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Re: Archer Boilers
I was thinking the same thing. The thing that caught my eye was the center flue. I come across a lot of old American Standard or some AC Delcos with center flue in tight spots or garages that I don't have the room to replace it with a CI Crown because of size and flue configuration. Weil McLain would be my other option for CI, but stock has been low in my neck of the woods with only one supply house repping them.
Re: Archer Boilers
The oil boilers strongly resemble the old Slant/Fins, including the 3" outlet tapping on the steamer.
The gas ones look like rebranded Crown or New Yorker units.
The gas ones look like rebranded Crown or New Yorker units.
Archer Boilers
Was talking to the a wholesaler in about a few products and cast iron boilers came up. They used to be the distribution guys for Slant Finn boilers and now are repping Archer boilers by US Boiler. Looks like the Slant Fin line and was excited to see a somewhat center flue come back. Mainly because I come across a lot of those in my area and Weil McLain was my only other option for a replacement CI with center flue. Anyone have any experience with the Archer line yet?
Re: Bad configuration?
assuming there is a pump inside the boiler circulating the boiler loop?
Two options.
#1 The distribution loop to the radiant needs to be taken off with closely spaced tees, and a circ added to the distribution loop. Remove the zone valve, add a circ P2.
#2 valve or cap off line to the zone valve, remove zone valve. Pump into one manifold. Return manifold goes into the loop, call it a horseshoe as it is not a connected loop.
So boiler injects into the horseshoe, the horseshoe pump circulates through the distribution.
A few piping changes that would not need an additional circulator. A piping correction without adding another circ.
Is the zone valve wired to a zone relay control? If the pump wired to the relay box? It possible to just jumper the end switch control the circulator from that relay
Two options.
#1 The distribution loop to the radiant needs to be taken off with closely spaced tees, and a circ added to the distribution loop. Remove the zone valve, add a circ P2.
#2 valve or cap off line to the zone valve, remove zone valve. Pump into one manifold. Return manifold goes into the loop, call it a horseshoe as it is not a connected loop.
So boiler injects into the horseshoe, the horseshoe pump circulates through the distribution.
A few piping changes that would not need an additional circulator. A piping correction without adding another circ.
Is the zone valve wired to a zone relay control? If the pump wired to the relay box? It possible to just jumper the end switch control the circulator from that relay
hot_rod
1
Re: hydrostat 3250 and my new boiler
This is your wiring diagram with your existing thermostat (with zone 4 selected as the recover relay zone) I have added it as a file below so you can zoom in.
. Print this and leave it near your boiler for reference.
Once you have this wired, You can go to advanced settings on your thermostat and use these settings
Let me know how this turns out for you!
Sent a PM with phone number in case you need answers in real time. Text me and I will call you back.
. Print this and leave it near your boiler for reference.Once you have this wired, You can go to advanced settings on your thermostat and use these settings
Let me know how this turns out for you!
Sent a PM with phone number in case you need answers in real time. Text me and I will call you back.
Re: New Gorton Stuck Vent, Investigative Surgery
I just put two Gorton #2’s on a job and both are stuck shut. They came from SupplyHouse.
I wonder what’s going on?
I wonder what’s going on?
Ironman
1
Re: Boiler pressure at 40psi but relief valve rated at 30 psi not opening
Before I replaced my old boiler, I noticed one day the gauge was pegged all the way to the right, something like 100lbs or more. It stayed there after I released the pressure and was still reading over 100lbs the entire week it sat outside in the driveway waiting for the scrapper to come get it..
Those gauges do go bad, and as recommended above, do check yours with a known good gauge.
While I get that my gauge was bad, I don't understand how it got pegged all the way to the end of the dial, unless the default failure mode is designed to read too high than too low.. ??
Those gauges do go bad, and as recommended above, do check yours with a known good gauge.
While I get that my gauge was bad, I don't understand how it got pegged all the way to the end of the dial, unless the default failure mode is designed to read too high than too low.. ??
MaxMercy
1
Re: Beckett AF Oil Furnace Help
To put this in perspective, I came across a ThermoPride oil furnace. one of the old ones with a 2 piece fire brick chamber. It was saturated to the point where there was oil on the floor around the furnace. I knew enough to NOT try to light it. Gave the business owner the dirty details and replaced the primary control, removed the combustion chamber and set it in a trash can lid in the parking lot, and lit the chamber with a blow torch. Then I went back inside and put a full bag of oil dry inside the chamber compartment to absorb as much wet oil as I could. Every 15 minutes I went outside to check on the combustion chamber and it was a raging fire for over 1 hour. After swooshing the oil dry around the furnace, blower compartment and the burner compartment (Swooshing is a technical term) I was satisfied that the furnace was safe to operate.
But the fire brick chamber was still fully engulfed in flames 2 hours later. Not until 3 hours passed was the porous firebrick void of the saturation of fuel. At the end of 4 hours, I was able to reassemble the chamber inside the furnace and seal up all the doors with high temperature gasket material. I needed to spray the furnace with vinegar and odor gone spray for another hour after the furnace was lit.
So how can you tell how much oil is absorbed in the combustion chamber you have? Well it’s like a sponge. It can have 3 hours worth of fuel soaked in it or it can have 10 minutes worth soaked in it. Or it might have only a short rumble of fuel in it. Only you know how long the oil sprayed in there without burning. All that oil is still in there. Get a Pro to be safe.
But the fire brick chamber was still fully engulfed in flames 2 hours later. Not until 3 hours passed was the porous firebrick void of the saturation of fuel. At the end of 4 hours, I was able to reassemble the chamber inside the furnace and seal up all the doors with high temperature gasket material. I needed to spray the furnace with vinegar and odor gone spray for another hour after the furnace was lit.
So how can you tell how much oil is absorbed in the combustion chamber you have? Well it’s like a sponge. It can have 3 hours worth of fuel soaked in it or it can have 10 minutes worth soaked in it. Or it might have only a short rumble of fuel in it. Only you know how long the oil sprayed in there without burning. All that oil is still in there. Get a Pro to be safe.
Re: hydrostat 3250 and my new boiler
I may have misspoke. Perhaps perception is the incorrect term. The new normal is 2 hours based on energy saving technology. The fact that it warmed up in less time is based on the fact that there was a longer burn time in the past. The longer burn time allowed the water temperature to reach 175 within a few minutes. The new normal has a series of short burn times over 2 hours. Since you may hear the burner come on several times over that two hour period, it appears that the flame is on longer, but if you actually timed the flame on over 2 hours with the new control, and compare it to old one shot long burn time within 30 minutes, there will be very little difference in burn time. That is because 8 or 9 short burn times feels like more fuel is being used because you hear more starts. But do you hear the offs?
However I agree with you on how it should work. And I have a fix. There is a way to make that happen using a two stage heating thermostat. Usually used on heat pumps to bring on the electric resistance heat when the lower temperature heat pump compressor warm air is not enough to get the house comfortable. We can employ the same concept. When you turn your thermostat back to a higher temperature, the difference between the room temperature and the desired (or setpoint) temperature will be greater than the 1°F difference required for the second stage thermostat to call for auxiliary heat. (W2)
By adding a simple relay to the second stage heat (W2) the contacts on that additional relay can connect the ZC and ZR on the Hydrostat 3250 and fool it into DHW mode, allowing the high temperature limit to take control getting the boiler water up to the desired temperature immediately upon a call for set forward to the warmer home. This will drop out when the room temperature gets close to the set point and the W2 stage drops out, automatically reverting to the ODR function that you really want to keep operational for the most economical operation.
I would need to know more about your system to come up with a plan for your home, however here is one idea I have come up with that will work if you have only one zone of heating. The attached file allows for a thermostat that requires a common if you wish to use a WiFi compatible thermostat.
However I agree with you on how it should work. And I have a fix. There is a way to make that happen using a two stage heating thermostat. Usually used on heat pumps to bring on the electric resistance heat when the lower temperature heat pump compressor warm air is not enough to get the house comfortable. We can employ the same concept. When you turn your thermostat back to a higher temperature, the difference between the room temperature and the desired (or setpoint) temperature will be greater than the 1°F difference required for the second stage thermostat to call for auxiliary heat. (W2)
By adding a simple relay to the second stage heat (W2) the contacts on that additional relay can connect the ZC and ZR on the Hydrostat 3250 and fool it into DHW mode, allowing the high temperature limit to take control getting the boiler water up to the desired temperature immediately upon a call for set forward to the warmer home. This will drop out when the room temperature gets close to the set point and the W2 stage drops out, automatically reverting to the ODR function that you really want to keep operational for the most economical operation.
I would need to know more about your system to come up with a plan for your home, however here is one idea I have come up with that will work if you have only one zone of heating. The attached file allows for a thermostat that requires a common if you wish to use a WiFi compatible thermostat.
Re: Wood-fired Steam Heating
maybe in the absence of air,
but it's easier to push air out at 2psi, than it is at 30, right?
but it's easier to push air out at 2psi, than it is at 30, right?
neilc
1