Best Of
Re: Why is the boiler room so cold? Unintended consequences of updating boilers
One problem with this approach is that very cold air coming into an oil burner can cool the oil to where it doesn't atomize well. This can upset the air-fuel mix to where it causes sooting.
I think this is covered in @Firedragon 's books, but I don't have mine with me at the moment.
Re: Question about Erie zone valve
disconnect the wires to this valve when another zone and the pump is running
Does flow go past the valve? If not that valve is getting power when it should not
When you push the manual lever you are working against the spring tension. With that short lever it takes some force, plus the lever is sharp, hard on the fingers!
When the valve is powered open you are not pushing against the spring, it should be a floating lever.
You are sure it is not a NO normally open actuator?
In some rare cases a high head circ can slightly open a high Cv, low close delta p zone valve. But if it has worked in the past, that is not the issue
If all the above checks out, It sounds like the zone actuator is sending power to the valve, regardless of a thermostat call?
hot_rod
Re: Should a steam boiler be drained in the spring or left wet
That part I get.
But how do you boil it if the boiler is full of water? It's going to blow a ton of water up into the mains, and probably sound horrific, no?
ChrisJ
Re: Should a steam boiler be drained in the spring or left wet
How can you drive off dissolved o2 in a steam boiler that's full?
ChrisJ
Re: Insulating Radiant PEX Tubes between joists under 1st floor
What @AlaskaDick pointed out is important. Most box store rigid is pretty much solid gasoline, you need to protect it.
The rated stuff can be left exposed but pretty spendy. I would only do rigid with something like ultrafin where you need a gap, in that case the rigid can be installed under the joists.
I've tried the rigid under plates but gave up quickly. Usually in most floors there is too much wiring/piping in the way to get longer sections in. If the rigid is cut to wide, impossible to get in, if too narrow hard to hold in place.
Batts are really the best option in this case as they can be squished in there, easily fished around wires and pushed tight against the heat spreaders.
Kaos
Re: Pressure Valve
No problem. That cold pressure is fine. Is the pressure relief valve dripping when the system is cold, or only when hot? And if it is when hot, what is the pressure when it is hot? You say the expansion tank is new, but I wonder if it was correctly precharged?
Re: Pressure Valve
Somewhere on that boiler there is a pressure gauge… what does it read?
There are a number of reasons why the pressure relief valve could be operating, none of them good. But one really needs to know what pressure the system is running at to start figuring out which possibilities to look at…
Re: Richardson
There isn't much that can go wrong with those things… provided all the parts are still there.
HOWEVER
There is one thing that can go wrong: excess operating pressure. Anything over about 6 to 7 OUNCES per square inch is too much, and may prevent some radiators from heating.
Two other possible reasons for a specific radiator not heating are that something is amiss with the trap elbow on the outlet side and it is unable to vent or drain — stuck closed — or that someone closed the inlet valve. Check the valve first… remembering that clockwise is closed.
Re: Cracked steam radiator at vent boss -salvageable??
when drilling out an old 1/8 NPT fitting, use a 11/32 drill. That is the size and 1/8 NPT tap requires. Then you don’t need the ez out. Or go up one size if there is enough boss.
hot_rod