Best Of
Re: Ever seen one of these??
was there like a drying shelf on the bottom? looks like there are lugs to hold a shelf on the bottom.
mattmia2
Re: I'm getting solar panels. I'll let you know how it goes in this discussion thread.
Both of my nieces bought houses in the last 5 years and both had solar installed. 1 in CT & 1 in MA. One house has gas heat and HW. The other house is all electric.
They both are very happy with them at least for now.
Now, @ethicalpaul to make your house really efficient you can rip out the steam and go the heat pump route.😊😊😊😊 LOL
Re: I'm getting solar panels. I'll let you know how it goes in this discussion thread.
Hi, To riff on what @clammy said, I'm in an 1800 square foot house that now runs on 1500 watts of PV. I started with 890 watts, but added panels as I reduced my use of propane. I can get by with this small system because I made the house efficient. No utility credits because I'm off grid. My measured energy usage is at one tenth the normal per square foot.
Like @OffGridICF I've gone from lead acid to lithium. After nearly twenty years with lead acid, I was glad to have a choice. Not hooking up to the grid saved me far more than the cost of the solar system initially, and then no monthly bill. My conclusion is that we far underestimate what we can do to make buildings efficient. Getting down off my box of soap now. 😁
Yours, Larry
Re: leaking return line
who suggested CPVC?
Although it can handle the temperature it’s not the material to use.
copper if below the water line
Steel above
pecmsg
Re: Venting into a chimney
Consensus doesn’t matter. The fact is that you cannot vent a condensing boiler into a masonry or metal chimney.
The manufacturer’s installation instructions give detailed info on how the appliance must be vented and it’s mandatory that they be followed.
Ironman
Re: Venting into a chimney
but you could use the unused chimney as a chase to run the correct flue.
Re: Is a cap a must?
The UL 1777 listing requires a rain cap. It does not have to be the one offered by the liner mfr. However, if you make a custom one, you must follow NFPA 211.
Water is the #1 enemy of masonry, esp. chimneys. It breaks down the mortar, softens the brick, stone or terra cotta. The Terra cotta tiles, if made to ASTM C-315, which many are not, does have a vitreous inner and outer face that is water resistant. However, the 1" thick ends are very porous, very hygroscopic clay. These very vulnerable ends are bedded in ordinary Portlance cement (OPC)-based mortar. This mortar absorbs more water than old lime mortar but unlike lime, does not facilitate drying. This, moisture gets trapped in the flue joints. Vapor diffusion drives it inwards towards the drier interior where it encounters the outer face of the flue tile and finding no bridge but instead a capillary break so it condenses and, by gravity, drains down into the lower parts of the chimney where it can take decades to manifest the damage. As you burn, acidic flue gases condense on the walls of the flue, thus resulting in liquid acid draining down into those vulnerable OPC mortar joints. Basic chemistry: acid + base > salt + water. The mortar is converted into sand and salt. Rain keeps these acids and salts soluble so they can migrate. The salt is drawn by osmosis to the exterior face of the chimney where it concentrates as efflorescence. Salt attracts water so an insidious cycle of water, acid and salt conspire to convert the chimney mortar into sand and salt. Thus, you are ledt with a stack of bricks sitting on salty dirt. The 'mortar' has lost its bond so the masonry is no longer intact. It will eventually become unstable and fail.
That is why you keep water out of masonry.
Re: Old copper pipe smaller than todays 1/2"
Possibly 3/8 OD that expanded when it froze. That is common with hard drawn 1/2" in homes when they freeze.
I've used a flaring bar to size it back down to put a fitting on.
hot_rod
Re: Radiators make my apartment unbearable during winter
Let me just give my two cents. You should not need to live under such conditions. Doesn't matter if you are paying a million a month or ten dollars a month. Or anything in between. The landlords who are subjecting you to inhumane living conditions, to save a few bucks, have a special place in "not paradise" (see site rules).
That said, you need to be realistic. There is no way to get the underlying problem fixed, if the landlord is not on board. That is the unfortunate reality.
You can try to take the legal route, to force the landlord's hand. That can be long and aggravating and might not work.
You can try the heavy blanket route and see if that helps.
Maybe one screen, combined with occasionally leaving the front door open, to encourage air movement. Maybe leaving a few windows open a crack. Maybe fill the tub and a few buckets with cold water. Will absorb some of the heat.
Just to reiterate, you should not need to do these things. But the reality is what it is. I wish that there was more that I could do to help.
