Best Of
Re: Way overfired boiler
that skim port with the ell pointing up isn't going to work, it will fill the boiler above the skim level and the oil will just stay in the boiler. if the oil is still there after 30 years is somewhat doubtful. the piping itself at the boiler looks good although on 2 pipe pressure that is too high can push the water out of the boiler and in to the returns. do the traps work? i assume they have not been looked at in a long time.
mattmia2
Re: strong smell after boiler install
It's a new system it's going to have some smells for a while. Teflon and PTFE are usually fine up to 400-500F, that's not a problem nor is Blue Monster PTFE tape.
Let the system run for a few weeks and the smells will go away. Make sure you have the boiler skimmed a few times as oils wash out of the system into the boiler.
ChrisJ
Re: Boiler Running Full Tilt, Cold House
i think he just wants to make one more trip and doesn't want to get inside it and find out he doesn't have a part he needs but needs to get it running at least the way it is now somehow. but i do agree that it isn't the gas. also 1" wc isn't going to make a huge difference in the clocking because the absolute pressure is something like 120" wc so the ratio of the volume isn't changing much.
mattmia2
Re: Steam pressure control
Good advice. A valve on the gage is great for service and as you say, for protection. Turning the valve off to protect the gage?
However this might not be protection. Go one step further and install a brass pig tail below the gage and fill the pig tail with water during the install. This will protect the gage from steam damage and allow you to get a reading at any time. This is what a pig tail is for. To protect controls from steam flashing into the control. Does steam always cause damage? No. The steam will turn to condensate in the pig tail during use. That water will also protect the gage. That one step further, by adding water, is the most thorough way.
Intplm.
Re: Oversizing a Modulating Boiler with 10 to 1 turndown
@Jamie Hall I agree there are two entirely different questions: how efficient the boiler is, and how oversized it is.
I was trying to address the OP's main concern, which apparently is that he's spending $600+/mo in heating costs. Evidently his alarm over that cost is what brought him here. This then raises the question of what should he be spending to heat his envelope? And we can figure that in a ballpark way by (1) estimating his envelope heat loss, and (2) his cost per BTU.
If, for example, the OP is spending $3000/yr in heating costs, while his estimated envelope heat loss would be costing, say $2000/yr given his unit energy cost assuming a 100% efficient boiler, that tells us that there may only a potential savings of less than $1000/yr available from improving heating system efficiency (by replacing it, or changing settings, or adding buffer tank, etc). Because obviously 100% efficiency will never be reached, he'll never get more than $1000 savings per season. And that ROI limit helps inform choices about making improvements.
It seems we often get people here saying "my heating bills are huge," and they have no idea what the "right" size heating bill should be.
jesmed1
Re: Shimming a radiator
Re: Residential boiler cycling again. House cold.
is there a tank in the attic? cast iron converted gravity systems can be hard on wet rotor circulators if there is a lot of rust in them. it is possible that it was just air bound when you replaced the circulator before. it will heat better by gravity if you open the flo check.
if the boiler piping isn't right the air will migrate out of the compression tank and in to the system.
mattmia2
Re: Question about B-vent termination and CO
First of all, that B-vent does not meet code requirements. it is obvious that there was no municipal permit issued for this install, or the local inspector is clueless.
Secong big No No is that B vent should not be exposed to the outdoor temperature for the entire vertical distance. And there are several other things that are wrong. I will make a diagram of what might be a better design.
BRB
Re: Expansion Tank Orientation
Pockets of air in the water side of a tank are inevitable. Regardless of its angle of install. A reason why the orientation of the tank is not critical as mentioned numerous times here, is because a properly sized tank with a air separator (preferably a Micro Bubble air separator ) will remove said air/micro bubbles as it is absorbed by the water.
@ccstelmo Clever use of the steel tanks.
The reason folks install there tanks as shown above is an example of good workmanship. Horizontal or vertical.
@Alan (California Radiant) Forbes Some beautiful pictures. Always like to see your work. Thanks for sharing.
Intplm.
