Best Of
Re: Should a Magnetic dirt separator be added
I would like to see a dirt/mag on both sides of the HX. No harm having one on the loop field either.
If you plan on blending your glycol on site, here are the water specs from Dow.
Either consider buying pre-blended glycol, no mixing required, or purchase some DI water from a local treatment company. A 55 gallon plastic barrel is a good way to buy and haul water.
I have seen people loading up5 gallon containers at the water machines at Walmart, etc. I think those are large RO machines?
That is a substantial circ on the radiant manifold, what is the total GPM needed? What size is the manifold?
hot_rod
Re: copper pipe feedback
Thanks for the input. I just got an email from one of the techs at Crown/Velocity who thinks he might have some catalogs for the convectors and is digging around.
nycbones
Re: Radiant Heat. Should I raise the temp?
I would suggest getting completely rid of the mixing valve. And set up the ODR temp curve on the Noble boiler. When an indirect water heater call is made, the temp can go back to 180 or whatever you choose. I believe your boiler is capable of this, someone else here can confirm.
bjohnhy
Re: Small Delta-T hydronic system
Isn't the load the room and the heat loss of it, the radiators are the emitters, the the heat exchangers just like the boiler is.
Same with an indirect, the load is the cold gallons of water in the tank.
hot_rod
Re: Can you please critique this boiler setup that was installed in my house two wks ago
Don't fight with them yet if they are willing to come back. The first thing the judge will say is not how it was badly installed but did you give them a chance to fix it.
Re: Best way to clean a stainless steel heat exchanger (without removing)
I can't definitively say - it's likely buried under a slab. This coming summer I'm going to be replacing the last stretch of baseboard and also change the run, with hopes I've cut out the leak.
Robbi
Re: furnace over heating hi return temp
What's the return temp before & after the bypass ties in? That's a pretty big furnace, if just one zone closes you're going to be bypassing more than a bit of hot air. Is it a two-stage unit? Some zone control panels can stage down the unit, or just disable high heat.
You can also see about adding more minimum air to the zones, so you bypass less, too.
ratio
Re: Radiant Heat. Should I raise the temp?
I have to disagree with Eds statement here :)
Truth is Higher flow, tighter delta= higher AWT = hotter overall heat emitter = higher BTU output. You cant cheat the laws of thermodynamics
1 Hot goes to cold always
2 The rate of heat exchanges is based on the ∆. Hotter emitters in a room that is of any lower temperature increases the heat output.
Various ways to get there.
Heat exchangers that we maximize transfer from run tight ∆. Solar thermal we look for 3-5°. We want heat in the tank as fast as possible the avoid loss to the ambient.
Plate heat exchangers can design to "close approach" temperature with 3° with high flow rates.
Every single heat output chart you find for any heat emitter shows a selection of flow rates ∆s to see output differences.
Putting a fan behind a finned water coils (forced convection) "speeds up" the air movement, "speeds up" the heat output. It works on both fluids and air.
Google this article.
Floor coverings limit the amount of BTUs you can deliver. Base slabs, tile floors, and hard surface you want to keep around 82° surface. 82-70 X 2 = 24 btu/sq ft as a reasonable heat delivery. Colder ambient increases output 82-65 X 2 =34 btu/ sq ft. That may be fine in a work shop, but 65 ambient is a bit cold for my home :)
Perhaps the first part of a loop is a bit higher surface, above 82° it dissipates as it travels. The AWT tells more of a story.
It is easier and more linear to increase heat output by increasing SWT- AWT, instead of flow increases..
You cannot "fix" a delta T in a system, it goes where nature takes it! Trying to fix or "constrain" a ∆ is basically putting the brakes on the system. Loads are dynamic in a home, building, let your hydronic system also be dynamic, it will find thermal equilibrium if you don't screw it up :)
If you are a just a bit short, a few degrees try upping the SWT 5° first. You have the ability to do that without any component changes.
hot_rod
Re: copper pipe feedback
You would need to add up the EDR of all the radiators in the house and then look at the rating plate on the boiler to know if the sizing is even close. Given the piping, I doubt they know how to size and probably just went off the old one, but the EDR numbers would tell the story. If you need help with this, let us know, it's easy and we can walk you through it.
Do you know if this is one pipe steam or 2 pipe steam? Pictures of a radiator will tell the story if you aren't sure.
Can an oversized boiler be made to work acceptably? Yes it can, but expectations need to be realistic about performance. You should be able to get it to heat quietly and comfortably even if oversized, it's just going to take some figuring out.
That said, that boiler piping will not allow any amount of fiddling to get there. What is truly infuriating about this is that manufacturer actually sells a piping kit for those boilers to help the contractor not screw it up.
Post a pic of the rating plate for the boiler we can look up the proper piping. It's not just about pipe arrangement, there is also pipe sizing. That boiler should have a 3" header, you currently don't even really have a header. It's a mess, got to think baby steps here.
I would not have high expectations that the contractor will make any effort to correct this even though they should. I'd be prepared to spend some money, if you can find a contractor that is either knowledgeable or willing to listen to direction on what needs done.
Couple things to always keep in mind along this journey. Steam should heat comfortably, evenly, and quietly/silently. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Steam making noise should always be considered a cry for help.
KC_Jones
Re: Most reliable wallhung?
SFB has been great. The combi version is the SFC. I have dozens in the field been lights out. I even have one in my own home. No issues whatsoever…
NEVER navien.
kcopp