Best Of
Re: Using a hot-water radiator for one-pipe steam
You don't need high heat paint. 212 is not high heat, it's basically your dashboard in the summer.
Just brush on a couple coats of nice acrylic after wire brushing off any chunks of old paint or rust. Rust might peek through eventually so you might consider some of those rust conversion products out there, or maybe there are paints that contain similar rust blocking stuff in them.
But I would definitely stay away from high heat or oil based stuff. Other people here will recommend high-heat paint and I'm not here to belittle them but that stuff's not for me.
Re: Trade school curriculums - how could they be better?
There seems to be a lack of qualified teachers in general these days. Average teachers wage in my area is $19.62 per hour. Costco average around here $21.00.
I have visited a number of Union training centers across the US. I've been impressed with the staff and students. They get a lot of industry support also, $$ and products.
They seem to have the training formula worked out, partnering with local contractors for hands on work.
hot_rod
Re: Old Richmond Furnace looking to replace Fan limit switch.
I don't know if you can get one that short.
You could buy one with the 5 1/2 " insertion and put a spacer behind it.
Or (although not the best fix) put the new one in the plenum up above and put the old one back in just to close the hole.
Re: What say you ? She’s steaming
Its time to replace that boiler. To buy yourself some time, use this.
Jb weld? Could work. This stuff will work. Read and follow the directions. This stuff was invented for this reason.
Intplm.
Re: Steam boiler equalizer
Then just follow the manual. What they are telling you is garbage.
If they want to change it shouldn't they reprint the manual?
I doubt Burnham of all MFGs just made some earthshaking discovery about equalizers that we have been installing for over 100 years
Re: Main vent hissing steam at end of cycle on new Gorton #1 vent
Sure it's not sucking air in as the steam collapses?
Re: What say you ? She’s steaming
they've got an actual hole though a small one, i don't know that it would be filled in by that. especially since it is above the water line.
mattmia2
Re: Trying to use an Ultrasonic GPM meter to figure out my system head.
IMHO you can throw all the ultrasonic meters in the garbage. I have not seen 1 job when they were accurate. They don't work with glycol, and they don't work with bubbles in the pipe.
If you want to get the flow you have to install a circuit setter and measure the pressure drop. Did you have both pumps running while testing or did you test 1 at a time? Guessing they were both running.
You making flow on zone 2 but not zone 1 so you need some balancing done. Put 3 circuit setters in so you can balance. . You need to balance because for some reason (piping geometry) the smaller zone is getting more flow maybe it is shorter. Can you valve off 1 zone and just run that pump? Zone 2 your are pumping almost double your design. If you can throttle that zone the other zone might pick up.
If you dont get any more flow on high speed then medium speed that tells me you out of head caacity at least on the larger zone.
On zone 1 if your flow of 6.3 gpm and head of 10' is accurate (which I doubt) to get 12.6 gpm that you want you would have a head of 40'. So something is way off.
Re: Weil McClain Evergreen Pro Boiler Line (299, 399, etc) vs Lochinvar Knight XL Opinions
At this point you need to work with the hand you were dealt. Connect a boiler that meets the heat load calculation number. Pipe it properly, good air removal, purge points. etc, etc.
Fire it up on ODR with design set at 180.
Does it heat adequately on the coldest, design day? If so, start cranking down the design supply temperature. Get it as low as possible to maintain your desired indoor temperature.
Enable the outdoor reset function and the boost feature.
Now if the system is grossly under-radiated, that will take a different solution.
hot_rod
Re: Trade school curriculums - how could they be better?
I can only speak of my trade school education which was First Class: Plumbers Local 2 Four Year Apprenticeship, Manhattan & Bronx . We went to school for a full day, every other week and worked side by side under seasoned, Union, Journeyman plumbers.
Along with shop class, we did mechanical drawing, code and theory. As far as Math, it was kept extremely simple...only the important formulae that we were expected to use every opportunity we had.
By the end of 4 yrs, converting decimals to fractions and vice versa, 1.41 for a 45 degree offset, rolling offset, takeoff, et al where ingrained and second nature. Most importantly, we were taught the quick, fast and dirty Rules of Thumb...not long , complicated math problems that Blue Collar guys to sleep 😴. Mad Dog
