!

if we'd have a trombone or not, so Ben came along to add some more low brass. They've asked us back for Easter, this time we'll have a French horn as well, but just me on tuba. We do these pretty much with whoever happens to be available.

Our band has about 85 musicians, and last fall we had five tubas. Here we are at the winter concert- the brass was spread thru the hall for this piece. This spring we have six tubas, which is some serious firepower!

One of these

@ March 20, 2013 11:14 PM in Converting Crown Boiler

not sure exactly which one:

http://www.riello-burners.com/2_products/3_gas-burners/3a_40-series-gas-fired.asp

Not a good choice

@ March 19, 2013 11:44 PM in Converting Crown Boiler

the Freeport CT boilers come with Beckett AFG or Riello burners, which can develop the static air pressure needed to fire the boiler. That Wayne burner can't do this as far as I know. I'd use a Carlin EZ-Gas or Riello gas burner.

Generally

@ March 19, 2013 12:21 PM in Noisy Carlin EZ gas conversion burners

the EZ-Gas sounds like a typical flame-retention oil burner. We had one job where the combination of an EZ-Gas in a Slant/Fin Intrepid TR-40 and that particular chimney produced a noticeable harmonic rumble, but we got that down to a manageable level with help from our local Carlin rep, Bruce Graham.

One of the nice things about the Midco radial-flame low-NOx burner is that it doesn't produce any rumble at all. Still waiting for them to come up with a proper steam control system for it.

Which air tube/diffuser assembly

@ March 19, 2013 12:16 PM in Noisy Carlin EZ gas conversion burners

did they use- A, B or 9-slot?

Tuba!

@ March 19, 2013 12:03 AM in I've always found better musicians here!

here we are after playing a Christmas Eve service. The trombonist and violinist are from the congregation, everyone else is from the band I play in. The Lovely Naoko took the picture.

We use brass

@ March 17, 2013 6:55 PM in Ferrous nipple used after a backflow preventer

both for the nipple and the PRV. Why ask for rust?

One indirect job we did

@ March 17, 2013 6:49 PM in Do you sell your GAS customers on Indirect or tankless?

involved a 75-gallon Jacuzzi, three other showers, laundry etc. The original boiler was a tankless model, which was completely inadequate. System was early FHW with radiators.

We installed a 6-section Solaia with HeatWise gas burner and two 60-gallon TT Phase 3 indirects. The owner loves it.

This is the only picture I can find quickly.

Do you take

@ March 17, 2013 11:34 AM in IS THIS ENTRAN PIPING

venting clearances- windows, doors, snow line- into account for those condensing units?

Not sure where you are, but here in Baltimore when we have a real winter we've been known to get up to three feet of snow. Yet I frequently see PVC vent pipes sticking out maybe a foot above grade. If these things get blocked and the unit doesn't shut down, the results could be tragic. You can't fix stupid............

Something to think about

@ March 16, 2013 8:40 PM in Packaged Rooftop versus Hydronic Costs

a rooftop unit is located outside the building envelope, so it loses a lot more of the heat it generates than a hydronic system does. 

No surprise

@ March 15, 2013 6:17 PM in air valves spitting water not fixed, and more..

you need to go to a real plumbing supplier to find these. 

You can't

@ March 15, 2013 6:14 PM in Steam Boiler-How Not to Do It...

fix stupid!

I'm sure

@ March 13, 2013 11:44 PM in pex on condensate loop

the HO will call you when the "repair" doesn't work. 

What size is the radiator

@ March 13, 2013 6:47 PM in pex on condensate loop

If it's not too big, you could re-pitch the runout downward and run a drip line from the riser back to the wet return.  

Try PowerFlame

@ March 12, 2013 6:43 PM in Oil Burner to Gas Burner

one of their WJR or WCR burners should work. That's what they're using on the 80 series boilers, which have similar ratings.