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Re: Bad customer behavior
Regarding, "Customers checking up on you or hovering over you while you work". I like to watch folks work on my house if I have the time. This is because I like to learn--not because I don't trust them. I do try hard to not impede their work. Would this behavior of mine bother anyone?
CLamb
3
Re: Best Water Heater Temp
ASHRAE recommends 140*f for 1 hour to kill legionnaires disease.I agree but I didn't have to live with ASHRAE. I had to live with PAT. and she was the higher authority having jurisdiction back then. ...and that was before the NEST thermostat came out.Point of use no more then 120*f.
Re: Boiler with compression tank, want to add B&G Airtrol fitting.
Just to update you all. I finally got a chance to plumb the B&G Airtrol into my boiler properly with 3/4" pipe. It's been working great so far for a week. I'd say this has to be the best this boiler has worked since new. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. Here is a couple pictures of how I piped it to the tank. 
Re: Boiler with compression tank, want to add B&G Airtrol fitting.
Just to update you all. I finally got a chance to plumb the B&G Airtrol into my boiler properly with 3/4" pipe. It's been working great so far for a week. I'd say this has to be the best this boiler has worked since new. Thanks again for all the help and suggestions. Here is a couple pictures of how I piped it to the tank.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good morning OldBoiler65,
Bravo, congratulation's to you for an excellent installation and repair to your boilers air management system that is plumbed within its existing piping risers that will provide you with trouble free air management.
Seeing the flanged gasketed pipe connections in your basements boiler piping illustrates true craftsmanship and thought regarding how your heating system was designed and installed.
Gaskets for flanged piping are still made and available, do not let anyone tell you these gaskets are not available as they are made by the A.W. Chesterton Company of Groveland, Mass., which has a nationwide distributor network.
As long as the larger air bubbles and microbubbles can escape the boiler steam chest they will waddle up the riser pipe to the ATF-12 Airtrol valve and the cool denser water in the base of the steel compression tank will fall, drop, sink back to the boilers steam chest waving so long to the rising air bubbles that are riding the hot water highway to the ATF-12 Airtrol valve.
Thanks for bringing sanity back to your homes heating system that will provide you smooth even quiet heating and eventually no air bubbles to your heating plant.
leonz
1
Re: Bad customer behavior
I walked away from a TRV project because a customer just wanted standard valves on the radiator so she could turn them off manually, but what she needed was TRVs to solve her problem. After agreeing to the price and the scope of the job, I ordered the parts and scheduled the work. A week later I drained the system and had my helper start to take a rad valve off. At that time in the middle of the job, she stated that she thought the price was too high and just wanted manual valves.
I told her that I can not work like this and told my helper to put the old broken valve back on the radiator. then pack up the tools. We are giving her back the deposit and she is no longer a customer. Don't call me for oil burner service any more. I was Firm on that point in front of the customer.
In about 5 minutes (after she talked to her daughter no doubt) She came back and said she was sorry and to do the job as agreed. I installed Five TRVs on the 5 hottest rooms radiators in the rooming house equipped with over 16 radiators. And all those double hung thermostats were closed all winter. That winter she saved about 800 Gallons of fuel oil compared to the previous year.
That next summer, She wanted the rest of the rest of the radiators equipped with TRVs. I selected a coldest room in the building to place the thermostat (using a remote sensor) and put a ECM pump on the boiler and left 2 radiators with no valve at all in that cold apartment. She ultimately cut her fuel oil usage by over 1200 gallons per year. Just about in half. The renters of the rooms could turn up the temperature or turn it down as they liked it. when a room was unoccupied the owner set to thermostat all the way down to #1. And i never got a call about setting the thermostat to 70 and the room is all the way down to 69°
When a customer can not make a decision, then changes their mind in the middle of the project, You have to STOP and put your foot down. I was helping here save money, all she needed to do was trust me. But I can empathize with some folks... but this customer was going to loose all that savings, and I would rather not do the job at all, than to accept her indecision.
I told her that I can not work like this and told my helper to put the old broken valve back on the radiator. then pack up the tools. We are giving her back the deposit and she is no longer a customer. Don't call me for oil burner service any more. I was Firm on that point in front of the customer.
In about 5 minutes (after she talked to her daughter no doubt) She came back and said she was sorry and to do the job as agreed. I installed Five TRVs on the 5 hottest rooms radiators in the rooming house equipped with over 16 radiators. And all those double hung thermostats were closed all winter. That winter she saved about 800 Gallons of fuel oil compared to the previous year.
That next summer, She wanted the rest of the rest of the radiators equipped with TRVs. I selected a coldest room in the building to place the thermostat (using a remote sensor) and put a ECM pump on the boiler and left 2 radiators with no valve at all in that cold apartment. She ultimately cut her fuel oil usage by over 1200 gallons per year. Just about in half. The renters of the rooms could turn up the temperature or turn it down as they liked it. when a room was unoccupied the owner set to thermostat all the way down to #1. And i never got a call about setting the thermostat to 70 and the room is all the way down to 69°
When a customer can not make a decision, then changes their mind in the middle of the project, You have to STOP and put your foot down. I was helping here save money, all she needed to do was trust me. But I can empathize with some folks... but this customer was going to loose all that savings, and I would rather not do the job at all, than to accept her indecision.
Now these are the dead men.
Ancient Roman boiler from Pompei, pretty cool.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02y7ku4ZVxtnbBgWTibwckj2LaATD4mG1DAZ9AkoH2XYjXBgRwqjrzsVM273drVGgDl&id=100064472723139
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02y7ku4ZVxtnbBgWTibwckj2LaATD4mG1DAZ9AkoH2XYjXBgRwqjrzsVM273drVGgDl&id=100064472723139
Re: Vacuum breaker for steam system
Ya system seems to be in great order, sounds like no vacuum breaker is needed. You all have been a huge help! I have three systems that I’m working on at the moment all 100+ years old that the customers have truly embraced removing the last butcher work and getting the units back to working order as they should be. By the time you get all these old systems up to where they should be the I joke with the customer that they should give me a cot in the basement.HA! There is a lot of time in these restoration jobs. But it sure is nice when they fire up and are as quiet as a church mouse. The owners wife of this new install was telling me today how she has never had soft butter in winter on the counter for the past 30 years until I showed up. I can’t thank you all enough for helping me keep steam alive.
Onepipe
3
Re: Taco circulator 007-F5 ( black and green)
Black is sold to OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturers) to include on their package boilers.
Green is what you get when you purchase from a distributer.
Both pumps are identical
Arrow points in the direction you want the water to flow.
Away from the boiler if you install it pump on the supply (Hot out) pipe
Into the boiler if you mount is on the return pipe (less desirable location in many cases, but) may be required on some tight HX boilers when using Primary Secondary piping
Green is what you get when you purchase from a distributer.
Both pumps are identical
Arrow points in the direction you want the water to flow.
Away from the boiler if you install it pump on the supply (Hot out) pipe
Into the boiler if you mount is on the return pipe (less desirable location in many cases, but) may be required on some tight HX boilers when using Primary Secondary piping
Re: Homeowners Versus Contractors
For those of you that want to see the new roll in shower.
Here are 2 of the renderings I paid $2000.00 for
And here is the finished product.
After I few little women's touch accent pieces, I think we will be done. Art Deco is the look I was going for. What do you think?
Re: Vacuum breaker for steam system
I have a combination gorton #2 and MoM #1’s. I had the system running for 45min before any pressure started to build. It’s a new install so I have been skimming, runny for a wile, skimming exc. so it’s running much longer than normal. I noticed it at the end of the long run when the v-stat shut the unit down it dropped to 2oz and there was a call for heat again BUT in the time it took the start up sequence to fire up it pulled below zero on my gauge. Eventually when I shut it down it took a good 5-10 min for the mains to open up. I’m wondering is some of this issue is because I am running it a lot longer than normal. All the vents have been replaced, system balanced and vents added to mains. During normal run it’s hovering at 1oz and every radiator is starting to get hot equally. So the system is doing great, just noticed the vacuum thing.
Onepipe
1