Best Of
My steam library
Figured I would share my steam library. Just a homeowner here. I would like to try to find a print copy of a 1943 Webster catalog if possible and are there any other recommended books I try to get?
Re: Bradford White temp
Holy cow…
I think you hit the nail on the head Matt.
I'm almost positive both mine and my dad's are set to turn off at roughly 120F.
I thought it was on at 110, off at 120. That's measured at the short length of copper pipe right at the heater.
ChrisJ
Re: Antifreeze
ethylene glycol is more thermally conductive than PG
Dowfrost is a PG, Dowtherm is EG both are used in hydronics. EG is a bit more toxic.
EG is used when there is no potential for contact with potable water. Skating rinks, large chilled water systems for example
Automotive glycols containe silicates which can sludge a hydronic system. Do not use automotive PG or EG in hydronics
Do not use RV antifreeze, no inhibitors
Always label the system indicating the type of fluid and the date.
hot_rod
Re: Fixing the gurgling at the end of my Steam Mains
soldered on the copper and tested it out. No leaks and no gurgling sound!!!
Re: Bell & Gossett Circulator
Sounds like it could be low on water? What is the boiler pressure? 10- 12 psi is common.
That is a water lubricated circulator, so it needs to be filled and air free.
You can dead-head those circs for a short period, eventually they can boil the water out of the volute then you are running dry.
A leaking relief valve is often traced to a failed or water logged expansion tank, or a fill valve that is leaking past.
hot_rod
Re: Adding antifreeze to old boiler
The Rhogard is only 30% as-is and the Sentinel doesn't seem to show anywhere what its concentration is, but by the burst temp I would guess around 40%. The only way to do this properly is to get your hands on a refractometer and make adjustments as necessary, but you almost certainly don't have enough to keep the total concentration above 25% where it needs to be. With that said, why do you want glycol at all? If this space is occupied, it's not going to freeze and there is no reason to mess with glycol.
GroundUp
Re: Vapor Steam Heating System?
Maybe, maybe not. @JbPhillips , in the third pic where the device comes out of the housing and a pipe goes up, where does that pipe end up?
Also, where are you located? We might know someone who can help you……………
Re: Bell & Gossett Circulator
The leaking pressure relief valve was most likely either that valve was leaking or had failed to shut properly or the pressure reducing valve feeding the boiler required water had failed. They both do. Very common — and inexpensive to fix — failures. Nothing to do with the boiler.
Now on the running pump. You're best bet — other than finding out what is causing it to overheat — is to find out what is causing it to run and, related, whether it should be or not. The most likely cause of it overheating is that it is deadheaded — a valve on the outlet side closed. Hard to say without knowing more about the control strategy for the building whether it should be running or not.
Re: Air Vent at boiler. Necessary with Air Sep?
17 feet above the circulator pump that may be about 3 feet above the boiler pressure gauge indicates that you need about 8.9 PSI of static pressure to get the system filled. add a little extra for a buffer and you can operate at 12 PSI for that system. So 15 PSI at the boiler gauge is more than adequate without going overboard. Set the air charge in the expansion tank to 15 PSI when the expansion tank os not connected to the boiler water pressure. That would mean with the boiler pressure below 12 PSI if you want to check it without disconnecting it. Then set your auto fill pressure to 14.5 PSI to 15 PSI so not to add more water to the 15 PSI expansion tank at cold startup. You should be good to go with pumping away from the expansion tank!
