Best Of
Re: Can my vintage boiler wiring be updated to modern wiring?
what is the second pole of the switch used for(i remember trying to figure that out in another thread)? are those 24vac transformers? the fused switch itself can be replaced with a modern toggle switch. if the transformers are 24vac I would replace them with a new transformer because the primary wiring is likely to crumble as soon as you start trying to bend it.
like others said you would wire a new dedicated circuit to it because central heating equipment has to be on its own circuit.
is one of those xfmrs for a doorbell?
mattmia2
Re: Legacy Hot Water Heater
Hi, Photos of the top of the tank and gas train would be helpful. I'm not remembering if this is an "external flue" heater. If so, the shank on a replacement gas valve will need to be a bit longer. It may not be hard to add a T&P at the hot outlet with a redo of that line.
ps. What problems is the heater giving you?
Yours, Larry
Re: Heatnglow TownsendII-LP
Mr Ed,
Thanks for clarifying things better on the ODS, that is the thermocouple installed on this unit. Does the fact that the pilot is abnormally loud help solidify this? I'm new to working on fireplaces everything is helpful! Usually work on boilers and furnaces.
Re: Two boiler repipe for primary/secondary
A simple protection is a thermostatic mixer, non electric, reliable
hot_rod
Re: Two boiler repipe for primary/secondary
@jesmed1 said: We'd need to rip out and repipe all the large diameter piping, and that would cost mucho dinero.
and that is not necessarily true. If you look closely at the diagram, you will see the red piping is all that needs to be changed to zone the first from the second floor.
You leave ALL the old pipes from the return and All the pipes from the supply. All you need to do is to disconnect the first floor radiator supply pipes from the large supply main. Plug those openings. Run a 1” copper supply from the 90° corner to the radiators that you disconnected. Connect those radiators with ¾” PEX to that copper main.
How many radiators are we talking about? 5 or so from each side? Not such a big piping job at all.
That is a lot less piping than the project you are talking about.
Ono of my first jobs when I went into business for myself was for the owner of a 4 unit building just like you have. Two upstairs and two downstairs long before wireless thermostats and sensors were available. He had one oil fired boiler and one thermostat in one of the hallways. Always got complaints from tenants about too hot or too cold.
I purchased 3 gas boilers, 4 gas water heaters and a ton of copper pipe and fittings from my local supply house and all of that was able to fit into this one service van.
The guys at the supply house couldn't believe it all fit. I drove less that a mile to the job and took 2 days to complete the job.
You might be thinking, “Only three boilers?!”
Yes. My original proposal was to install four new gas boilers, but the owner wanted to save money and asked, “What if we install only three and leave the old oil boiler serving one apartment?” So that’s what I did.
The system was laid out much like yours: all the radiators on the left side were on one main, and all the radiators on the right side were on another. To separate things, I removed the first-floor radiators from each main and connected them to a new gas boiler. On the left and the right sides. The second-floor radiators remained connected to the existing mains on the left . On the right side, the old oil boiler continued to serve the remaining second-floor system.
As you might expect, that oversized oil boiler burned significantly more fuel than the three gas boilers so the tenant complained in a big way. The following summer, I went back and replaced it with a fourth gas boiler.
That experience showed me this can be done with very little new piping. In your case, you only need to modify the supply side. The returns can all remain as they are, since they’re still returning to the same boiler.
Re: Water hammer - novice question
Good afternoon all,
Just to close this out (I think), the existing piping (L) is now rearranged (R). So far so good as far as no water hammer. Thanks to all for your assistance.
Re: Equalizer
@Captain Who i think that's a coupling. you can see the horizontal line in the fitting. I was thinking the same until i saw the line.
pedmec
Re: does this near boiler piping look right?
water line bouncing or dropping significantly while it is steaming, banging, radiators that don't heat or the system suddenly isn't balanced.
mattmia2
Re: At last! Or... not quite!
maybe "hold" is too incessant a word,
tap touch, tappy tappy tap touch,
not hot yet , , , oooh that's getting hot , , , , dang that's hot!, , ,
neilc
Re: SuperStor SS-40 Aquastat Immersion Well LEAKING
Hi, A little trick I've learned about using the conventional thin teflon tape is to use at least six turns of it rather than the suggested three. I put enough onto the threads so the tops of the threads appear rounded. This nearly always gives me a tight connection without having to really torque things down too much… And I'd consider adding the heat transfer paste/grease just so you know you have a responsive sensor.
Yours, Larry