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Re: As it should be...
This man was surely not begging -- no one would have known, had he not wanted to rent an apartment. There are a lot of folks out there like that -- far more than most people realise. One of my most difficult ministries is to reach these people and provide assistance -- without in any way limiting their freedom, which they value perhaps more than anything else.
I'm attaching a brief homily I wrote actually just recently. Has nothing to do with heat, but... perhaps some of you might be interested in what I write besides these notes on HeatingHelp!
I'm attaching a brief homily I wrote actually just recently. Has nothing to do with heat, but... perhaps some of you might be interested in what I write besides these notes on HeatingHelp!
Re: New Construction, Need Hydronic Piping Advice.
You have specified a water heater for a space heating project. you should use the Q85SN for space heating only. They also have combination models for both Domestic Hot Water and space heating. But do not make the mistake of trying to do space heating with a DHW unit. There are many "How do I fix this?" problems here and on other similar websites that can be avoided by selecting the proper product in the first place.
Here is an amended diagram for your piping,
but there are better diagrams in the instruction manual for the proper heater
Respectfully submitted,
Mr.Ed
Here is an amended diagram for your piping,
but there are better diagrams in the instruction manual for the proper heater
Respectfully submitted,
Mr.Ed
Re: I need some help choosing reliable boiler replacement
I chose to ask one simple question - best boiler. Nothing else. Just that. Dealing with other things - not requested.I didn't answer Harold because I, like you, am not a pro. I leave those things to the pros.
But, you didn't just ask one simple question. You led off with:
This is an ongoing saga of why I just can not keep boilers working. And what I should select as a new boiler.You have to realize that most of the guys here are real professionals, and when they see a pattern of boilers failing without the cause being found, you're grabbing them by the shoulders and shaking them.
You also added:
Again, adding all that gets the attention of professionals who deal with this sort of failure all the time.
1 - Boiler installed - house works.
2 - First boiler eats itself. New boiler core replaced under warranty.
3 - Second boiler core fails. Core has to be replaced because it leaks.
4 - Surprise - now core leaks again. A replacement is installed.
5 - Fed up with the process - new boiler. Significant money added to accumulated costs for things that should just work.
8 - New boiler. Different boiler vendor. Works nicely.
9 - Two days ago - yet another lack of operational boiler. Core leaks. This is a SS core. It should, in my mind, last rather longer.
This is getting very old.
The whole thing is just crazy. This should not be a relatively short term function followed by failure.
I think you should cut them some slack and also to spend some time trying to figure out what happened to your previous boilers and make sure this pattern of failure isn't some unlucky lottery odds middle finger from the boiler gods that will smite your new Bosch. Now that it's installed and the house is warm, I would take the time and reread some of the comments regarding the potential reasons your boilers have been failing.
And I know everyone here hopes your wife feels better soon.
MaxMercy
5
Re: I need some help choosing reliable boiler replacement
Pity to replace the boiler when you don't even know if it's the problem...
Re: Would you recommend automatic damper to increase efficiency of new boiler?
Depends on what it's hooked up to.
Remember, most steam systems originally had coal-fired boilers. These required powerful chimneys to pull air through the coal bed on the grate- I've seen some that could pull pets and small children up to the roof. This is way more draft than a modern boiler needs, and the draft continues after the burner shuts off, which can cool down the boiler between cycles, requiring the burner to re-heat the boiler on the next cycle. This is why dampers were invented.
So if the chimney is original, a damper will help, even if it's been re-lined.
Remember, most steam systems originally had coal-fired boilers. These required powerful chimneys to pull air through the coal bed on the grate- I've seen some that could pull pets and small children up to the roof. This is way more draft than a modern boiler needs, and the draft continues after the burner shuts off, which can cool down the boiler between cycles, requiring the burner to re-heat the boiler on the next cycle. This is why dampers were invented.
So if the chimney is original, a damper will help, even if it's been re-lined.
Thanks
I lurk around here quite a bit. What you all do is amazing to me. You have a love and dedication to your craft that I understand and can relate to, but how exactly you do some of the things you do is a mystery to me. The combination of brute strength, endurance, physics, engineering, business acumen, and in some cases psychology that you utilize to get things done is phenomenal.
Saturday night, we got a no heat call from a young couple that lives in a very small tenant house we have. I called a local HVAC Company, that sent a technician out and – long story short – pronounced the 25 year old furnace dead. Not only did he pronounce it dead, he spent 15 minutes showing me all of the problems. I’ve listened to you people for a few years now. What he was saying made (some) sense to me. On a Saturday night at nearly midnight, when the roads were nearly impassable, the temperature was below zero, and I’m guessing this young technician’s friends were all out having a good time. The young couple agreed to go stay with their parents for Saturday and Sunday nights and I set out to find a company that could install a new furnace.
I tried a few places on Sunday morning, some of which were too busy, some that didn’t answer, and one that seemed a little shady. The estimator for the HVAC Company that had sent the tech out texted me back at 8:30am on Sunday. He was headed to church with his family, but if I’d get him pictures of the house and ductwork, dimensions of the rooms, windows, doors, attic insulation and electrical panel, he would get me an estimate. From what I have learned on this site, I knew this was the guy. He wasn’t just going to slap in the furnace that they had on hand. He was going to install what was needed – and what was right. He also didn’t let a snowstorm, cold and drifting rural roads stop him. He used technology to get the information he needed.
Yesterday, 2 kids from the HVAC Company (I’m sure they were in their 20’s, but everyone under 40 is a kid to me) trudged through the snow with a new furnace to the dungeon of the little house, worked in the extreme cold and did a remarkable, professional job of installing the new furnace in just a few hours.
It’s 11 degrees below zero this morning. The house is warm and safe. A combination of understanding tenants; a tech that took the time to explain what he’d done and what was wrong; an estimator that went above and beyond to do his craft correctly; 2 tough, corn fed installers; and the folks on this site that take the time to help novices like me understand the ‘why’ made this work out better than I could have hoped.
Keep doing what you do!
Saturday night, we got a no heat call from a young couple that lives in a very small tenant house we have. I called a local HVAC Company, that sent a technician out and – long story short – pronounced the 25 year old furnace dead. Not only did he pronounce it dead, he spent 15 minutes showing me all of the problems. I’ve listened to you people for a few years now. What he was saying made (some) sense to me. On a Saturday night at nearly midnight, when the roads were nearly impassable, the temperature was below zero, and I’m guessing this young technician’s friends were all out having a good time. The young couple agreed to go stay with their parents for Saturday and Sunday nights and I set out to find a company that could install a new furnace.
I tried a few places on Sunday morning, some of which were too busy, some that didn’t answer, and one that seemed a little shady. The estimator for the HVAC Company that had sent the tech out texted me back at 8:30am on Sunday. He was headed to church with his family, but if I’d get him pictures of the house and ductwork, dimensions of the rooms, windows, doors, attic insulation and electrical panel, he would get me an estimate. From what I have learned on this site, I knew this was the guy. He wasn’t just going to slap in the furnace that they had on hand. He was going to install what was needed – and what was right. He also didn’t let a snowstorm, cold and drifting rural roads stop him. He used technology to get the information he needed.
Yesterday, 2 kids from the HVAC Company (I’m sure they were in their 20’s, but everyone under 40 is a kid to me) trudged through the snow with a new furnace to the dungeon of the little house, worked in the extreme cold and did a remarkable, professional job of installing the new furnace in just a few hours.
It’s 11 degrees below zero this morning. The house is warm and safe. A combination of understanding tenants; a tech that took the time to explain what he’d done and what was wrong; an estimator that went above and beyond to do his craft correctly; 2 tough, corn fed installers; and the folks on this site that take the time to help novices like me understand the ‘why’ made this work out better than I could have hoped.
Keep doing what you do!
Re: What happened here?
thank you all.NO!!!!!Glad all ok.
just was trying to understand what happened because there didn’t seem to be any smell of anything burning a little while before.
is this fixable?
You need to replace that boiler- it's, literally, toast.