Heating Help

Measuring heat emitters

@ August 2, 2009 3:44 PM in Really Confused

on a hot-water system does not give an accurate basis for boiler sizing. Only a heat-loss calculation can do that. But, when emitter capacity is compared to the actual heat loss, we can calculate what the maximum water temperature will be. From that we know if boiler return temperature protection is needed, and whether a condensing boiler will actually condense most of the time. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Not the square feet of the house

@ July 31, 2009 11:02 PM in Replacment Steam boiler

but the square feet of the radiation....... To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

That means

@ July 31, 2009 10:43 PM in replacement steam boiler for a small multi family building

it has been leaking at some point. Time to replace it. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

That must be a pretty small house

@ July 31, 2009 10:40 PM in Replacment Steam boiler

that converts to 183 square feet EDR. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Yes

@ July 31, 2009 11:51 AM in replacement steam boiler for a small multi family building

what's wrong with the present boiler? The Mills was one of the best designs ever produced, and is still one of the most efficient made today. "Steamhead" To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Typically

@ July 31, 2009 11:48 AM in Replacment Steam boiler

you don't need to add the 1.33, since that is already built into the boiler's Net ratings. There are exceptions, such as more system piping then usual, but on the typical small residential system no extra capacity is needed. Were all the radiator sections the same height and type? How many square feet EDR did you come up with? What boiler do you plan to use? "Steamhead" To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

I sure hope

@ July 30, 2009 9:07 PM in you saw it here, folks...

those panels weren't made by Federal Pacific...... To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

And so

@ July 29, 2009 11:08 PM in Looking for heating consultant/Ft. Wayne IN vicinity

is Boilerpro! To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Unless

@ July 29, 2009 11:00 PM in protecting transformer

Code requires it for some reason............ To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

That valve

@ July 29, 2009 2:12 PM in Steam Radiator Valve

was made by Ohio Brass. The "oval circle" is the letter O. Just tap the rectangular plate gently upwards and it should come loose. Try some penetrating oil if it's stubborn. Then you should have enough stem for the replacement handle to work. "Steamhead" To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Indirect tanks

@ July 28, 2009 9:57 PM in RICHARDSON BOYNTON

are a good idea. But not all of these work well with steam systems. I think the SuperStor and the Burnham stone-lined unit are OK to use with steam, but check with the manufacturers to be sure. The hookup is similar to a hot-water loop. Some boilers, like the Burnham MegaSteam, Smith 8/G8 and Slant/Fin Intrepid have dedicated tappings for these hookups, which makes them easier. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Well

@ July 28, 2009 8:38 PM in Oregon Steamup

we have both coasts covered..... ;-) To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Check

@ July 28, 2009 7:47 PM in Illinois Model 0

your e-mail. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

The plugs

@ July 28, 2009 7:45 PM in RICHARDSON BOYNTON

should be access points to clean the little air vent hole inside the unit. If the radiators heat up fully, that hole is fine- no need to remove the plugs. There are no moving parts inside a water-seal trap, unless they included a check valve in it like on later Richardsons. Leave the radiator shutoffs as is. If they stick, take them apart and clean them. Get rid of the check on the return- the Hartford Loop supersedes it and eliminates a moving part. If you use a see-snake, you can keep the holes very small and therefore easy to patch. If you've never used one, you don't know what you're missing. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

I'll be in that area

@ July 28, 2009 7:10 PM in Looking for heating consultant/Ft. Wayne IN vicinity

in mid-August. E-mail me at steam.head at verizon dot net and we'll see if we can make something happen. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

There have to be vents somewhere

@ July 28, 2009 7:00 PM in RICHARDSON BOYNTON

at some point, the overhead (dry) returns drop into the floor-level (wet) returns. That's probably where they installed the vents. You may have to look wayyyyy up into the joist spaces to see them, but they're there. They have to be there. Otherwise the air could not leave the system. And if the air can't get out, the steam can't move into the radiators. It's that simple. If they've drywalled over the areas where the vents should be, get hold of a see-snake and poke it up in there. Replace the vacuum vents with Gorton #2 vents, then install access hatches where needed so the vents can be serviced later if needed. There should not be any need to replace the Richardson water seal traps. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

And don't forget

@ July 28, 2009 12:08 PM in Direct Vent vs Chimney

if you have the usual gas-fired water heater, it will still need to use the chimney. In many cases with just the heater in an old chimney, it won't draft properly. So you'd need to switch to a power-vented heater, or run an indirect tank off the steam boiler (the preferred method). The chimney liner may be the least expensive option. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Nowadays

@ July 27, 2009 9:54 PM in Oregon Steamup

The Lovely Naoko comes along ;-) To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Cost per BTU

@ July 27, 2009 7:45 PM in Electric Boiler vs Oil Boiler

for electricity is usually quite a bit higher than for oil. Unless you live where electricity is extremely cheap, stay with oil. Is this a steam or hot-water system? To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Same basic unit

@ July 27, 2009 2:26 PM in Illinois Model 0

as we find on Dunham, Webster, some Hoffman and other Vapor systems: it's a Float Trap/Air Eliminator. It serves as the only air vent for the entire system, so it MUST work well. The little device in the 45° elbow is a vacuum check, which should be removed since vacuum doesn't work well with oil or gas firing. We often find these are stuck shut or only partially open. You can take them apart if you have the right tools, but watch out for bolts that snap off. The Gorton #2 vent is a good replacement for this unit. If the system is large you may need more than one such vent. "Steamhead" To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

I have

@ July 27, 2009 2:08 PM in Stewart Warner Winkler Oil Boiler Burner Replacement

a couple Winkler low-pressure burners too. One of them is in running condition as far as I know, haven't tried it in a while. These were a first-class piece of engineering. "Steamhead" To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

If that's the boiler I think it is

@ July 26, 2009 6:13 PM in Stewart Warner Winkler Oil Boiler Burner Replacement

it's a cast-iron wet-base boiler with a very low draft loss, like the American-Standard A-3 and Utica OU series boilers. That Carlin would not have been the original burner but should be a decent match for it. We have one running nicely with a Beckett AF in it. Obviously a new boiler would be more efficient, but that's not the question here. Something is causing the Carlin to lock out. Check all the usual suspects- fuel, ignition, air etc. Given the low draft loss of that boiler, pay very close attention to the draft. Too much draft could cause the flame to be pulled away from the burner head- we call this "loss of retention"- and that could cause a lockout if the cad cell can no longer "see" the flame. Is there a draft regulator, and is it the right size? If the chimney was built for a coal-fired boiler, you'll want to use a regulator one size larger than your chimney connector. Old coal chimneys develop a LOT of draft! Try one of the new GeniSys primaries from Beckett. It can store fault codes and tell you what made the burner lock out. A very useful control, indeed. BTW, I doubt the 99CRD/FRD burner would be a good match for the Trio, Biasi and Buderus, since these units run with positive pressure over the fire. At minimum you'd need a Beckett AFG, and preferably an NX or Riello. I believe the Trio is available with all these burners. To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"