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Re: Oil boiler identification.
You can make that more efficient if you want to spend some time with a welder and create a fire door that will hold the oil burner in a place that the fire was designed to be.
Before World War II most homes were heated by hand fired boilers. The design was simple, and had 3 doors for maintenance. The bottom door was opened weekly to remove ashes from the wood or coal flame that dropped to the bottom (called the ash pit). The center door was opened daily to add fuel to the boiler. That fuel sat on grates and as the fuel burned the hot gasses of combustion, fly-ash, and soot took the heat up to the top of the boiler and out to the chimney. The top door was to clean the ashes and soot from the boiler on a monthly basis. After WWII the boiler companies had little of the old stock, and since all Americans were working on the war effort, there was not much new on the drawing board for heating systems.
So when the war was over, the American soldiers had extra income as the economy started to boom. They wanted automatic heat. They did not want to be stuck feeding the old coal boilers by hand. So the boiler companies had a large demand and no new designs, so they modified the old coal boilers to use the new automatic oil and gas burners. And many oil dealers would convert existing coal boilers to burn oil by placing the oil burner in the ash pit and removing the grates. That was the easiest and fastest way to satisfy that demand. But not the most efficient use of fuel… but fuel was cheap.
The boiler you have was originally designed for coal but was factory modified to add the oil burner. To make it look more modern, a sheet metal cover was fabricated to make the whole package more streamlined. The 1953 version of the Apple Watch, compared to the flip phone of the past.
Since your boiler was designed to have the coal fire near the middle door, you can get better heat transfer if you mount the burner in that door and get rid of the combustion chamber. Fill the ash pit with vermiculite and place some ceramic fiber board over it to reflect the heat from the flame up to the crownsheet of the boiler (the top cast iron area just above the flame). Get yourself some new controls line a L7224U that will operate the burner and calculator, and get a new primary control (Carlin 70200S is my fav) and you will reach operating efficiencies to match a new package boiler built this year.
Pictures to follow
Before World War II most homes were heated by hand fired boilers. The design was simple, and had 3 doors for maintenance. The bottom door was opened weekly to remove ashes from the wood or coal flame that dropped to the bottom (called the ash pit). The center door was opened daily to add fuel to the boiler. That fuel sat on grates and as the fuel burned the hot gasses of combustion, fly-ash, and soot took the heat up to the top of the boiler and out to the chimney. The top door was to clean the ashes and soot from the boiler on a monthly basis. After WWII the boiler companies had little of the old stock, and since all Americans were working on the war effort, there was not much new on the drawing board for heating systems.
So when the war was over, the American soldiers had extra income as the economy started to boom. They wanted automatic heat. They did not want to be stuck feeding the old coal boilers by hand. So the boiler companies had a large demand and no new designs, so they modified the old coal boilers to use the new automatic oil and gas burners. And many oil dealers would convert existing coal boilers to burn oil by placing the oil burner in the ash pit and removing the grates. That was the easiest and fastest way to satisfy that demand. But not the most efficient use of fuel… but fuel was cheap.
The boiler you have was originally designed for coal but was factory modified to add the oil burner. To make it look more modern, a sheet metal cover was fabricated to make the whole package more streamlined. The 1953 version of the Apple Watch, compared to the flip phone of the past.
Since your boiler was designed to have the coal fire near the middle door, you can get better heat transfer if you mount the burner in that door and get rid of the combustion chamber. Fill the ash pit with vermiculite and place some ceramic fiber board over it to reflect the heat from the flame up to the crownsheet of the boiler (the top cast iron area just above the flame). Get yourself some new controls line a L7224U that will operate the burner and calculator, and get a new primary control (Carlin 70200S is my fav) and you will reach operating efficiencies to match a new package boiler built this year.
Pictures to follow
Re: Rest In peace First Lady.......
I did not care for him as president. But I have the upmost respect for both of them and the way they conducted their lives. They are tireless workers both in and out of office and kept going as long as they could and then kept going some more. If only the politicians, we have now had the character they both have. Much respect.
Re: Looking for a book title
Hi, Are you thinking of one of the Starbuck books? Maybe this will help: https://www.addall.com/SuperRare/UsedRare.cgi?title=&author=&title=&keyword=steam+heating&isbn=&exclude=&bookshop=&binding=Any+Binding&min=&max=&dispCurr=USD&order=PRICE&ordering=ASC&match=Y&timeout=15&store=ABAA&store=Alibris&store=Abebooks&store=AbebooksAU&store=AbebooksDE&store=AbebooksFR&store=AbebooksUK&store=Amazon&store=AmazonCA&store=AmazonUK&store=AmazonDE&store=AmazonFR&store=Antiqbook&store=Biblio&store=BiblioUK&store=Booksandcollectibles&store=Ebay&store=EbayUK&store=EbayFR&store=LRB&store=ZVAB&via=used
Yours, Larry
Yours, Larry
Re: Taco vt2218 electronic issues
Wow, can't beat the excellent support from Taco, thanks @SteveSan.
HotRod, the ASHP outdoor is a GreeFlexx/MideaEvox/MrCoolUniversal (mine says MRC on it...). It has just compressor & reversing valve inputs so there's no specific stage input or communication with the indoor AH unit, but the variable speed compressor does run at different speeds, depending on what the returning refrigerant looks like. Running the AH blower at low or high speeds results in different operation of the outdoor unit. I'm assuming it changes the compressor speed, but it certainly changes electrical consumption of the outdoor unit. I have one thermostat in center of the house, controlling the heatpump for heating and cooling via the airhandler, and set that up for 2 stages heat & cool, which runs the blower at low or higher speeds, and I see the outdoor unit, at least the kw input changing appropriately. We used that for cooling over the summer, and heating initially this fall until now I got the water coil piped in. I'll attempt to measure COP at least qualitatively, with temp & flow across the water coil vs. electrical input, for different water coil LWT & flows.
It's sort of like a 3 pipe. The feed to the HP refrigerant:water coil is taken from after the old existing ZV return header, so it gets water returning from the zones. If the HP loop is a higher flow, it takes also from the bottom of the tank, or only from the tank if no zone is calling for heat, if I choose to run the HP solely on tank temp. I need to make a diagram of how its set up now. I'll add a second identical tank, and an indirect tank to preheat DHW, as well as make it so the HP loop can return directly to the load skipping the tank.
Your comments about deltaT for heating loops has me thinking: Maybe it could be worth having a variable speed pump for the main circulator. Lower flow, controlled to a certain dT, could result in actually lower return temps, and that could help the HP COP. Once some of the zones are converted to radiant and deliver heat at lower temps. But maybe that's just the same as adjusting the outdoor reset target temperature lower and run a higher loop flow.
HotRod, the ASHP outdoor is a GreeFlexx/MideaEvox/MrCoolUniversal (mine says MRC on it...). It has just compressor & reversing valve inputs so there's no specific stage input or communication with the indoor AH unit, but the variable speed compressor does run at different speeds, depending on what the returning refrigerant looks like. Running the AH blower at low or high speeds results in different operation of the outdoor unit. I'm assuming it changes the compressor speed, but it certainly changes electrical consumption of the outdoor unit. I have one thermostat in center of the house, controlling the heatpump for heating and cooling via the airhandler, and set that up for 2 stages heat & cool, which runs the blower at low or higher speeds, and I see the outdoor unit, at least the kw input changing appropriately. We used that for cooling over the summer, and heating initially this fall until now I got the water coil piped in. I'll attempt to measure COP at least qualitatively, with temp & flow across the water coil vs. electrical input, for different water coil LWT & flows.
It's sort of like a 3 pipe. The feed to the HP refrigerant:water coil is taken from after the old existing ZV return header, so it gets water returning from the zones. If the HP loop is a higher flow, it takes also from the bottom of the tank, or only from the tank if no zone is calling for heat, if I choose to run the HP solely on tank temp. I need to make a diagram of how its set up now. I'll add a second identical tank, and an indirect tank to preheat DHW, as well as make it so the HP loop can return directly to the load skipping the tank.
Your comments about deltaT for heating loops has me thinking: Maybe it could be worth having a variable speed pump for the main circulator. Lower flow, controlled to a certain dT, could result in actually lower return temps, and that could help the HP COP. Once some of the zones are converted to radiant and deliver heat at lower temps. But maybe that's just the same as adjusting the outdoor reset target temperature lower and run a higher loop flow.
daklein
1
Rest In peace First Lady.......
Always classy , Straight shooter, rolled up her sleeves and went to work! What a First Lady epitomizes. Mad Dog 🐕
Re: New Gas Steam boiler short cycles
Thank you all. Good to see people sharing thoughts. I'll do all checks this week and fill you in.
Gaz
1
Re: domestic hot water issue
Hi, That limits things to a crossover, though I'd still do the test. Do you know what brand of faucets and shower valve are in the unit? Some older cartridges can allow crossover. I'd also check to make sure they didn't add a shutoff valve on the shower arm, or some-such.
Yours, Larry
ps, is there a tempering valve installed?
Yours, Larry
ps, is there a tempering valve installed?
Re: Radiant heat in 20x30 garage and 30x45 driveway
You’d use a mixing device to ensure the water going to the slab is lower. So the boiler is protected from low return temps and the slab has safe temps going to it. These are installed everyday.
Re: Steam Main Vent Locations
Gortons are the best for main vents but cost$$$
You can put the vents in the plugged tee connections although some distance away from the tee is better as you mentioned.
If you need to double back on the pipe you can but whatever you do make sure any pipe or nipples are arranged so any water that gets in the vent extension can drain back into the plugged tee.
I like to raise the vents as high as reasonably possible. It helps to keep the water out
And no you don't need any plugged tees for cleanouts it's just as easy to take the vents off.
You can put the vents in the plugged tee connections although some distance away from the tee is better as you mentioned.
If you need to double back on the pipe you can but whatever you do make sure any pipe or nipples are arranged so any water that gets in the vent extension can drain back into the plugged tee.
I like to raise the vents as high as reasonably possible. It helps to keep the water out
And no you don't need any plugged tees for cleanouts it's just as easy to take the vents off.