Best Of
Re: Mystery 'U's\dips where Steam Mains meet Dry Returns, (and Water Hammer)
I am getting a sneaking suspicion that you may been knuckleheaded at some point back it the past. If you have two pipe convectors, the question becomes whether thay have traps on the outlets — or vents. If they have traps on the outlets, then they are expecting those returns to be dry - and at atmospheric pressure… and those odd U bends may very well have been much deeper water seals which someone decided they didn't need.
And your system will work a LOT better if they are restored!
Re: To switch or not to propane
How's that again? Maybe an old-timey atmospheric gas burner like your grille — but any form of power burner is going to use almost exactly the same amount of electricity as an oil burner — which isn't much.
Re: Best Boiler Cleaner
8-way boiler cleaner. Dump a bunch in. Fire up the boiler. Shut the boiler once it starts to make Steam. Let it stay hot for at least 30 minutes. Fire it up a little bit here and there, just to keep it hot, but don't let it steam too much. Drain and fill drain and fill drain and fill. Pour some more in (not to much), and fire up the boiler, to get rid of the oxygen. There will be those with different approaches. This is what I do and it seems to be pretty effective
Re: circulation pump recommendation
If it has zone valves or zone actuators, look at a delta P circ.
I've had excellent luck with the Grundfos Alpha series. Alpha 26-99 in you case. Assuming the pump you have now is sized correctly.
hot_rod
Re: Intermittent Burner ignition
yes. When you had the one time out of the 5 where there was no click, that is when you would use a very light touch with a jumper wire to connect R and W on the ST9103A to see if the thermostat is the problem (not a tap on the box). If the jumper wire starts the burner, the thermostat is the problem. If the very light touch with the jumper wire does not start the burner, then the problem is the ST9301A control board.
Re: Burnham millivolt replacement gas valve, part discontinued?
Just because the gas valve won’t open doesn’t mean it’s bad. There may be a safety or control that’s breaking the circuit to it. Also, a bad connection in the wiring may be the cause.
Do you have a multi meter and know how to use it to diagnose circuitry?
Ironman
Re: Insulating steam pipes in the basement
It will look like S#** when you are done. This is the fiberglass pipe insulation you want to use. This will look much better. You need to know how to measure the outer diameter of the pipe and select the insulation thickness. If you measure correctly and order the proper insulated fittings the finished product can look like this.
you can call this company for all the needed sizes and fittings.
Re: To switch or not to propane
Roth oil tank with a tiger loop and stop worrying about leaks.
Waher
Re: Utilizing a Heat Pump Water Heater as a cold weather backup for an Air to Water Heat Pump
Cascading heat pumps.
We looked at it from a different angle, using a HP to heat the home and a HPWH for DHW. You take a bit of a COP hit, but still a better option than resistance heat.
Not a lot of capacity in the HPWH, especially if you have a 120V version?
hot_rod
Re: Retrofit Nozzle selection.
That’s the nozzle substitution test we used a lot back when doing retrofits into older equipment.
With older equipment in most cases you can see the flame in the chamber-either directly or with a special mirror to check for impingement.
Most burner manufacturers give guidelines for chamber shape dimensions and starting nozzle angles.
