Best Of
Re: Mod/con boiler - is exhaust vent noisy?
Duravent sells flexible venting that can be dropped down the chimney, and a kit that comes with a chimney cap, and the transition pieces to get to and from rigid polypropylene vent pipe. I would go that route, the poly vent pipe is a bit more expensive than PVC, but it is actually rated for the flue gas, and the flexible stuff is much easier to drop down a chimney in one solid piece, you can just use PVC for the intake.
GGross
Re: Need help balancing a single pipe steam system in Queens, NY
You don’t want leaking vents that don’t close under low pressure or you waste $, radiator won’t get fully hot and cold water makeup will affect boiler with minerals and lower efficiency. If you tap a leaving vent when under pressure , and it stops or doesn’t , replace it immediately . Try a bucket of Vinegar to soak and de lime it , usually won’t work as well. Main boiler vents need to seal fast, leakers go. I could write a book on balancing . IR thermometers are good but have an accepted temp inaccuracy of usually 2 or more degrees . Accuracy is not digital unless you spend for a commercial quality set up. Coldest radiator now, be sure radiator has a pitch to valve . Double Gorton D vents , one top one middle. A piece of foil faced 1-1.5” foam board screwed to wall, foil facing in, stops heating exterior walls and in my test can raise a room 1f. The foil reflects to the room radiator Radiant Heat, Radiant Heat might be 40% of heat output. Stop heating exterior walls with no insulation! Are basement pipes insulated ? Insulate. The list goes on and on .
leaking
Re: Need help balancing a single pipe steam system in Queens, NY
I own a 12 unit one pipe Chicago . Best is you lean what’s going on and DIY. What I needed to do took years since I don’t live there and I had some apartments gutted and walls brick foam insulated . If I hired a pro it would have cost many many thousands and I would not be happy. Old buildings systems were not always designed right as Coal was cheap. So you just heated it. Gorton D only belong on a few coldest radiators . Hottest get 4 , some I can cool get aluminum tape and a pin hole making it a 3. Average normal is a 5 to start. First get a one or two certified glass thermometers from Grainger for about 30$ , then I got Taylor glass thermometers that I can loosen the glass and calibrate all to the main known thermometer and glue down. A multi room wireless thermometer can help also. So you know what you have . All radiators need a Pitch not level . Old buildings settle and mains need a pitch - not level. Then figure most old vents are clogged and not good. If they don’t completely seal when hot you loose heat and waste energy and boiler water. Do valves leak? Repack them, then start with Gorton 5 . Coldest I sometimes double vent D, one top one middle. Top vent gives of less heat change . Hottest radiator gets 4 on top or foil tape and pin hole making it a 3. Coldest a Double vent one top one middle remember, a middle vent gives more heat than top vent. Write down temperature before you start , keep track of it. There is alot to do and this explanation is way to short at 3am but I’m taking the dog for a walk it’s 15f out, zero wind chill Chicago. It Will never be 100% at all temperatures outside . But it can be real close.
leaking
Re: Mod/con boiler - is exhaust vent noisy?
The exhausts are generally quiet in my opinion, and that would not be my primary concern here. I would not want the exhaust near somewhere I actively use, even smallish boilers can put out a ton of exhaust and it is not good to breathe in. Remember code is the MINIMUM, and in the case of these exhausts it truly is minimum, figure the exhaust at high fire can come out at least three feet from the vent pipe and then it gets blown around wherever the wind takes it. If the boiler manufacturer allows it I would want the flue out the chimney, and the intake pulling from a clean area on a wall, as much as you don't want to breathe in the exhaust, your boiler also does not want to pull in its own exhaust, or paint fumes etc.
GGross
Re: Mod/con boiler - is exhaust vent noisy?
there are kits for using an existing chimney that may work. I would not exhaust it near that door
hot_rod
Re: Check valve on condensate return line - failure to close
If you load them onto your phone or computer you can paste them here using the "mountain and sun" icon below.
Re: Near boiler piping
You've done a good job. Getting a steam boiler to perform properly is a series of incremental steps. Sometimes one step impacts the next. It's a slow process.
A sight glass on the equalizer will tell you nothing about how much is carried upwards into the mains. It will only tell you that a certain percentage (maybe even 95%) of the water is NOT going up into the mains. Worthless.
LRCCBJ
Re: New-ish local boiler install
Good Luck with this project. More than happy to help you in this endeavor.
Re: New-ish local boiler install
@guzzinerd…. If you are going to help get this boiler working properly, and you do this stuff for a living, then take the labor you would charge to do the job of installing a new boiler and double it. You need to take this one completely apart to make it new again. then you need to put it back together with new gaskets and seals. After that is done, you can start to install it properly.