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Re: Radiator making loud water hamming noise and water sloshing sound
Off-topic, I know, but how well does that room heat? With the air vent in the upper position intended for hot water systems, you are probably getting no more than 50% of the steam rating of that radiator.
If the room heats well, I'd leave it alone. If not, there should be a boss further down on that side of the radiator where the vent should be installed for steam heat.
If the room heats well, I'd leave it alone. If not, there should be a boss further down on that side of the radiator where the vent should be installed for steam heat.
bburd
1
Re: Finding Leaks
Also what makes you think it is building no pressure? the vaporstat is set to something insane that i can't read so i wouldn't expect it would ever shut off, that gauge isn't a type that can accurately read low pressure, that mercury vaporstat has to be level to be accurate, and have you checked that the pigtail is clear in to the boiler? The vaporstat also has to be perpendicular to the curl in the pigtail so it stays level because that pigtail curls and uncurls some with temp changes.
mattmia2
2
Re: Finding Leaks
Flood the boiler, fill it to above the top of the boiler and see if water comes running out somewhere.
A mirror will find leaks at valve packings and joints and such but my bet is on the boiler having failed above the water line. If you're lucky it is just a fitting but at the age of that boiler a leak in or between sections is likely.
A mirror will find leaks at valve packings and joints and such but my bet is on the boiler having failed above the water line. If you're lucky it is just a fitting but at the age of that boiler a leak in or between sections is likely.
mattmia2
1
Re: System Design: Solar Thermal Power Generation
I'll start you with the collector area, anyway. If we assume, conservatively, that you can get a 10% thermal efficiency out of it (which is, in my opinion, high for the temperatures you mention), and we also assume you are in New England or actually anywhere pretty much east of the Mississippi and north of the Mason-Dixon line, the general rule is that you can get 3 hours of effective collection per day. Some days you'll get more. Some, particularly in the winter, you will get less.
So... crunching all those numbers together with the dear old solar constant, which is conveniently 1 KW per square meter, we find that you can get an average energy output of 0.3 KWh per square meter of effective collector area per day. So your 5 KWh per day energy will take about 17 square meters of net effective area. Note that that's net effective area -- the area which is actually receiving sunshine and conducting, effectively, to the heat transfer medium.
Now you also mention wanting to generate power from the stored energy in the morning. That energy will have to have been stored the previous day (if you are lucky and it isn't cloudy several days in a row, which is often the case in the winter). You mention 6 to 8 hours. That won't cut it. You need an absolute minimum of 24 hours, and anywhere in the northeast more like 72 hours would be more conservative.
Personally I would like to see you also double check your power and energy requirement relative to your load, which you don't mention. Even with a pretty high efficiency heat pump, your 5 KWh energy only rises to about 50,000 BTU, or about 4,000 BTUh over a day of heat demand.
So... crunching all those numbers together with the dear old solar constant, which is conveniently 1 KW per square meter, we find that you can get an average energy output of 0.3 KWh per square meter of effective collector area per day. So your 5 KWh per day energy will take about 17 square meters of net effective area. Note that that's net effective area -- the area which is actually receiving sunshine and conducting, effectively, to the heat transfer medium.
Now you also mention wanting to generate power from the stored energy in the morning. That energy will have to have been stored the previous day (if you are lucky and it isn't cloudy several days in a row, which is often the case in the winter). You mention 6 to 8 hours. That won't cut it. You need an absolute minimum of 24 hours, and anywhere in the northeast more like 72 hours would be more conservative.
Personally I would like to see you also double check your power and energy requirement relative to your load, which you don't mention. Even with a pretty high efficiency heat pump, your 5 KWh energy only rises to about 50,000 BTU, or about 4,000 BTUh over a day of heat demand.
Re: Burnham Oil Burner creating tons of soot
I'm curious, Has anyone been able to get this running properly while they are standing there? In other words does it run for a period of time only to act up shortly after the crew has left? Or has it never run properly at any time? This sounds so much like a loose or cracked nozzle adaptor.
Grallert
1
Re: Gas gun in oil burner and Chimney Liner
The contractor is incorrect. The chimney must be lined.
I can tell you how many times I have heard "we just want to patch it up, we're moving in 2 years", or "we're going to do this and that in 6 months."
Then life gets in the way.
The chimney is life safety.
If your contractor is not going to be truthful when signing a legal affidavit, I'd reconsider my choice of contractor.
I can tell you how many times I have heard "we just want to patch it up, we're moving in 2 years", or "we're going to do this and that in 6 months."
Then life gets in the way.
The chimney is life safety.
If your contractor is not going to be truthful when signing a legal affidavit, I'd reconsider my choice of contractor.
Re: Vaporizing 1 pipe steam?
Please keep in mind that there is a world of difference between vapour systems, which may or may not operate in a vacuum, and vacuum assisted systems.
The key to vapour systems is in very small, tightly controlled pressure differentials between the steam main supplies and the dry return lines. These differentials are usually on the order of 4 to 6 ounces per square inch differential pressure. The absolute pressure at which they run has nothing to do with the characterisation. The absolute pressure in the system at any given time does affect at what temperature the vapour will be produced, of course. This is where the "dying coal fire" notion comes in -- as the fire died, the system absolute pressure dropped below atmospheric and, correspondingly, the temperature at which the water boiler also dropped (so did the temperature at the radiators at which it condensed) and so it was possible to make use of the lower temperature heat output of a low or dying coal fire.
The tightly controlled differential pressure makes it possible to control, equally tightly, the relative heat output of the various radiators using calibrated valves or orifices, and sometimes makes it possible to do away with steam traps. Not always, however, as steam traps were and are common on vapour systems to prevent any possibility of steam getting into the dry returns -- which would upset the pressure differential.
The vacuum vents which were used, of which the Hoffman 76 is an example (it is still produced, by the way, if you have the cash to pay for it), allowed this drop in absolute pressure while not admitting air to the system.
Many of them had -- and have -- various ingenious devices to ensure that the pressure differential stays low -- the dreaded Hoffman Differential Loop is one -- to ensure that the condensate could, in fact, return to the boiler without difficulty.
Vacuum assisted systems are a different critter altogether, and are much more akin to one pipe systems. In general, the vacuum assist was used to evacuate air more rapidly -- potentially at a lower absolute pressure in the boiler, but not necessarily -- from the system.
Vacuum assisted systems are not particularly fussy about vacuum leaks -- the vacuum pump can handle the leakage, or should be able to. Depending on the vacuum pump type, however, they can be very unhappy if they get steam in the lines to the vacuum pump. Vapour systems don't care about vacuum leanks, unless they are intended to drop below atmospheric pressure on cooling, in which case they certainly do care, and maintaining a large system to be really vacuum tight is an ongoing battle.
A couple of other considerations. First, there really isn't enough residual heat in even a large cast iron boiler to make much difference unless one is going for that last tenth of a percent of efficiency. Second, controlling the absolute pressure at which the boiler operates requires sensitive devices, such as a vaourstat, maintained and mounted so that it can function properly. If one wanted to run a vapour system at sub-atmospheric pressures (i.e. a "vacuum") -- which has some interesting theoretical advantages -- the control mechanism has to be sensitive to the pressure differential between the mains and the dry returns. This can, of course, be done, and was in the days of coal by differential sensing damper controls (the efficiency on part fire was horrible, by the way) -- but it is not how modern controls work. It would be advantageous if one could design a modulating oil or gas fired burner which
was differential pressure sensitive. I haven't seen one.
Bottom line: don't confuse vapour steam systems with vacuum assisted steam systems. Not the same animal at all.
The key to vapour systems is in very small, tightly controlled pressure differentials between the steam main supplies and the dry return lines. These differentials are usually on the order of 4 to 6 ounces per square inch differential pressure. The absolute pressure at which they run has nothing to do with the characterisation. The absolute pressure in the system at any given time does affect at what temperature the vapour will be produced, of course. This is where the "dying coal fire" notion comes in -- as the fire died, the system absolute pressure dropped below atmospheric and, correspondingly, the temperature at which the water boiler also dropped (so did the temperature at the radiators at which it condensed) and so it was possible to make use of the lower temperature heat output of a low or dying coal fire.
The tightly controlled differential pressure makes it possible to control, equally tightly, the relative heat output of the various radiators using calibrated valves or orifices, and sometimes makes it possible to do away with steam traps. Not always, however, as steam traps were and are common on vapour systems to prevent any possibility of steam getting into the dry returns -- which would upset the pressure differential.
The vacuum vents which were used, of which the Hoffman 76 is an example (it is still produced, by the way, if you have the cash to pay for it), allowed this drop in absolute pressure while not admitting air to the system.
Many of them had -- and have -- various ingenious devices to ensure that the pressure differential stays low -- the dreaded Hoffman Differential Loop is one -- to ensure that the condensate could, in fact, return to the boiler without difficulty.
Vacuum assisted systems are a different critter altogether, and are much more akin to one pipe systems. In general, the vacuum assist was used to evacuate air more rapidly -- potentially at a lower absolute pressure in the boiler, but not necessarily -- from the system.
Vacuum assisted systems are not particularly fussy about vacuum leaks -- the vacuum pump can handle the leakage, or should be able to. Depending on the vacuum pump type, however, they can be very unhappy if they get steam in the lines to the vacuum pump. Vapour systems don't care about vacuum leanks, unless they are intended to drop below atmospheric pressure on cooling, in which case they certainly do care, and maintaining a large system to be really vacuum tight is an ongoing battle.
A couple of other considerations. First, there really isn't enough residual heat in even a large cast iron boiler to make much difference unless one is going for that last tenth of a percent of efficiency. Second, controlling the absolute pressure at which the boiler operates requires sensitive devices, such as a vaourstat, maintained and mounted so that it can function properly. If one wanted to run a vapour system at sub-atmospheric pressures (i.e. a "vacuum") -- which has some interesting theoretical advantages -- the control mechanism has to be sensitive to the pressure differential between the mains and the dry returns. This can, of course, be done, and was in the days of coal by differential sensing damper controls (the efficiency on part fire was horrible, by the way) -- but it is not how modern controls work. It would be advantageous if one could design a modulating oil or gas fired burner which
was differential pressure sensitive. I haven't seen one.
Bottom line: don't confuse vapour steam systems with vacuum assisted steam systems. Not the same animal at all.
Re: Gas gun in oil burner and Chimney Liner
All chimneys must be suitable for the class of service. If you search this site, you will find me repeating this several dozen times. The code requires a liner. The liner must be properly sized and intact. Terra cotta liners are never installed properly, never hold up, run cold and sweat, and the mortar is incorrect so it erodes even if properly placed, which is rare.
The industry std. is NFPA 211. In Ch 15, you will find levels of inspection. You need a Level II internal inspection by a qualified agency. That will 100% reveal you need a liner if they're doing their jobs.
Many great points above by the guys on sizing, efficiency, condensation, etc. The liner not only contains corrosion and erosion, it sizes the flue to the appliance and, being low mass, heats up quickly to minimize backdrafting at startup. Your chimney sweep should have recommended a level II- call him.
If you check into your state and utilities, you may find incentives to do the CAT IV condensing unit now rather than wait. That money for the liner would go a long way to defraying that cost plus you begin saving on energy costs.
The industry std. is NFPA 211. In Ch 15, you will find levels of inspection. You need a Level II internal inspection by a qualified agency. That will 100% reveal you need a liner if they're doing their jobs.
Many great points above by the guys on sizing, efficiency, condensation, etc. The liner not only contains corrosion and erosion, it sizes the flue to the appliance and, being low mass, heats up quickly to minimize backdrafting at startup. Your chimney sweep should have recommended a level II- call him.
If you check into your state and utilities, you may find incentives to do the CAT IV condensing unit now rather than wait. That money for the liner would go a long way to defraying that cost plus you begin saving on energy costs.
Re: Burnham Oil Burner creating tons of soot
I worked with a guy years ago who insisted on really wrenching down on the nozzle when servicing the burner. He would back one wrench and really lean on the other stretching's the threads in the adapter and causing a leak through the threads especially at an elevated pressure. It would show up only after enough oil has dripped into the burner tube and out into the chamber. If the burner tube was cleaned with every attempt to solve the issue it would take a day or so to declare it's self. This is something I've seen a number of time since. What you are describing rings that bell for me. An indicator for me was a nozzle that turned out normally for a few threads and then started to bind or gaul the rest of the way.
Just a thought and something I'd look at.
Good luck.
Just a thought and something I'd look at.
Good luck.
Grallert
2
Re: Install of the Year!
Doesn't matter, no way we will know unless you want to call those numbers. No one puts stickers assuming it will be blasted on the internet, it's for the homeowner to know who to call current/future.
I judge installers and servers on how they place stickers.
If they place it randomly and crooked, I automatically assume their work is just as sloppy.
I judge installers and servers on how they place stickers.
If they place it randomly and crooked, I automatically assume their work is just as sloppy.
dko
2