Best Of
Re: AO Smith Gas Water Heater Warranty Replacement
Hard to tell. The leaking sweat job was an install issue no doubt. Did the leaking elbow cause the dielectric nipple to corrode or was the dielectric joint also not made up properly?.
And on another note, why would AO smith cover a WH replacement for an installer hack job.
But the damage is done if AO will provide the tank then just change it out.
I think the original plumber is trying to pad the bill
Re: HVAC in New Construction in 2024
The only problem with studies like that — and it's a sort of minor irritation — is that they are, geographically, so coarse. It's inevitable — going finer grained would be very difficult. But it does tend to bias — inevitably, no criticism — towards suburban type areas, and overlook relatively sparsely populated areas (such as where I live!) where LP is wildly expensive, electricity is eye-watering, and so… more oil.
As to system type the emphasis nowadays is on having air conditioning available, so it is quite natural that correspondingly heat pumps will be popular, and forced air is cheap.
Re: A Makeshift Radiator
doesn’t have to be complicated. Single pipes are often used for small rooms. While this is a insulated steam riser with vent, you can do the same with a a single (or multiple) pipe
PC7060
Re: 1/2" tin-coated steel tubing that matches CTS in old fin-tube system
Out here, they called it Bundyweld and they made it during the war. They used it for radiant tubing, but it didn't last long.
HeatingHelp download on Bundyweld here.
Re: Unico potable water furnace, expansion tank pressure
Hi, This is the sort of gauge I was thinking about, that could be put onto heater drains.
Yours, Larry
Re: Unico potable water furnace, expansion tank pressure
That looks like you have 70 PSI water pressure on your system. DO NOT set the air pressure in the tank to 15 PSI. You may as well not connect the tank at all. If you want the tank to do the job it was intended to do, set that air pressure WITH THE TANK NOT CONNECTED TO THE SYSTEM to 65 -70 PSI air pressure.
If the tank is connected to the water pressure in the system, the water pressure in the system will compress whatever air is in that tank to 70 PSI. Don't measure the tank air pressure with water pressure on the other side of the tank.
Re: HVAC in New Construction in 2024
That table is full system COP including outdoor and indoor unit loads. A bad install can definitely hurt efficiency, but that is the case with any setup regardless of furnace/boiler/heat pump.
Anything duel fuel only makes sense if you already have the equipment. When you do the math on cost, the savings are in the order tens of dollars per year, so ROI of installing any extra equipment is never.
Kaos
Converting to a hot water heater
I had the annual Buderus furnace maintenance done recently. The hot water heating tank is integrated. I asked about checking the anode that self-deteriorates instead of the lining of the hot water tank. The tech showed me the price of draining the tank and checking/possibly replacing the anode. He also pointed out the system is 23 years old, and that age should be considered. He talked about a seperate water heater option. I declined checking the anode for now, even though it's about 5 years old.
The tech was describing a system I believe where the hot water is still produced by the furnace, but stored and partially heated in the stand alone electric heater. I'm thinking toward more of a completely seperate hot water heater. A co-worker with such a system turns his furnace off during warm weather. I like that option. Maybe the overall operating cost would be less with the somewhat integrated system using both the furnace and hot water heater? But I suppose the up front cost would be more with an integrated system.
I'm hoping nothing will have to be done for a while. The company i used just installed a new Roth double wall oil tank. It was only about $100 more than the standard Granby oil tank like what I had previously.
Re: Carlin Hot water heater keeps going on and off.
You find it on your combustion analyzer. Its DIY, until its not. Find an oil burner tech.
HVACNUT