Best Of
Re: Old house heating: Steam radiators or forced air?
"The reason for switching to central would be get to rid of the boiler in the basement and make it a mud room"
Done correctly, you'd be replacing steam pipes in your basement with much larger ductwork. 🤔
Re: Old house heating: Steam radiators or forced air?
Got a 2022 Hyundai Santa FE fairly loaded I think it was around 35K 3 years ago. I am well aware of new truck prices. I drive a 2007 F-150 5 speed 6cyl.
The engine crapped out at 145K. I paid only $6000 for it 9 years ago it came up from TN so the body will last me out. I looked at the prices of new trucks, excise tax and insurance and I only drive it 6k/ year so it was a no brainer to put a boneyard engine in it. My mechanic agreed because the rest of the truck is in good shape
Used truck prices are even more horrifying. 20K won't get you much unless the buyer thinks that 150-200K is ok for mileage and you still have high insurance and excise tax
Besides I will never give up my 5 speed. They don't exist in new trucks.
Re: Trying to decide on a system...
For such a small building, I would install a conventional HW heater. Period.
You need HW in any case and to do that properly with a boiler, you'll need an indirect to go with it. A costly installation that takes up quite a bit of space.
Consider the conventional HW heater.
- Low installation cost
- Extreme durability
- 20 year longevity if anode rod(s) are replaced periodically
A few caveats:
- You'll need to use a FPHX for the CH. You don't want to mix the CH with the domestic hot water. The cost is not excessive.
- You'll need to calculate the radiation carefully for 140F SWT. You cannot get more at the point of delivery without using a commercial water heater.
- The combustion efficiency of the HW heater is not great. About 65%. However, it gives quite a bit back in the insulation. The heatloss from the HW heater is a fraction of the losses from a conventional boiler and is still better than a mod-con.
My opinion is that the HW heater operating and installation costs will be less than the mod-con over 20 years and the durability compared to the mod-con is priceless!
LRCCBJ
Re: Trying to decide on a system...
I'd start with a heat load calc. It's very possible a 1400 sq ft well built home could have a load under 15,000 BTU/hr. I doubt many choices in conventional boilers in that size.
Next look at SWT. With WB at those hypothetical load numbers You will be well under 120F, maybe more like 80- 90 degree SWT, depending on floor coverings. That is a shout out for a condensing boiler.
Running a conventional boiler at those temperatures is a lot like driving with the accelerator floored and using the brakes to adjust speed. Doesn't make a lot of sense.
Don't count on warm floors if the loads are 12 btu/ sq ft or less. 10 btu/ sq ft would be a 75° floor surface .
What about AC?
Personally I'd look at panel rads if you really want a hydronic system. Maybe warm floors in the bathroom(s))
Probably others will steer you towards mini split, especially id AC is a requirement.
Complicated, I know!
hot_rod
Re: Lennox S40 "Will start soon" message
sounds like the t-stat isn't being powered from the system while it is in a heat pump call so the battery/capacitor goes dead, it stops the hp call, the battery charges and it comes back on, sees that it needs to do a heat call, starts a heat call, the battery goes dead, the cycle starts over.
That is either because the installers didn't hook the common to the thermostat back up when they replaced the equipment, they possibly reversed the polarity of something, or for some reason it is dropping power to the t-stat while it is in a heat call.
mattmia2
Re: 25 Year Review...This Damn House!!
LOL. My house was the same way. I only fixed everything so i could sell it. Never had the time to fix my own place but had the time to fix everyone else's crap.
Re: Cold water is hot due to amateur plumbing
Hi, If you put a check inline before the water heater, thermal expansion will have no place to go, so will raise pressure until the relief valve lets go. So, an expansion tank is needed if a check is put upstream of the water heater.
I'll add that the test for cross connection is pretty easy. Just turn off the cold supply to the heater and open a hot tap. Water should stop flowing in seconds. If it keeps running, you get to hunt down that cross over. 🤠
Yours, Larry
Re: Is this a house trap?
no, no one thought that was a trap. if there is a house trap it is somewhere else.
mattmia2
Re: Oh boy...
Considering what the typical life of a car in the 1950s-60s was, modern cars still have them beat by a long shot. If we go back to the 20s-30s it'll become laughable.
1970s for both somewhat short engine / trans life and even worse (bad rust in 2 years?).
No wifi or connectivity on any of them.
ChrisJ