Best Of
Re: Upgrading old 2 wire Honeywell thermostats to Honeywell T9 smart thermostat
This comment tells the story of how the Taco 571 can be wired several different ways. As long as you stay consistent there will be no problems.
When you need to add the C wire for a smart thermostat like the T9 you need to be sure that the R and the W from the 2 wire thermostat are connected this way.
I have modified the manufacturer diagram on the Left to show that R from the 24 VAC transformer is connected to R on the thermostat. W from the thermostat is connected to 1 on the Taco zone valve. And the common terminal 2 on the Taco zone valve is connected to C on the transformer
With that wiring confirmed, you can easily add the C from the thermostat to C on the transformer as shown on the Right diagram. You may find that is all you need as long as you double check the original wiring before you start.
Re: Upgrading old 2 wire Honeywell thermostats to Honeywell T9 smart thermostat
It is unclear from your pictures if your thermostats are correct or reversed. On a two-wire thermostat, it will not matter. However, on a Common C wire it will make a difference. On one of the zone valves a White wire is connected to #1 and on the other zone valve a Red wire is connected to #1. The wire color does not matter because electricity is colorblind. What does matter is that W on the thermostat is connected to #1 on the zone valve. If that is backwards, then you will have a problem connecting the C terminal on the new T9 thermostat
If you make a mistake, you may let all the factory installed smoke out of the transformer or the thermostat or the boiler control. Once that happens you can never get that smoke back in. I like to use these Smoke Keepers so that will not happen.
Re: Most conservative setting for barometric damper without a draft gauge?
Over Fire Draft on a Vaillant boiler is measured directly over the fire, by removing the sight glass from the view port.
The round glass is held in by a snap ring that needs a snap ring tool to remove it. If you have a pair of old needle nose pliers that you can grind the tips into 2 small round points you can make one, or purchase one at an auto parts store.
This is when you will clean the soot off of the glass and get a new gasket for the glass to seal it to the cast iron of the boiler. Come to think of it, If that gasket is missing, that could be the source of the odor.
The view port is directly over the oil burner where it enters the boiler. look closely in the area of the Red Arrow on the photograph below. When @EBEBRATT-Ed indicated that you use a cigarette smoke or smoke from a candle, and see if the smoke gets sucked in or if the smoke gets blown away from the opening, he was talking about that over fire view port. That is also where you would measure Over Fire Draft if you had a Draft Gauge or manometer.
There are 3 places that need to be accessed on Valiant boilers when vacuum cleaning to remove the soot. The first area is the top, just under the green cover. remove the cover and the insulation to reveal the plates that cover clean-out ports and are held in by tension clips. You may want to purchase some fire proof insulation from the local supply house or wood stove dealer. The trade name for this insulation is Kaowool or ceramic fiber blanket.
The second place to open up is behind one of the front green panels. Just above the Red arrow in the photo. You may need to remove the Aquastat relay to access that second opening or it may be behind a different green panel depending on the model number of the Boiler. Manu mechanics do not know this but the pressure temperature gauge (if it is original) can be removed without draining the boiler. Just spin it out of the well that it is connected to. There is an O ring that seals the pressure portion when removed. The third thing to open is the actual burner door. That gives you access to the combustion chamber and some hard to reach sections of the heat exchanger. There may also be a removable panel behind the bottom green panel. all these panels have steel plates that cover the clean-out access and will need to be sealed with the Kaowool gasket material.
Here is a close up of that view port and what the snap ring might look like
Re: Edr calculations for unusual radiator
@AndythePlumber, that radiator was made by the American Radiator Company and was the Colonial pattern. Beautiful find! You can see it on page 8 of their booklet Radiation and Decoration from 1905 in the link below.
And here it is in American Radiator Company's The Ideal Fitter (circa 1906):
You can see the entire excerpt on the Colonial radiators here. These radiators could be configured in different arrangements.
The Ideal Fitter did not include an EDR for this radiator, but the charts in this booklet about American Radiator Co's Peerless (formerly Rococo) Wall Radiators may help.
Thanks for supporting our community and purchasing a copy of EDR!
Erin
Re: Switching from open loop to air to air heat pump
OK. Those two hose bibbs may be toast, or the pipes to them, unless it was PEX which can usually take a freeze. If the well is a submersible the drop pipe may or not be OK… you'll find out come spring when you go to use it.
Re: Tankless Coil Intermittent Hot Water
What model aquastat? If it's an L8124***, then that aquastat maintains Low limit, and only will run towards High limit with a heat demand. So if you're raising the High to 180°, raise the Low to 160°. Differential 10° unless you really want to get into it. Be careful at the faucets.
If the aquastat is an L8041B or equivalent, that aquastat maintains High limit, but I would bring the Low up to 145° considering a pre set 10° differential.
Again, faucet adjustments will be different. Is there a mixing valve?
HVACNUT
Re: Tankless Coil Intermittent Hot Water
Welcome new steam homeowner. We were all in your shoes at one point.
Do yourself a favor and cut the lines to the coil, buy a standalone water heater and leave your boiler off in the summer.
There's no reason to tie your domestic hot water to that boiler.
Even a resistive electric water heater is only a few hundred dollars a year to run and if you want, you can get a heat pump water heater and have super cheap hot water with possible incentives from your local utility or state.
Re: Tankless Coil Intermittent Hot Water
As EPaul alludes, the boiler coils are not very efficient, are difficult to control and often clog with lime in many areas. You'll probably be happier with an indirect hot water tank, or separate tank hot water heater.
If you keep the hot water coil, it should (must) be plumbed with an automatic tempering valve to prevent it from delivering dangerously hot domestic water when the heating system is steaming. Many installers skipped the tempering valves or substituted a manual valve to save a few bucks. Especially with kids or elderly folks in the home, overheated hot water can cause serious injuries.
Re: Tankless Coil Intermittent Hot Water
under that cardboard are 3 screws, common, normally open, normally closed,
a volt meter across common, and NO, or NC, would tell you where your volts are going, listening closely will swinging the setting dial you should also hear a click,
neilc
Re: Tankless Coil Intermittent Hot Water
Yes. Sorry, I feel dumb assuming you had a closed hydronic system. 180° should be fine and the differential is at 5° so there shouldn't be an issue. Can you show the coil or water heater and piping? Is there a mixing valve?
HVACNUT