Best Of
Re: Heating the Henry Ford Museum
It’s a wonderful museum. I couldn’t stop smiling at those radiators. By chance, I was visiting on the day that Rosa Parks died. I sat for a while in her seat on the bus. That also made me smile.
Heating the Henry Ford Museum
The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, MI has an interesting hot-water heating system. Take a look at the radiators below. They are from the Shaw-Perkins Manufacturing Company of Pittsburgh, PA. Click the button above to download the original manufacturer's documentation for these radiators. Thank you to KC_Jones for sharing these photos with us.
Re: Fixing the gurgling at the end of my Steam Mains
After you get all the crud out that is possible and assuming that both returns drop into a wet return pipe before rising up into the Hartford Loop return, you could:
Add a valve to isolate the wet return from the boiler and add a full size drain valve to the lowest point on the wet return.
Then run the boiler in the "no return" mode. This is shutting the valve to prevent any return going into the boiler. Open the new drain valve to waste the return water down a drain. You will have to monitor the water level in the boiler as you do this.
The wet return at the boiler also performs as a "P" trap and is where any crud from the return lines will collect. Your "no return" mode will flush the returns.
If you go to the "Silent Steam" U-tubes by Gordo S. you will see that they often do that with a new boiler install.
After some operation, just draining the wet returns with the drain valve will remove more debris before it gets into the boiler.
Also remove the handle from the valve that isolates the returns from the boiler when finished with the no return operation.
Re: Couple of recent boiler installation
Thanks @Steamhead much appreciated.
The steamers and one of the EKs boilers recommendations came heatinghelp.
EzzyT
Re: Boiler wiring tips
I'll add, don't trust what you find in the field. I've seen green wire used for power. Assume it's live, and test. 🤓
Yours, Larry
Re: Correct location to install the CW makeup valve on a boiler
Ed is on the correct path
To find exact numbers to the pressures at various points you would need to define the circuit, hydraulically speaking.
How many feet of piping, how many fittings and valves, etc
In some cases you could be sub atmospheric in points of the system. A condition you can and should avoid with proper component placement
Here is a visual of
pumping away, on a hypothetical circuit
hot_rod
Re: Gas boiler heating house without call for heat
The buzzing if excessive could be a mechanical defect with the "CR" relay. You may want to verify where the buzzing is coming from and when, it may be a clue.
Re: Gas boiler heating house without call for heat
It is starting to look like the relay "CR" in the boiler has an issue (could be stuck, contacts welded, coil energized, or other mechanical defect). Power down the boiler, remove the Red push on connector (Yellow arrow), restore power to the boiler and see if it still fires. This just eliminates all the wiring that goes to the SR501.
Re: Rattling Taco 221 fix: Replacement from new valve vs. rebuild kit?
And done.
FWIW, this is the brass union I got which, at $35 in Sept 2025, compared extremely favorably in terms of price with the black iron one at THD for $24.





