Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.
Best Of
Re: How does a combi boiler handle substantially higher or substantially lower DHW input water
They should all have "priority" logic. Even Indirect Tanks and Relays work like this. On a Call for Domestic HW, all hands are on deck and run to meet the demand. Circulators for the Heating zones shut off, until HW Demand is satisfied. Mad Dog 🐕It doesn't have to be that way but that is how most systems are designed. You could use an indirect with more storage capacity to let the indirect use whatever is left over from the heating zones.
mattmia2
1
Re: Code: Where is it?
Interesting, now I am curious if we have different rules here for oil lines as well, I know they require permits for any other fuel lines here
@Mad Dog_2
When you guys pull a permit for a water heater out there do they make you pull separate permits for the plumbing and the gas or electrical connection? We have to pull 2 here in my county (Plumbing and either mech/electric), and they are trying to get the rest of the inspectors in Michigan to do the same. I just figure the result is less permits pulled for water heaters lol
@Mad Dog_2
When you guys pull a permit for a water heater out there do they make you pull separate permits for the plumbing and the gas or electrical connection? We have to pull 2 here in my county (Plumbing and either mech/electric), and they are trying to get the rest of the inspectors in Michigan to do the same. I just figure the result is less permits pulled for water heaters lol
GGross
1
Re: Flame Retardant Paint for spray foam
Extremely flammable.Mad Dog_2 said:I remember the G C. Saying the spray on insulation was flammable as it sprayed on..is that a Myth or true? I DO remember it being very noxious. Mad 🐕 Dog
But it also burns pretty good after it sets up too.
ChrisJ
2
Re: Pfas / forever chemicals
Long term affects on humans is a very interesting topic.
Lead, asbestos, tobacco products, etc are all harder to link to certain illnesses than one may imagine. Some people die of cancer for no known reason while others who are exposed to the above list live well into their 90s with seemingly no ramifications.
When I lived in western Massachusetts there was widespread PCB contamination from the local General Electric plant. They made all sorts of distribution equipment and transformers. The solution to pollution is (was) dilution back then. They would dump PCBs on the soil and give it away for free for fill to spread it around. This was all above board mind you.
Come ahead a few decades and now they are paying for thousands of tons of soul to be removed and replaced....
Long term affects, need long term study. I could go into an interesting topic about that.... no one really knows what the future will bring.
I feel I agree with some of what you said, but not all of it.
I've watched quite a few friends who were smokers die from it in their 50s.
My grandfather died in his 70s, I guess he was a lucky one.
Yes, some who smoke make it into their 90s, but most do not. I think (honestly, doubt what I think matters on this topic) cancer is one of those things that, if you're going to get it, smoking makes it a lot more likely. It aggravates the situation.
Asbestos, I do not have any personal experience with anyone that had problems from it but I believe what I hear and try to avoid it. But to be honest, I also try to avoid breathing fiberglass also.
Lead, the effects are well known and have been for a very long time (hundreds of years?) and can easily be linked. There's no guessing on this one. I often use lead solder on electronics and I wash my hands after handling it.
PFAS etc I have no idea.
I'm guessing over time they will figure out more and more about it.
ChrisJ
2
Re: Flame Retardant Paint for spray foam
What is X-2? I don't like spray foam. The attic was redone in 2007 and the installer used open cell instead of closed cell and didn't install a vapor barrier. As soon as the roof gets hot, the whole attic stinks unless all the windows are wide open. I had never heard of fire retardant paint for SPF until now. I figured since it was already loaded with TCPP it wasn't needed. But then I found out that polyurethane smolders during a fire. When you add the fact that so many homes have old ionization detectors, and that these apparently do a lousy job of quickly detecting smoldering fires, you might have a real problem...Interestingly while the number of home fires, fire deaths and injuries have all declined since 1980, the death and injury rates per home fire have both increased. It seems home fires have become more lethal and dangerous.
https://nfpa.org/-/media/files/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/building-and-life-safety/oshomes.pdf
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pnlkiZC0dd0
https://smokealarmsafety.org/index.html
Here's a great collection of lab tests comparing ionization vs. photoelectric smoke alarms performance going back several decades: propertyevaluation.net/Residential%20Smoke%20Alarms%20-%20Ionization%20vs%20Photo%20-%20Various%20Reports%20and%20Presentations.PDF
Anyway, I know this was kind of off-topic. Googling around, some options for SPF I'm seeing are DC315, F10E, Contego, Firegard
https://nfpa.org/-/media/files/news-and-research/fire-statistics-and-reports/building-and-life-safety/oshomes.pdf
https://youtube.com/watch?v=pnlkiZC0dd0
https://smokealarmsafety.org/index.html
Here's a great collection of lab tests comparing ionization vs. photoelectric smoke alarms performance going back several decades: propertyevaluation.net/Residential%20Smoke%20Alarms%20-%20Ionization%20vs%20Photo%20-%20Various%20Reports%20and%20Presentations.PDF
Anyway, I know this was kind of off-topic. Googling around, some options for SPF I'm seeing are DC315, F10E, Contego, Firegard
Re: Cheap Pipe Threader???
@Rusty2 I've got a decent 6" bench vice that has teeth to hold pipe up to about 3" in diameter. Hopefully that will do the trick! And thanks for the tip on the SS hose clamp ad a cutting guide!
My original plan was to swap a metal blade onto an older cheaper miter saw for the rest of its days...
My original plan was to swap a metal blade onto an older cheaper miter saw for the rest of its days...
Re: Coal boiler installer?
Hey all, bear with me here. We've been heating our home with the oil boiler since we moved in 2019, but we also have an old burham plumbed in that burned coal and wood as well. Heating 2900 sqft, really been wanting something newer and an alternative, so i picked up a coalgun last week (nat gas is not an option) I should have it in the boiler room this week, but i cannot find a competent tech that would want to install it or that is comfortable with coal and hydronics. We are located west of pittsburgh near burgettstown pa. I could have certainly missed someone, I did some searching on coalpail and a couple old threads sent me here. Also tried the find a contractor with no luck, so here I am hoping i can find someone local here that could install it. Any input is greatly appreciated.=================================================================
Hello Mr. Payne,
I lived through what you are going through now.
I genuinely want to help you with this to avoid the hell I went through.
You will not go wrong with a coal stoker boiler.
A steam licensed plumber can do this installation easily as the boiler controls are simple
and have been used for many years on these coal stoker boilers.
OK, I have to be nosey now to help you more effectively.
Is your coal gun new or used?
If it is a new coal gun, what model coal gun do you have, an S130, S260?????
Does it have the ASME stamp and H stamp for steam heating use?
Does it have the round hopper or the square hopper?
If you have a coal gun with a round hopper you should take it to a welding shop to have it cut to a lower height or if you travel to Schukyl Haven, PA. to exchange the combustion fan assembly for an indirect drive system ask if they have time to lower the hopper height by removing half of the hopper as your back will thank you.
Is the hopper equipped with the snap switch to shut the boiler off in the event of a hopper fire?
Is the induced draft combustion fan a direct drive system or indirect belt drive system?
If it is a direct drive induced draft combustion fan system you need to exchange it for the indirect drive as direct drive induced combustion fan system suffers from dielectric corrosion and the direct drive motor bearings fail prematurely due to the heat of coal combustion and dielectric corosion.
The V belt pulley drive system, for the induced draft combustion blower allows the 110 volt Alternate Current motor to operate at a slower Revolutions Per Minute speed and the 110 volt electric motor with the V belt pulleys will operate at a cooler temperature.
If you have not begun to pick up fittings and parts:
ALL of the close boiler piping needs to be schedule 40 black pipe to prevent issues with expansion and
leaks NO COPPER. Been there done that with propress fittings and copper that should not have been used on my coal stoker boiler system. The other issue is the corrosion that will occur at the sweated joints.
You need to use N.P.T. threaded gate valves NO BALL VALVES as the plastic ball valve plastic parts can and will leak from melting.
Now onward to the house plumbing;
Do you have cast iron radiators or baseboard heat?
Hydronic heating with circulators or gravity hot water heating?
How much of the current boiler plumbing and piping will you use or do you intend to install new plumbing and plumb the existing boiler in series or series parallel piping arrangement?
BE fully aware that you need both a backflow preventer and low water cut off control if you do not have one in your existing boiler.
I must suggest very strongly to you that you purchase 3 of Dans books to be able to understand how your boiler works and how simple the piping can be by using a pump module for the boiler by pumping away.
The books are "PUMPING AWAY", "CLASSIC HYDRONICS", and "HOW COME?".
You can purchase them from the Heating help bookstore page using a credit card and Mr. Holohan will be shipping them right to your door with no middleman involved and all profits go to the author.
As long as you have adequate ceiling height you can use a pump module installation for you coal gun.
I have a 15 gallon Steel Compression Tank, Internal Air Separator, and Airtrol Valve to the create pressure change for my keystoker kaa-4-1 coal stoker boiler and it makes life much simpler and the 10 gallons of water cushion allow the circulator in my system to run cooler.
If there is enough room, plumbing the boiler in series with the existing boiler will be easier than plumbing it in parallel as all that will be needed is steel pipe and knife gate valves.
I am sending you a PM as well.
leonz
1
Re: Code: Where is it?
TG I live in MA. All codes are state adopted codes and all cities and towns have to follow the state codes.
That's not to say things are perfect. Some local inspectors like to make their own "rules" but if they do and a contractor objects the inspector has to defend his rules before the state board if the contractor wants to go there.
NFPA for oil
NFPA 54 & 58 for natural or propane with MA amendments
NFPA 2023 for electrical with MA amendments
They also have a mechanical code not too sure what that is. It has been kicked around for years and is or was only enforced in the eastern part of the state.
That's not to say things are perfect. Some local inspectors like to make their own "rules" but if they do and a contractor objects the inspector has to defend his rules before the state board if the contractor wants to go there.
NFPA for oil
NFPA 54 & 58 for natural or propane with MA amendments
NFPA 2023 for electrical with MA amendments
They also have a mechanical code not too sure what that is. It has been kicked around for years and is or was only enforced in the eastern part of the state.
Re: The case of the high gas costs, this Friday's case
These valve systems were called double block and bleed. Back in the day when gas companies did 99% of the service and the service men were well trained these never presented a problem. We also back then allowed valves to bleed of at the pilot before opening. There are still a lot of those around they are tricky because when the small bleed coming of the valve gets plugged the valve will not open. You will have power to the valve so the tendency is to replace the valve. All you really have to do is clean the tubing and the valve will work fine. Today all of our valves on residential are redundant valves so they are much safer than the old valves.
Re: Pfas / forever chemicals
The key to @mattmia2 's comment above is "mostly removed". They are not completely removed by carbon filters, and even to the extent they are the filter run time is very short (days before breakthrough and replacement). The real question is what level is acceptable, if any -- and as I noted there is a diversity of opinion on that, as well as the very real question of exactly which compound (of the thousands plus) are you talking about?
As @hot_rod said, there are tests for them. Last I looked, which was a number of years ago, the test sequence for that group of compounds was running around $5,000. Per sample, and you need at least one blank for the test to be valid, so double that...
As @hot_rod said, there are tests for them. Last I looked, which was a number of years ago, the test sequence for that group of compounds was running around $5,000. Per sample, and you need at least one blank for the test to be valid, so double that...
