Heating Help

sediment

@ September 25, 2011 12:14 AM in indirect water heater

Hello:  Heating drives hardness out of the water, forming sediment, but it happens only where the heat transfer is taking place.  An indirect removes that heat transfer function from the storage, so should have little in it to flush out unless there is sand/mud in the water supply, or perhaps the pump could move sediment from the heat exchanger into the tank.  I'd still pipe it so it could be cleaned out, but would expect a lot less gunk.  Where sediment interferes with heat transfer, like in an underfired heater, it can have unhappy side effects :~(

Yours,  Larry

That's one way...

@ September 13, 2011 3:36 AM in Annode rod checking

... to get sediment out of a tank!  The anode looks good by the way.  The thermostat must have failed closed from a power surge or corrosion ... or it may not have been sensing real tank temperature. There may have been air in the tank also so the relief valve didn't see the hot water.  I'm surprised there isn't more damage to the house.  That tank is a collector's item!

Yours,  Larry

In the bad old days...

@ September 12, 2011 12:05 PM in Bradford White heat traps

... plastic lined nipples (used in heat traps) were lined with plastic inside, but not around the ends of the nipple.  Modern lined nipples are better than that.  The old nipples could rust away at the threads.  That problem is almost entirely gone with the modern version.  Also, some heat traps now have just a rubber flap and are not noisy like the old ball type.

Another approach is to use a lined nipple in the tank and go to a long copper flex connector to make a heat trap.  In any event, mixing metals is a no-no.

Yours,  Larry

Another possible way...

@ September 2, 2011 2:52 AM in Gas-Fired Single Tank Systems Now Possible

... to do things could be to use a standard two element electric heater and use the upper element port to plumb in the cold feed to a boiler.  The lower portion of the tank could then be heater by solar without competing heat sources or stratification issues.  I'm sure the manufacturers would love the creative use of their tanks.  :~P

Yours,  Larry

304 vs 316

@ August 7, 2011 1:17 PM in Electrolysis Tank Failure?

Hello:  Just to add in, I've had only trouble with 304 and hot water.  316 holds up much better in the waters I have in Central California.  As to the stray current, look around and see if there are wires running close to metal piping.  It can act like a crude transformer and induce current into the pipe.  Code may be enough for safety, but isn't as concerned about equipment longevity.

Yours,  Larry

basic stuff

@ August 7, 2011 1:04 PM in EeMax element failure

Hello:  Do you get any air at taps?  Sometimes in late summer, wells can suck in air.  Have you had a look at line voltage or seen evidence of voltage spikes?  Does the water pressure ever go low enough to allow boiling in the heater? If there is no air in the heater, it must be something else causing the trouble.

Yours,  Larry

A good answer...

@ July 17, 2011 11:35 AM in Converting to tankless

... to your questions would fill at least two books.I suspect that's why nobody has answered you so far.  There are questions of fuel type; efficiency improvements to the home (so the heat maker/s get sized right); type of system/s; condensing or non; sizing; and so on. 
Why are you thinking tankless is the way to go? Condensing tank type might work if you have gas, or a good boiler with indirect, or...  I imagine smaller questions will be easier for us Wallies to deal with.

Yours,  Larry

Karl

@ July 17, 2011 11:23 AM in Stinky water

Hello:  My house is off grid and uses 24 VDC, but has only .63 KW.  So I don't get too far off topic, the house is heated with hot water.  :~)

Yours,  Larry

Gordy

@ July 9, 2011 1:19 AM in Some prayers needed PLEASE !

You are their advocate, so trust your instincts and KNOW they will get better. It works. Those who frequent The Wall are an amazing bunch of folks. I've experienced the benefit of their care and it's nothing short of a miracle.  You've come to the right place.

Yours,  Larry

Tim...

@ July 9, 2011 1:03 AM in A question of qualification

... I'd keep it simple.  The list above is stifling.  Start with a very experienced trades person. Make sure he/she understands some science and have him or her read "How To Teach Technicians".  The students will all benefit and have fun while doing so!

Yours,  Larry

a fix

@ July 9, 2011 12:50 AM in Stinky water

Hello:  I've had good luck with odor using powered anodes.  For whatever reason, they work well to get rid of odor from the hot side of things.  Not to place an ad, but Water Heater Rescue is the main place I know for info and parts to deal with this.

Yours,  Larry

thoughts

@ June 26, 2011 12:51 PM in Gas Hot Water Boiler's Flue Cap installed incorrectly?

Hello:  Looking at the photo, I see the legs of the draft hood are straight and don't seem to be crushed down.  The pipe looks like four inch and the hood looks to be three inch.  Switching the pipe to three inch might allow you to get some rise and better draft. Or tying into thew bigger line further back towards the chimney might help a bit.  I'd fire it and test for spillage at the draft hood.  I'd do the same with the boiler running.  Let us know!

Yours,  Larry

Kevin

@ June 4, 2011 12:16 PM in "Steam Pumping"

Did you draw some vacuum?  That might encourage bubble formation and longevity.  Meddlesomely yours,  Larry

You might want to consider...

@ May 31, 2011 2:25 AM in Hot Water recirculating line

... demand controls, or the piping can lose a lot of heat.  I understand that 24 hour recirc can triple one's water heating bill.   www.gothotwater.com is the originator of the idea.

Yours,  Larry

Air Tap heat pump...

@ May 29, 2011 3:45 PM in Need a DHW solution for low basement.

... is a retrofit unit (good for low ceilings) and it does put a large copper coil in your tank.  So, if the tank is glass lined, you'll need a good anode.  I don't know if it can be made to fit, but there is a powered anode that can be used rather than a sacrificial rod.  The engineers at Air Tap  are experimenting with a refillable anode also.  I have a friend who managed to fit Air Tap units to Marathon heaters, which need no anode.  Choices!

Yours,  Larry

For what...

@ May 29, 2011 3:34 PM in The EPA and elecric hot water heaters

...it's worth, Australia is banning electric water heaters as we type.  But then they use mostly coal and are very worried about rising sea level.  They are quite serious about cutting energy use.  No doubt, their experience will continue to be educational for us. (They were ahead of us in banning incandescent lights.)

Yours,  Larry

curious

@ May 29, 2011 4:36 AM in Need a DHW solution for low basement.

Hello David:  I'm curious to know if you have some sort of recirculation on your domestic hot water piping.  Running close to an hour daily sounds like far more heat is going into the system than you're taking out.

Yours,  Larry

pressure

@ May 22, 2011 8:17 PM in Water Heater Piping

Hello:  This ultimately is a pressure problem.  Have you taken a gauge and done some testing to see where the flow problem/s are?  I might put the gauge on the water heater's drain and run one, than two, than three taps to see if pressure drops at the heater.  Do the same check at the main coming into the house.  It's harder to check pressure indoors, but some fun combination or adapters and reducer bushings should allow you to test at faucets or the shower.  The problem may be something as simple as rust where a brass nipple screws into the tank.

I'm not convinced it's a PEX problem or a heater problem... we just don't have sufficient info to judge.  You should have a pressure balanced shower anyway, so you might just get that done and see if the problem goes away.  If not, there is testing in your future!

Yours,  Larry

causes

@ May 17, 2011 1:19 AM in Water Heater Question

Hello:  The most common cause of failure is not replacing the anode rod when it wants to be replaced.  I've had good heaters last over fifty years by doing anode replacement. After that, water pressure being too high and too variable causes damage to heaters.  Dirty air getting burned in combustion produces acidic condensation at the unprotected flue in the heater and rusts it out.  Generally, chemical reactions double with every twenty degree F rise.  That's not good in a water heater where temperatures under sediment can reach 1000 degrees in severe conditions.  And, as Rufus said, overhead leaks are a problem for the poor un-paid-attention-to heater.

Generally, electric heaters last a few more years than gas, but that's only an average.

Yours,  Larry

ummm...

@ May 17, 2011 1:09 AM in Boiler fired tankless DHW heater

I admit:  I'm confused.  Why preheat a tankless heater from a boiler?  Regardless, there is a problem I understand with the idea and it's gas fired tankless heaters have difficulty accepting preheated water.  They cannot modulate way down so as to do only a little heating.

What are you trying to get done? 

Yours  Larry

Here's something

@ April 3, 2011 1:39 PM in Seidelhuber water heater

Hello:  I found an ad for the heater from 1950.  It's an interesting heater worth maintaining.  Finding parts could be interesting.

Yours,  Larry

Vacuum system

@ April 3, 2011 1:13 PM in DUST !

Hello:  You might want to consider a central vacuum system that has an exhaust which can be ducted outdoors.  That way, any dust that isn't collected is put back outside.  It beats just stirring it up with the standard push vac.  I built one with a shop vac and sewer pipe along with normal central vac hose and wall inlets.  This kept cost down and performance up.

Yours,  Larry