Heating Help

I agree

@ January 3, 2011 4:13 PM in Reusing Condensate

with you Tim. Neutralizing is the responsible thing to do.

where

@ December 30, 2010 7:11 AM in Toekick heater install question

is the boiler water feed point? That will tell us where to put a central purge station.
You don't need purge stations at each TK, just use a 1/2" baseboard T on each with a coin vent. I put the T on the rear stub so it can be accessed.
It seems like I install at least one K42 every few weeks since forever..I'm always doing kitchen and bath renos :)
I would be itchy to zone this house. And it looks easy enough looking at your sketch.

perfect

@ December 15, 2010 4:11 PM in Connecting radiators with PEX

PAP. Regular pex will move, droop, and cause misery. Manifold system, TRV's. Grundfos Alpha. Outdoor reset.

That's a sweet set up.

yes

@ November 16, 2010 9:30 PM in Is pex safe

it is safe.
Is there something more behind this question?

same as

@ November 14, 2010 8:10 PM in Power Vent vs Chimney

the other guys. If you HAVE to PV, do it Tjerlund. 
Most folks live with the PV for a few years then go SS flue. No matter what, siding staining happens, ppl get tired of the noise, the thing craps, you have no heat.
I would anticipate a future route for a flue, internal or external, even if it entails boiler relocation.

  

ahh

@ November 11, 2010 4:29 PM in monoflow question

You have to watch the mono T mfr. If it's a venturi with the cone inside, it goes on the return, cone going with flow. If the rad is lower than the main, you have to use mono T's on both S/R.
If it's an Asian cast scoop type T, it's gotta go on the supply with the scoop curving up into the branch. In a less than stellar moment some years ago, I tried to defy physics, being so used to the tried and true B+G monoflo's. 

correction

@ November 11, 2010 4:24 PM in Should Boderus G125BE be paired with a Riello Burner

The irrepressible Mr. Shaw emailed me and informed me that yes, the G125 can be had with the cold start, and the 2107 is an option. The GB has the 2107 standard.
I must have heard wrong, or forgot that when I took the certification up in NH a year and a half ago.
Can't imagine with a boiler of that caliber having a simple high limit, but, hey...:)

great answer

@ November 10, 2010 10:04 PM in Should Boderus G125BE be paired with a Riello Burner

And, you have no choice in the matter of the control. You ARE getting the 2107, it's the only way they come. And, you ARE getting the TigerLoop Ultra with spin on, and vacuum gauge.

Buderus wants to ensure this boiler gets the cleanest oil, with the lowest Hg, and wants the boiler controlled their way.

Good stuff.

zzzzz

@ November 6, 2010 5:36 PM in 2010 Big Ugly

What a night. Should have stopped at the fourth Scotch.
When's the next one?

I remember

@ November 4, 2010 6:58 PM in Weil Mclain AlumiPex fittings source

those days, Mark. It seemed like everyone had a radiant tube.
Now that it's almost 2011, we are down to what, maybe 3,4 tube mfrs.?
I find it fascinating seeing things come and go and what sticks, what doesn't.
Speaking of..today getting material, a HO wandered up to the counter. Holding a Filltrol. The young 'un's working there didn't know what it was. God, how I hated those :) 

LOL!

@ November 4, 2010 6:54 PM in Weil Mclain AlumiPex fittings source

I didn't even think of it!
There's some pretty nasty stuff over there. I'm afraid this isn't too dramatic, Everything is nice and neat and repetitive looking. It's when you look closer you see the swing checks installed vertically and stuff like that. And the overkill.
Although a shot of inside the Baelz control box would strike fear in any mortal man...
Pics on Monday when I go back!

can't

@ November 4, 2010 3:30 PM in Weil Mclain AlumiPex fittings source

be any harder than moving a boiler across a basement! ;)

Thanks

@ November 4, 2010 3:11 PM in Weil Mclain AlumiPex fittings source

you guys, this is helpful. I may just have to get out the caliper and track down some generic O-rings.
This job is a whole house gyp done around 1998. 23 loops of the AlumiPex. Have to say, doesn't look like a bad product, all the mechanical nuts are tight, no corrosion or leaks.
The problem here is that in 1998, a local Baelz rep designated this home as a showcase for the Baelz product line. And what an animal this is. 5 ohm circuitry for starters.
12 motorized Baelz three way valves dedicated to each Baelz thermostat or room sensor. A giant motorized three way valve chooses whether the boiler primary loop gets the flow or the indirect. A B+G L60 flanged pump runs 24/7/365 as a primary pump. No manifolds; radiant loops are taken from respective three way valves.
The system has never worked right from Day 1. The HO said she has to use a portable electric heater in the MBR, which caught fire and melted last year, and the fire dept had to come out. Post it notes tell what valves to turn on for heat. An extension cord is at the ready to plug in a Taco SR501 to activate one of the zones.
The Indirect is a Plus 80, but the normal boiler in and out taps are not used. A large Baelz vertical tube HX heats the domestic, the tank is storage.
A stone age WM WTGO (!) is the second boiler here, as the first one rotted out in 10 years when the porch snowmelt sprung a leak and was undetected for a LONG time. 
The electric bill here is averaging 2K a month. The control box has to be seen to be believed.
So, I am re-habbing this, and part of it is bringing the AlumiPex loops to new manifolds. Along the way, I want to replace the O-rings in each fitting..one has already gone AWOL in the demo.
I will post some pics soon.

must be regional

@ November 3, 2010 6:24 PM in Weil Mclain vs Burnham

John and I are New York and  lower CT, respectively.

Weil Mclain AlumiPex fittings source

@ November 3, 2010 6:23 PM in Weil Mclain AlumiPex fittings source

Does anyone have a source for WM Alumipex fitting parts, specifically the O-ring that is part of the insert on the 1/2" screw compression type of fitting. I need 50 O- rings. The tube is 12 years old.
What happened to this tube, anyway? I haven't seen it marketed in years, and this is the first job I've seen it on.

TIA!

What John

@ November 3, 2010 8:04 AM in Weil Mclain vs Burnham

said, exactly.
I can't use a product that has no one seemingly accountable for.
Burnham puts a lot of effort into reaching the contractor.
That and the history of turkeys they brought to market like the WGO's predecessor oil boiler. That left a bad taste in my mouth, especially when you'd see Burnhams of the same vintage doing just fine. 

taking

@ October 28, 2010 7:34 PM in 2010 Big Ugly

Metro North, a friend and I will be there between 6-7.

Big Ugly Bump

@ October 27, 2010 7:35 PM in 2010 Big Ugly

John, Dan?

2010 Big Ugly

@ October 26, 2010 8:51 PM in 2010 Big Ugly

Is everyone still on board for the 5th?

yes they do.

@ October 26, 2010 8:43 PM in Can a pair of flanges mate directly to each other?

But they are a necessary evil. Why create another leak point? And, yes, who can be crazy about concealed flanges by PCB's? However, at the *annual* service intervals, those joints are exposed for inspection. I haven't seen a sudden gasket failure yet, but many, many, MANY neglected corroded flanges from bad gaskets that aren't leaking yet, and the last guy there chose to ignore them or wrongly put them on the low priority list...
Union circs..hmm. Think about universal compatibility. Who would buy and stock a union circ? You would have to have 95% or more of all boilers out there to have one half of BOTH sides of the unions already installed on the system piping to make it practical. Otherwise, a routine circ change would turn into some serious wrenching/sweating/swearing as you have to modify things to accept. 
The standard 3 1/2" +/- spread by 71/2" +/- gap circ flange dimension has worked pretty well for the last 50+ years.. 
You have some tolerances between flanges whereas good luck spreading a unioned gap for circ install on some jobs.

Webstone would have to R+D union ball valves, etc.  :)

I've done

@ October 26, 2010 4:39 PM in Can a pair of flanges mate directly to each other?

it occasionally on some near boiler piping improvements/adding new zones where I know the boiler is going to be changed in the soon future. Usually where I've moved a circ to the supply side of the piping and I leave the return flange intact. I'll use a new mating flange and stub to jump to the existing return piping.
But I wouldn't do it as a permanent thing. The flange gasket will eventually leak.
I would use unions if you want a proper disconnect point.

 

The

@ October 13, 2010 9:11 PM in Choosing System 2000 or Brodurus?

G125's are nice units. I've got a couple coming up on their one year anniversary; going to service one Friday, actually.
I'll try to remember to get pics of the innards and post them.