Best Of
Re: Boiler Zone 2 won't ignite boiler
Why2 companiesmissed that the damper may have an intermittent issue is beyond me. I suspect they just like to change parts unit it hopefully starts to work correctly.
This problem was not an easy one and it took us some banter before one of us came up with an answer. If I was one of the technicians that showed up, I really doubt that I could have figured it out on the first try. We're all sitting at our office desk, nice and quiet with no distractions; our phones are quiet and there no deadlines, except maybe dinner.
Re: Burnham v13a running constantly
my right hand and my left hand got confused, and now i see 2 grey aquastats,
show what's inside the domestic, the one on it's own plate with the copper pipes, and of the other,
then call a plumber to pipe in a mix valve on your domestic,
or,
@ethicalpaul wants you to cut the domestic copper going to the boiler, and buy a heatpump water heater instead,
neilc
Re: New Crown boilers - updated piping
Posted by OP"
"Boiler 2 (the one losing water) was re-piped. Then its old boiler (from the early 70s) died anyway and I had to have the boiler replaced as well. "
"Boiler 1 was simply replaced. When I moved into the house, the boiler was dead on arrival (also from the early 70s)."
My circa 1964 Boiler operates as well as the day it was installed, though I made some improvements adding Main Vents, a better oil burner and balancing the system vents. These newer boilers look tinny to me, with a fraction of the life span of the older cast iron boilers of the past - from everything Ive read on this site. Im just a homeowner, but those Ive spoken with in the heating business say they get a bonus if they talk a customer into replacing an older boiler, notwithstanding it just needs some TLC.
Not sure what you mean by "died" or "dead" that gives no mechanical explanation?
This post is mostly for those with older working boilers to beware and find themselves in this OP situation
All the Best,
RTW
RTW
Re: Simple Steam Heat Thermostat Recommendations
I too have single pipe steam system and was able to get a mercury Honeywell T87 just before mercury was banned years ago. It has performed flawlessly for a few decades - set it and forget it for the most part. Its possible these thermostats can still be had on Ebay etc.
All the Best,
RTW
RTW
Re: Purple water when skimming
If it's honest to goodness purple, I can't think of anything other than a Steammaster tablet or the like — and I venture that if there's that much of that in there, it's no wonder it's having indigestion.
Re: Two pipe vapor system with vapor stat: to cycle or not to cycle?
That's OK them. Leave the correct settings be. You don't want steam in the mains.
Re: Not normal venting
Nope, not the way they all work. The system is probably running very high pressure and perhaps worse. Is the valve on this radiator fully open? It should be.
It's incredibly hard to get building management to take this seriously
Re: Occasionally back draft on gas boiler.
Everything those ☝️ guys said, plus, you don't need to oil the gas valve any further.
HVACNUT
Re: Even more steam system questions……
Good job. My opinion is that it's fine there. If it weren't there would be a big stain under it.
As long as it releases air and closes to steam (easy to verify on the next call for heat) you are good.
Re: (Updated with pictures.) Likely gas leak after installing new thermocouple?
You need a pilot tube and a compression nut. The parts are cheaper than lunch. Often there's sufficient tubing to cut off the cracked part and use the rest, so you may not even need that. Or maybe the nut's just loose. The nut would be cheaper than a cup of coffee.
Many contractors offer high-interest-rate EZ Financing for customers with no money. Find one who does. Or barter, or sell something, like the house.
Asking for charity is an art that some find difficult to learn. Make phone calls and ask nicely. Insulting skilled tradesmen and calling them crooks is usually an ineffective approach.
