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Re: replacing pressure relief pipe from cast iron boiler - how bad?
@Helpsing
That's all the more reason that you need to replace the valve.
A small drip can rust the inside of the valve so that it cannot open.
I actually had this happen on a commercial boiler once. And the the pigtail for the pressure control plugged up. Could have been a disaster.
That's all the more reason that you need to replace the valve.
A small drip can rust the inside of the valve so that it cannot open.
I actually had this happen on a commercial boiler once. And the the pigtail for the pressure control plugged up. Could have been a disaster.
Re: Milwaukee Pipe Threader
No. I don't know anything about it. After you pick the 700 up and down for a while it is a PITA. To cut half a dozen threads it's fine. After that it's not fun.
Reed used to make (and maybe they still do) a 700 knock off. Yeah it's got some plastic on it. We had one for years and it worked well. Broke the handle once and replaced that. A lot lighter than the 700 and if someone takes reasonable care of it they are fine in my opinion.
It takes the Ridgid 12R dies or the Reed dies (reed calls theirs R12 I think.
FORGET REED
I just looked and they no longer offer the threader we had. They do have a 700 knock off but not the one we had. The one they offer is probably the same weight as a 700.
If you want a really good one with excellent quality look at REMS. made in Germany. I have one that I bought 20 years ago 2d hand and it works great.
But you have to use Rems Dies the 12Rs don't fit.
Reed used to make (and maybe they still do) a 700 knock off. Yeah it's got some plastic on it. We had one for years and it worked well. Broke the handle once and replaced that. A lot lighter than the 700 and if someone takes reasonable care of it they are fine in my opinion.
It takes the Ridgid 12R dies or the Reed dies (reed calls theirs R12 I think.
FORGET REED
I just looked and they no longer offer the threader we had. They do have a 700 knock off but not the one we had. The one they offer is probably the same weight as a 700.
If you want a really good one with excellent quality look at REMS. made in Germany. I have one that I bought 20 years ago 2d hand and it works great.
But you have to use Rems Dies the 12Rs don't fit.
Re: Heat Pump Water Heaters -- no free lunch
Same thing as your refrigerator. It helps you heat the house in the winter, but you pay to get rid of the heat when running the ac in the summer although the compressor is much smaller than a HPWH.I don't think I can agree with the fridge analogy.
My problem with HPWH is when they go bad (it's like a window AC or a refrigerator or freezer) no one will fix them, or they will not be worth the cost to fix them, and they will be discarded. Then you won't likely get a rebate to replace it.
@ethicalpaul @Jamie Hall specified that he was talking about a water heater in a conditioned space not a basement
A fridge is keeping it's interior cool vs the inside of your house primarily. The added heat it may reject comes from cooked food etc, but the rest of it is primarily just trying to keep it cooler than the space it's in. When you open the door the heat rushing in comes from the house, so it's simply putting it back.
The water heater is, at least in a cold climate trying to heat what can be very cold water from an external source and could often seem never ending.
Others have mentioned it uses waste heat from a boiler. The problem I have with that is the cooler the space my boiler is in, the more waste heat it's going to create. And during the winter that boiler would be the only source of heat. So now I'm using a heat pump to pull waste heat from a natural gas fired boiler and the more it pulls, the more the boiler is going to supply (greater temperature difference).
In the summer months it may absolutely be beneficial to me. Especially since my basement runs warm and I need a dehumidifier.
In the winter, I feel it never will.
So, this is probably another example of one size cannot fit all. Not in usage or location.
It could very well be an excellent solution in southern states but less than great in northern.
I've also said, personally I'd rather an electric tank heater over a tankless coil. The HP WH gives me another better solution to that as well if I didn't have natural gas.
ChrisJ
1
Re: Heat Pump Water Heaters -- no free lunch
Hi, As long as we're gently rocking the hypothetical boat, it is possible to duct the inlet and/or outlet of the HP, both to prevent mixing of the air-streams, and to take advantage of potential cooling and de-humidification. So, there could be benefits aside from hot water, particularly if the air-stream could be switched with dampers, to get winter and summer modes.
A big potential downside is short service life, in part because anodes in the glass-lined tanks can be very difficult to access... and too few people are aware of the need to check them.
Yours, Larry
A big potential downside is short service life, in part because anodes in the glass-lined tanks can be very difficult to access... and too few people are aware of the need to check them.
Yours, Larry
Re: IBC SFC - 125 EZ Manifold 1 1/4" - 1" ??
You will want some magnetic protection with an ECM.
A 4 or 5 in one device simplifies P/S piping. 4 connections, everything you need is inside the tube
A 4 or 5 in one device simplifies P/S piping. 4 connections, everything you need is inside the tube
hot_rod
1
Re: Do steam experts recommend setting an additive ptrol to .5 (minimum) or closer to 1?
If your main vent is leaking steam very often then you are likely losing water in the boiler which has to be replaced with fresh oxygen rich water. This will significantly increase corrosion in your boiler and reduce the life expectancy. So, replace that main vent asap!
Re: 14U heat exchanger stainless steel substitution
You need to test your water, occasionally for chloride level. That number is just a range they indicate, not an actual test number
You can buy a test kit and determine your exact number. It would be good to check oh, hardness, and chloride levels a few times a year, if you are having ongoing water issues
Then get the spec from the manufacturer of the HX that you will be using.
Id still confirm the mounting position. I checked with 6 name brand hydronic/ water HX manufacturers. They all show that mounting position to be not acceptable. Armstrong shows vertical only mounting
it would be interesting to know what is different with the one you have? Maybe it is vented somehow. If not it could be trapping corrosive gas from the water treatment chemicals in some of the plates. Worth asking the question, since you have had two fail?
You can buy a test kit and determine your exact number. It would be good to check oh, hardness, and chloride levels a few times a year, if you are having ongoing water issues
Then get the spec from the manufacturer of the HX that you will be using.
Id still confirm the mounting position. I checked with 6 name brand hydronic/ water HX manufacturers. They all show that mounting position to be not acceptable. Armstrong shows vertical only mounting
it would be interesting to know what is different with the one you have? Maybe it is vented somehow. If not it could be trapping corrosive gas from the water treatment chemicals in some of the plates. Worth asking the question, since you have had two fail?
hot_rod
1
Re: How does my boiler get power?
I think you have a transformer somewhere else in the thermostat wiring though it could be millivolt. Show us the label on the side of the gas valve. Most thermopiles have a cable with spade terminals instead of the coaxial connection you have.
mattmia2
1
Heat Pump Water Heaters -- no free lunch
Since I like to rock the boat, at least gently, now and then...
There has been a lot of discussion and enthusiasm about heat pump water heaters. Unfortunately, at least some of it has overtones of free lunch.
Consider. A heat pump water heater works by extracting heat from the surrounding air and boosting the temperature of that heat and delivering it to water, thus heating the water. So far so good. It uses considerably less power to do that than fired or electric water heaters.
However. Problem. Where does that low temperature heat come from? The surrounding air, and it cools the surrounding air by a certain amount. Rather small, but it does. This is not a consideration if that surrounding air is outside air, or the water heater is in an unconditioned space. However, if it is in a conditioned space -- that is one that a furnace or boiler is striving to maintain at some set temperature -- then the furnace or boiler will have to add some additional heat to compensate for that subtracted by the heat pump.
How does this affect the overall energy efficiency of the heat pump water heater, as compared to other methods of making hot water? Rough noodling suggests that, considered from an overall system standpoint, the end result is that the heat pump water heater, if located in a conditioned space, will actually use the same amount (or even a bit more) total energy to provide the hot water than other approaches might...
There's no free lunch.
Note: this is a think piece, not an advocacy piece!
Comments?
There has been a lot of discussion and enthusiasm about heat pump water heaters. Unfortunately, at least some of it has overtones of free lunch.
Consider. A heat pump water heater works by extracting heat from the surrounding air and boosting the temperature of that heat and delivering it to water, thus heating the water. So far so good. It uses considerably less power to do that than fired or electric water heaters.
However. Problem. Where does that low temperature heat come from? The surrounding air, and it cools the surrounding air by a certain amount. Rather small, but it does. This is not a consideration if that surrounding air is outside air, or the water heater is in an unconditioned space. However, if it is in a conditioned space -- that is one that a furnace or boiler is striving to maintain at some set temperature -- then the furnace or boiler will have to add some additional heat to compensate for that subtracted by the heat pump.
How does this affect the overall energy efficiency of the heat pump water heater, as compared to other methods of making hot water? Rough noodling suggests that, considered from an overall system standpoint, the end result is that the heat pump water heater, if located in a conditioned space, will actually use the same amount (or even a bit more) total energy to provide the hot water than other approaches might...
There's no free lunch.
Note: this is a think piece, not an advocacy piece!
Comments?
Re: This weeks case, the case of the boiler descaler
Here is the link for the case. Hope you find it interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hn3ZgWi2u0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hn3ZgWi2u0