Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.
If our community has helped you, please consider making a contribution to support this website. Thanks!
Best Of
Re: Closed Loop Water Storage Tank Lifespan
Hi, An approach I've used successfully is to use a large plastic tank, essentially for heat storage, and then use copper coils high and low to put heat into the water or remove it. This way you can have a long-lived tank, but not under pressure.
Yours, Larry
Yours, Larry
Re: How to add pressure to boiler system?
In your second picture down there is a yellow handle valve to the left and below the expansion tank in the horizontal 1/2" copper pipe. The valve looks like it is closed. Open it until you get 12-15 psi on the boiler gauge then close it.
Not the yellow handle valve to the left in the larger vertical pipe.
You need to find out where the water is going. If you keep losing water and adding new water that is not good for the boiler
Not the yellow handle valve to the left in the larger vertical pipe.
You need to find out where the water is going. If you keep losing water and adding new water that is not good for the boiler
Re: Need opinions - Replace system 2000 or repair>
Thank you for your post, @Draven . The good news is that we are now aware of your situation and can be involved to help out. Please give us a call at (908) 735-2066 (or PM me) so we can provide support and connect with your contractor to figure out the right steps to make sure your system, installation, and components are up to the reliability that we are known for and that you and we expect.
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Roger
I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Roger
Roger
5
Re: Munchkin M80 boiler not heating enough.
80,000 BTU x .90 efficiency = 72,000 BTU
72,000 BTU divided by 2700 sq. ft. = 27 BTU/sq. ft.
Just guessing, that boiler should be sized properly and your phrase, "I have about 14 zones in a warehouse 60x45 but even if I zone it to 3 valves we cant get it over 55 degrees running nonstop." is telling. Something is restricting the output of the boiler.
Have you had your boiler serviced recently? Just cleaning the heat exchanger, doing a combustion analysis by a person that knows how to read the numbers, washing down the condensate drain...........can turn up the problem.
72,000 BTU divided by 2700 sq. ft. = 27 BTU/sq. ft.
Just guessing, that boiler should be sized properly and your phrase, "I have about 14 zones in a warehouse 60x45 but even if I zone it to 3 valves we cant get it over 55 degrees running nonstop." is telling. Something is restricting the output of the boiler.
Have you had your boiler serviced recently? Just cleaning the heat exchanger, doing a combustion analysis by a person that knows how to read the numbers, washing down the condensate drain...........can turn up the problem.
Re: Munchkin M80 boiler not heating enough.
That’s the water pressure switch that was jumped . From the looks of the inside cabinet I would say that the swirl plate and the Venturi inlet should be clean also generally the inside cabinet . How old is the boiler and the system ? Generally I used to replace the swirl plate before they became brittle from age and destroy the blower . What temperature difference are you see across the system loops and what difference across the boiler ,this is after the system has been running a few hours not a cold start . What pressure is the system operating on it should be at least 15 to 20 . Also replace that water pressure switch its most likely clogged while your at it flush the boiler and check the condition of your water if dirty then most likely the original contractor never cleaned and flushed the system properly. If so flush then clean and flush then system and add and conditioner and inhibitor . It may be that the system was never been designed to supply more then 55 degrees indoor temp in which case supplant heat would be required .
Peace and good luck clammy
Peace and good luck clammy
clammy
1
Re: Why my 85% efficient cast iron boiler is really only 78% efficient
Since you seem to like crunching numbers..
I think this BIN data can be useful for analyzing heating systems, performance, efficiency, etc.
Some bucket time needed to look into these efficiency numbers.
I suspect few boilers operate at steady state condition for much of their life. If so the math is simple.
Steady State= heat output in Btu/hr ÷ energy input of boiler
128,000 ÷ (1.18) ( 140,000 Btu/ gal #2)= 77% efficient
Cycle Efficiency= total heat output over period of time ÷ energy content of fuel used over that time. Obviously a lower % number
Run Fraction= burner on÷total elapsed time
5 minutes on ÷ 5 min + 20 min = 20%
Look at a partial load condition with 128K boiler supplying a 40K load
40,000 ÷ 128,000= 31%
Plot that 31% on this Brookhaven developed chart, at 30% efficiency goes south quickly.
If you know the actual heat load of the building you can go a step further
Heat load of 100,000 (70°-40°) ÷ 70°-0°= 20,000 BTU/hr - minus internal gains, call it 20,000
22, 860 ÷128,000 = 17.8%. on the graph, looks like you are slipping into the mid to low 70% range
Use your actual numbers. An unknown is which boiler output number to use IBR net assumes 15% heat loss. To tighten that number a piping heat loss could be used. In a system with large uninsulated piping, boiler in cold spaces that 15% number could be off by a bit?
Formulas from Modern Hydronic Heating & Cooling 4th edition Chapter 3
I think this BIN data can be useful for analyzing heating systems, performance, efficiency, etc.
Some bucket time needed to look into these efficiency numbers.
I suspect few boilers operate at steady state condition for much of their life. If so the math is simple.
Steady State= heat output in Btu/hr ÷ energy input of boiler
128,000 ÷ (1.18) ( 140,000 Btu/ gal #2)= 77% efficient
Cycle Efficiency= total heat output over period of time ÷ energy content of fuel used over that time. Obviously a lower % number
Run Fraction= burner on÷total elapsed time
5 minutes on ÷ 5 min + 20 min = 20%
Look at a partial load condition with 128K boiler supplying a 40K load
40,000 ÷ 128,000= 31%
Plot that 31% on this Brookhaven developed chart, at 30% efficiency goes south quickly.
If you know the actual heat load of the building you can go a step further
Heat load of 100,000 (70°-40°) ÷ 70°-0°= 20,000 BTU/hr - minus internal gains, call it 20,000
22, 860 ÷128,000 = 17.8%. on the graph, looks like you are slipping into the mid to low 70% range
Use your actual numbers. An unknown is which boiler output number to use IBR net assumes 15% heat loss. To tighten that number a piping heat loss could be used. In a system with large uninsulated piping, boiler in cold spaces that 15% number could be off by a bit?
Formulas from Modern Hydronic Heating & Cooling 4th edition Chapter 3
hot_rod
2
$100 and a little work, with a whole lot of heat
While I sit back and ponder whether the time and money to keep our single, 100’ plus long main that snakes in an S through the basement was worth it (installed in 1908, with many eliminated radiators leaving dead branches off the main, and three distinct sections where hvac work and cracked beams left sags, I’ve managed to get it mostly sorted and back in line with the 1908 layout)… my only real regret is burying the best investment in time and money in the system down on the first floor where my mother in law gets to see it every day.$100, some cleaning brushes, wire brushes, and a handful of cans of high heat black paint turned a massive radiator buried under a stack in a second hand store into a monster. Loaded into my car with a forklift… unloaded by me with a 16’ long ramp I built out of scrap in the basement onto a sled I build with a pair of dollies and some scrap butcher block for cleanup, then wheeled around the block to the front where I had to enlist the help of a friend to get it up a step and a half inside.
Gotta get a picture of it installed someday.
JShep
6
Re: An interesting generator connection
My wife can pull it out of the crawl space, plug it in connect the gas hose and start ithot_rod said:You still are responsible for shutting down unnecessary circuits. Not something I’d want my wife to do.But you wife can start the generator?I’ll stick with a transfer switch and outside plug!
She can also flip the interlock and turn the main off and generator on.
My 8500 Watt generator has no issues powering the entire house minus the central air. It'll do that too with a little care.
I have no problems with my wife handling this when I'm not home. She's more than capable.
ChrisJ
2