Best Of
Re: DIY Boiler Monitor Project -- Useful?
This is awesome! What is your hardware/software setup? I built a similar system for my 3-zone boiler over the last 4 years (part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4), and have done lots of experiments with trying to improve the efficiency.
fentonc
Re: Thermal post-purge of cast iron boiler
I did some isolated benchmarking earlier:
Along with an elaborate simulator setup to try to get seasonal effects:
It's very difficult to do fiddly experiments when it's cold outside, as my house is extremely affected by incoming sunlight, and the heat loss is affected how warm various parts of the house are (so I can make changes that increase thermal efficiency, make the house warmer, but also increase fuel use in terms of BTU/heating-degree-hour, for instance).
One interesting aspect of my three zone system is that I've just been running the 'colder' zone (the main floor) with the thermostat steady at 68F, and I've turned on thermal purge to all 3 zones, so the upper floor and basement have been heated entirely from the residual heat from the main floor so far. According to my tracking system, my average thermal efficiency so far has been in the mid 60%s, vs <50% previously at these temps, so it seems to be working pretty well.
fentonc
Re: Thermal post-purge of cast iron boiler
@fentonc So you're in the same boat we are…will be interesting to see what our season's oil consumption will be. We have good consumption records from past years so should have a good basis for comparison. Hopefully we save a few percent.
In addition to purge, I've increased our thermostat differential (swing) from 1.0 to 1.5 degrees, which should result in fewer total burns of longer duration, and have also programmed in a night setback that sometimes eliminates one overnight burn (depending on outside air temp) with a longer recovery burn in the morning, which should also increase system efficiency slightly.
Yes, it's just tinkering around the edges, but that's all we can do at this point without major replumbing.
jesmed1
Re: What To Do If You Don't Have a C Wire For Your Thermostat
Before and after- steamer
Our two day job, and pulling the old boiler was a real treat.
Yesterday evening I flung some romex and heated up the building a couple degrees (then shut it down- no controls at all)
This morning I get there early to fire it up again- building management system said the sensor was reading 64. Ran it for 2 1/2 hours before the electrician got there, it reached 71.
We cleaned up the boiler room- took some junk that the previous people left behind.
We maxed out the little EZ Gas with a 7/16” drill bit
We left it nicer that how we found it 💯
GW
Re: Getting rid of the old boiler sections
Hand truck and 4 guys. Or cut 1/2 way through with angle grinder the hit with a sledge hammer.
Can you hang a chain fall at the top of the stairs. Cut a hole in the plaster or drywall. Drill a joist with an angle drill and push a piece of 3/8 wire rope through the hole and put wire rope clips on it.
If the stairs are not too steep and the stairs are straight outside you can hook a come along or a winch to a truck. Make a trough of 2 x8s or 2 x10s and nail some sheet metal to the bottom with flat heat roofing nails and winch them out on edge.
another way is to lay 2 x6s on stairs and lay the sections on them flat. Pull them up the sections will dig into the 2 x 6s and the whole works will slide out.
I have done Smith 28s where the F & B sections are 800#. Those Burnhams are smaller probably 500# each
Cutting torch is NG on cast iron won't work.
Re: New House, New Problems- Introduction and seeking help on new to me steam
the receptacle behind the gas pipe is a nice touch
mattmia2
Re: Getting rid of the old boiler sections
If you can, buy a nice heavy duty dolly. If the stairs are able, put a heavy duty ramp on them and with a few people go up the ramp with the extra help. If you have to take a brake on the ramp, have some one closely watching and shove wood under a wheel to stop it in its location while the person holds it. I’ve done this at a school with a bad dolly and a sketchy ramp situation. More people is always better.
other than that there’s no easy way about getting those sections out unless there’s easy access to the outdoors (like no stairs)
Re: Getting rid of the old boiler sections
Cut them into "small" pieces. Cut them in a method of your choice and load them to the scrap yard. Or, even better, see if you can have a "scrapper" take them for you. Depending on your area, scrapers might want the whole load.
Intplm.
Re: Getting rid of the old boiler sections
Scrapper came right down to the basement to haul away sections of my old Burham 5B, including two buckets of rust chips from the collapsing pedestal. Not sure if he got money for the chips or just did us a favor. That said the boiler sections were (only) 150 lbs each.
