Best Of
Re: Heating recommendation for Jackson, WY
Hello,
I see you got some advice from Hot Rod! He is an expert when it comes to hydronic heating. I had the pleasure of attending a training with him years ago in MT. I now live and work in Jackson doing all types of mechanical, electrical, and plumbing installs. We specialize in design and installation of conventional and geothermal based heating systems. Your welcome to email me directly to talk about options for your project. I am also happy to have you come to my office if you would like to go over plans and options. vlovejoy@energy-1.net
Re: Before you swap a component
Service techs in most cases will not clean contacts. You pay for a service call. If they clean contacts and get a call back who pays for the second call?
If you're working on your own equipment that is fine, but contractors will usually not want to do that and will replace the control if it is a simple swap.
Probably the most important issue is to make sure the controls are selected properly so the relays etc have ample capacity for the load they control.
Re: Near boiler piping
As often as possible would be every hour on the hour so no, I think that would be too often. You have to kind of judge it based on if there's any gunk coming out.
Like if it were mine I would skim it and see if any gunk came out. If some gunk/sheen came out with the water I would skim it again in a couple days.
You have to carefully watch during the beginning part of the skim to see if anything is coming out. A tee with the bullhead part facing upwards makes a good display port to view the stuff floating out.
Re: White plume of smoke
If your boiler is Catholic, you may have just elected a new Pope
Re: Upgrading my Thermostat to wifi without C wire / Using switch relay with internal transformer
Try using terminals A & B. They switch at the same time as X1 & X2.
You can check X1 & X2 by removing the wires & checking for continuity/resistance. Should be continuity/low resistance (≈<1Ω) with a heat call and no continuity/open circuit (OL etc.) with no heat call.
ratio
Re: Heat Pump vs. Furnace energy usage 2024-2025 results
@ethicalpaul don’t have to convince me! Just waiting for the right time.
Re: Steam Mains Insulate or not?
Thanks Intplm. It is fiberglass. That I am sure of, because I put it in myself.
Re: Heat Pump vs. Furnace energy usage 2024-2025 results
With @jesmed1's anaylsis It appears you did revealed a rough ratio of gas versus KWh. If a therm of natural gas is less than 10x a KWh, then a heat pump is economical to operate.
But, that's some expensive natural gas! In Western NY, I'm at $0.85/therm. I pay around $0.18/kwh for electric. So for me, natural gas is a lot cheaper.
KarlW
Re: Boiler pressure constantly rises to/past 30psi relief valve trigger
Just wanted to add…at this point I am just kind of thinking out loud and letting my curiosity run wild, making this thread carry on longer than it probably needed to. Hopefully not wearing out my welcome.
It seems like I already hit a point where I can declare the problem solved even though there is room for future improvement if desired. And for that I owe you all a big thanks!
THANKS SO MUCH to everybody that posted such great info and advice! I feel like I learned a ton and saved a lot of money by taking it on myself, which I could not have been confident doing without your help.
Equally important to fixing this issue, I’m no longer completely ignorant about how this system works. That’s a gift that will keep on giving.
person56
Re: Residential Steam Boiler Replacement - EDR Questions
I think those column rads were made by Republic Radiator Co., but they are standard units so any standard 3-column chart will do.
