Heating Help

making a happy wife

@ May 5, 2013 2:15 AM in Lesson learned NEVER let the wife tag along to the home show

Two things you need to say to your wife to keep her happy: ( This is from my wife)
1.Yes dear
2. I love it!

Life is easy.
Rick

thanks

@ April 17, 2013 12:46 AM in trouble free furnaces

Thanks for the replies!
I am in the process of getting a few bids out for conversions now as people are finally starting to believe gas is coming after all these years. Piping is being put in right now and they say maybe turning some of it on by the end of June. Going to be a busy summer.
 I think whatever I get for furnaces will be what they will be. Hopefully problem free for a while anyway. The last time I took on a new line of condensing furnaces I lost about 5 hours on each one of them for callbacks and tweaking due to bad parts and the unit itself. Hopefully this won't happen again.
Anyway, thanks for all opinions!
Rick
p.s. Hey Bill are you in Anchorage area or Palin ville?

parts, etc.

@ April 16, 2013 2:07 AM in trouble free furnaces

sorry about lack of info. I am talking furnaces in this case. I do have 3 suppliers about 80 miles away that stock most of the parts, (at least I hope they will since they are selling the furnaces).
 I also understand the  installation concerns. That is not going to be the problem, nor is the lack of stocking, at least somewhat.
 I just need to know what would be my best choice of furnaces to be buying of the ones I named so I know which supplier I will be using. Then I can find out what parts to be stocking.
Thanks for any replies.
Rick

trouble free furnaces

@ April 15, 2013 11:10 PM in trouble free furnaces

My area is just now getting natural gas and I haven't been around enough brands to know which ones are the good ones.
 My local suppliers are selling Goodman, York, and Heil, all in the over 90% range.
 I have done some investigation on the net and find that of these brands, people either say they are the worst or the best. I know installation is the biggest factor, but taking that out and just looking at longevity, ease of service, and  overall quality, which is the best of these three?
 Any and all answers appreciated.
Rick
 p.s. I will be at Tim Mcelwains class in R.I. on May 13th, so if anyone else will be there I look forward to seeing you!

website

@ March 2, 2013 1:05 PM in Convert only the oil burner head to gas?

Allan:
 Not sure if this is your site or not, and I am not wanting to be critical, but someone needs to re-write it with better grammar. It reads as if it is a translation.
 As I said, not trying to be critical, just trying to help.
Rick

new direction

@ February 25, 2013 11:42 PM in conversions

Thanks for all the replies. I have looked at the job again and am going to see about changing out the furnace. I will probably keep the water heater as it is new and even changing to on on demand is going to be expensive given the central location of the existing plumbing and the walls themselves, but then again after looking at the job again I might be able to . Will see.
 Rickl 

link

@ February 24, 2013 2:51 PM in Convert only the oil burner head to gas?

Allen;
 The link doesn't work. Do you have a better one?
Rick

experience

@ February 21, 2013 10:35 PM in conversions

Thanks for the reply Tim.
 I have very limited experience with conversion burners, but I need to learn sometime. As there is going to be as many as a couple hundred people getting gas and wanting to convert, I am going to have to be able to do this.
 As you know, I would love to be able to change units out to gas, but for most people, this is not going to be an option, so conversion is the way to go.
 I am a very good mechanic/troubleshooter, so feel I can definitely do these with the proper guidance.
 I need to get some of your books, but not sure of best ones to have at this time and with my budget. Send me recommendations please.
Thanks, Rick.

capacitor

@ February 21, 2013 1:52 PM in Pump Question

My meter has a capacitor checker built right in to it, which has helped me out a lot. And I didn't have to buy a separate meter.
Try Radio Shack or similar for capacitors. I haven't looked myself, but I assume the numbers for the cap are written on it.
Rick

conversion

@ February 21, 2013 1:37 PM in conversions

 I understand the cost of the furnace is cheap, however redoing all the
duct work and the exhaust kills that saving. As far as the water heater
goes, he has a fairly new oil fired unit that he doesn't want to get rid
of.
 Mostly trying to find out which burner is best for each of the units.
Thanks.
 Rick

conversions

@ February 20, 2013 2:03 PM in conversions

 I have been doing oil for 21 years here and now it looks like after years of people saying it is coming, it looks like we will have gas by August. It is going to be a mad scramble trying to do conversions and new gas lines along with my normal oil work, unless the people really can't afford to do the work. Time will tell.
 Anyway, I have one customer right now who wants to be ready to go. He has a Bock water heater and an old whirlpool furnace. Since I don't do gas as propane is the only option at over 4 something a gallon, i do not have a lot of experience with different burners etc.
 Question: customer does not want to change furnace, so new one is not an option.
 The furnace is an old Whirlpool model FBL that is still in good shape. What conversion burner can we use on it and what burner for the Bock?
 Also, the chimneys around here are for the most part Metalbestos stainless, but I am not sure on this one if it is masonry. Do all masonry chimneys need liners?
Rick

warm flux

@ February 9, 2013 2:34 PM in Eatherton "flux sponge"

A lot of the time when I am doing a solder job, my flux is still somewhat cold. The solution that I use to keep from having to smear too much flux on is to put my torch head in the fitting for a second or two to heat it up, and then apply the flux. I carry a small (3 ounce I think ) can of flux that I work out of and can do most boiler jobs using about 1/4 of it. As it gets used up, I refill it out of a bigger container I have.
 I hate those jobs where you see green pipes and when you touch it your hands are all greasy, so i clean all my joints with a wet rag after soldering. Like others said, you need to wait for the joint to cool so it doesn't crack before wiping, but if you wait too long the flux is harder to wipe off.
Rick

leaks

@ January 13, 2013 1:28 AM in Buderus Header Manifold Leaking & Corroded

 The two unions at the top of the picture have rubber gaskets that turn hard as a rock after they have been used for a while, and start leaking when they get cold. This leaking water is running down the piping and causing surface corrosion. Get rid of them and put regular unions in.
 The leak at the bottom is probably caused by a leaking packing gland on the ball valve above it. I can't tell from the picture, but you might be able to tighten it up.
Rick

more thoughts

@ December 19, 2012 11:27 PM in Weil McLain UO-3 Help

I am just reading this post and thought I would give a thought or two. What did you do to fix soot issue when it occurred. In other words, did you change the nozzle? I am wondering, along the lines of icesailors post, if it is a fuel related problem and the nozzle is plugging up. I have seen quite a few times when the boiler will go down about 2 days after fill ups because of a plugged or dirty nozzle. I believe as ice said that the fuel delivery will stir up crud that makes its way through the filters and to the nozzle.
 You might check and see what the fuel delivery times are in relation to the boiler sooting up. Maybe you need better filtration.
p.s. I have this boiler/burner combo for the past 6 years in a direct vent setup and have only touched it 3 times. Runs great, although I still say the nx is not quiet!
Rick

aquastat contacts

@ November 11, 2012 12:44 AM in Aquastat L8148E Problem

I have seen so many solder joint problems like this on oil controls that I have lost count. When I get on a job where the pump and or the burner won't run, I immediately check the output on the aquastat. Most likely there is no power on the b1 or c2 connections. Have had this problem since controls were shipped to mexico during nafta. I can almost close my eyes and point to the bad joint when I turn the board over.
 Replace the control or repair it if you can handle the lawyers.
Rick 

water leakage

@ November 11, 2012 12:33 AM in Learned an expensive water bill lesson

 looks like your water level is too high in picture 1. Can't tell if it is high enough to go over the top, but something to check out.
The easiest  way to tell if it is a flapper leak is to turn off the water supply and see if the level in the tank drops over time. If it does, then it is a flapper leak. 
Rick

condensation?

@ September 20, 2012 3:13 AM in Buderus chimney condensation problems

My first thought was is it condensation or is there an internal leak in the boiler?What is the exhaust temperature after taking out the baffles? Is the boiler hooked up to an automatic water fill valve? Since the exhaust on this particular boiler usually runs low, and the exhaust is vented to an outside chimney, it probably is condensation, but I would definitely rule out any other potentials first.
Rick

boiler efficiency

@ September 16, 2012 12:14 PM in indirect v.s. on demand

Thanks for all the replies.
 The boiler we decided to got with is the Weil Mclain gv3 90+. A regular GV would probably be just as good, but price is same at this time, so that is what we are going with. We are going from a boiler that is capable of putting out 140k btu to one around 70. The heat loss came in at 54k after energy upgrades.
The heating system is a suspended tube setup, two zones. Since this setup will only condense for a very short time, I felt like the modcon was overkill for this setup and not worth the potential problems down the road with longevity and maintenance. In this case, with this heating setup, simpler is better. 
 I will have to look in to the costs associated with setting up an indirect with the buffer tank.
 Thanks, Rick

cost comparison

@ September 15, 2012 2:04 PM in indirect v.s. on demand

Thanks for the replies so far.
Does anyone have any real life numbers on what the different scenarios would cost on a long term basis? I am wondering if I went with the indirect, I would have to run the boiler and deal with the standby loss in the summer, but I would have no real maintenance issues with it.
 If I went with the on demand, I would have to worry about maintenance issues along with the cost of adding in a buffer tank setup. I also worry about longevity costs.
 I personally like using the Rinnai's for making boat loads of hot water, but your concerns about hot water lag times are something to consider.
I am one of those people who want to make the best choice for my customers rather than sell them more expensive equipment they don't really need, and unfortunately, I am still not sure which way to go.
Thanks for the ongoing advice.
Rick

indirect v.s. on demand

@ September 13, 2012 10:12 PM in indirect v.s. on demand

I have a customer that is getting a new gas boiler and wants to upgrade her electric water heater to either an on demand or an indirect. The existing boiler piping has a manifold that is set up with a spot to tie in the indirect if we go that way.
The problem is whether it is better to go with the indirect or the on demand. The issues are that the boiler runs in the summer to heat the domestic with the indirect and I am concerned that having the residual heat in the boiler is not as efficient as having the water heated directly with the on demand. Think heat loss from the boiler that is now heating a space that needs no heat.
 On the other hand, the indirect heats water a lot faster, and I believe more efficiently.
The indirect has a lifetime warranty and virtually no maintenance, and the on demand is I believe 10 years and a lot of parts to go wrong.
I believe the on demand is the way to go for efficiency, but I wonder how much it costs in the long run, say over 10 years or so.
Either one will supply their hot water needs fine, cost about the same to install, and are just as easy to install in the space available.
Any thoughts on which way to go are very much appreciated.
Thanks, Rick

24"

@ June 4, 2012 2:23 AM in Relief Valves

I can't find my latest code book for the upc, but in the1- 2003 book, section 608.5, it says drain shall extend to the outside of the building with the end of the pipe not more than 2 feet  nor less than 6 inches above the ground...
  Here in Alaska we can't run the drain line directly outside because of freeze up issues, but the same height rules apply.
 Relief lines are supposed to go to a floor drain, but most of the time there isn't one to go to except in new construction, and then depending on who built the place.
Rick

relief valve clearance

@ June 3, 2012 11:09 AM in Relief Valves

The code says relief valves can be "no closer" than 6 inches from the floor. You can actually be up to 24 inches and be per upc requirements.
Rick