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Re: Occupation
Contractor/employer, heating cooling, and a tiny bit of plumbing sprinkled in. Including me, nine full-time and one part-time person.
GW
1
Re: Occupation
Grew up in the HVAC world with dad and grandfather in the business. Graduated college and went into commercial refrigeration for a year, then spent 20 years in the commercial market doing building automation mainly heating and chiller plants. Got tired of that and became a career firefighter at 40. Now on my days off work for small company doing hydronics, steam and the oil service nobody in the area wants to deal with lol.
Re: Occupation
@clammy, sounds like you did it all. A lot of experience and a lot of hard work. Congratulations.
Dunham Bush was the best back in the old days they did everything and had good engineering. They sold a boiler line, pumps, steam traps, air conditioning, refrigeration and oil and gas burners. You name it. They invented the forced draft flame retention burner back in the 50s. They were using 3450 blower motors and oil pump pressure up to 300psi before anyone else had a clue. I am certain they have many C-120 & C-240 burner from that era still running
The company I worked for was a dealer for their combustion products. I was lucky enough to visit the old factory in Harrisonburg, VA in the early 70s. Too bad it's all gone now. Moved to Malaysa I think.
Dunham Bush was the best back in the old days they did everything and had good engineering. They sold a boiler line, pumps, steam traps, air conditioning, refrigeration and oil and gas burners. You name it. They invented the forced draft flame retention burner back in the 50s. They were using 3450 blower motors and oil pump pressure up to 300psi before anyone else had a clue. I am certain they have many C-120 & C-240 burner from that era still running
The company I worked for was a dealer for their combustion products. I was lucky enough to visit the old factory in Harrisonburg, VA in the early 70s. Too bad it's all gone now. Moved to Malaysa I think.
Re: 1.414 Math, 45 degree offsets, a quick tutorial
I didn't know you worked for Boulangers. Funny I used to run into some of their jobs occasionally. It was strange 1 job would be a perfect install and one would be a disaster. I assume the perfect installs were yours LOL!
I do remember a Christmas weekend call at the Holyoke post office this was about 28ish years ago. On a Saturday. They had renovated the boiler room. They had a huge storage tank for DHW and one of the unused tapings someone had put a black plug in it. Unlucky for me it let go on Christmas weekend. And it was a really cold weekend. The gas burner was down in a pit and the pit was full of water. The power to the burner was still on and the lights in the burner panel were lit even with the burner completely submerged!
We shut the power down and pumped the water out took the gas train apart and dumped the water out of it. Dried stuff off. I couldn't get parts or controls and was not going to trust the burner programmer.
So I disconnected everything electrically and hot-wired the burner motor and it ran then I hot-wired the pilot valve and ignition transformer and that worked so I hot-wired the gas valves and got main flame. Low -high fire wouldn't work as the mod motor was bad so I ran it on low fire and made steam and sat there for 4-5 hours till the building was warm. Then I shut it down and chopped all the wires so they couldn't restart it. Its a big brick building so once it was hot it was ok through Sunday. Monday morning I was back there with a truck full of parts.
It wasn't much fun and I pretty much missed Christmas but I made some good cash!
I do remember a Christmas weekend call at the Holyoke post office this was about 28ish years ago. On a Saturday. They had renovated the boiler room. They had a huge storage tank for DHW and one of the unused tapings someone had put a black plug in it. Unlucky for me it let go on Christmas weekend. And it was a really cold weekend. The gas burner was down in a pit and the pit was full of water. The power to the burner was still on and the lights in the burner panel were lit even with the burner completely submerged!
We shut the power down and pumped the water out took the gas train apart and dumped the water out of it. Dried stuff off. I couldn't get parts or controls and was not going to trust the burner programmer.
So I disconnected everything electrically and hot-wired the burner motor and it ran then I hot-wired the pilot valve and ignition transformer and that worked so I hot-wired the gas valves and got main flame. Low -high fire wouldn't work as the mod motor was bad so I ran it on low fire and made steam and sat there for 4-5 hours till the building was warm. Then I shut it down and chopped all the wires so they couldn't restart it. Its a big brick building so once it was hot it was ok through Sunday. Monday morning I was back there with a truck full of parts.
It wasn't much fun and I pretty much missed Christmas but I made some good cash!
Installing a plate heat exchanger
The service valves that are available for tankless water heaters are ideal for HX installation. 1" is a very common connection size on plate HX. This tankless valves include a 3/4" bushing also.
With a service valve you get a shut off, 1" union connection, flush port with hose connection, and a straight or angle connection option. The side port is typically for a pressure relief valve when used on tankless heaters.
On the domestic side piping you can easily run a de-limer. Valves and Union connections on the boiler side allow you to remove the HX for service.
In some cases it may be easier to take the HX to a radiator shop and let them flush and clean both sides to bring it back to optimum performance. Unions and valves on all 4 ports make this an easy task.
It seem there are issues with the Combis that use a shuttle valve for DHW. It is fairly simple too build a HX external. A pump, HX and flow switch to enable the DHW function on the boiler.
Plenty of options for sizing plate style HX. This one supplies the Peppermill Hotel in Reno, geothermal wells heat and supply DHW for the 1600 rooms pools, restaurants, etc.
With a service valve you get a shut off, 1" union connection, flush port with hose connection, and a straight or angle connection option. The side port is typically for a pressure relief valve when used on tankless heaters.
On the domestic side piping you can easily run a de-limer. Valves and Union connections on the boiler side allow you to remove the HX for service.
In some cases it may be easier to take the HX to a radiator shop and let them flush and clean both sides to bring it back to optimum performance. Unions and valves on all 4 ports make this an easy task.
It seem there are issues with the Combis that use a shuttle valve for DHW. It is fairly simple too build a HX external. A pump, HX and flow switch to enable the DHW function on the boiler.
Plenty of options for sizing plate style HX. This one supplies the Peppermill Hotel in Reno, geothermal wells heat and supply DHW for the 1600 rooms pools, restaurants, etc.
hot_rod
2
Re: Occupation
Community College for 2 years,
Then worked at an oil company for13 years mostly commercial burner/boiler service and some residential. 2,4 &6 oil and gas burners up to about 15mbh.
In my heart I am probably an oil guy although I haven't touched any in a while.
There is nothing like a start up on a 100gph oil burner and watching it burn!!!
Got my electricians license and wired some houses (part time) for a relative who was a builder.
Then 5 years in my own business got out with my head above water when the recession hit.
Worked for a large mechanical contractor for 9 years did Mostly HVAC service and install. Learned sheet metal and AC service along the way.
Went back and forth between the office estimating and running jobs as well as install and service.
Then got into the Plumbers & Pipefitters union for the last 18 years estimating, project management and pipefitting. Still did some service and installs until I retired. Worked for two mechanical contractors during the last 18 years. Had 14 state licenses at one time dropped all but 4 now. Taught at the Union Hall for a few years. 46 years total.
If I could still work I probably would still be working.
Miss being out on jobs and working with the guys.
I just dabble on "side jobs" occasionally for relatives.
Can you call it work when it is mostly for free?? It's really more like a hobby the little that I do. LOL
Then worked at an oil company for13 years mostly commercial burner/boiler service and some residential. 2,4 &6 oil and gas burners up to about 15mbh.
In my heart I am probably an oil guy although I haven't touched any in a while.
There is nothing like a start up on a 100gph oil burner and watching it burn!!!
Got my electricians license and wired some houses (part time) for a relative who was a builder.
Then 5 years in my own business got out with my head above water when the recession hit.
Worked for a large mechanical contractor for 9 years did Mostly HVAC service and install. Learned sheet metal and AC service along the way.
Went back and forth between the office estimating and running jobs as well as install and service.
Then got into the Plumbers & Pipefitters union for the last 18 years estimating, project management and pipefitting. Still did some service and installs until I retired. Worked for two mechanical contractors during the last 18 years. Had 14 state licenses at one time dropped all but 4 now. Taught at the Union Hall for a few years. 46 years total.
If I could still work I probably would still be working.
Miss being out on jobs and working with the guys.
I just dabble on "side jobs" occasionally for relatives.
Can you call it work when it is mostly for free?? It's really more like a hobby the little that I do. LOL
Re: Installing a plate heat exchanger
Many of the mod cons have extra S&R connections, so it is super simple to add a pump and HX.
Sika is another brand of flow switch available down to .35 gpm. This is what I have in my shop. Piped with 1/2" as it is for a hand sink and HW outside faucet.
We just added that tankless valve kit to the catalog. It is a 290 series in several configurations, including with the Anglemix
Sika is another brand of flow switch available down to .35 gpm. This is what I have in my shop. Piped with 1/2" as it is for a hand sink and HW outside faucet.
We just added that tankless valve kit to the catalog. It is a 290 series in several configurations, including with the Anglemix
hot_rod
2
