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Re: correct gpm for open loop geothermal
On the water side of things — I don't know much about the refrigerant side! — as noted it depends a lot on the water quality whether anything in the heat exchanger might get gunked up. Likely not, but a reverse flow flush would do no harm.
However, on the source well side, things can get stickier. From time to time you should check the dynamic drawdown level in the well and keep track of that. If the well is screened, screens can and do clog, which will cause the dynamic drawdown to increase. A well completed as an open hole in rock likely will not do that, but it does no harm to check. A clogged screen can be redveloped, but that is a task very much best left to a really good well driller.
Re: correct gpm for open loop geothermal
@zepfan Should be able to hook the new one up and just open the valves. But with an open system you will have to see what's lurking in the piping. Any filters on the system?
Re: Beckett NX burner
I have noticed that some Draft Controls are more sensitive to the start up of the burner than others. The one that looks like the lid of an old metal coffee can that has the counter weight that looks like some fender washers are very accurate, but do not have that much mass to them so they react too fast to that startup "Puff" no matter how delicate it is. The Draft Regulator from Field Controls model RC seems to be less affected by startup “Puff”. The old Effikal dampers are also good. But I don't know where to get them ever since Field Controls took them over.
Re: Weil McClain Natural Gas Hot Water Boiler
I edited it. Sorry about that. I do have a quote for a new boiler, but if it can be repaired…….I'm told the old ones are much better than what they have these days. Not sure about the efficiency though
Millie
Re: Carbon Monoxide Question
i give you a few rules that people forget again and again.
perfect combustion of HC ie a hydrocarbon (gas,oil,etc) produces
water and co2 and whatever non hydrocarbon junk was in the fuel like sulfur into sulfur-dioxide - and if it's hot enough, it also burns the oxygen and nitrogen in the air into nx or oxides of nitrogen,
now if the mixture is rich - ie not enough air (O2) to go around for all the hydrogens and carbons, then you get a little water and co (carbon-monoxide) a instead of co2 (carbon-dioxide) and if you really dont have enough air, you get "C" pure carbon (soot), and co, and hc (unburnt hydrocarbon)
if the mixture is to lean (too much air) you DONT, i repeat DONT get CO!!, but you do get lots of hc (unburnt fuel) and o2 (yes real unused oxygen in the exhaust, which in a car, the catalytic converter uses to burn the left over hc at a lower temperature)
so a deep blue flame may indicate the hottest mixture - but not necessarily no co, you need to cut the air down past the hottest point to the lean side to guarantee that no co is produced - indeed in cars the mixture is leaned so you dont get detonation when the spark goes off way before the piston reaches the top since the fuel and air particles are more spread out, the flame front travels more slowly from molecule to molecule until it's in full combustion at the top, i am a pilot of light piston aircraft and i always lean the engine until it's at least 50 degrees cooler than peak ie lean of peak which gives the engine the longest life, to go richer than that, you would have richen up the mixture until the exhaust temp reads 100 degree lower or rich of peak, in order to get the mixture rich enough to cool off the cylinders to a point, that offsets the heat created by the faster burning rich mixture, of course rich of peak is a huge waste since it produces co and less energy per gallon, as opposed to 50 degree lean of peak (ie lean until the engine is 50 degrees cooler than max) which give you a 99% complete burn, and a far softer flame front
this is another reason why it so important to use primary/secondary/closely spaced tee injection, since with a lean mixture, you really need the keep the boiler above 140 degrees so the you dont get a lean miss, ie heat+air+fuel not connecting!!!
it's mind boggling that, these simple sociometry rules are lost on many engineers, mechanics, and manufactures alike
Kal Row
Re: Viessmann cast iron boiler replacement.
John the CU3a can be piped like any old school boiler, if leaving the piping as is keeps costs down. It’s hard to imagine the owner paid large dough 30 years ago, and now wants to go on the cheap- give him the best!
It’s like pulling a G115 or an EK and installing a Smith or a Utica😀
humbly, the European boiler proponent
GW
Re: Plate heat exchanger
This falls into that category where you look at the BOM cost of the hydronic bits VS resistance floor heat and your ROI is measured in decades.
I would install some resistance mats on a nice thermostat that only runs the heat when you'll be using the bathroom and for freeze protection the rest of the time. The operating cost of this will be pretty small and none of the complications of dealing with frozen pipes or glycol.
Kaos
Re: Equalizer Return
The second part of your statement has been documented and debated here. Not sure that I understand the first part. That pipe that we call the equalizer, is also a drain pipe for the header.
Re: 1930's Hydronic System help understanding
The only thing you need to calculate is the water circuit with the highest resistance to flow. Building height means nothing. PSI means nothing. Find the circuit that has the most resistance at the flow it needs. That is the head the pump needs to overcome. Then use that head with the total flow you need for all circuits.