Best Of
Re: Replumbing: Solder or Threads for Ball Valves
Okay, Back to the original question of sweat vs threaded connections for valves. My approach has long been to use threaded valves, as valves eventually fail. If I can build things so a torch is not needed the next time around, that's a plus in my mind. 😇
Yours, Larry
Re: System 2000, nearly double the cost of Weil McLain, is it worth it?
Before, it's only been about a month and a half with the new WH.
riny
Re: Utica now offering 12 year warranties, longest in industry
As a distributor my company processes a ton of warranties, I can count on on hand the number of times we have been declined and didn't get reimbursed. you need better manufacturers or suppliers, warranty claims are almost never denied in my experience, heck we were just considering dropping an entire brand over a single denied claim a few weeks ago.
GGross
Re: System 2000, nearly double the cost of Weil McLain, is it worth it?
I had only one experience with installing an EK before I retired. The proud owner of a EK 2000 was converting to gas, and the Oil fired system was only about 6 years old. I was offered the used boiler at a great price, and My Customer Service Rep was in need of a new boiler. The old Dynotherm was very efficient in its day but it was getting difficult to source parts for the old beast.
The EK2000 cut the fuel bill by 35% from the “properly installed and properly operating efficient Dynotherm”. I felt that the Dynotherm was as efficient as any new Weil McLain would be, and did not expect there to be any measurable savings. Well I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Understanding how the savings were realised gave me a new understanding of “Low Mass" and “Thermal purging” that I never really thought about before.
Sometimes you need to see it to believe it. I know I did, and, @Hot_water_fan , all the “irrelevant” mambo jumbo becomes REAL once you take the time to understand it.
As far as the cost of the WM being so much higher … I believe there may be some warranty left on the WM that might be offsetting the cost of the job, and a push pull is always a faster job than changing the system to accommodate the piping requirements of the EK design. Those two factors could be a major reason for the larger than usual $$$ difference.
You would need more facts to make that call @Roger . Could the contractor be purchasing the block only or the boiler less burner and using all the existing working parts from the old boiler on the replacement boiler. I believe your EK dealers are more on the reputable side of the scale that many of the other competitors might fall. Just my opinion.
Not saying that you are not reputable if you don’t sell EK, Just saying that you seem to hold your dealers to a higher standard in equipment knowledge and training, and that type of contractor is not as likely to be the shady contractor we all want to avoid.
Re: Options for increasing gas pressure without using local gas company
Ask everyone who is diagnosing gas pressure to to tell you the pressure values they measured at the unit. Check incoming at the units gas valve, static, at ignition, high fire, and lockup. 4 values needed. If the gas pressure is deemed insufficient generally it is a gas pipe sizing issue and not a maxed out meter but without a bunch more info I wouldn't know that, and either way you need to actually know those 4 values to diagnose a gas pressure issue. If you have someone else do it either write down or take a photo of the manometer for each value, do not just accept an answer of "the gas pressure is good" or "bad" you need to actually measure it and record the values
GGross
Re: Balancing
The motor falling off the zone valve may have something to do with this…
My first time using a purge valve after reading Pumping Away
In this week's video, I discuss the first time I saw a purge valve setup and how it worked. I had read about the purge valve in Dan's Pumping Away and never had a chance to see one. Most of my clients were commercial or lite industrial. When I did, it worked like a charm. So much easier than trying to access painted over radiator vents behind furniture. Hope you enjoy it.
Re: System 2000, nearly double the cost of Weil McLain, is it worth it?
Get him to put that in writing! I'll bet you don't see the difference in 2 years. 3 - 5 maybe.
It's still worth it BUT…..
Tightening the envelop has a greater return on investment. Then you can get a smaller boiler that you might see the savings promised.
Has an accurate heat load loss been done? Get it done.
pecmsg
Re: Replacing a nat gas combi boiler with electric alternative
That set up is fairly decent. Having the Natural gas is great… many would love to have that option.
I would try to have them just replace the Combi w/ another combi that is tried AND that you know well.
If they are drinking the electrification koolaid and cant be moved to gain the floor space maybe get a stackable washer and dryer?
kcopp
Re: Seeking Engineer for Off-Grid Religious Facility Heating in the Mountain States
The passive solar houses and other structures my late father0in-law and I did back forty plus years ago were completely engineered, including thermal mass effects. A couple of the early ones we didn't get quite right, but later we usually came pretty close. Architecture wasn't our thing, so we worked mostly the The Architects Collaborative or Mies van der Rohe on that.
